Only 2 Visa Exempt Entries At Border Crossings Per Calendar Year Effective Dec 31st

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Thanks - just to be clear: the 14 day visa free entry for Cambodians and Laotians is not affected by this?

As far as I know yes. I base my statement on the fact that their entries do not fall under the following order.

 

Quote

The following is added to Article 13, Paragraph 3, of the ministerial
regulations setting out the rules, procedures and conditions for inspection, visa
exemptions and a change in the type of visa stamp of 2002.

 

[seancbk]

19 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

20 hours ago, Suttisan said:

Fair enough,  2 x 2 months is more than enough time for seeing Thailand. Just out of interest are tourist visas multiple entry? 

 

<sigh>  Visa exempts are NOT for 2 months a time.  They are for 30 days for citizens of a G7 country at a land crossing and 15 days for other countries.  

The visa exempt entry allows 30 days for most of us, plus a 30 day extension making it possible to remain for up to 60 days (in practice its likely to be a bit less depending on when you go for the extension).

 

[SaintLouisBlues]

22 minutes ago, stevenl said:

If one wants to live in a country it makes sense to do so legally and according to the intentions of the immigration laws. Do differently and dont be surprised if life gets more difficult.

OK so what's the general rule we're deriving here. Immigration laws are unbreakable but other laws can be broken?

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

OK so what's the general rule we're deriving here. Immigration laws are unbreakable but other laws can be broken?

You'll have to make your own decisions here. I see a big difference between basing your life on a violation of the law and an occasional violation.

[overherebc]

Just now, SaintLouisBlues said:

OK so what's the general rule we're deriving here. Immigration laws are unbreakable but other laws can be broken?

 

If I do two land crossings next year in Jan and Feb I can do no more that year, so, to break the law I would have stay in Thailand on overstay. That would leave me liable to being banged up, fined and probably deported and blacklisted for a long time or perhaps for life.

If I am caught speeding I will pay a fine and maybe do it again some time.

Notice any difference in the two situations?

[SaintLouisBlues]

12 minutes ago, stevenl said:

You'll have to make your own decisions here. I see a big difference between basing your life on a violation of the law and an occasional violation.

My view of "the law" is best expressed by Macbeth (about life, but applicable to most things including the law) "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"

[overherebc]

6 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

My view of "the law" is best expressed by Macbeth (about life, but applicable to most things including the law) "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"

 

Are you an accountant?

[phuketrichard]

it will surely affect

1.Those working in Burma where, even with a wp they need leave every 70 days, if the come by land or it is extended to flights in

2.Living in Laos or Cambodia and doing monthly,  semi monthly shopping  trips to Los

3.those further ,HK, Singapore who often take long 3-4 day holidays in LOS

Edited December 18, 2016 by phuketrichard

[Michael8511]

22 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

2016

 

20 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

They put a stop to the double and triple entry visas in November 2015, the replacement multiple entry tourist visa which is now available requires you to have your bank account audited bythe embassy before they issue it.....all to go on holiday, what a joke.

 

The METV is easy to get and its good for a year from the day you get the visa. The small amount of money you need in the bank is peanuts compare to the 55+ visa.

the visa I got August 2 2016 have enter before 1 August 2017, so there is plenty of time to spend in Thailand. And $200 is not that bad.

personally I can understand the change of Visa Runs, it's a lot of people who use them and now it's consequenses for it. 

Have you ever tried to get a tourist visa to USA? There you have controll from embassy, Thailand is easy compare to US.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

it will surely affect

1.Those working in Burma where, even with a wp they need leave every 70 days, if the come by land or it is extended to flights in

2.Living in Laos or Cambodia and doing monthly,  semi monthly shopping  trips to Los

3.those further ,HK, Singapore who often take long 3-4 day holidays in LOS

They will not apply the order to flying in. They are only trying to cut back on doing border hops for new entries. They are already limiting them to 3 at some crossings to Cambodia.

[overherebc]

15 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

it will surely affect

1.Those working in Burma where, even with a wp they need leave every 70 days, if the come by land or it is extended to flights in

2.Living in Laos or Cambodia and doing monthly,  semi monthly shopping  trips to Los

3.those further ,HK, Singapore who often take long 3-4 day holidays in LOS

 

For sure the guys who live there, Laos, Cambodia will be limited to two visa exempts by land into Thailand.

