#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Thai Visas and Visa Runs >  >  Rumours of 30 day Thai visa exempt going to 15 days

## dirtydog

There are rumours going round that all entries on land borders to Thailand if you don't have a visa and are going for your normal 30 visa exempt stamp they are now only giving 15 days, as far as all the visa run companies in Pattaya go this is not true and they have heard nothing at all about it, a friend went on Monday and got his normal 30 day stamp, they also labelled it as his second one in the 180 day period as is per normal.
I have just spoken to another   one of the companies this evening that do daily runs to Cambodia and they haven't heard of this either.

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## Chili Pepper



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## melvbot

Dont they have to change the immigration law to do something like that?

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## watterinja

Given the recent upheavals - with some 350,00 'tourists' backlogged to exit Thailand, & mindful of a possible repeat next year - the Thai authorities have probably decided to play it safe for a while & drop back to 15 days on a temporary basis.

I'm not condoning their actions, or the effect it will have on many of our members, but, I'm sure our own home countries would do something similar under such circumstances. Time to get our visa paperwork in order, methinks.

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## Butterfly

must be a ThaiVisa rumor to push for their website traffic,

They haven't send me their spam newsletter yet, but it should be there any moment now,

thank god, for the Spam box  :Smile:

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## dirtydog

This is the Thai notice from immigration, obviously the 15 days and 30 days allowed for different nationalities makes it extremley complicated to translate accurately. Immigration Bureau

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## melvbot

> Given the recent upheavals - with some 350,00 'tourists' backlogged to exit Thailand, & mindful of a possible repeat next year - the Thai authorities have probably decided to play it safe for a while & drop back to 15 days on a temporary basis.


How does cutting the visa to 15 days play it safe?

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## EmperorTud

> Dont they have to change the immigration law to do something like that?


Nah, they change countries status on the exempt list all the time.

I thought it was Malaysia that had just halved the visa exempt validity period?

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## EmperorTud

Yep, I was right.

*Parliament: 30% of Visa on Arrival holders have overstayed*

*By LISA GOH*


  KUALA LUMPUR: Some 30% of the 250,000 Visa on Arrival (VOA) holders have been found to abuse their visas by overstaying.
 Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung (BN - Alor Star) said a total of 251,908 visas were issued from September 2006, when the service was first implemented, up till Sept 30 this year.
 Of that 75,465 holders, or 29.96%, had been found to abuse their visas by overstaying.
 These offenders are citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Hong Kong and Taiwan, he told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.
 He was replying Dr Mohd Hayati Othman (PAS- Pendang)s question on the total figure of tourists who had been issued VOAs and the number of those who had abused their visas.
 Chor said the Government had been slightly lax with the conditions for the VOA when it was first implemented so that more people could visit Malaysia.
 But now, due to the abuse and problems, the Government has reviewed and made the conditions more stringent, he said.
 The changes are:
 * Reducing the visa validity period from 30 days to 14 days.
 * Visa processing fee raised from RM100 to RM330 (USD100).
 * All approved VOA holders must have a return air ticket to their home country.
 * All VOA applicants must have a sponsor who will guarantee their return to their home country once the 14-day visa expires.
 Chor added that Malaysia also no longer issued VOAs to Afghanistan, India and Pakistan nationals, as too many of the their nationals had overstayed.

Parliament: 30% of Visa on Arrival holders have overstayed

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## beano

An attached rumour is the 90 days in 6 months rule is no longer on the books. 
I got 30 days at Tachilek on Saturday.

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## watterinja

> Originally Posted by watterinja
> 
> 
> Given the recent upheavals - with some 350,00 'tourists' backlogged to exit Thailand, & mindful of a possible repeat next year - the Thai authorities have probably decided to play it safe for a while & drop back to 15 days on a temporary basis.
> 
> 
> How does cutting the visa to 15 days play it safe?


What I felt is that with a tighter control on the days someone can enter a country, it forces folks to obtain legitimate tourist visas. The authorities then have a more clear idea at any one point in time of the true tourists versus the 'others'.

