Second Tourist Visa - nearly not let in

[randymarsh]

Been in Thailand for 5 months.

 

30 day on arrival + 30 extension.

Laos tourist visa + 30 day extension.

Vietnam tourist visa.  

 

Through Suvarnabhumi back from Vietnam, immigration had a long look at my passport, called me over, quizzed me and told me I've been here too long and that next time he needs to see a non-immigrant visa.

 

Should I be worried?  There's no way I can get a non-immigrant visa.  I'm guessing it just depends which counter you go to?  Or will there be something in their system now to say no more tourist visas?  Guessing not.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

Just an officer stating falsehoods. Nothing will be in the system.

I suggest though you have the equivalent of 20k baht to show just incase it is asked for next time.

[thaitero]

Your age ?

It seems younger people living long time on tourisvisa and exempt stamps are receiving more heat than older ones

[elviajero]

11 minutes ago, randymarsh said:

Should I be worried?  There's no way I can get a non-immigrant visa.  I'm guessing it just depends which counter you go to?  Or will there be something in their system now to say no more tourist visas?  Guessing not.

I believe it's going to harder and harder to stay long term as a 'tourist', especially for the 20 and 30 somethings. You could get denied entry in the future if the IO feels you're not a tourist and or suspected of illegally working, but it's unlikely. They tend to give warnings to discourage/scare people from trying again. There shouldn't be anything on the system saying you can't have more tourist visas or entries as a tourist.

[Mister Fixit]

I thought that some consulates (Laos certainly and I am sure there are others) were now warning people with too many tourist visas that this one would be the last and also stamping the same in passports.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2017 by Mister Fixit

[elviajero]

22 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

I thought that some consulates (Laos certainly and I am sure there are others) were now warning people with too many tourist visas that this one would be the last and also stamping the same in passports.

They are.

[ubonjoe]

24 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

I thought that some consulates (Laos certainly and I am sure there are others) were now warning people with too many tourist visas that this one would be the last and also stamping the same in passports.

That is only for getting more visas at that embassy or consulate. It has nothing to do with entering the country with one.

[Mister Fixit]

17 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That is only for getting more visas at that embassy or consulate. It has nothing to do with entering the country with one.

 

I wasn't referring to only one consulate - I had read that a consulate would take a look at the applicant's total visa history.  If the consulate thought it was looking a bit iffy, they would either refuse or tell the applicant to obtain a proper non-immi visa next time.  

Edited August 24, 2017 by Mister Fixit

[Matt199]

2 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

 

I wasn't referring to only one consulate - I had read that a consulate would take a look at the applicant's total visa history.  If the consulate thought it was looking a bit iffy, they would either refuse or tell the applicant to obtain a proper non-immi visa next time.  

They cannot look at applicant's total visa history. They can look at applicant's history in his passport.

 

Perhaps what they can do is retrieve visa history from that particular consulate only, but I'm not sure if they do it. Anyone knows? i.e. three SETV from Vientiane in previous passport and the person is applying with a new passport?

[Mister Fixit]

Just now, Matt199 said:

They cannot look at applicant's total visa history. They can look at applicant's history in his passport.

 

Perhaps what they can do is retrieve visa history from that particular consulate only, but I'm not sure if they do it. Anyone knows? i.e. three SETV from Vientiane in previous passport and the person is applying with a new passport?

 

Yes, you are right of course, but I'd have thought that anyone would have realised that it was implicit in my statement that only the visa history in the passport was available to the consulate.   I didn't think anyone would need to have it spelled out to the nth degree.  

[darrendsd]

OP I have friends who have had the same kind of comments from the I/O at the counter

 

The time to be really worried is when a Supervisor is called and you are taken into a office for a hour long grilling, a friend was called in, got a grilling and was let in, the next time he entered without any issues

 

For the moment you are fine, if you are really worried avoid Airports as this is where the vast majority of issues are occuring

[Matt199]

12 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

 

Yes, you are right of course, but I'd have thought that anyone would have realised that it was implicit in my statement that only the visa history in the passport was available to the consulate.   I didn't think anyone would need to have it spelled out to the nth degree.  

Visa history from the passport is available, yes, of course. My question is if consulate takes a look into its' own visa history records and potentially matches passports to see if an applicant has been applying before i.e. does getting a new passport can help with obtaining SETV? 

 

 

[JackThompson]

28 minutes ago, Matt199 said:

Visa history from the passport is available, yes, of course. My question is if consulate takes a look into its' own visa history records and potentially matches passports to see if an applicant has been applying before i.e. does getting a new passport can help with obtaining SETV? 

There have been no reports of this happening (yet).

 

What blocks one obtaining a Tourist Visa from a nearby consulate (assuming you meet their requirements) is the presence of an extra-stamp applied to a previous Tourist-Visa (by a consulate) which states, "This person travels to Thailand frequently on Tourist Visas..." or similar.  Once you have that stamp on one of your Tourist-Visas, it is time to get a new passport. 

 

I have been told by consulate-personnel to "get a new passport" to resolve this situation, so they can issue me more Tourist Visas in the future.  So, at least so far, they are not keeping and/or using these types of history-records.

[Matt199]

12 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

There have been no reports of this happening (yet).

 

What blocks one obtaining a Tourist Visa from a nearby consulate (assuming you meet their requirements) is the presence of an extra-stamp applied to a previous Tourist-Visa (by a consulate) which states, "This person travels to Thailand frequently on Tourist Visas..." or similar.  Once you have that stamp on one of your Tourist-Visas, it is time to get a new passport. 

 

I have been told by consulate-personnel to "get a new passport" to resolve this situation, so they can issue me more Tourist Visas in the future.  So, at least so far, they are not keeping and/or using these types of history-records.

Thanks! Then it sounds like it is in their interest to be issuing visas if they advise so. I assume not every embassy will be explicit in this regard.