Denied entry at Suvarnabhumi

[mngmn]

16 minutes ago, BritTim said:

There is a general problem that about 75% of the information you can find online about Thai immigration rules is at least partially outdated or outright wrong. There is no way of easily identifying the minority of resources that are actually correct, especially as those you would expect to be definitive are often the least accurate.

 

How is someone to know they should ignore the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website and look for answers from @ubonjoe on a random message board?

My point exactly!

 

And so the OPs point about not having informed friends who share @ubonjoe 's wisdom is perfectly valid.

 

And perhaps more important, he is not a reckless fool who fails to inform himself properly before flying into Thailand.

Edited June 25, 2017 by mngmn
formatting

[Goldbear]

I stayed in the same hotel as a British-Iranian guy  who has been living in Thailand for several years on tourist visas. He told me that the last time he did a visa run, he flew to Vientiane, got a tourist visa and flew back to Bangkok (I can't remember which airport). He didn't have enough money on him so they put him on a plane back to Vientiane. He then went over the border at the friendship bridge at Nong Khai and was able to enter. The man thought he got lucky because that particular immigration officer didn't look at his passport that closely. 

 

This man is older than the OP but well under age 50. 

 

 

[silverado]

i plan to come to thailand 1st september with a setv , during my stay i'll marry my thai gf and get a permit of 1year stay based on marriage... shall i also be denied on arrival if my return fly is booked  for 6/7 months after my first entry (lets say 5 april) ??? 

with all i read here , i scare i 'll be denied .... and i guess the thai embassy in brussels 'll never give me the visa (should be better after all)... 

what about with a return flight "open"  ???? (+/- 200 euros more expensive )  i phone the embassy tomorrow but what will happen again at the immigration desk on my arrival in bangkok ???

by the way somebody here has an idee for me ? i cannot get the metv (financial restrictions)

Edited June 25, 2017 by silverado

[silverado]

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

There is a general problem that about 75% of the information you can find online about Thai immigration rules is at least partially outdated or outright wrong. There is no way of easily identifying the minority of resources that are actually correct, especially as those you would expect to be definitive are often the least accurate.

 

How is someone to know they should ignore the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website and look for answers from @ubonjoe on a random message board?

excuse me, but  the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website doesn't help me   :  

6. EXTENSION OF STAY

Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their type of visa must file an application for permission at the Office of Immigration Bureau located on Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 (or at http://www.immigration.go.th ). The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer..

[BritTim]

33 minutes ago, silverado said:

i plan to come to thailand 1st september with a setv , during my stay i'll marry my thai gf and get a permit of 1year stay based on marriage... shall i also be denied on arrival if my return fly is booked  for 6/7 months after my first entry (lets say 5 april) ??? 

with all i read here , i scare i 'll be denied .... and i guess the thai embassy in brussels 'll never give me the visa (should be better after all)... 

what about with a return flight "open"  ???? (+/- 200 euros more expensive )  i phone the embassy tomorrow but what will happen again at the immigration desk on my arrival in bangkok ???

by the way somebody here has an idee for me ? i cannot get the metv (financial restrictions)

If arriving with a tourist visa, there is no requirement to have a flight out of Thailand. Do make sure, however, that you have over 20,000 baht equivalent in cash or travelers checks in a major currency.

 

I am not sure what they will ask for at the Thai Embassy in Brussels. Check if they require an onward flight out of Thailand within some specified period to issue you with an SETV. If they do, it does not need to be a return flight back to Belgium. A cheap flight to a neighboring country will be accepted. You can usually find these for about 25 EUR.

[BritTim]

4 minutes ago, silverado said:

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

There is a general problem that about 75% of the information you can find online about Thai immigration rules is at least partially outdated or outright wrong. There is no way of easily identifying the minority of resources that are actually correct, especially as those you would expect to be definitive are often the least accurate.

 

How is someone to know they should ignore the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website and look for answers from @ubonjoe on a random message board?

excuse me, but  the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website doesn't help me   :  

6. EXTENSION OF STAY

Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their type of visa must file an application for permission at the Office of Immigration Bureau located on Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 (or at http://www.immigration.go.th ). The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer..

Yes. That site is riddled with errors, but the typical traveler will assume that it is the ultimate authority.

[silverado]

2 minutes ago, BritTim said:

If arriving with a tourist visa, there is no requirement to have a flight out of Thailand. Do make sure, however, that you have over 20,000 baht equivalent in cash or travelers checks in a major currency.

 

I am not sure what they will ask for at the Thai Embassy in Brussels. Check if they require an onward flight out of Thailand within some specified period to issue you with an SETV. If they do, it does not need to be a return flight back to Belgium. A cheap flight to a neighboring country will be accepted. You can usually find these for about 25 EUR.

thank you very much for the answer. 

