Immigration questioned me. " computer show up"

[2road]

hi

in 2016 i spent 11 months in thailand. i stayed legally with a tourist visa that I was renewing every 3 months at different embassies in Lao. in Nov 2016 i left Th for Vietnam

After working in Vietnam for 7 months I flew back to TH today and as the immigration officer was turning the pages of my passport back and forth for 5min then said: "computer show up".

Another officer with better english showed up and asked to follow her then said: 
"no work in your country?" "how long you stay"
"why in TH so long? u can only stay 90 days in a year".

I replied that I have a girlfriend here and I am working on Vietnam and I will be staying only 4 days.
They then stamped my 30 days pass.
And they said that This questioning may happen when I re enter.

I need to ask you please if the law has changed because I was in shock today; why giving me the
3 months tourist visa on Lao and then questioning me later?? 

I am now worried that I will have a lifetime trouble when I reenter Thailand. And I have a 
girlfriend here.
What options do I have to avoid this harassment? do I need to Apply for a visa or change passport?

thanks a lot

 

 

 

 

[Get Real]

Better wait for the professionals to answer this totally correct. Anyway, due to that you are staying a prolonged time on tourist visa before and might be considered to do it again. They will ask questions today. That´s how hard they´ve become because many people overuse them. They have also seen that many people choose them for staying and working illegaly in the country. However, you might not do that. Anyway you will be questioned if you do.

I also assume that you do not want to marry, or that you ain´t over 50 years old. In case I am wrong there are other visas for you, that would be more effective and more simple to use. If I am right, the different tourist visas are the only one as a choice for you. They all will end up with a lot of questioning at the end if you use them for stay and live in the country for long time.

[elviajero]

If you enter with a tourist visa there is less chance of being questioned about what you do in Thailand. Spending a lot of time in the country as a 'tourist' can attract attention from some IO's.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

A link to another forum has been removed. 

[JackThompson]

The "computer show up" may have been related to more than 6 Visa-Exempts by you since 2015.  If that is not the case, they may have added a new alert which is triggered by "time in country" - even on TR-Visas.  Please let us know if you have NOT had any Visa-Exempts since Jan 2015, as that would let us know an additional "computer alert" is in play.

 

I would have thought that 7 Months out of the country would have been enough that they would not question you (even if they saw an alert); Airport immigration is becoming increasingly difficult, these days. 
The statement "u can only stay 90 days in a year" is false - typical with reports of statements by airport IOs (and Poipet IOs), who seem to have been told this by higher-ups.  They had been told 180 days (also false), before.  Of course, you had been gone for 7 months, so you hadn't stayed that long anyway.   They seemed to be noting that you didn't go to "your country" when you left, last time, from your passport history; interesting to notice they seem to care that you didn't "go home" but stayed in the region.   Maybe they are making up a "new rule" whereby visitors to Thailand must not be out of their "home country" for more than 90 Days / yr - or must be "working illegally somewhere."   Because the pay in SE Asia is so high, relative to our home-country?

I doubt a word would have been said at friendship-bridge from Laos, where I recently re-entered Visa Exempt hassle-free to spite being "in Thailand" 90%+ of the last several years.
I never enter at airports, which seem to be unfriendly places to enter the country on TR visas and Visa-Exempts, unless one is a rare and/or short-term visitor.

[BritTim]

Could you let us know your age and nationality please.  I have thought for a while that this may be relevant when immigration officials are considering whether you could be an illegal worker.

 

Am I correct that you were entering through Don Muang?

Edited June 17, 2017 by BritTim

[gemguy]

If you showed up with a Tourist Visa issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate the Thai embassies or consulates really does not care what the Immigration authorities have to say when you show up with a valid Visa.

The Embassies and Consulates want the revenues from issuing visas to near anyone.

Whether the immigration authorities accept the visa issued by any Thai Embassy or Consulate is another matter while the Thai Embassy or Consulate will say your problems with immigration are not their concern, while they did their part to accommodate you and granted you a visa.

