Two Passports Holders

[correatres]

Does anyone have any idea on what treatment one person with more than one passport would get with regards to the 90 days limit for stays in Thailand without a visa? I.e. if the 90 days are counted ONLY on the basis of previous stamps, what happens if a person with double citizenship uses one passport say for the first three visa runs, then a different passport for the following three runs, then back to passport one for three more runs...

A friend of mine who is contemplating this possibility asked me and I didn't know how to answer, so I'm counting on your invaluable expertise.

Thanks a lot.

[Maestro]

Does anyone have any idea on what treatment one person with more than one passport would get with regards to the 90 days limit for stays in Thailand without a visa? I.e. if the 90 days are counted ONLY on the basis of previous stamps, what happens if a person with double citizenship uses one passport say for the first three visa runs, then a different passport for the following three runs, then back to passport one for three more runs...

There is the complication that Thai Immigration wants to see also the entry and exit stamps of the neighbouring country visited for the border runs. Therefore, the plan of leaving Thailand after the third visa-exempt visit with passport A and return with passport B would not work.

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Maestro

[the scouser]

I would think that the 90-day limit relates to the person and not the passport. The immigration computer records will show him to have already been in Thailand for the alloted period, albeit with a different passport.

Scouse.

[correatres]

Thanks for your comments but...

Why would Thai immigration be concerned with whether your passport was stamped in say Penang ornot ata all? If, as an European, you come from Europe, for instance, there is no stamp.

Also, do you think their computer system checks for names or just for passport numbers?

BTW, I've realised that, contrary to practice in Malaysia, immigration forms in Thailand do not carry the question: 'Have you entered the country before with a different passport?'

So you think it might be illegal?

[samran]

Thanks for your comments but...

Why would Thai immigration be concerned with whether your passport was stamped in say Penang ornot ata all? If, as an European, you come from Europe, for instance, there is no stamp.

Also, do you think their computer system checks for names or just for passport numbers?

BTW, I've realised that, contrary to practice in Malaysia, immigration forms in Thailand do not carry the question: 'Have you entered the country before with a different passport?'

So you think it might be illegal?

Comparing europe here doesn't work.

Flying into Thailand, immigration officials do not look for the exit stamp from the previous desitination, precisely because, many countries in Europe and in Australia and the US do not stamp out their nationals.

But, when crossing land borders, they do check that you have exited the last country correctly. So doing the passport swap at a land border wouldn't work.

Again, to re-iterate, the immigration computers are becoming pretty high tech, so the chances are you'd be sprung.

[onebir]

see discussion in this thread too:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=87522

Edited October 20, 2006 by onebir

[Axel]

Thanks for your comments but...

Why would Thai immigration be concerned with whether your passport was stamped in say Penang ornot ata all? If, as an European, you come from Europe, for instance, there is no stamp.

Also, do you think their computer system checks for names or just for passport numbers?

BTW, I've realised that, contrary to practice in Malaysia, immigration forms in Thailand do not carry the question: 'Have you entered the country before with a different passport?'

So you think it might be illegal?

If you come from Europe, or any other place, by air and are denied entry you will be handed over to the airline to fly you back out. Arriving by land crossing you will be returned to the country you arrived from. For the latter case your previous stamp is proof where you arrived from and to be returned to.

[correatres]

see discussion in this thread too:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=87522

Thank you, onebir. This thread is most useful.

[GuestHouse]

I have two passports and have regularly entered Thailand switching between to two.

When on business I use that which is the nationality of my employer's offices (just to ease the work permit procedures), when travelling to Thailand for personal reasons I use my other passport.

I have been called to one side to by immigration twice to check why I use two passports - So yes they do check on the computer.