Penang halts issuance of double-entry tourist visas

**dirtydog** · 14-09-2006, 06:51 PM

Thursday, September 14, 2006
Penang halts issuance of double-entry tourist visas

PHUKET: The Royal Thai Consulate in neighboring Penang, Malaysia, has stopped issuing double-entry tourist visas for Thailand. The only tourist visa currently available there is a 60-day single-entry one.

An official at the consulate this afternoon told the Gazette that Consul Pramote Pramoonsab had issued an order to cease issuance of double-entry tourist visas.

Other visa categories are unaffected by the order, the official added.

The Royal Thai Consulate in Kota Bharu and the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur are, for the time being, still issuing double-entry tourist visas.

Fareeda Chewae of the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur warned that this may change in the near future, however.

The Gazette contacted the consulates following the news that from October 1 Thai Immigration will limit to three the number of visas on arrival its officers will issue at Immigration checkpoints in Thailand.

To cope with the new policy, many long-stay “tourists” who currently do ‘visa runs’ every month are looking for alternative ways to spend more than three months with their families or friends in Thailand. As a possible short term solution to the problem, some foreigners had been contemplating short trips to Penang where they would obtain multiple-entry tourist visas that would not go against their limit of three visas “on arrival [in Thailand]”.

The chiefs of all Immigration offices will meet in Bangkok tomorrow to discuss the details of the new Immigration policy, after which they will make a much-awaited statement.

While intended as a crackdown measure on foreigners working illegally in the county, the policy has created widespread concern across broad segments of the foreign community in Phuket, particularly among the large numbers who do not work and have no interest in working.

Perceived correctly or incorrectly as a move to discourage foreigners from spending much time here, the new policy has alarmed local residents, both Thai and foreign, about the future of Thailand’s all-important tourism and property development industries.

phuket gazette

**dirtydog** · 14-09-2006, 07:11 PM

And an email from Sharma travel in Penang this morning.

Yes from the 12september you can only get a single entry Tourist visa it
apply to all
thanks
Ravi

Looks like a lot of poor people that don't work here are gonna have to start working illegally just to afford their new visa runs

**aging one** · 14-09-2006, 07:23 PM

Now that was well put. What the hell is going on, damn I have a WP and visa and have had for a long time. Hell half the good guys in Thailand dont meet that requirement. Hell we dont meet a lot of requirements, that the god damn reason we moved here.

Now there is nothing but fucking requirements where before their were none and everthing ran smoothly. Fucking wierd, these Thai guys on top are now.

**William** · 15-09-2006, 01:53 PM

Penang consulate cuts tourist visas

Foreigners who often travel to Penang to extend their visa in order to stay longer in Thailand without work permit will face problem following the decision of the Royal Thai Consulate there to stop issuing double-entry tourist visas, the Bernama news agency of Malaysia reported today.

Bernama also quote The Phuket Gazette newspaper as saying the only tourist visa currently available there was a 60-day single-entry.

An official at the consulate told them that Consul Pramote Pramoonsab had issued an order to cease issuance of double-entry tourist visas while other visa categories are unaffected by the order.

The Royal Thai Consulate in Kota Baharu and the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, however, would continue to issue double-entry tourist visas although such practice could be stopped in the near future, said the paper.

The move was made following the decision by the Thai Immigration Department to limit to three the number of visas on arrival its officers will issue at Immigration checkpoints in Thailand from Oct 1.

The department had said that it would begin a crackdown on foreigners working illegally in Thailand by ending its policy of issuing an unlimited number of consecutive visas on arrival --tourist visas that allow the holder to stay a maximum of 15 or 30 days.

Pol Col Bunphot Kongkrachan, Acting Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office told the daily that from October 1 onwards, immigration checkpoints around the country would limit to three the number of consecutive visas on arrival they will grant a single visitor.

After the third consecutive visa on arrival has expired, the passport holder must leave the country and wait 90 days before being allowed back into Thailand on that type of visa, a move that effectively limits the length of stay for those entering the country with this visa class to 45 or 90 days.

Currently, many foreigners working illegally or staying without long term visa in the country makes "visa runs" every month to nearby border towns like Aranyaprathet at the Thai-Cambodia border or even Penang.

Bangkok Post Breaking News

**in4zip** · 15-09-2006, 02:48 PM

besides the 'obvious more hassle visas' now what's available?

3x 30 days border hops, 90 days stay max then stay abroad 90;

a tourist visa for max 60 days + optional 30 day renewal (other similar shite double, triples entries seem will be soon phased out or so the rumor mill has it)

I like this last option especially, the person goes to, say, Penang; the official at the consulate, on her period or just having a bad hair day, tells you to fuckoff (it seems that immi border boyz have more ample discretionary powers now vely vely dangerous) and you are nearly automatically guaranteed to be on the 30+30+30 schedule - three strikes and you are off for at least 90 days to some place else.

This is going to create a lot of grief (and corruption...what's new heh?), and a certain economic slowdown in an already slow mkt due to less revenue that used to come in via the so called undesirable long stay working touristy types.

Condo mkt? rip
Rentals? rip
Eateries? rip
Jack Golf types? rip
3M invest visa rip (I hearsay its gonna be 10M now... that's 266k+US$ or ~125.5k pomy quids... and who the fuck gonna do a mad thing like that at this point in time)

lot of rice eating little brown people are gonna be eating a tad less rice soon ... what goes around, comes around....how true

**William** · 15-09-2006, 03:02 PM

^ get married with 400k in the Bank.

I bet there is a run on weddings in the next 3 months

**in4zip** · 15-09-2006, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by William

^ get married with 400k in the Bank.

I bet there is a run on weddings in the next 3 months

many more marriage horror stories also sure soon to follow ... and besides the required 400k THB, I'd prefer to have to pay off somebody down at suamplu rather than getting legally hitched to a LBFM harpie

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