The 15 day entry would then also up the hassle factor & force many folks to go back home. (Not nice)

If they do tighten their visa requirements, then they probably feel that there is a need to do so. Also remember TiT & things can change with the weather, or tinpot-in-charge.

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## dirtydog

This ruling was I believe supposed to be brought in on the 25th November, whatever the ruling maybe, this stamp is from 2 days ago, ie 1st December, you can also see where he has written it is the second stamp for that period, this is from the Daung, Pong Nam Ron border crossing.

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## watterinja

Probably just another unfounded rumour then. TiT.

I, for one, hope it remains as it was - 30 days. It's a real hassle having to skip out if one of my business trips into Thailand runs over 15 days - or pay a hefty extension fee.

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## ChiangMai noon

robbed from thaivisa.




> I looked at the new immigration rule on exempt entry at it reads as follows:
> 
> "A person holding a passport or other paper instead of a passport that has a citizenship that the Minister of State decreed in agreement with the Board of Ministers to let come into the Kingdom for a temporary period in order to tour according to the law and ordinances methodology and conditions of examination as "exempt" and to change the type of examination giving a stamp (year of) 2545 (day of) 16 of August (year of) 2545 Article 13)3) gives permission to enter the Kingom many times with a permision to stay in the Kingdom each time not more than 30 days counting from the day of entry into the Kingdom except that for an entry into the Kingdom by way of entry from a neighboring country the permission granted to stay in the Kingdom each time will not exceed 15 day counting from the day of entry into the Kingdom."
> 
> So it seems that if you are eligible for a 30-day exempt entry, you will only get it if you enter from a "non-neighboring country". If entering from a neighboring country you will only get a 15 day exempt entry.
> 
> One other thing, the 90 day total allowed in six months has been dropped from the new ruling as it is currently posted. So it (hopefully) seems that particular rule is gone.

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## Mid

so 30 days at the airport and 15 by land border .

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## dirtydog

^^What was the last spoof one thaivisa did in conjunction with sunbelt? I forgot.  :Smile:

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## EmperorTud

Why are they messing with the visa exempt limits now when their main airport has just been closed for a week?

It's absurd, thoughtless and so typically Thai.

Their tourist industry, infected as it already is, will rot, fall off and die.

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## watterinja

I was across on Saturday 29th November & was given 30-day on entry - from a neighbouring country. 

I only needed the one day, but was given 30.

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## Thetyim

> Their tourist industry, infected as it already is, will rot, fall off and die.


No it won't
Anyone coming for a holiday longer than 15 days can get a visa.
It is not difficult.

It will predominantly only affect border runners not tourists

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## bkkandrew

^^^It is rather academic for the Thai authorities to argue the toss over how many days one can stay when for over a week noone has been able to arrive or depart.

But as Tud says, typically Thai.

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## EmperorTud

> Anyone coming for a holiday longer than 15 days can get a visa.


Not from Cambodia they can't, Embassy there won't issue tourist visas.




> It will predominantly only affect border runners not tourists


But it will affect tourists, just as the other regulations have affected tourists, those travelling overland especially.

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## Thetyim

^
I presume you mean for non-Cambo nationals.

So that will only affect foreigners living in Cambo that want to holiday in Thailand for over 15 days.
Do you know if that is a lot of people ?

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## EmperorTud

> So that will only affect foreigners living in Cambo that want to holiday in Thailand for over 15 days.


There are thousands of non-Cambodian nationals that cross from Cambodia into Thailand by land borders on a daily basis for the purposes of tourism. 

No idea why you think a foreigner has to be living in Cambodia to holiday in Thailand by arriving overland?

Indeed one of the attractions of this region is the excitement and ease of overland travel around and through South East Asian countries.

I've spoken to many tourists who were travelling overland around Asia when they introduced the limit of three thirty day stamps and none were impressed by the rule and as a result Thailand saw less revenue as they stayed and spent in other countries as a result. No doubt this new regulation thought up by another Thai with helium instead of a brain will have much the same effect.

