I'm Just Come Back From A Visa-run...

[Braccobaldo]

So....I'm younger than 50 years, no married (and no intention to do that), not working....

Since many years every month I cross the border with Cambodia....last time was on 29 of September and the new rules was't still effective....

Today was my first visa-run under new legislation....I was very curious to see if something new was going on.....and...THERE IS SOMETHING NEW....that I promptly I like share with all of you...

So...everything run smoothly same every time...immigration grant me 30 more days but now just next to my entry stamp they write (in green colour) a small "1".

So I ask to speak with someone inside immigration office for clarify me what is the meaning of that...

Very kindly, immigration explained me that I will be able to do TWO MORE visa-run (on 26 nov. and 25 dec.) then, on 23 january, when I will go outside Thailand I will need a Tourist Visa for to be allowed to entry in Thailand.....

So...from now go on (for those people in my same conditions) three visa-run (90 days) and then "Thai embassy visa-run"....and no problem....

[Gazza]

So...from now go on (for those people in my same conditions) three visa-run (90 days) and then "Thai embassy visa-run"....and no problem....

No problem on paper but 3 X 30 day stamps actually only gives you 29 days on each stamp so you will lose 3 days which brings it down to 87 days not 90.

When doing same day border trips, your departure date of one stamp will be the same as the arrival date on your next one. So you'll lose another 2 days there too on overlapping stamps.

3 X 30 day stamps= 85 days.

Can anyone confirm this?

[Braccobaldo]

So...from now go on (for those people in my same conditions) three visa-run (90 days) and then "Thai embassy visa-run"....and no problem....

No problem on paper but 3 X 30 day stamps actually only gives you 29 days on each stamp so you will lose 3 days which brings it down to 87 days not 90.

When doing same day border trips, your departure date of one stamp will be the same as the arrival date on your next one. So you'll lose another 2 days there too on overlapping stamps.

3 X 30 day stamps= 85 days.

Can anyone confirm this?

I understand what you mean...but I think that when you re-enter in Thailand with Tourist visa, Immigration would not care about your past visa-runs and your 180 days period started on time of your first visa-run would be erased (by the fact that you got a valid visa)....this was confirmed to me today.....I think (and I hope) he was a reliable source...

[tropo]

So....I'm younger than 50 years, no married (and no intention to do that), not working....

Since many years every month I cross the border with Cambodia....last time was on 29 of September and the new rules was't still effective....

Today was my first visa-run under new legislation....I was very curious to see if something new was going on.....and...THERE IS SOMETHING NEW....that I promptly I like share with all of you...

So...everything run smoothly same every time...immigration grant me 30 more days but now just next to my entry stamp they write (in green colour) a small "1".

So I ask to speak with someone inside immigration office for clarify me what is the meaning of that...

Very kindly, immigration explained me that I will be able to do TWO MORE visa-run (on 26 nov. and 25 dec.) then, on 23 january, when I will go outside Thailand I will need a Tourist Visa for to be allowed to entry in Thailand.....

So...from now go on (for those people in my same conditions) three visa-run (90 days) and then "Thai embassy visa-run"....and no problem....

This numbering of stamps doesn't really make any sense.

It has been indicated quite clearly that it's the amount of days you spend in Thailand that count, not the amount of stamps you have. Many people don't stay the full 30 days and do short, frequent hops across various borders.

To work this out, they would be counting the previous 180 days (but only starting after October 1)and calculating how many days out of the 180 you've been in Thailand.

The only way this is feasable is with a computer program. It'll be interesting to see what happens from January on....they might just decide to throw it in the too-hard basket.

[Gaudente]

So....I'm younger than 50 years, no married (and no intention to do that), not working....

Since many years every month I cross the border with Cambodia....last time was on 29 of September and the new rules was't still effective....

Today was my first visa-run under new legislation....I was very curious to see if something new was going on.....and...THERE IS SOMETHING NEW....that I promptly I like share with all of you...

So...everything run smoothly same every time...immigration grant me 30 more days but now just next to my entry stamp they write (in green colour) a small "1".

So I ask to speak with someone inside immigration office for clarify me what is the meaning of that...

Very kindly, immigration explained me that I will be able to do TWO MORE visa-run (on 26 nov. and 25 dec.) then, on 23 january, when I will go outside Thailand I will need a Tourist Visa for to be allowed to entry in Thailand.....

So...from now go on (for those people in my same conditions) three visa-run (90 days) and then "Thai embassy visa-run"....and no problem....

Sbaglio o gia' ci conosciamo su un altro forum (Abulico- VE_Marco) ?

Hai provato a pensare a cosa fare qualora alla tua prima visita a Penang l'Ambasciata ti rifiuti la concessione del visto turistico sulla base che hai appena trascorso 90 giorni in Thailandia come turista ?

