Rejected entry to Thailand because too many tourist visa

[Briggsy]

4 minutes ago, BritTim said:

It is unlikely that this will help with immigration. They can see your full history regardless of whether you have a new passport. The only advantage is that they will not need to spend a lot of time checking for possible discrepancies between their records and the stamps in your passport.

I tend to find that it is a passport full of Thai stamps that is the 'alert' for officers at airports rather than the computer record.

 

I will find out later this year.

[bttao]

41 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

I tend to find that it is a passport full of Thai stamps that is the 'alert' for officers at airports rather than the computer record.

 

I will find out later this year.

maybe because you spend a good part of the year in Thailand, that the immig kept asking the same stuff , and didn't know how to handle it: to him, it's odd that a 48 yr old man staying/visiting that long must be up to something... but could not figure it out, and which should have been handled  in the first place by the authorities delivering all those visas : embassies/consulates.

i wouldn't visit more than twice each year for the next 2; to preserve your chances of getting a retirement visa.

 

. 

 

i

Edited January 8, 2018 by bttao

[The manic]

On 3/4/2017 at 11:04 AM, Nick ZepTepi said:

I suggest wearing a shirt with collar when applying for visa or going through immigration for a 30 day. Didn't have to be smart but it looks better than a vest or old t-shirt.
Oh and maybe a smile.

Sent from my S7 using Tapatalk
 

In principal this should be correct but you only have to look at the scruffy wierdos, tattooed crim types, the armpit hair and vest brigade replete with dirty feet and flip flops to know apparel seems to make no difference. I thin there is cash change facilities before immigration. Just a poor rate of exchange.

[JackThompson]

1 minute ago, bttao said:

maybe because you spend a good part of the year in Thailand, that the immig kept going in circle and didn't know how to handle it: to him, it's odd that a 48 yr old man staying/visiting that long must be up to something... but could not figure it.

If it were me , i wouldn't visit more than twice each year for the next 2; to preserve your chances of getting a retirement visa.

Even if they didn't let him in at some point between now and age-50, it wouldn't affect his eligibility for a retirement visa or extension at 50.  They don't ban folks for "attempting too many visits" - and a refused-entry is not a violation of law.

 

If one sticks to entry-points where the laws on the books are followed - all land entry points except Poipet/Aranya - they can enter with a valid Tourist Visa as many times as desired.  Chang Mai airport with a Tourist Visa doesn't have a bad reputation either, but a refusal there could still lead to detention and buying a last-minute flight out. 

[lopburi3]

28 minutes ago, bttao said:

i wouldn't visit more than twice each year for the next 2; to preserve your chances of getting a retirement visa.

 

Why would anyone have an issue getting a retirement visa if meeting the requirements?  Does not make sense to me as a retirement visa is what they are looking for from those that qualify and wish to stay in Thailand for extended periods.

[eisfeld]

2 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

I tend to find that it is a passport full of Thai stamps that is the 'alert' for officers at airports rather than the computer record.

 

I will find out later this year.

 

I have the same feeling. Sometimes they take me to the side for similar questioning like it happened to Briggsy. This always happens after looking through several pages of the passport and not just at the computer screen. I haven't used visa exemt entries in years. Always using multi entry visas from my home country in Europe. First the IO at the disk will ask me what I do here etc, I truthfully answer that I spend my free time and that I have a gf/fiance, I explain where I get my funds from from overseas and that I have no need for working here. Then this funny loop that Briggsy outlined starts with them asking the same thing three or four times in a row with me answering the exact same things each time. Sometimes they let me in with a random warning ("Wont let you in next time!", "You should get a work visa!", "You should marry!", "Don't overstay!", "Go back to your country!") that serves no purpose other than to be unfriendly. Sometimes the IO will refer me to a supperior who then usually looks about 10 seconds at my passport and tells the IO to stamp me in. I was never turned away at the border but have been hassled quite a bit. I classify myself as someone that the Thai government would like to see in the country. I never cause trouble to anyone and spend 1-3M THB per year. Yet they have no way of telling me apart from a Cheap Charlie and accuse me of crimes (working illegaly). Anyways, I've found my way around this nonsense.