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, Essecola said:

Yes of course. But he sounds he genuinely didn't know this info beforehand. Am sure he will now..

Ignorance of the requirements is no excuse whatsoever.

 

 

[BuckBee]

Yeh Op needs read up on rules, no need mix with expats as you best learning fact yourself through research not over bar stool or coupon hall talk with people who think they know everything .... if good thai speaker and can read/write too surprised you not able sweet talk your way round the problem, wrong officer wrong day though and nothing works lol .

[hawker9000]

19 hours ago, SiamBeast said:

Look at this from Thailand's point of view:

 

1) Many visa-exempt entries

2) A whole year of tourist visas, with more visa-exempt entries

3) No onward flight, no financial proof

4) You mentioned "finding a job", which means that you are unemployed, or not running an online business

 

Based on all the above, you are not a tourist, but tried to enter the country as a tourist.

 

I'd suggest that you lay low for a while - work in the US, pile up some money, and in a year, try requesting a tourist visa from your local consulate and come again. Once you're here, you'll be able to switch to a ED, marriage, or any other non-O visa to allow your long term stay.

 

Back in the old days, people could just fly in and get 15 visa exempt stamps in a row, but there were several reforms over the past years to stop this - mainly for tourists who were working here illegally, and also in an effort to preserve the country's culture and avoid having an unnecessarly high number of foreigners here.

 

So my suggestion, lay low for a year - after that, get a tourist visa. Upon expiration, enroll in a class to get a ED visa, and study something (Thai, muay thai, etc.) for a few months while you look for a Thai gf. If she has no previous boyfriend, then you might want to consider marriage, which will get you a non-O marraige visa and remove most obstacles. That's what most guys are doing. If you don't want a Thai gf, then you might want to start a business here and get a biz visa. If you're just lazy like I am, there's the Thailand Elite option which grants you hassle-free access for 5 years for 500,000 baht.

It doesn't sound  like his problem in THIS case was living in Thailand on tourist visas, although that's what he's been doing and could  raise a red flag with another IO at any time.  If he's successful in getting a tourist visa stateside and entering Thailand with it, and then can use his fluency to actually obtain a job and a work permit and then convert his visa based on that, that's probably a workable plan...    The word's been out for ages now:  trying to live in the country indefinitely on any combination of tourist visas and visa exempt entries is just simply a game for slow learners.

 

[GregoryH]

Wow, thank you to everybody for your input and advice (even those calling me an idiot). At this point I'm thinking I'll try to get a tourist visa at a consulate here and then enter Thailand through a border entry point.

 

Again, thank you all for your helpful replies.

[little mary sunshine]

Play by the rules and don't attempt to

circumvent them....They are getting

tougher, and are enforcing the Visa

regulations.

[Thaidream]

If I was age 26 with a university degree- I would not even begin to think about living and working in Thailand. The salary one would receive would never be enough to plan a long term existence for even a single person. As an American you will get no work credit for Social Security and when you reach retirement age you would have no income.

 

The American economy in most areas are looking for workers- wages are high. A person in their 20's should be employed in the US and start saving money.  If your goal is to reunite with a Thai Girl/Wife- visit during vacations until you have the money and Visa to bring her to the Us where she can also work.

 

Don't try and live the dream now unless you are a dollar millionaire. Many have tried and very few have succeeded. Getting old in Thailand without sufficient monies and resources is not what anyone should be doing. Thailand will always be here and if your girl loves you she will wait for you.

[sjbrownderby]

Around fifteen years ago I had to renew my still valid passport  in which I had used only a few pages. I had no problems because I had left the passport in the pocket of a pair of jeans which was found by the lady who did my laundry, after the jeans had been through a washing machine. I am not for one moment suggesting that you destroy your passport by this method. Just let it be a warning that accidents do happen.

[tonray]

6 minutes ago, sjbrownderby said:

Around fifteen years ago I had to renew my still valid passport  in which I had used only a few pages. I had no problems because I had left the passport in the pocket of a pair of jeans which was found by the lady who did my laundry, after the jeans had been through a washing machine. I am not for one moment suggesting that you destroy your passport by this method. Just let it be a warning that accidents do happen.

Are you also going to put the Immigration database in the rinse cycle too ? The one that links your old and new passports ?

[Wake Up]

Learning written and spoken Thai means you are a pretty smart fella. We all have questions and issues in life.

Listen to ubonjoe.  He knows the visa issues extremely well. 

Edited June 26, 2017 by Wake Up

[ubonjoe]

A off topic inflammatory post has been removed.

[sghanchey]

I believe that all new U.S. passports have 52 pages, no longer short, 28 pagers. You can actually get a second passport, but you need a letter from your employer stating why a 2nd one is required, and issuance is not guaranteed. 