But it's already evident to me where this is headed as the bars and businesses are springing up everywhere in Phnom Penh, where I was last week, while everywhere in Thailand feels as if it has had a stiff kick in the baws.

One of the major 5 star hotels in Bangkok announced to BBC today that it had an occupancy rate in single figures.

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## Thetyim

> No idea why you think a foreigner has to be living in Cambodia to holiday in Thailand by arriving overland?


If they live in their homeland then they can get a tourist visa before they leave
It will only affect those that live in Cambo
Sure it will piss some people off and mean you have to plan everything before you leave 
I am questioning that it will only affect a low number

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## EmperorTud

> If they live in their homeland then they can get a tourist visa before they leave


Which restricts them on their travels.

One of the great things that backpackers enjoy is the on again, off again of spontaneous travel. 

Making these people plan visas in advance and have them wasting money, hours and possibly days in Embassies and Consulates isn't conducive to enticing tourists.




> It will only affect those that live in Cambo


No it won't, as explained earlier it will affect many of the thousands of overland tourists who enter Thailand every day.




> I am questioning that it will only affect a low number


To put it in perspective, more tourists travel back to Thailand overland than fly from Cambodia.

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## dirtydog

> astral 
>  
>  
> 
>  View Member Profile 
> 
> 
>  Yesterday, 2008-12-03 2339             
>                   Post                     #29  
> ...


Must be fact then, he's a super moderator.

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## peterpan

^ Ass holes

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## jojo333

Go ahead and crucify me!!

I know I may be stating the obvious, but is it not the case that the authorities are trying to crackdown on the people who stay here long term, but cant be bothered or afford to get the correct visa.
It is not difficult to get the correct visa and really if you cant afford it then you need to go back home and get a job or sign on welfare.

But then again the whole thing is probably a TV plot to attract more people.

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## beano

> Originally Posted by EmperorTud
> 
> No idea why you think a foreigner has to be living in Cambodia to holiday in Thailand by arriving overland?
> 
> 
> If they live in their homeland then they can get a tourist visa before they leave
> It will only affect those that live in Cambo
> Sure it will piss some people off and mean you have to *plan everything before you leave* 
> I am questioning that it will only affect a low number


This is how "normal" people take holidays. They go to a travel agent, book, get an itinerary and all the visas in their passport, see the sights and do the tours and go home in time to start work.

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## Bugs

> Originally Posted by Thetyim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by EmperorTud
> ...


Are backbackers normal people?  

Who uses a travel agent any more? 

And I'd say that most of the folks ET is talking about don't do orginazed tours either, nor do they have an itinerary - they like the freedom to see things in their own way, at their own speed.  

Regardless of the reasons behind the move the timing is shit.  Right now with the combination of the political mess, the airports being overrun, and top it off with world wide economic down turn and IMHO they should be bending over backwards in the other direction to make it easier on folks to come and stay as long as they want - not trying to bend visitors over to stick it to them. 

All I have to say is I don't want to hear any bitching out of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, nor anyone that depends upon people visiting LOS for their business about how bad things are - when the powers that be seem to be doing what they can to make it harder - not easier for folks to come and stay  in LOS.

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## good2bhappy

I just traveled across a land border and was given 30 days

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## ChiangMai noon

> I just traveled across a land border and was given 30 days


no you didn't.

thai visa says it's impossible.

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## good2bhappy

well in the land of shadows anything is possible

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## beano

> Originally Posted by beano
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Thetyim
> ...


Maybe the Thais don't want backpackers here any more than they want expats living here on visa exemptions rather than visas.
There are still plenty of travel agents in Western countries and they seem to be doing OK. I'd say the threat of terrorism has effected business more than the internet. 
My mother and father, my sister and her husband just booked thousands of dollars worth of flights, hotels, visas etc through an agent. It may have cost them a little more but they like that reassurance of dealing with flesh and blood people.  :Confused:

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## Fstop

Okay, so apparently it's true. Nicked this link from ajarn: the new rules (in Thai, unfortunately)

Immigration Bureau

And a rough translation:



> _"A person holding a passport or other paper instead of a passport that has a citizenship that the Minister of State decreed in agreement with the Board of Ministers to let come into the Kingdom for a temporary period in order to tour according to the law and ordinances methodology and conditions of examination as "exempt" and to change the type of examination giving a stamp (year of) 2545 (day of) 16 of August (year of) 2545 Article 13)3) gives permission to enter the Kingom many times with a permision to stay in the Kingdom each time not more than 30 days counting from the day of entry into the Kingdom except that for an entry into the Kingdom by way of entry from a neighboring country the permission granted to stay in the Kingdom each time will not exceed 15 day counting from the day of entry into the Kingdom."_


_

_So you're fine if you fly in from a non-neighboring country, but if you're doing a border run, you only get 15 days. 

Idiots. The timing could not be worse. They're effectively saying "Please come for a short time and spend money....but we don't want you living here."

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## ChiangMai noon

> So you're fine if you fly in from a non-neighboring country, but if you're doing a border run, you only get 15 days.


except for good2bhappy

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## Thetyim

> no you didn't.
> 
> thai visa says it's impossible.


Let's start a rumour

TV members can only get 15 days
Everyone else gets 30 days

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## watterinja

From when is this 15-day rule effective?   :Confused:

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## good2bhappy

I got 30 days!
29 nov to 29 dec

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## good2bhappy

not yet at poi pet

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## dirtydog

> And a rough translation:


How rough? You do realise that the original 15 days and 30 days ruling was quite complex for different nationalities, there is a whole generation of tourists that still refer to these as visas, rough translation really don't cut it and shouldn't be posted as fact.

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## Chairman Mao

*If* it does happen, the options for people who live here under the laughable visa run system look like their options of continuing to do so are rather bleak.

*Option 1:

*Do the border run every 2 weeks. About *4000B a month.*
(and a new passport every year or so, an extra 10,000 baht maybe.)

*Option 2:*

Go to Laos and get a double entry tourist visa:
cost approx 10,000K. 
Extend it after 2 months - 1900B
Do a border run after the extra month - 2000B
Extend it again after the 2nd 2 months - 1900B
That extention is good for one more month.

So that's 6 months worth for approx. 15,800 or *2,600 a month.*

*Option 3:*

Overstay. 20,000 when you eventually leave and risk getting caught before then etc.


Option 2 doesn't sound _all_ that bad. Laos is a nice place to spend a few days twice a year. Wouldn't fancy it, but prolly the better option I'd say.

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## good2bhappy

There is a laos trip from pattaya.
Does anyone have the details?
TYIA

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## watterinja

Also got 29 Nov at Friendship Bridge II.

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## dirtydog

Pattaya to Laos Vientianne is done by Good Tour in Pattaya, leave by minibus at about 10 pm, think it is 6,500baht which includes hotel in Vientiane for 1 night and a tourist visa for Thailand, they leave on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Phone number is 085 287 4588

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## mobs00

Could it be that they want as many people as possible to leave Thailand before the sh*t really hits the fan? It would be a good way to keep people out....

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## English Noodles

The Royal Thai Police order (778/2551) will be introduced with effect on the 4th December 2008 (today). 

travellers without visa will get only 15 days of stay if they are arriving via a land border checkpoint from a neigboring country. 

Passengers arriving via an international airport will obtain a 30 days stay.

Travellers with Malaysian passports will obtain a 30 days stay.

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## Mid

corporal punishment next ??   :mid:

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## EmperorTud

End result = more people will overstay and tourists will spend less time and money in the country.




> (and a new passport every year or so, an extra 10,000 baht maybe.)


You can get e-visas for Cambodia, no need to waste a full page on a visa in your passport every time you go now.

At the moment beggars can't be choosers, and the Thais are desperate.

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## good2bhappy

> You can get e-visas for Cambodia


ET can you say more
Please

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## dirtydog



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## watterinja

One begins to feel that Thailand is at the end of an era - in more ways than one...  :Sad:

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## EmperorTud

It's interesting that while the Cambodians have made it easier to stay there, with visas easily obtainable even on the internet and at border crossings and entry points, the Thais are making it more difficult and imposing further restrictions.