Cheers   

Edited June 17, 2017 by gemguy

[NanLaew]

Stop using Don Meuang airport. They are much harder of 'frequent flyers' than Suvarnabhumi is. May be something to do with the former being the LCC hub and thus the more likely conduit for border runners with (a bit of) a wedge. In their eyes, you now fit the profile of a possible illegal worker in Thailand, that's all. After swanning about in Thailand on multiple TR visas for the best part of a year, you are returning after 7 months working in Vietnam, so why would you not look like a potential illegal worker in Thailand?

 

It's a broad brush they use but it is their brush.

[Wim1954]

3 hours ago, JackThompson said:

The "computer show up" may have been related to more than 6 Visa-Exempts by you since 2015.  If that is not the case, they may have added a new alert which is triggered by "time in country" - even on TR-Visas.  Please let us know if you have NOT had any Visa-Exempts since Jan 2015, as that would let us know an additional "computer alert" is in play.

 

I would have thought that 7 Months out of the country would have been enough that they would not question you (even if they saw an alert); Airport immigration is becoming increasingly difficult, these days. 
The statement "u can only stay 90 days in a year" is false - typical with reports of statements by airport IOs (and Poipet IOs), who seem to have been told this by higher-ups.  They had been told 180 days (also false), before.  Of course, you had been gone for 7 months, so you hadn't stayed that long anyway.   They seemed to be noting that you didn't go to "your country" when you left, last time, from your passport history; interesting to notice they seem to care that you didn't "go home" but stayed in the region.   Maybe they are making up a "new rule" whereby visitors to Thailand must not be out of their "home country" for more than 90 Days / yr - or must be "working illegally somewhere."   Because the pay in SE Asia is so high, relative to our home-country?

I doubt a word would have been said at friendship-bridge from Laos, where I recently re-entered Visa Exempt hassle-free to spite being "in Thailand" 90%+ of the last several years.
I never enter at airports, which seem to be unfriendly places to enter the country on TR visas and Visa-Exempts, unless one is a rare and/or short-term visitor.

No use to change passport you are already in the systems.

[richard_smith237]

This is not harassment, this is simply the Immigration Police doing their job and ensuring you are here on the correct visa and not working. This line of questioning is similar and in many cases less than our Wives and Girlfriends face when entering our home countries with us. 

 

If you've been staying any length of time on repeated Visa's the system has simply flagged you.

 

You had an Immigration officer who was simply doing his job. You have been questioned and your answers raised no further questions or flags for the Immigration Officers and you were stamped in. Its really that simple - try not to think too much of it.

 

 

Edited June 17, 2017 by richard_smith237

[Bannoi]

Get a girlfriend in Vietnam. No need to come back to Thailand then 

[al007]

4 minutes ago, Bannoi said:

Get a girlfriend in Vietnam. No need to come back to Thailand then 

I live happily here in Thailand

 

However, Thai bureaucracy gives us a hard time , maybe if starting this again I would choose one of the other countries in the region

 

Get a girlfriend in Vietnam is sound advice, but I expect you will already have one there

 

Good luck

[Sydebolle]

They are afraid that you spend your hard earned cash from Vietnam in Thailand ........ 

On a more serious note; all this is ridiculous and once the good people of the immigration realize that hardly any foreigner takes away work from a Thai or that most foreigners spend money overseas in Thailand ...... then only common sense will settle in and you will be able to get more practical stay visas.

A visa issued by an embassy overseas does not automatically entitle you to enter the land; that decision is done by the respective immigration officer you're facing on arrival. 

Get yourself a new passport, if possible - it will do away with a lot of funny questions of your present passport's past! 

[denby45]

Just now, Sydebolle said:

They are afraid that you spend your hard earned cash from Vietnam in Thailand ........ 

On a more serious note; all this is ridiculous and once the good people of the immigration realize that hardly any foreigner takes away work from a Thai or that most foreigners spend money overseas in Thailand ...... then only common sense will settle in and you will be able to get more practical stay visas.

A visa issued by an embassy overseas does not automatically entitle you to enter the land; that decision is done by the respective immigration officer you're facing on arrival. 

Get yourself a new passport, if possible - it will do away with a lot of funny questions of your present passport's past! 

"then only common sense will settle in" Really??? I do look forward to that day. Unfortunately I fear it will never happen. TIT not fantasy Island. However I like your optimistic attitude. I wish I was more like you.