A multi visa or changing to flying for shopping trips looks like the choices.

Flying for shopping would be expensive.

I reckon the only way it would change would be a change/addition to the wording that recognises the fact that expats living in Laos/ Cambodia and doing only short trips to Thailand are not the intended target.

Won't hold my breath on that though.

Edited December 18, 2016 by overherebc

[Autonuaq]

Now complaining about that the government ends the misuse if the visa?

 

This tells more about the people who do complain, then about the goverment and the enforcement of the rules and regulations by it.

 

You not like? Move on, there is more then Thailand.

[NorthernRyland]

I just read the entire forum and I still don't understand this. I was denied a single visa exempt entry last year at Mae Sai after my (then) triple entry tourist visa expired. I was under the impression there are no more visa exempt entries at land borders due to the new no more "in-out" visa runners which I apparently was (needed 2 weeks until my plane left).

 

Is Mae Sai special or is this because I had an expired visa or what? I should have been given at least one I would have thought given I had no previous visa exempts in the last 24+ months. If anyone knows what happened to me please let me know because as far as I know I'm never doing another land crossing without a proper visa despite this new law. Thanks.

[alocacoc]

18 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

2.Living in Laos or Cambodia and doing monthly,  semi monthly shopping  trips to Los

 

I could imagine that in Vientiane are some foreigners who leave Laos every month for a new Visa. They may suffer as well, even they enter Thailand only for a few minutes.

[overherebc]

1 minute ago, alocacoc said:

 

I could imagine that in Vientiane are some foreigners who leave Laos every month for a new Visa. They may suffer as well, even they enter Thailand only for a few minutes.

 

Caught in the cross-fire springs to mind.

[trigpoint]

 
You apply at the border, if you are from a G7 country you get 30 days visa exempt, ie not a visa. If not G7 country you get 14/15 days.
Some other nationalities can apply for a visa on arrival.
Don't really want to list them. Just google it [emoji5]

Picked up the missus at had lek border, she had a Brit friend with her, he got 14 days voa, he was fuming, never coming back here again he vowed, that was on 11th Dec 2016.

Sent from my B3-A30 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[overherebc]

11 minutes ago, genericptr said:

I just read the entire forum and I still don't understand this. I was denied a single visa exempt entry last year at Mae Sai after my (then) triple entry tourist visa expired. I was under the impression there are no more visa exempt entries at land borders due to the new no more "in-out" visa runners which I apparently was (needed 2 weeks until my plane left).

 

Is Mae Sai special or is this because I had an expired visa or what? I should have been given at least one I would have thought given I had no previous visa exempts in the last 24+ months. If anyone knows what happened to me please let me know because as far as I know I'm never doing another land crossing without a proper visa despite this new law. Thanks.

 

I believe for a period all border hops were stopped but I can't remember when or for how long.

Recently poipet was reported as not even allowing in/out even with a valid multi visa.

It's all getting similar to a UK wife's demands leading to divorce. ie 'these are today's demands but stay awake as tomorrow they just might change' ?

[GeorgeCross]

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

Behold the Great Nomad Exodus to Vietman.

 

not only the young, many demographics getting spooked by all the visa changes the past two years and trying out neighbouring countries, hua hin has lost many expats again this year

Edited December 18, 2016 by GeorgeCross

[overherebc]

2 minutes ago, trigpoint said:

Picked up the missus at had lek border, she had a Brit friend with her, he got 14 days voa, he was fuming, never coming back here again he vowed, that was on 11th Dec 2016.

Sent from my B3-A30 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

Strange, if from UK should have got 30 days visa exempt, not VOA.

[overherebc]

Maybe UB Joe would know if that can be corrected at the Imm' office in Bangkok.

[elviajero]

39 minutes ago, Michael8511 said:

 

The METV is easy to get and its good for a year from the day you get the visa. The small amount of money you need in the bank is peanuts compare to the 55+ visa.

the visa I got August 2 2016 have enter before 1 August 2017, so there is plenty of time to spend in Thailand. And $200 is not that bad.

personally I can understand the change of Visa Runs, it's a lot of people who use them and now it's consequenses for it. 