[Braccobaldo]

This numbering of stamps doesn't really make any sense.

I said that Immigration officer write "1" next to entry stamp....maybe it would mean that today it's my first day in Thailand on "90 days permitted with no-visa"...

[OneeyedJohn]

To work this out, they would be counting the previous 180 days (but only starting after October 1)and calculating how many days out of the 180 you've been in Thailand.

The only way this is feasable is with a computer program. It'll be interesting to see what happens from January on....they might just decide to throw it in the too-hard basket.

I love it. Your two short paragraphs got me going and I'm quite a mental arithmetical gymnast

[Maestro]

This numbering of stamps doesn't really make any sense.

I believe it does help Immigration Officers in some way.

Imagine you are an Immigration Officer, and on 14 September next year you are presented a passport with 47 visa-exempt entry stamps, of which 9 are after 30 September 2006.

1. The stamps starting 1 October 2006 are numbered. This tells you that you can disregard all other stamps.

2. The numbers put the stamps from 1 October 2006 in chronological order. You need to look only at the stamps over the past 6 months and therefore you are not starting at stamp 1 but instead you start at stamp 9 and work backwards, adding up the number of days in the country for each entry, until you arrive at a stamp that is earlier than 15 March 2007, for which you don’t add the days anymore.

Now, stop imagining that you are an Immigration Officer, and consider yourself lucky that you are not.

---------------

Maestro

[Braccobaldo]

Sbaglio o gia' ci conosciamo su un altro forum ?

[/quote

...Ti ho inviato un MP....Ciao!

[tropo]

This numbering of stamps doesn't really make any sense.

I said that Immigration officer write "1" next to entry stamp....maybe it would mean that today it's my first day in Thailand on "90 days permitted with no-visa"...

I understand. It has been reported several times on here that stamps are being numbered in green.

Maybe the want to make it easy to see your stamps after October 1 because can you imagine how difficult and time consuming it will be for these Immigration guys to look through a heavily stamped passport to find the Thailand entry stamps. The would also need to locate all the exit stamps to calculate the exact days you've stayed.

I don't think they've really thought it through too well and they're flying by the seat of their pants.

[Maestro]

[translated] Have you thought about what to do if on your first visit to Penang the consulate refuses to give you a tourist visa because you have just finished staying in Thailand as a tourist for 90 days?

Your question is interesting because just recently someone reported that he was denied a tourist visa by the Thai consulate in Phnom Penh. In other words, it is indeed possible to have one’s application for a tourist visa rejected.

Such refusal seems unlikely to happen in Phnom Penh, but your question is nevertheless valid. In case of refusal, as I see it Braccobaldo would have two options:

1. Travel on to another Thai consulate (Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, etc.), if necessary one after the other, until he finds one that does not refuse him a tourist visa.

2. Return to Thailand without a visa. What will happen in such a situation cannot be known until after 1 January 2007 and somebody who finds himself in this situation reports his experience. It has been speculated that the Thai immigration officer will not be so heartless as to refuse him entry into Thailand but that he will give him permission to stay only for a short time, perhaps 7 or 10 days.

---------------

Maestro

[taxin]

So....I'm younger than 50 years, no married (and no intention to do that), not working....

Since many years every month I cross the border with Cambodia....last time was on 29 of September and the new rules was't still effective....

Today was my first visa-run under new legislation....I was very curious to see if something new was going on.....and...THERE IS SOMETHING NEW....that I promptly I like share with all of you...

So...everything run smoothly same every time...immigration grant me 30 more days but now just next to my entry stamp they write (in green colour) a small "1".

So I ask to speak with someone inside immigration office for clarify me what is the meaning of that...

Very kindly, immigration explained me that I will be able to do TWO MORE visa-run (on 26 nov. and 25 dec.) then, on 23 january, when I will go outside Thailand I will need a Tourist Visa for to be allowed to entry in Thailand.....

So...from now go on (for those people in my same conditions) three visa-run (90 days) and then "Thai embassy visa-run"....and no problem....

There you go, as I have said all along, a huge big deal over nothing !!

Every 4th visa run costs a little bit more

[Braccobaldo]

There you go, as I have said all along, a huge big deal over nothing !!

Every 4th visa run costs a little bit more

[/quote

...can you explain exactly what you mean????

[Maestro]

Every 4th visa run costs a little bit more

...can you explain exactly what you mean????

I was going to say nothing about it but now I feel compelled to do so.

We are used to seeing different people use the term “visa run” with different meanings, such as:

1. A person who entered Thailand on a visa-exempt 30-day stamp leaves Thailand, then re-enters Thailand, again on a visa-exempt 30-day stamp. Exit and re-entry are usually done on the same date, across a land border to a neighbouring country.