 

Den

[Essecola]

Maybe it is just part of the thrill of being in this exotic country now. Going to get the next visa and the "not knowing" if you can get back in until u are past the checkpoint. Peace of mind can be boring sometimes.

[natway09]

Again, Immigration have the right anywhere in the world to question you about whatever they please.

Stop being paranoid if you have done nothing wrong. I do hope you are over your "shock"

[2road]

20 hours ago, JackThompson said:

The "computer show up" may have been related to more than 6 Visa-Exempts by you since 2015.  If that is not the case, they may have added a new alert which is triggered by "time in country" - even on TR-Visas.  Please let us know if you have NOT had any Visa-Exempts since Jan 2015, as that would let us know an additional "computer alert" is in play.

 

I would have thought that 7 Months out of the country would have been enough that they would not question you (even if they saw an alert); Airport immigration is becoming increasingly difficult, these days. 
The statement "u can only stay 90 days in a year" is false - typical with reports of statements by airport IOs (and Poipet IOs), who seem to have been told this by higher-ups.  They had been told 180 days (also false), before.  Of course, you had been gone for 7 months, so you hadn't stayed that long anyway.   They seemed to be noting that you didn't go to "your country" when you left, last time, from your passport history; interesting to notice they seem to care that you didn't "go home" but stayed in the region.   Maybe they are making up a "new rule" whereby visitors to Thailand must not be out of their "home country" for more than 90 Days / yr - or must be "working illegally somewhere."   Because the pay in SE Asia is so high, relative to our home-country?

I doubt a word would have been said at friendship-bridge from Laos, where I recently re-entered Visa Exempt hassle-free to spite being "in Thailand" 90%+ of the last several years.
I never enter at airports, which seem to be unfriendly places to enter the country on TR visas and Visa-Exempts, unless one is a rare and/or short-term visitor.

Hello

 

to answer yr question, in 2015 i entered TH twice: in September (2 weeks stay) and in November. I entered with a 30 days on arrival visa.

 

I doubt the "time spent in the region " is a relevant: when i go back to my country (im from Europe) sometimes i dont get stamped at the entry. The officers that questioned me had printed two pages with a log of all my entries.

I think they suspected I worked in TH. It seems that when I told them I work in VN and i have a Gf here all was good.

 

Now I have a return ticket for August: I need to ask:

- can  I be denied entry for some reason next time? and in that case what can I do/who can i call at the airport to fight my way in?

at the end of the day I am not dong anything wrong and im not breaking any law. And I know a lot of people that keep doing visa runs.

- can a letter from my Girlfriend explaining that I am coming to visit her help my case at the immigration desk?

 

thanks a lot

[2road]

19 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Stop using Don Meuang airport. They are much harder of 'frequent flyers' than Suvarnabhumi is. May be something to do with the former being the LCC hub and thus the more likely conduit for border runners with (a bit of) a wedge. In their eyes, you now fit the profile of a possible illegal worker in Thailand, that's all. After swanning about in Thailand on multiple TR visas for the best part of a year, you are returning after 7 months working in Vietnam, so why would you not look like a potential illegal worker in Thailand?

 

It's a broad brush they use but it is their brush.

wasnt Muang airport. Was Suvarnabhumi.

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

This is not harassment, this is simply the Immigration Police doing their job and ensuring you are here on the correct visa and not working. This line of questioning is similar and in many cases less than our Wives and Girlfriends face when entering our home countries with us. 

The guy was gone for 7 months - he couldn't be working.  People traveling to nations where pay is significantly higher than their home-country might be suspected of coming to work illegally, so it makes sense when/if that is the case.  This used to be taken into consideration, but it appears this is reversed, now, with those from poor neighboring nations specifically excluded from the restrictions placed on the rest of us.

 

Quote

If you've been staying any length of time on repeated Visa's the system has simply flagged you.

If true, this is good info to know, since we only knew about the "6 visa exempts" rule, until now.  But note that IOs seem to ignore this when one is returning through most checkpoints - or they are not using the same 'alerts' everywhere.  It is just airports and Poipet that seem most likely to do this to people, for the time-being.