You have to ask yourselves why!?!

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## good2bhappy

A visa in Thailand for Thailand on the internet would be a money spinner!

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## Texpat

If you _live_ in Thailand, you shouldn't have a tourist visa.

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## EmperorTud

> ET can you say more Please


I posted a thread about the process in detail on the Cambodian travel section of the forum but DD moved it.

It is well worth doing as you avoid any queuing for visa application and you can go straight through to the Immigration desk and enter the country.

When I arrived at Phnom Penh airport the queue for visas was up the stairs and almost backing out on to the plane! Two flights from Bangkok had landed almost simultaneously. I walked down the stairs, squeezed through the throng of people and was one of the first out of the airport.

I also have to state while the website says three days, if your payment is instant (Paypal is the accepted method) then you get your visa moments later.

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## watterinja

> If you _live_ in Thailand, you shouldn't have a tourist visa.


Tex, there are many folks in-between visas - & this will hurt them a great deal.

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## good2bhappy

^ don't have the money in the bank!

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## dirtydog

Just phoned the visa run company, they had no problems today at the Daung Pong nam ron border.

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## good2bhappy

it was said it was a rumour.
in the land of smoke(and mirrors) there are always a few tall tales

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## Mid

noodles post 47 don't look like no rumor and gotta doubt anyone would be that foolish to troll this

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## dirtydog

^So you believe that all nationalities apart from Malaysia get 15 days on arrival at a land border?
If I remember correctly the original 15 and 30 and 60 days things for different nationalities were quite complex.

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## buriramboy

I thought Asean had an agreement where all nationalities of member countries got 30 days on arrival, so all Cambodians, Laos, Burmese and Malaysians will all get 30 days whether they come by land, air or a canoe.

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## watterinja

Most falangs are not citizens of Asean countries, then, logically, the 30 day allowance won't apply to them.

Interesting times.

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## Mid

^^^ DD

nah not all , just those that used to get 30 with the exception of the Malays ,

spent a couple of yrs is Singapore under the same style of system , aka 14 at the land boarder and 30 at the airport .

like I said , corporal punishment next ?

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## terry57

> Their tourist industry, infected as it already is, will rot, fall off and die.



Mate,   they would have to drop an Atom bomb on Thailand to destroy there tourist industry and even then they'd be lining up at the borders a week later.

The genuine tourists can never get enough of the place, 10,00000 tourists a year has to tell you something, they cant wait to get back.

They don't give a flying fok about the politics of the country, there here for the good times and the only people that complain are the ones that live here full time but they are only in the minority.

Maybe better to live 6 months in country and 6 months out , keep it fresh so to speak.

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## dirtydog

The UK gets more than 10 million tourists per year, never understood why though  :Smile:

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## English Noodles

The damage that this change will do to Thailand is minimal, at worst.

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## good2bhappy

^ The Queen

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## Cujo

> ^ The Queen


But Barry Humphries is Australian.

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## English Noodles

> Just phoned the visa run company, they had no problems today at the Daung Pong nam ron border.


You speak Thai, why not call the immigration bureau at Pong Nam Ron and ask them? tel 0-3938-7127

Or Immigration Bureau Head office in Bangkok. tel 0-2287-3101-10

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## Chairman Mao

> You have to ask yourselves why!?!


Because phu yai murmered it while half drunk half asleep.




So it makes sense, and needs to be introduced without question.

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## dirtydog

What about people from Peru, Korea and Brazil, they all have recipricol agreements with Thailand and get visa exempt stamps for 90 days, they only going to get 15 days now?

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## Thetyim

> You have to ask yourselves why!?!


Simple 
It makes the tourist figures look better.
Instead of nipping in and out every 30 days you now have to do it every 15 days.
Each time you enter you are another tourist arrival  :Smile:

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## NickA

^that's the first sensible answer I've heard

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## Mr Earl

How's this scenario for you?