2. A person who entered Thailand with a visa valid for more than one entry leaves Thailand, then re-enters Thailand with the same visa. Exit and re-entry are usually done on the same date, across a land border to a neighbouring country.

3. A person whose permission to stay in Thailand is about to expire travels to another country, usually in the region, and applies at a Thai consulate for a visa (usually a tourist visa or non-immigrant visa), then returns to Thailand.

Braccobaldo, your original post in this thread was the first post I have seen to use “visa run” with two different meanings in one and the same post (meanings 1 and 3 above)

Following up on it, Taxin has now done the same and what he is saying is correct: your fourth trip, to get a tourist visa in Penang, will cost you more than each of your previous three trips, which are visa-exempt border runs.

Capisci? (English translation, as used in US movies: capish?)

---------------

Maestro

[Braccobaldo]

Capito, Maestro!!!

Now I understand.....thank you for your perfect explaination....

[Queers for Fears]

I've got over 100 pages that are 90% full in my passport, 75% of that are thai stamps. It takes an immi officer in any country I go to a decent amount of time to find my entry stamp as I exit. This should be fun in the case of these new visa rules to see how long I hold up the line now

[Noel]

The only way this is feasable is with a computer program. It'll be interesting to see what happens from January on....they might just decide to throw it in the too-hard basket.

Yes, that is of course a possibility if the officer concerned had an ex-finger licking accident with a chainsaw, but if they toss it in their 'too hard basket' the likelihood is that they will just blank you and laugh as you protest that it is 'unfair'.

Do you honestly believe that in the very improbable case that they are not sure of what to do that they will interpret the rules in a way that goes in your favour? You appear to be assuming that if they are unsure then then they will stay with the old system.

Dream on...

[tropo]

The only way this is feasable is with a computer program. It'll be interesting to see what happens from January on....they might just decide to throw it in the too-hard basket.

Yes, that is of course a possibility if the officer concerned had an ex-finger licking accident with a chainsaw, but if they toss it in their 'too hard basket' the likelihood is that they will just blank you and laugh as you protest that it is 'unfair'.

Do you honestly believe that in the very improbable case that they are not sure of what to do that they will interpret the rules in a way that goes in your favour? You appear to be assuming that if they are unsure then then they will stay with the old system.

Dream on...

Noel, I'm not dreaming, or assuming anything. I wrote what I meant to say. ie. "they MIGHT just throw it in the too-hard basket". In other words, I've put it forward as a POSSIBILITY and not a certainty.

Perhaps you would like to explain how they could go through a passport such as Queers described with 75 pages full of mostly Thai stamps and decide how many days he has stayed out of the last 180.

Let's make my point a little clearer with another example just to remove any ambiguity.

Let's take a wealthy weekend golfer that lives for example in Hong Kong. Let's say he travels to Thailand once every second weekend. In a six month period he would have 13 arrival stamps and 13 departure stamps mixed amongst departure and arrival stamps from Hong Kong and other countries that he visits. How the <deleted> would they be able to ascertain his 90 day limit at an airport checkin without a computer program specifically designed for this purpose?

As I said, MAYBE they will throw this in the too-hard basket.

[wpcoe]

As I said, MAYBE they will throw this in the too-hard basket.

Or, possibly send you to that little office where they will take their good old time to examine your passport one page at a time, after waiting for the other falang in ahead of you to complete the process. It could take hours to get through the immigrations process.

[WilliamIV]

Tropo

I will answer your question

with another MAYBE

MAYBE - on exit - the Immigration Officer

will place a RED "1" next to your exit stamp

That will make it easy to find.

He might at that point calculate your number of days

actually stayed - and add that next to the "1"

AND - upon exiting the second time

next to the second exit stamp

and a red "2" the IO will record the number

of days of your second visit AND your Cumulative total

So for our Golfer when he exits for the say the 13th time

he has a cumulative total of say 80 days

Upon Entering the 14th time - he will be given only a 10 day stay stamp

I really dont think there need be a big problem if handled methodically

Hold on - I just saw a Pig fly past my window

Bill

Edited October 28, 2006 by WilliamIV

[the pleiadian]

I have made 4 entries into Thailand already after Oct 1, all came in through Bangkok new airport. I did not get any marker or highlighter on all my 4 entries 30 day stamps. They all looked the same as before, only the stamp seals have the new name of the airport. It seems like they only enforce the marking on land crossing. I still don't know how they will count the 90days out of 180 day period by looking, it takes a very advanced computer program that is connected to every computer at every immigration point to work out the date. But so far I know they do not have the systems in computers. I know this because I know a young German guy who has a gik friend that he has fun with sometimes that works as one of the immigration check in staff. The check in check out staff are the lowest ranking staff, she is 23 and only has salary of 8000 bahts or so plus some OT bonuses. Sometimes these girls works from 5 in the morning or sometimes all night. She said there is no such automatic computer counting systems yet as now. It will be fun to watch them really count people with hundreds of stamps. Ha ha. But I really doubt they will do that in the airport even next year.