 

Quote

You had an Immigration officer who was simply doing his job. You have been questioned and your answers raised no further questions or flags for the Immigration Officers and you were stamped in. Its really that simple - try not to think too much of it.

I would add, next time, don't come in Visa Exempt, and don't fly-in.  Come in through a known-friendly border-crossing with a Tourist Visa, carrying 20K worth of cash or travelers checks to show, and with ready-answers to the most-likely questions.

 

Keep in mind, he was coming from Vietnam, where many people need pre-clearance to enter, so simply "flying back" might not have been an option.  What then?  A last-minute ticket 1/2 way across the world to his passport-country for 70,000+ Baht, then another ticket at a similar-cost to turn around and get back to SE-Asia, where he lives?  Similar if flying in from Myanmar - can't just 'go back' without first getting a visa from the Consulate.  One could beg to be allowed to go to Malaysia, instead - but would they oblige? 

This guy's world could have been turned upside-down on a denial-of-entry - scary thought.

Edited June 17, 2017 by JackThompson

[DerekMarshall]

How about getting a proper visa for Thailand and not Abusing the system? It might actually mean less questions for you and easier entry. Study Thai - 1 year ED visa. Do some legit volunteer work for a few months  - proper B visa. 

 

Still, I dont understand the need to stay in Thailand - It's sh*te hole and gone properly downhill during the past few years - one of the reasons I left - and that is despite having zero visa issues period.

 

It is a consumers world - if they don't want your hard earned money - spend it somewhere else and take your good lady with you - she will enjoy the travel and experience and quite possibly the two of you will grow together and strengthen your relationship. 

[stevenl]

As OP said himself, he is living in Thailand. It would make most sense to find a visa that suits living in Thailand. Tourist visa are meant for tourists.

 

So OP should look at a non-immigrant visa. Now if the OP is under 50 years old and not married, that is not easy, Elite seems to be the only option. Or OP could accept Thai rules and get married.

[elviajero]

7 hours ago, JackThompson said:

The statement "u can only stay 90 days in a year" is false - typical with reports of statements by airport IOs (and Poipet IOs), who seem to have been told this by higher-ups.  They had been told 180 days (also false), before.

How can you claim either as false when you are not privy to all the orders given by the 'higher ups'. Anyone making multiple entries for tourism without a visa is on the radar and is at the mercy of the IO at the border.

 

To keep permission of entering in compliance with immigration law and provision concerned, it is deemed expedient to impose additional procedures of inspecting and permitting ordinary passport holders from certain countries who are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes,

Information checking
1.1 Purpose of entering the Kingdom

The alien must enter the Kingdom with the sole purpose of tourism, and not for work.

1.2 Record of entry and stay within the Kingdom

1.2.1 A number of entry into the Kingdom
1.2.2 The alien must not enter the Kingdom by exploiting 30­day visa exemptions undertaking method “in­out” or called by foreigners as “Visa run”. Aliens use the advantage of Tourist Visa Exemption by leaving Thailand and returning immediately for the purpose of extending their stay, which is considered from the tourism point of view to be longer than necessary and not in line with the purpose permitted while entering country.

[JackThompson]

46 minutes ago, 2road said:

Hello

 

to answer yr question, in 2015 i entered TH twice: in September (2 weeks stay) and in November. I entered with a 30 days on arrival visa.

 

I doubt the "time spent in the region " is a relevant: when i go back to my country (im from Europe) sometimes i dont get stamped at the entry. The officers that questioned me had printed two pages with a log of all my entries.

I think they suspected I worked in TH. It seems that when I told them I work in VN and i have a Gf here all was good.

 

Now I have a return ticket for August: I need to ask:

- can  I be denied entry for some reason next time? and in that case what can I do/who can i call at the airport to fight my way in?

at the end of the day I am not dong anything wrong and im not breaking any law. And I know a lot of people that keep doing visa runs.

- can a letter from my Girlfriend explaining that I am coming to visit her help my case at the immigration desk?

 

thanks a lot

You could always be denied  - especially on a Visa-Exempt entry.  There are specific police-orders relating to those, which do not apply to those entering with a Tourist-Visa.  