[amidia808]

before the entrance you should assure to have enough cash...

[cat handler]

On 04/03/2017 at 11:47 AM, Nick ZepTepi said:

Cash in hand is becoming rarer, I have sufficient in banks, I thought I could show bank balance on my phone apps but what your saying that will be a no go.



Sent from my S7 using Tapatalk
 

Cash in hand I should the best way, you get a better exchange rate at the money changers and no transfer or other fees. $1000 changed this way means you can be 2000-3000 baht better off, that’s a lot of beer and bjs.

[eisfeld]

56 minutes ago, cat handler said:

Cash in hand I should the best way, you get a better exchange rate at the money changers and no transfer or other fees. $1000 changed this way means you can be 2000-3000 baht better off

Usually TT (telegraphic transfer) rates are better than the ones for cash. But you have to factor in the transfer fee and you need a local bank account of course.

[thaiclan]

This happened to my 7 year old daughter too.  Dad has Elite visa, I (the mother) have a non-O based on first daughters education visa but my youngest couldn't get a visa.
I also have a home (and work) in Singapore and so am back and forth all the time with my youngest daughter (who is homeschooled).

 She never had any overstays just several visa on arrival stamps.  We started getting problems with immigration officers saying they would let her through this time but she must get a visa.  I did as you suggested and got a new passport so as not to red flag the fact she has so many entry stamps.  This worked until she had 3 entry stamps so only about 6 weeks for us.
In the end the only visa we could get for her was an Elite visa (we wanted to continue homeschooling).

 

Both her and her father now have the Elite visa which has solved every problem we have come up against as we are far from retirement age and do not work (or plan to) in the Kingdom.

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, eisfeld said:

Usually TT (telegraphic transfer) rates are better than the ones for cash. But you have to factor in the transfer fee and you need a local bank account of course.

Compare the rates at SuperRich and Vasu with the banks' TT rates, and I think you will change your mind. Rates for cash at the banks are terrible, but Thailand has very competitive foreign exchange operators.

EDIT: For those who dislike carrying cash, being aware of TransferWise can save a fair bit of money.

Edited February 15, 2018 by BritTim

[starchild5]

At Least, you can avoid some issues by scanning and targeting the youngest Immigration Officer and NEVER A FEMALE Immigration Officer.

 

It's not a PC move...but it works....All the problem I had at immigration was with a lady immigration officer or an old guy.

 

The younger they are, the better....They usually do not care that much unless its very severe...for small small problem, they do not bother - its very much like in day to day office job - The young folks do not care too much about paperwork.

 

 

[seancbk]

11 minutes ago, starchild5 said:

At Least, you can avoid some issues by scanning and targeting the youngest Immigration Officer and NEVER A FEMALE Immigration Officer.

 

It's not a PC move...but it works....All the problem I had at immigration was with a lady immigration officer or an old guy.

 

The younger they are, the better....They usually do not care that much unless its very severe...for small small problem, they do not bother - its very much like in day to day office job - The young folks do not care too much about paperwork.

 

 

I flew in a week ago to DM.  I came in on a visa exempt.   I always choose one of the ladies, and this time was no exception.   The immigration officer I chose was probably late 30's, I smiled and said 'Sawadee Krup'  and handed her my passport.  She smiled back then looked though my passport.   Then stamped me in without issue.  I've never had any issues and I basically go through immigration 4-6 times a year.

[eisfeld]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

Compare the rates at SuperRich and Vasu with the banks' TT rates, and I think you will change your mind. Rates for cash at the banks are terrible, but Thailand has very competitive foreign exchange operators.

EDIT: For those who dislike carrying cash, being aware of TransferWise can save a fair bit of money.

I stand corrected, seems like these endependent exchanges do indeed offer slightly better rates. BKK Bank TT rate today 31.12, SuperRich 31.28. That's about half a percent better. I'll personally still stick to TT for the flexibility and convenience.

[speedtripler]

On 04/03/2017 at 11:47 AM, at15 said:

becoming more and more normal nowadays. anyone staying here using a lot of tourist visas/visa exempt entries should be on high alert and be prepared with a backup plan. dont accumulate a bunch of stuff in your condo/apartment, you may never see it again. 