[WilliamIV]

Another MAYBE

After January 1st 2007 - that is 90 days after 1st October

MAYBE Passengers seeking entry without a visa

- will on Arrival - be asked to sign a declaration

that they have not been in the Kingdom for more

than 90 days in the past 180

MAYBE passengers will be asked to give a list of their

Arrival & Departure dates in the past 180 days

together with a calculation of the number of days stayed in Thailand

MAYBE the form will say - False information

will result in a Prison Term and / or Deportation

This is the Second EASY solution I have proposed

Please stop thinking there is a problem here

for the Thai Authorities

Edited October 29, 2006 by WilliamIV

[libya 115]

I get the feeling that the Thai authorities want to stamp-out contiguous country 30 day 'visa runs'. The reasons being national security and flushing out undesirable aliens.

They just want everyone to come and go at the airport, so paperwork/computer records/photo etc. are centralised.

I am also sure that arriving by air, under any circumstances (ie. with 90 days plus in 180) will be O.K.

In 2007 border visa-runs will be de trop and only for the short-stay-type one 'visa-run' tourist.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

As I said, MAYBE they will throw this in the too-hard basket.

Or, possibly send you to that little office where they will take their good old time to examine your passport one page at a time, after waiting for the other falang in ahead of you to complete the process. It could take hours to get through the immigrations process.

or they might persuade the recalcitrant non compliers to actually get a visa, Rocket science it is not. Get it into your heads once and for all.

[sanook1]

As I said, MAYBE they will throw this in the too-hard basket.

Or, possibly send you to that little office where they will take their good old time to examine your passport one page at a time, after waiting for the other falang in ahead of you to complete the process. It could take hours to get through the immigrations process.

or they might persuade the recalcitrant non compliers to actually get a visa, Rocket science it is not. Get it into your heads once and for all.

one means first, 2 will mean second and they will not allow you back wit a third. I guess quite a few people will be left in limbo between cambodia and thailand on the bang lam border. Hope jack golf can find a way around this. If you do "border runs" by yourself I'd recomend going as a group. Saftey in numbers.

www.jackgolf.com

[jdinasia]

As I said, MAYBE they will throw this in the too-hard basket.

Or, possibly send you to that little office where they will take their good old time to examine your passport one page at a time, after waiting for the other falang in ahead of you to complete the process. It could take hours to get through the immigrations process.

or they might persuade the recalcitrant non compliers to actually get a visa, Rocket science it is not. Get it into your heads once and for all.

Really a quick run to W.A. has me set for the next 15-18 months ..... it aint rocket science even for an American, unmarried, not working, and not investing and under 50 <me>

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

As I said, MAYBE they will throw this in the too-hard basket.

Or, possibly send you to that little office where they will take their good old time to examine your passport one page at a time, after waiting for the other falang in ahead of you to complete the process. It could take hours to get through the immigrations process.

or they might persuade the recalcitrant non compliers to actually get a visa, Rocket science it is not. Get it into your heads once and for all.

Really a quick run to W.A. has me set for the next 15-18 months ..... it aint rocket science even for an American, unmarried, not working, and not investing and under 50 <me>

care to elaborate? W.A.? what visa for 15 to 18 months? details please?

[taxin]

Every 4th visa run costs a little bit more

...can you explain exactly what you mean????

I was going to say nothing about it but now I feel compelled to do so.

We are used to seeing different people use the term “visa run” with different meanings, such as:

1. A person who entered Thailand on a visa-exempt 30-day stamp leaves Thailand, then re-enters Thailand, again on a visa-exempt 30-day stamp. Exit and re-entry are usually done on the same date, across a land border to a neighbouring country.

2. A person who entered Thailand with a visa valid for more than one entry leaves Thailand, then re-enters Thailand with the same visa. Exit and re-entry are usually done on the same date, across a land border to a neighbouring country.

3. A person whose permission to stay in Thailand is about to expire travels to another country, usually in the region, and applies at a Thai consulate for a visa (usually a tourist visa or non-immigrant visa), then returns to Thailand.

Braccobaldo, your original post in this thread was the first post I have seen to use “visa run” with two different meanings in one and the same post (meanings 1 and 3 above)

Following up on it, Taxin has now done the same and what he is saying is correct: your fourth trip, to get a tourist visa in Penang, will cost you more than each of your previous three trips, which are visa-exempt border runs.

Capisci? (English translation, as used in US movies: capish?)

---------------

Maestro

Thank you Maestro. You have much more patience than me when it comes to explaining.