[SiamBeast]

Some people mentioned going to the booth of the IO wearing a cough mask - most of them hate talking. Never tested, but it would make sense.

[Grumpy Duck]

On 6/25/2017 at 9:35 AM, Essecola said:

You could try this.. Fly to Kuala Lumpur from the states. Then get the $50 flight to Vientiane. It leaves every Tues, Thurs, and Sat morning. If you don't have any warning stamps on any of your tourist visas, the consulate in Vientiane will issue you a new one almost surely. Since you are in the states now why not get a new passport before coming back over? Could be a good idea. Just my 2 cents anyway. If you don't have any warning stamps then you should have no problem getting a new SETV and back to Thailand again. A new passport would open the door for you to get at least 2 or 3 more tourist visas after you come back over. 

 

Or perhaps just get a tourist visa from an embassy or consulate in the states if you can and fly into Bkk again with cash in hand and an onward ticket. They seem to like snaring unsuspecting ppl who arent carrying cash and onward ticket etc.

The first time I flew from LAX to BKK I had a 2 entry visa from the Thai consulate in Hollywood. I flew in with on a one way ticket. Just in case I had notarized income verification but no one ever asked for it. I did several visa runs before I decided to get my retirement visa. 

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, sghanchey said:

I believe that all new U.S. passports have 52 pages, no longer short, 28 pagers.

They still issue the small passport unless you apply here. There is a box to tick on the application form for the 52 page passport now.

[CNXBKKMAN]

I might of missed this but did the op ever spell out how he was flown out of BKK once he was refused entry? Did the airline that flew him in have to return him to where he came from. Did the op get taken to an office to buy a one way on the spot and probably a high price? Assuming this event really happened it would be interesting to know how you get booted out of the country when immigration won't let you in. 

[Mrjlh]

ATM Location's at Bumi:

 

http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/en/896-atm-suvarnabhumi-airport

[quadperfect]

The thing that pisses me off is that it really sounds like immigration cant wait to deny entry to anyone they can. Like its a contest.high fives and all.

This guy deserved it for sure. But most dont.

The costs to fly back home or whatever you do is a lot and for a country that is definately 20 or 25 percent surviving on tourism its bonkers.

But then they say roam fell in a day. So i guess thailand will one day be in the history books as how not to treat tourism.

[buick]

1 hour ago, Mrjlh said:

ATM Location's at Bumi:

 

http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/en/896-atm-suvarnabhumi-airport

 

not sure if you are suggesting that you can use an ATM to get funds before you hit immigration.  there have been a few threads on this topic.  as far as i can recall, no one has been able to confirm that an ATM exists before immigration.  so you need to have the cash on you when you arrive.  i use suvarnabhumi alot (used to be 10 times a year but down to 6-7 the last couple years).  i've never seen one.  they have currency exchange booths but no ATM.

[buick]

i'm not expecting to have the problem that the OP experienced but keep in mind that you can always use frequent flyer miles for last minute tickets (maybe thai immigration forces you to buy one, not sure).  i fly on mileage tickets at least once a year and often don't book the flight until a day or two before departure.  some of the best routes are available a day or two in advance. 

[holy cow cm]

Quote:  I have a bachelor's degree and I'm fluent in both spoken and written Thai, so it should be possible for me to get a job that provides a work permit (I would be open to any kind of job).

 

Fluent? Depends on your definition at such a small amount of time visiting here unless you have a photographic memory seems like an over statement. It is your bachelors that will get you in the work door, the experience or how gung-ho and good you can be.

Good Luck, easier said than done! . 

 

 

[MyFriend You]

Tell them your passport was in your jeans pocket when they went to the wash, maybe twice, that's good enough for a new passport with 52 pages.........they may ask it be returned with the application maybe not, they didn't even want to see mine as I had a certified copy of it. Your old passport will be cancelled and you will be mailed a new one.  Takes a couple weeks I am told, mine was a very quick turn around as I applied in the US Embassy in Bangkok, paid for DHL mailing and picked it up at the consulate 10 days later.  My old one had about 8 months left on it but I explained most countries needed at last 6 months validity and I needed one now.  Guy next to me had his wrinkled illegible pspt in his hand - said it wound up in the wash. 

Speak, Read & Write Thai...........??  Damn, wish I had those skills, spoken street Thai is about what I can handle at the moment, but I'm working on it.

[MyFriend You]

Why not an open round trip ticket, say a year validity??  One way from the US is more expensive than round trip, my economy round trip was $1110 from Honolulu with ANA/United, one way was $1400. 

[bangkokairportlink]

Hope that you enjoyed your trip !