BUT - No one has yet reported being denied-entry on a Tourist Visa and showing 20K Baht worth of cash.  Note that Thailand's Rules allow us to come and go on Tourist-Visas with no annual-limit.  THEY write the rules, so it is NOT "abusing" the rules to follow their own regulations / rules.

 

On the Cash: I read a few reports of people denied entering visa-exempt for "not having cash" - yet were not asked about the cash and actually had it.  When they showed it later - after finding out their reason for denial was "not having the cash" - they were told, "It's too late now, sorry."  So show the cash "helpfully" at the first sign of questioning.  Do NOT think they will let you go to an ATM.  In all cases of denial for cash at airports, this was not allowed, until the person was being escorted out and it could not help them.

Whether the girlfriend-letter would help depends on the IO.  Some are none to happy with 'foreigners' putting down roots / relationships here.  Others might be sympathetic.  Another reason I like border-crossings in Issan (except Poipet - run now by hardliners) - foreigners are generally considered "a good addition to a family," even if not very-rich.  Though most Thais are awesome folks, there seem to be racist elements  in some areas of the bureaucracy - especially affecting Airport Immigration, now.  The guy you dealt with probably is just following orders, with someone up the chain calling the shots.

 

The only option upon denial, is to request an appeal.  I have never read a report of anyone doing this, but it can take up to 7 days (in detention), and no idea what the rules of evidence are / whether you can 'make your case' or whether any sympathetic-ear would hear it.

 

I use known-friendly land-entry-points, and always enter with Visa and money to show.  If denied, at least I can just turn around, and go back where I came from, then come up with a new plan; the first-country simply cancels your exit and your existing/running permit-of-stay keeps running.  Note that I recently was unable to get a visa in Vientiane, and decided to try to return to Thailand Visa-Exempt - planning to go back and take the 9-Hr overnight bus to Savanahket if that failed.  If that had failed, I would have gotten a new passport in Laos or Cambodia, then a new Tourist-Visa, and then returned.  Always have Plan B, Plan C, etc.  Fortunately, Thailand let me in (Friendship-Bridge to Nong Khai) with no questions asked, though I have been here for most of several years.

Edited June 17, 2017 by JackThompson

[impulse]

OP,  pat yourself on the back.  They grilled you.  You told the truth (I think).  You didn't cave.  You got in.  Mission accomplished.

 

[JackThompson]

5 minutes ago, elviajero said:

How can you claim either as false when you are not privy to all the orders given by the 'higher ups'. Anyone making multiple entries for tourism without a visa is on the radar and is at the mercy of the IO at the border.

 

To keep permission of entering in compliance with immigration law and provision concerned, it is deemed expedient to impose additional procedures of inspecting and permitting ordinary passport holders from certain countries who are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes,

Information checking
1.1 Purpose of entering the Kingdom

The alien must enter the Kingdom with the sole purpose of tourism, and not for work.

1.2 Record of entry and stay within the Kingdom

1.2.1 A number of entry into the Kingdom
1.2.2 The alien must not enter the Kingdom by exploiting 30­day visa exemptions undertaking method “in­out” or called by foreigners as “Visa run”. Aliens use the advantage of Tourist Visa Exemption by leaving Thailand and returning immediately for the purpose of extending their stay, which is considered from the tourism point of view to be longer than necessary and not in line with the purpose permitted while entering country.

Police in my passport-country have a saying, "I can come up with 100 reasons to put you in jail."  Any reply other than "Yes Sir" and "No Sir" - as they shake you down for no legal reason (i.e. "not looking rich") - will elicit that statement. 

 

My experience with seeing Thai police at work, is they are much more professional, and not out to "create a problem out of nothing" like American cops.  But, when you have an alien with no rights, requesting to enter a country with no visa from another govt-dept (MFA), then add-in someone in the chain-of-command who thinks Farangs should not stay here for long periods (to spite our financial-benefit to the country), they can do pretty much anything and get away with it.  So, yes, we are at their mercy.

I do not see anything about 90 or 180 days in the current police-orders - even for Visa-Exempts (which do have more strict rules).  He was not coming back from a "visa run" (unless those take 7 months), so I don't see why his entry involved any questions.  It would seem a a new computer-alert is in-play.   I gave myself 50% odds when I recently tried a Visa-Exempt - and that was at a much more friendly location.  I was OK, but I would not recommend anyone try using those unless they come here rarely and for short-stays.