You arrive by plane Jan 1 and get a 30 day stamp. (you have a return flight flight Jan 29)

Jan 4 you decide to pop over to Cambobia overland to visit some obscure Khymer things.
Jan 8 you pop back to Thailand and get stamped in for 15 days, or until Jan 23 and welcome to overstay city!
The rocket scientists at immigration deserve a medal for this cleverness.
This will certainly help tourism in Thailand. :mid:

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## dirtydog

I think they must have meetings where they decide how best to fok round the farangs.

Somsak; "So Somchai, its been just over a year now since we foked around the farangs on yearly visas last time, how shall we fok them this year so we can make them make loads of trips to us, so what did we bring in last year? Akhhh yes, the photos of the family together, now that was a foking laugh getting those white monkeys bringing in their family albums, going round their houses and going through their personal possession was quite good, you still got all those knickers you stole from their wives Somchai"?

Somchai; "What about instead of the wife being able to show the income lets make the white monkey show the income, that should fok erm around a bit, I still think we should visit their houses though as I do enjoy collecting knickers, another idea is if we get them to do a hand drawn map showing where their house is in relation to their nearest temple, that should be a laugh, get the wives and white monkies arguing as she explains to her white monkey that it is a Thai thing heheheheh".

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## Bung

I just came over the border from Malaysia. The Singapore guy I was sitting with and the old Welsh guy only got 15 days. Luckily I got my (useless to me) single entry "O".

As long as you still get 30 days flying in I will be alright as I am looking at a 28/28 job otherwise it will be a pain in the arse having to go to Australia every year. That's not a "just pop in for a day and get a visa" experience". I would have to do the rounds of family and friends, week minimum and god knows how much I would spend.

Makes me think about my mates in Hong Kong and Philippines who can stay as they please and are not even married to locals. I think Sing is also easy to stay. Why they do this type of thing here to people married or would like to call the place home is beyond me. What is there to gain from not letting us stay easier? Nothing but it is just the Thai Rak Thai mentality and closing themselves off in tough times.

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## sabang

It seems obvious that the substantial anti Democratic elements amongst the 'powers that be' in Thailand wish to enforce some watered down version of democracy that dilutes the power and authority of the democratically elected government, and ultimately even dilutes the democratic voters mandate to appoint Parliament. It has also been made clear that their priorities are not defined by national economic considerations- unless a lesson has been learnt from the recent PAD fiasco.

In this scenario, Western Democratic sensibilities may be considered detrimental, and of course foreigners always make a convenient scapegoat. Countries like Laos, Burma, Cuba, Vietnam have all gone through a process of restricting nosey, outspoken foreigners access to their private Nirvana. The economic benefits we bring are negated by the 'foreign' philosophies and ideas that we put in the heads of the common folk- bear in mind that the 'powers that be' are already rich, anyway, and will remain so. Their concerns are more to do with the security and propagation of their privilege, rather than the common good.

We'll just have to see what happens, certainly this is an 'interesting time' in Thai political history- I doubt the tourist or foreign dollar is the first thing on some peoples minds, neither the economic well being and opportunity of the common folk. One thing that an interest in History and the politics of Power gives you is a open mind as to what may ensue- such concepts as the common good, freedom and democracy that we grew up with certainly do not actually define the march of History. Societies and civilizations can go 'backwards' as well as forwards. Democracy and Suffrage are not an inevitable outcome, neither are they irreversible.

We'll just have to sit on the sidelines and read the signs- such things as increasingly tight Visa restrictions, increasing Press censorship, imaginative use of Lese Majestie, tighter controls on foreign investment and movement of capital, Patriotic Jingoism and appeals to the 'uniqueness' of being Thai would all point in a certain direction.

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## Mid

> The economic benefits we bring are negated by the 'foreign' philosophies and ideas that we put in the heads of the common folk- bear in mind that the 'powers that be' are already rich, anyway, and will remain so. Their concerns are more to do with the security and propagation of their privilege, rather than the common good.


been wondering if there are others who give this theory more than lip-service ?

know I do  :Sad:

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## watterinja

The monument in Yekaterinaburg, Russia to the previous powers-that-were, evokes a quiet, somber response...

