Border Officials Can Add Up The 90 Days!

[junkofdavid2]

We are all asking "how" the immigration officials at the border can add up the 90 days (instead of the number of stamps).

We are also asking "why" immigration officials are putting numbers on the stamps, which doesn't necessarily allow them to count the # of days.

This is my take on how it will "practically" be implemented starting January:

1) First they'll look at how many VOA

[junkofdavid2]

We are all asking "how" the immigration officials at the border can add up the 90 days (instead of the number of stamps).

We are also asking "why" immigration officials are putting numbers on the stamps, which doesn't necessarily allow them to count the # of days.

This is my take on how it will "practically" be implemented starting January:

1) First they'll look at how many VOA stamps you have. If you have 3 stamps or more, then that raises a red flag, but you will not automatically be turned away.

2) Since you already have 3 stamps, the "lazy" border official will then make a "quick check" of your passport by quickly "browsing" thru your passport, seeing if your stay "seems" to be about 90 days.

3) If your passport "seems" to have 90 days and he's not feeling "lazy" that day, he will then add up all your days. If it's 90 days, you'll be given a 7 day stamp in order to pack your bags and go home.

This sounds crazy? Well, that's how customs officials do it.

You may ask "how" customs officials implement the "impossible" task of preventing smuggling 100%.

The answer is that they don't. They first look for something "suspicious", and if they find one, they probe deeper.

Immigration's case, they first look for the "suspicious" 3 or more VOA stamps. If they see that, they then "probe deeper" by counting the exact number of days. And just like customs officials, sometimes they'll just let you through without inspection, and sometimes they won't.

Good luck you if you wana take the risk.

[aussiestyle1983]

Im sure the numbers or colored ink on the visa exempt stamps after Oct 1 will make it easier for the imm officials to identify the stamps they need to look at. By using the ink on only the visa exempt stamps (as some people would have a combination of visa exempt entries mixed with entries on a proper visa) it just makes it easier for the officers as they flick through the passport. Obviously an up to date computer system which links all immigration check point together would make it alot easier as all this information would be recorded electronically, but due to the lack of technology at some checkpoints, im sure the lines will get slower and slower because the officers will be busy trying to add up all the visa exempt days and in afew months, they will constantly be looking for entries in a 180 days period which would even take longer. Lets hope they will have caculators to use........................

Edited December 16, 2006 by aussiestyle1983

[Roger Dodger]

Thanks there David!

It's good to have an expert on here to explain to us visa runners just how them officials are gonna count to 90... sometimes.

[junkofdavid2]

Im sure the numbers or colored ink on the visa exempt stamps after Oct 1 will make it easier for the imm officials to identify the stamps they need to look at. By using the ink on only the visa exempt stamps (as some people would have a combination of visa exempt entries mixed with entries on a proper visa) it just makes it easier for the officers as they flick through the passport. Obviously an up to date computer system which links all immigration check point together would make it alot easier as all this information would be recorded electronically, but due to the lack of technology at some checkpoints, im sure the lines will get slower and slower because the officers will be busy trying to add up all the visa exempt days and in afew months, they will constantly be looking for entries in a 180 days period which would even take longer. Lets hope they will have caculators to use........................

"The lines will get longer and longer, and the inspection time will get longer and longer...," with all the visa runners "clogging up the system"

This will be the case IF WE ASSUME that all the current visa runners continue to STAY in Bangkok, and thus clog up the borders with their long inspection process.

HOWEVER, if majority of visa runners finally go home this December (and don't wana risk the January storm), then the borders will not be clogged at all... and the immigration officials will have a lot more time and freedom to do the "counting process".

hel_l, some border officials may even do it out of boredom because of much less work from less border runners... May even look at it as an opportunity to earn some "extra income". Since the line's short anyway, he'll have time to do it.

[aussiestyle1983]

We will soon see.