Hard to live comfortably with no "stuff"..... But even the ones who think their visa status is safe (like myself)  might not always  be that way

 

Owing a lot of assets in thailand is like building castles on sand

 

Nobody knows what flipflopping will happen and the xenophobic rules on foreigners seem to get worse every year

[stevenl]

11 hours ago, speedtripler said:

Hard to live comfortably with no "stuff"..... But even the ones who think their visa status is safe (like myself)  might not always  be that way

 

Owing a lot of assets in thailand is like building castles on sand

 

Nobody knows what flipflopping will happen and the xenophobic rules on foreigners seem to get worse every year

What xenophobic rules on foreigners have gotten worse recently?

[jackdd]

On 4.3.2017 at 3:45 PM, Lovethailandelite said:

You only need to see the blatant posts that it's cool to be 'living here for 8 years as a Digital nomad' on Tourist visas. Are people so stupid to think immigration do not read these forums? These people seem to think it's clever to boast about it. Not for a whole lot longer IMO.

Thailand would not have any advantage of kicking the digital nomads out, they would just get less money. So why should they ban them? It's not illegal to stay in Thailand on Tourist Visas or Visa exempts for as long as you wish, even if some immigration officers seem to have a different opinion.

 

On 4.3.2017 at 4:22 PM, ajarngreg said:

You can easily tell your bank that you're heading to Lieland and you can tell them the limit you want per day.

 

             Can't be that difficult, can it? 

Not all banks do this. I have a credit card with a bank that refunds the 220THB ATM fee, but it's not possible to increase the daily withdraw limit to more than about 12k THB per day when using it outside of Europe.

[retoohs]

On ‎8‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 9:56 PM, Briggsy said:

I tend to find that it is a passport full of Thai stamps that is the 'alert' for officers at airports rather than the computer record.

 

I will find out later this year.

mine is absolutely full of visa exempt and extension stamps. Never had an issue. I just line up at the Thai entry line with my Thai partner and always just pass straight through. I like to keep money in my passport for emergencies or Songkran social club donations. Haha only joking, no need to donate anything. Funny how most passengers on the planes I arrive on are dressed in shorts, t-shirts and jandels. No self respecting Thai flys without some effort to look tidy and maybe its seen as a little disrespectful in many Thais and maybe the immigration officials put up a little show of their displeasure harassing those who disrespect Thai values. After numerous checkins over the years I can honestly say the airport officials treat me always with respect. I've been to numerous immigration offices for extension and always found immigration polite and helpful and always issued a new extension for 1900baht.

[retoohs]

On ‎15‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 11:19 PM, eisfeld said:

I stand corrected, seems like these endependent exchanges do indeed offer slightly better rates. BKK Bank TT rate today 31.12, SuperRich 31.28. That's about half a percent better. I'll personally still stick to TT for the flexibility and convenience.

My favourite place close to where I stay when in BKK is on the corner of 7/1 Sukhumvit. Can't remember the name but rates better than banks and if I take the time to get ny money all in $100 notes I get a better rate than other denominations. I know, it doesn't make sense but that's the way it is

[speedtripler]

12 minutes ago, retoohs said:

My favourite place close to where I stay when in BKK is on the corner of 7/1 Sukhumvit. Can't remember the name but rates better than banks and if I take the time to get ny money all in $100 notes I get a better rate than other denominations. I know, it doesn't make sense but that's the way it is

It does make sense

Nobody wants to carry a brick of $5 notes

High denominations are more sought after and hence, more valuable

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, retoohs said:

My favourite place close to where I stay when in BKK is on the corner of 7/1 Sukhumvit. Can't remember the name

That is Vasu. I prefer SuperRich, but Vasu runs them a close second.

[jackdd]

On 8.1.2018 at 3:56 PM, Briggsy said:

I tend to find that it is a passport full of Thai stamps that is the 'alert' for officers at airports rather than the computer record.

 

I will find out later this year.

I just got my eleventh Visa exempt since december 2015 (same passport, so a lot of Thai stamps), i was never asked for anything.

[JustKnut]

On ‎04‎.‎03‎.‎2017 at 8:36 AM, Lovethailandelite said:

Might be better to base yourself in Monaco. Some nice apartments over looking the harbour there. 