[JayBird]

I think they say 90 days per year out six months depending on their mood. That is not the issue. The issue is their mood. The excuse they use Can change to whatever they please if they do not want you in.

 

Recommend METV if possible. Also might want to look into Thailand elite which should remove all obstacles.

[2road]

15 hours ago, JackThompson said:

The guy was gone for 7 months - he couldn't be working.  People traveling to nations where pay is significantly higher than their home-country might be suspected of coming to work illegally, so it makes sense when/if that is the case.  This used to be taken into consideration, but it appears this is reversed, now, with those from poor neighboring nations specifically excluded from the restrictions placed on the rest of us.

 

If true, this is good info to know, since we only knew about the "6 visa exempts" rule, until now.  But note that IOs seem to ignore this when one is returning through most checkpoints - or they are not using the same 'alerts' everywhere.  It is just airports and Poipet that seem most likely to do this to people, for the time-being.

 

I would add, next time, don't come in Visa Exempt, and don't fly-in.  Come in through a known-friendly border-crossing with a Tourist Visa, carrying 20K worth of cash or travelers checks to show, and with ready-answers to the most-likely questions.

 

Keep in mind, he was coming from Vietnam, where many people need pre-clearance to enter, so simply "flying back" might not have been an option.  What then?  A last-minute ticket 1/2 way across the world to his passport-country for 70,000+ Baht, then another ticket at a similar-cost to turn around and get back to SE-Asia, where he lives?  Similar if flying in from Myanmar - can't just 'go back' without first getting a visa from the Consulate.  One could beg to be allowed to go to Malaysia, instead - but would they oblige? 

This guy's world could have been turned upside-down on a denial-of-entry - scary thought.

Hello,

 

How can I not fly in if I come from Europe? I have already a flight booked to return to BKK for August.

or are you flying to Lao then cross through Nong Khai border?

 

If they let me in I will probably stay in TH for 3 weeks with my Gf then go work in Vietnam to work. Maybe if I show an outbound ticket will help?

your advice to enter with a tourist visa is a good idea I guess.

If i get deny entry the only option is to go back to the connections area of BKK airport and book a ticket out of TH .

 

Someone here mentioned 7 days detentions if you are deny entry??

 

If I count correctly I ve done 2 visa exempt entries in 2015; (flying from Europe), 2 in 2016 (flying from Malaysia) and this one entry today in 2017. Total: 5.  The others entries were done at border crossings with a tourist visa. So i am below the "6 visa exempts rule". Before 2015, the last time I was in TH was 2010.

 

Edited June 17, 2017 by 2road

[JackThompson]

30 minutes ago, 2road said:

Hello,

 

How can I not fly in if I come from Europe? I have already a flight booked to return to BKK for August.

or are you flying to Lao then cross through Nong Khai border?

 

If they let me in I will probably stay in TH for 3 weeks with my Gf then go work in Vietnam to work. Maybe if I show an outbound ticket will help?

your advice to enter with a tourist visa is a good idea I guess.

If i get deny entry the only option is to go back to the connections area of BKK airport and book a ticket out of TH .

 

Someone here mentioned 7 days detentions if you are deny entry??

 

If I count correctly I ve done 2 visa exempt entries in 2015; (flying from Europe), 2 in 2016 (flying from Malaysia) and this one entry today in 2017. Total: 5.  The others entries were done at border crossings with a tourist visa. So i am below the "6 visa exempts rule". Before 2015, the last time I was in TH was 2010.

 

Coming from a European flight should cause less trouble - especially with a Tourist Visa and 20K worth of cash/travelers checks.  I would not be worried doing that. 

 

Coming from Vietnam, I would either bus across Cambodia (the cheap way), or fly to Penang or Kuala Lumpur and take the train to the border at Pedang Besar, then fly domestic out of Hat Yai to where ever in Thailand.  You may still need the cash on your person to be allowed-in at any entry-point.

 

The "7 day detention" is Only IF you elect to appeal your denial of entry - it can take up to 7 days for the appeal process. 