I dont think the lines will be alot less crowded because people have just given up and returned home. Im sure most of the people who have been staying here using the visa exempt option have enough motivation to stay here that they will find a way, even if they need to spend afew baht to obtain a tourist visa. Now these people will just need to make afew trips a year to embassies or consulates to obtain a proper visa so that they can continue doing whatever they are doing here, lets face it, by living here in the past using the free visa exempt entires you cant really blame them, its the governments fault for making it to easy to stay here.

[jeebusjones]

lets face it, by living here in the past using the free visa exempt entires you cant really blame them, its the governments fault for making it to easy to stay here.

Well said. Looking at some of the OP's other posts, I can't help but wonder if maybe thaivisa has been infiltrated by a spy (or should I say troll) from immigration...

[Roger Dodger]

Im sure the numbers or colored ink on the visa exempt stamps after Oct 1 will make it easier for the imm officials to identify the stamps they need to look at. By using the ink on only the visa exempt stamps (as some people would have a combination of visa exempt entries mixed with entries on a proper visa) it just makes it easier for the officers as they flick through the passport. Obviously an up to date computer system which links all immigration check point together would make it alot easier as all this information would be recorded electronically, but due to the lack of technology at some checkpoints, im sure the lines will get slower and slower because the officers will be busy trying to add up all the visa exempt days and in afew months, they will constantly be looking for entries in a 180 days period which would even take longer. Lets hope they will have caculators to use........................

"The lines will get longer and longer, and the inspection time will get longer and longer...," with all the visa runners "clogging up the system"

This will be the case IF WE ASSUME that all the current visa runners continue to STAY in Bangkok, and thus clog up the borders with their long inspection process.

HOWEVER, if majority of visa runners finally go home this December (and don't wana risk the January storm), then the borders will not be clogged at all... and the immigration officials will have a lot more time and freedom to do the "counting process".

hel_l, some border officials may even do it out of boredom because of much less work from less border runners... May even look at it as an opportunity to earn some "extra income". Since the line's short anyway, he'll have time to do it.

I don't know what you're tryin to say here David... What's the point of this here thread, "Border Officials Can Add Up The 90 Days?" Are you just trying to make visa runners uncomfortable? They're doing a pretty good job of that themselves. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

Let's face it guy, Decent folks will always be welcome in the Land of Smile! (and there will always be plenty of undesirables for you and your like to complain about, don't you worry about that)

[aussiestyle1983]

lets face it, by living here in the past using the free visa exempt entires you cant really blame them, its the governments fault for making it to easy to stay here.

Well said. Looking at some of the OP's other posts, I can't help but wonder if maybe thaivisa has been infiltrated by a spy (or should I say troll) from immigration...

You may be right. It seems that the OP has gone on a 'New Topic" starting frenzie tonight...............

[Pakboong]

Im sure the numbers or colored ink on the visa exempt stamps after Oct 1 will make it easier for the imm officials to identify the stamps they need to look at. By using the ink on only the visa exempt stamps (as some people would have a combination of visa exempt entries mixed with entries on a proper visa) it just makes it easier for the officers as they flick through the passport. Obviously an up to date computer system which links all immigration check point together would make it alot easier as all this information would be recorded electronically, but due to the lack of technology at some checkpoints, im sure the lines will get slower and slower because the officers will be busy trying to add up all the visa exempt days and in afew months, they will constantly be looking for entries in a 180 days period which would even take longer. Lets hope they will have caculators to use........................

I suspect the passport full of 30 day stamps will be checked more closely than the one with only a few.

[unbiasbob]

lets face it, by living here in the past using the free visa exempt entires you cant really blame them, its the governments fault for making it to easy to stay here.

Well said. Looking at some of the OP's other posts, I can't help but wonder if maybe thaivisa has been infiltrated by a spy (or should I say troll) from immigration...

Yes he is a troll and an enormous one at that. He feeds off other people's misery. No he is not from immigration at all.