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## lom

One of my tenants went to Malaysia with a visa tour bus, he got 15 days.
Had he gone one day earlier he would have got 30 days.

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## lom

Can anyone confirm for sure that the new visa exempt regulations are effective
from the 4th?
My tenant did his border run the 3rd of December.

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## pickel

I talked to someone today with a UK passport that got a 30 day stamp yesterday, the 4th. It was at Had Lek.

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## terry57

> Originally Posted by EmperorTud
> 
> You have to ask yourselves why!?!
> 
> 
> Simple 
> It makes the tourist figures look better.
> Instead of nipping in and out every 30 days you now have to do it every 15 days.
> Each time you enter you are another tourist arrival





The business owners makes more money in regards to transport and visa runners buying food etc etc. 

Spread the love around.  :Smile:

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## terry57

> As long as you still get 30 days flying in I will be alright as I am looking at a 28/28 job otherwise it will be a pain in the arse having to go to Australia every year. That's not a "just pop in for a day and get a visa" experience". I would have to do the rounds of family and friends, week minimum and god knows how much I would spend.



Mate it's truly scary how much money you would spend having to come back to Aussie for a Visa.

Try $7 for a Small bottle of beer in the pub. ???

Go out for a few rounds with the boys, burger and taxi home think $100 no sweat.

Frigging shocker.

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## Jesus Jones

I would've thought with the political issues, and the lack of foriegn confidence within Thailand at the moment, they would ease things a little. 

Seems odd that they are still making things tighter.

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## Thetyim

> Seems odd that they are still making things tighter.


I can't let that one go unanswered  :Smile: 

The tourists only come here because things are tighter

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## Bung

> Mate it's truly scary how much money you would spend having to come back to Aussie for a Visa. Try $7 for a Small bottle of beer in the pub. ??? Go out for a few rounds with the boys, burger and taxi home think $100 no sweat. Frigging shocker.


Yes, It's much better that my mates just come over here  :Smile:

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## Chronicle Man

I used to make visa runs to Kota-Baru. I used to go for the double entry tourist visa. Then I enrolled into a Thai language school and played that one for two years. It wasn't cheap and Thai immigration changed the rules the second year I was in the language school involving triple the paperwork every 90 days and almost double the cost. Then my wife and I finally completed our marriage paperwork (That was on the bureau) that we'd started five years before and went through the Marriage visa. Which I now have. Now she just has to outlive me as we will be applying for the visa on a yearly basis. Ain't living here in Thailand so much fun !

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## good2bhappy

I have done 3 consecutive VOAs
Do I have to go and get a visa or can I cross a border and get 15 days?

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## Thetyim

> Do I have to go and get a visa or can I cross a border and get 15 days?


I think you are English, yes?
So you can go back and fro as many times as you want and get another 15 days TVE  (not VOA)

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## CharleyFarley

You can do either I suppose, the 90 day in 180 day period is finito.

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## Muadib

Isn't the 90 days out of ever 180 days still in effect??? 

Matters little to me as I qualify for & am working on getting a retirement visa... Some times it's a benefit to be an old git...

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## Thetyim

> Isn't the 90 days out of ever 180 days still in effect???


Nope, all finished now with the new regs that came into effect this month

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## good2bhappy

Thanks
Just spoke to Immigration and they confirmed what you typed
great news solves my problem

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## English Noodles

This has got to be the best thing that has happened for visa runners in a long time, now the 180 days rule and the 3 consecutive non visa entry rule has been discarded the new government has said it will scrap the 15 day rule and go back to 30 days in the new year.

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## ChiangMai noon

^
sure they will.

this new lot aren't as dumb.

how long will they be in power though?

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## Thetyim

> the new government has said it will scrap the 15 day rule and go back to 30 days in the new year


Got a linky please because I have been told the opposite

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## jandajoy

> Got a linky please because I have been told the opposite


Hmm, yes, me too. A link would be good.

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## English Noodles

> Got a linky please because I have been told the opposite






> Hmm, yes, me too. A link would be good.


You don't get internet links to private conversations.