Have you ever tried to get a tourist visa to USA? There you have controll from embassy, Thailand is easy compare to US.

 

The New York Consulate seem to have made a mistake and issued the visa for 1 year. It should have been 6 months.

[ubonjoe]

26 minutes ago, genericptr said:

I just read the entire forum and I still don't understand this. I was denied a single visa exempt entry last year at Mae Sai after my (then) triple entry tourist visa expired. I was under the impression there are no more visa exempt entries at land borders due to the new no more "in-out" visa runners which I apparently was (needed 2 weeks until my plane left).

 

Is Mae Sai special or is this because I had an expired visa or what? I should have been given at least one I would have thought given I had no previous visa exempts in the last 24+ months. If anyone knows what happened to me please let me know because as far as I know I'm never doing another land crossing without a proper visa despite this new law. Thanks.

Mai Sai is one of 3 crossings to Myanmar that does not allow a crossing for a new visa exempt entry.

The Chiang Khong crossing to Laos allows them along with most other crossings.

[LivinLOS]

2 hours ago, griedarw said:

In my case, when I bought the condo the immigration laws entitled me to a long term visa (non O) . However, the immigration rules have since changed and I no longer qualify for a Non O. 

 

 

Really when did that system work.. Sure you were able to get an investor extension (3mil then later 10 mil) but many Ozzies it seem actually believe it was a rule that they could get repeat non imm Os from Oz simple because they bought any old condo. 

[elviajero]

16 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Strange, if from UK should have got 30 days visa exempt, not VOA.

They were probably given a 15 day visa exempt entry. It wouldn't have been a 14 day VOA. People often don't know to count the day they enter as day 1, and wrongly call a visa exempt entry a VOA.

 

The error could be corrected at an immigration office.

[visarunner]

18 hours ago, elviajero said:

I don't have the numbers, and never quote numbers without backing them up with sources.

 

The total number of visitors to Thailand in 2015 was 29,881,091 according to Wikipedia. I've no idea how many were by air, however, none of following countries qualify for Visa Exempt Entry and probably most of these would have flown in.

China 7,934,791

India 1,069,149

Russia 884,085

Taiwan 552,624

That totals 10,440,649 and accounts for 34.9% of total visitors that can be discounted. I am certain that not all of the remaining visitors that qualified for visa exempt entry did so.

 

Based on these figures alone your estimate is way off.

correction, Russian are on 30 day visa exempt, bilateral agreement.

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, phuketrichard said:

it will surely affect

3.those further ,HK, Singapore who often take long 3-4 day holidays in LOS

 

So they come by land do they ?? 

[visarunner]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

As far as I know yes. I base my statement on the fact that their entries do not fall under the following order.

 

 

but Cambodians, Laotian and Vietnamese make over 90% of Visa Runner.

Hence this regulation makes no sense at all.

BTW I know the figures of Farang n Filipinos at border, there are only few.

It really does not make sense to exclude these three countries.

 

 

 

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, Michael8511 said:

 

The METV is easy to get and its good for a year from the day you get the visa.

 

They are only easy to get if you are living in your passport issuing country.. 

 

Until this year I had spent only a couple of months in my home country since my teenage years.. So for people in that situation, and theres lots of people like me, no an METV isnt that easy to get, it requires a large journey simply to get a visa for a different journey. 

[griedarw]

32 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

 

 

Really when did that system work.. Sure you were able to get an investor extension (3mil then later 10 mil) but many Ozzies it seem actually believe it was a rule that they could get repeat non imm Os from Oz simple because they bought any old condo. 

It worked for years, still does. The main difference now is that it has to be a new project.  As long as you retain ownership of that condo (or whatever you invested in) then you are indeed entitled to another 1 year non O.  After 3 consecutive Non O's,  you can apply for Residency Permit. 

Edited December 18, 2016 by griedarw

[LivinLOS]

2 minutes ago, griedarw said:

It worked for years, still does. The main difference now is that it has to be a new project.  As long as you retain ownership of that condo then you are indeed entitled to another 1 year non O.  After 3 consecutive Non O's,  you can apply for Residency Permit. 

 

The residence option vanishes when not having a thai income to pay taxes tho.. 

 

Its hardly like you make it seem.. do this, wait 3 years.. Voila..