My last visa is the Vietnam SETV from this thread (link) which you may have read. So I last entered on Feb 12, 2017, just before the drastic uptick in denials. Maybe if I'd had an exempt that time that would've been the end of my lucky streak. Before that as you know I did 9 months on visa exempts, documented in this thread (link). 

 

So all of that is 2016 or very early 2017. I extended that last SETV, that took me to May 12. I left on May 12 and haven't been in Thailand since then. My plan is to come in via land border after 3 months out of the country. Aug 12th. I decided to do that to give myself the best chance of getting back in,  when I saw how many others are getting denied. I wouldn't have believed it either unless I knew the people denied. 

 

I don't mind the travelling either, after 7 years in Thailand I want to spend more time elsewhere. I've been to the Philippines, Macau, and Malaysia (typing this from there), to look like more of a tourist, and I'll likely re-enter via Laos or Cambodia (not Poipet). Once in I'll apply for a fresh passport and I'll attempt to have a good run in late 2017 / 2018 and do some more threads about it. Perhaps this will all have blown over by then.

 

I've never been interviewed by an IO or asked to show anything except an onward ticket one time when I came back in after a 2 year overstay. And I was asked to sign an acknowledgment form about the new overstay rules, and asked if I had a Thai GF, just one question so can't really call that an interview.

 

That year-long stretch on visa exempts followed by an SETV included 2-3 week trips out between each visit, which probably made it easier to pull off. Also I switch queues if the IO is sending people to the side for questioning. But mostly it looks like I just missed the uptick in denials.

 

That Feb 12th entry was after leaving Jan 26th, after my 7th visa exemption in a row. So in total in 2017 I've been in Thailand 26 days in Jan, then 3 months on SETV, so 116 days so far in 2017.

Edited July 25, 20178 yr by jspill

41 minutes ago, jspill said:

So I last entered on Feb 12, 2017, just before the drastic uptick in denials.

When you say "drastic uptick in denials", people were "getting rejected" while you were on 210 days visa exempt.

 

So the drastic uptick in denials was happening in November 2016 no? (That's the thread that is being given to me as an example).

 

A google search reveals various other stories. They seem to keep reocurring every 6 months. And they started apparently in 2014?

 

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not doubting what you are saying. But I am seeing an abundance of posts in the last few days that, if we were to draw conclusions on, we would conclude that:

 

- people with METVs are getting denied entry

-people wth SETVs are getting denied entry.

-some went as far as to insinuate that nonBs and nonOs are not safe.

 

Guess what that leaves us with. Because we pretty much eliminated all visas but one.

 

That's right. Thai Elite.

 

Now, out of all these posters I see the following patterns emerging.

 

- people with no posts discovering ThaiVisa all of the sudden, creating usernames just to tell us that they have been denied. To warn us. Very nice of them. We thank them for their contribution.

 

- people with 30 posts on average, usernames created a few months ago, all one or two general comments asking one or two idiot questions about some Khon Khaen or Pattaya things, then all of the sudden telling us all the problems they had with being denied.

 

Some others are using similar wording in posts from 2017 and 2015 or 2016 with various usernames.

 

It's something like....these people create an username, leave it for a few months, throw in one or two general comments, then they all get problems being denied entry. Then they dissapear.

 

Is it possible for a mod to access some logs, look at some IPs and stuff, because there is a bit too much pollution here.

 

As one poster nicely said, we are kind of getting an overdose of this 20K and denial thing.

 

We need to be able to differentiate reality from fiction.

 

Thanks.

 

Edited July 25, 20178 yr by lkv

I count about 10 denials between Feb 2017 and now, 4 of which I know IRL, and I know several others that got strongly interrogated but eventually let in, also all in 2017. That's what I'm basing 'uptick' on. Yes it has always happened, whether 2014 - 2016, or even earlier, but not quite at the frequency of late.

 

It does seem to come in cycles, 2014 was a bad year, that was when the 'out-in' rule happened plus a bit of of an Ed visa crackdown, with school inspections, overcharging for extensions, etc. Then next thing you know they're giving out free tourist visas as they realise they're costing themselves money, and the language schools are back to normal.

 

It's not strange at all that new posters join thaivisa, the vast majority of tourists and expats don't actively post on this forum. They either just read it or don't know it exists.

Edited July 25, 20178 yr by jspill

11 minutes ago, jspill said:

It's not strange at all that new posters join thaivisa, the vast majority of tourists and expats don't actively post on this forum (who can blame them). They either just read it or don't know it exists. The guys I know didn't post here either, they knew it existed and finally created an account to ask what to do once they got denied entry.

I agree with new people joining ThaiVisa, but this is not what I am talking about.

 

And if you read what has been circulating these days on this forum, I am sure you understand what I am talking about.

 

If you want to take all of them for granted, simply because you happen to know 4 people that got denied entry, that's of course your option.

 

I'm not saying people don't get denied, what I am saying is that I smell pollution here.

 

Anyways, on my next entry I would have well exceeded the 180 days, so that's going to be fun, looking forward to it, will report back in September. :) 

 

As one poster said, I may buy a bottle of whisky or something on the way, it would come handy if I end up in the Suvarnabhumi 700 baht short time hotel.

Edited July 25, 20178 yr by lkv

I just passed successfully through DMK half an hour ago. No questions asked, no proof of income or 20k baht or equivalent. 

 

Though I must admit that I was taking time to choose a queue walking back and forth seeing which queue moved fast. Almost every IO looked around 50 y/o and quite grumpy, so I went for a queue with a young lady that served few smiles here and there. Who knonws how much that helped but I have had bad experiences with older officials so I was more confident this would be less troublesome.

 

Thanks to all who participated in this topic!

^ Good to here the outcome, is a crab shoot these days between grumpy IO's and constant changes which could effect anyone with bit of thai history or turn up on a day being extra fussy so bit of due diligence and plan B is way go if want easier time coming and going from the country .

On Tuesday, July 25, 2017 at 7:59 AM, jspill said:

@OP I'd come in by land 

 

If you do fly it helps to have a Thai girlfriend and/or landlord on speeddial to call and back up that you have an online business / don't work in the Kingdom etc. That helped people I know who got pulled aside.

Yeah but coming in by air helps feed the rush of "not knowing" what will happen to you. The excitement of "will I be detained and sent home/somewhere else or not". It's awesome arriving at Don Muang or Suwannapum. Love the extra headache and sleeplessness the night before flying.