Yes it can be hard to be rich but made lot better in Monaco, with all of his Money he could have the staff take care of everything  

[dbrenn]

On 04/03/2017 at 4:04 PM, gdgbb said:

"...now I will go to Phnom Pehn to see if they can give me a visa and will try to re enter just to recover the staff in my Pattaya condo and the millions baht in my stock/market and bank accounts..."

 

Amazing how someone who must be so familiar with the country that he has entered so many times without a visa that he is now refused entry decided to invest "millions of baht" in the Thai stockmarket and banks in such a manner that he could not access those millions unless he was  in the country.  Almost unbelievable for such an astute investor.

 

 

I was also thinking that the OP's story is a crock for the same reasons. As someone else pointed out, if the OP is as well off as he claims to be, then a Thailand Elite visa would be an easy solution. 

[Expatthailover]

On 17/02/2018 at 6:22 PM, retoohs said:

mine is absolutely full of visa exempt and extension stamps. Never had an issue. I just line up at the Thai entry line with my Thai partner and always just pass straight through. I like to keep money in my passport for emergencies or Songkran social club donations. Haha only joking, no need to donate anything. Funny how most passengers on the planes I arrive on are dressed in shorts, t-shirts and jandels. No self respecting Thai flys without some effort to look tidy and maybe its seen as a little disrespectful in many Thais and maybe the immigration officials put up a little show of their displeasure harassing those who disrespect Thai values. After numerous checkins over the years I can honestly say the airport officials treat me always with respect. I've been to numerous immigration offices for extension and always found immigration polite and helpful and always issued a new extension for 1900baht.

Excellent and very honest post.

[hmficc]

Move to Cambodia.

[darrendsd]

On 2/17/2018 at 5:22 PM, retoohs said:

mine is absolutely full of visa exempt and extension stamps. Never had an issue. I just line up at the Thai entry line with my Thai partner and always just pass straight through. I like to keep money in my passport for emergencies or Songkran social club donations. Haha only joking, no need to donate anything. Funny how most passengers on the planes I arrive on are dressed in shorts, t-shirts and jandels. No self respecting Thai flys without some effort to look tidy and maybe its seen as a little disrespectful in many Thais and maybe the immigration officials put up a little show of their displeasure harassing those who disrespect Thai values. After numerous checkins over the years I can honestly say the airport officials treat me always with respect. I've been to numerous immigration offices for extension and always found immigration polite and helpful and always issued a new extension for 1900baht.

If the I/O gets a alert on his system that you have had to many Visa Exempts then you will be questioned, it doesn't matter if you are wearing a Gucci Suit and are dripping in Gold you will be questioned

 

The system decides if you should be questioned if it calculates you have had to many VE and the system can't see what you are wearing

 

Don't think you are exempted because you think you dress better than everyone else on the plane because you are not i'm afraid, you have probably just been lucky so far, nothing more

 

 

Edited April 26, 2018 by darrendsd

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, tingtongtourist said:

i would suggest the seriously rich high rollers are not much interested in thailand anyway

The super rich do not want to live in Thailand. However, they most certainly visit. Places like Soneva Kiri are not targeted at backpackers. Even more exclusive resorts exist in the country. Foreign royalty are frequent visitors.

[ubonjoe]

Off topic posts and replies to them have been removed. 

[JAZZDOG]

On ‎6‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 8:58 AM, HerbalEd said:

My decision to get a five-year Thai Elite Visa (TEV) is proving to be a smart move. I arrive and exit Thailand whenever I want and as many times as I want with never a problem in the two years I've had my TEV.

 

At this stage of my life I'm very happy to pay for the convince, time-savings and non-worry my TEV affords me. 

I agree, if I was not on a retirement visa I would gladly do the same. It ends up costing a little under 8000 baht per month but makes all that foolishness go away. If you're younger than 50 and start adding up the costs for visas, travel costs and the possibility of having to buy a last minute airline ticket to the US it might be a bargain. Add in the fact you can live in a place where the cost of living is very low. You are basically buying residency which in other countries cost much more. The retirement visa likewise is extremely affordable IMO.