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## ChiangMai noon

so what were you told?

was the teller more reliable than thetyim's contact?

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## lom

> the new government has said it will scrap the 15 day rule and go back to 30 days in the new year.


There is something pointing in that direction, yes.
My tennants who did a visa run the 4th and got until the 17th went to immigration
yesterday, paid for their overstay (there!) and got a 7 days extension for the normal 1900 baht.
Never has it been possible before to pay your overstay in other places than on a border.
Never has it been possible before to get an extension when you already have 5 days overstay.

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## Seekingasylum

I would be surprised if they did a volte face on this one since their strategy of weeding out the visa runners evading regularisation of their de facto residences would be greatly undermined.
The 90 day within 6 months restriction was always unwieldy and time consuming to implement and somewhat arbitrary in that it failed to take into account the moneyed element who wished to visit according to whim. To abandon this in favour of a 15 day limit traversing land borders was a natural step and  much more focused in targeting those they wish to discourage although the capacity of the visa runner to put up with 24 trips a year with its attendant costs and inconvenience may prove to be somewhat underestimated ......

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## good2bhappy

> Never has it been possible before to pay your overstay in other places than on a border.


 I have paid in Soi Suan Phlu

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## lom

> I have paid in Soi Suan Phlu


Here it has been very strict , no payment at the local immigration office before.
You pay when you leave the country.

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## good2bhappy

have the stamp in my old passport
15 days 3K

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## spiff

> Never has it been possible before to pay your overstay in other places than on a border. Never has it been possible before to get an extension when you already have 5 days overstay.


This is not correct. 
You can pay, for example at Suan Phlu, as g2b says. You can get an extension at the same time, but it should start from the date you should have left, not the day you report.

First hand experience here from several years ago.

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## good2bhappy

^ absolutely!

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## lom

> This is not correct. You can pay, for example at Suan Phlu, as g2b says. You can get an extension at the same time, but it should start from the date you should have left, not the day you report.


Has not been possible here before.
I have witnessed tourist with one or two days of overstay beeing told that their
only option now is a border run.
Immigration office here are usually very helpful so they have even told them who to contact for the visa run  :Smile: 

Now, my tenants got 5 overstay days for 1000 baht + additional 7 days for 1900 baht. They are stamped in until the 29th.

The new government has given local immigration offices advance info about change of the 15 day rule? Or are they just nice because it's xmas?  :Smile:

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## spiff

Oh, and just to clarify re the Suan Phlu thing:
You cannot pay the fine in advance, only in retrospect and they will ask you to leave the same day if you are not eligible for an extension.
Do not expect any leniency or bending of the rules.

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## English Noodles

> my tenants got 5 overstay days for 1000 baht


Thats cheap, it should have been B2,500.

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## spiff

> Now, my tenants got 5 overstay days for 1000 baht + additional 7 days for 1900 baht. They are stamped in until the 29th.


Very strange. 
Isn't it 500 per day? For the starting day of the extension I suppose interpretations vary.

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## lom

Yes, 2500 baht of course, my error.

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## lom

> they will ask you to leave the same day if you are not eligible for an extension.


The main problem here in the past was that they didn't consider you eligible for an extension if you already were on overstay.

With that possibility (paying overstay at the local immigration office), the visa run companies would never have to worry about transporting overstayers with the risc of beeing stopped on their way to the border.

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## English Noodles

> so what were you told?


That Phornsiri Manoharn had met with the minister of tourism and sports and this was one of a number of issues that had been addressed and agreed needed changing.




> was the teller more reliable than thetyim's contact?


I don't know who thetyim's contact is, all I can say is I was told by someone within the new administration, this was just mentioned briefly as part of a conversation between a number of well-to-do people over dinner.

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## DrAndy

load of old women gossipping over the garden wall

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## Muadib

> ^
> sure they will.
> 
> this new lot aren't as dumb.
> 
> how long will they be in power though?


Until the new elections are held...  :mid:

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## English Noodles

> load of old women gossipping over the garden wall


That may well be your idea of a conversation between a number of well-to-do people over dinner but certainly not mine.

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