 

If you do not appeal the denial, and are coming in from a country where you can return without a visa (Malaysia, for most of us), you are generally allowed to buy a return-ticket to the country you came from on the next available flight.  In some cases, this has forced people to stay in detention overnight. 

 

I do not think they will let you choose any destination.  I recall one case where the person with a valid-visa, but without the required cash, was forced to fly back to his passport-country - even though he could have returned to Hong Kong (that one was a couple years back).  Recently, most reports have people returning to Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia.

 

Thanks for the info on your visa-exempt history.  I think what you encountered at the airport is a new alert they have added recently.  It is good you shared this with the community, so we can be prepared to deal with this.

Edited June 17, 2017 by JackThompson

[elviajero]

28 minutes ago, 2road said:

Hello,

 

How can I not fly in if I come from Europe? I have already a flight booked to return to BKK for August.

or are you flying to Lao then cross through Nong Khai border?

 

If they let me in I will probably stay in TH for 3 weeks with my Gf then go work in Vietnam to work. Maybe if I show an outbound ticket will help?

your advice to enter with a tourist visa is a good idea I guess.

If i get deny entry the only option is to go back to the connections area of BKK airport and book a ticket out of TH .

 

Someone here mentioned 7 days detentions if you are deny entry??

 

If I count correctly I ve done 2 visa exempt entries in 2015; (flying from Europe), 2 in 2016 (flying from Malaysia) and this one entry today in 2017. Total: 5.  The others entries were done at border crossings with a tourist visa. So i am below the "6 visa exempts rule". Before 2015, the last time I was in TH was 2010.

 

Ignore @JackThompson advice about flying in. There is far less chance of being denied entry if flying in and even less chance of being denied if flying in from Europe. When entering by land border IO's have been known to simply deny entry and send people back without following denial procedures. It's a big deal for them to deny entry at the airport as they have to follow the formal denial procedure. @JackThonpson lives in Thailand as a 'tourist' and has far higher chance of being denied entry than someone like you that has spent 7 months out of the country.

 

If you are denied entry at the airport they will usually send you back to the country you travelled from and, in most cases, allow you to fly anywhere that you have a ticket for. You would be held at the airport until your flight. It could be as little as a few hours.

 

Visa exempt entry is on the radar and you can be questioned at anytime about what you are doing in Thailand. The 6 entry flag is a tool for IO's and they can ignore it or question you with less than 6. At anytime they think someone is working or overusing the scheme they can deny entry. The more frequently you enter the higher the suspicion. 

 

Entering with a tourist visa should keep immigration happy.

[2road]

14 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Coming from a European flight should cause less trouble - especially with a Tourist Visa and 20K worth of cash/travelers checks.  I would not be worried doing that. 

 

Coming from Vietnam, I would either bus across Cambodia (the cheap way), or fly to Penang or Kuala Lumpur and take the train to the border at Pedang Besar, then fly domestic out of Hat Yai to where ever in Thailand.  You may still need the cash on your person to be allowed-in at any entry-point.

 

The "7 day detention" is Only IF you elect to appeal your denial of entry - it can take up to 7 days for the appeal process. 

 

If you do not appeal the denial, and are coming in from a country where you can return without a visa (Malaysia, for most of us), you are generally allowed to buy a return-ticket to the country you came from on the next available flight.  In some cases, this has forced people to stay in detention overnight. 

 

I do not think they will let you choose any destination.  I recall one case where the person with a valid-visa, but without the required cash, was forced to fly back to his passport-country - even though he could have returned to Hong Kong (that one was a couple years back).  Recently, most reports have people returning to Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia.

 

Thanks for the info on your visa-exempt history.  I think what you encountered at the airport is a new alert they have added recently.  It is good you shared this with the community, so we can be prepared to deal with this.

 

Forced to buy a ticket back to my country? Detention overnight?      They ll hear me shouting all the way and never see me again here.

 

I ll apply for a tourist visa before flying in.

Or, If I still have a bad feeling, I will purchase a connecting ticket BKK to VN and remain in the connections area of the airport without attempting to enter TH. And I will forget about my gf and TH, for a while.

Edited June 17, 2017 by 2road