New rules on Thailands 30 day visa

Got some bad news for a lot of people, well it aint that bad but makes life a bit more complicated.

So there you are nipping off to Cambodia to do a new entry into Thailand, majority of people are probably just wanting the 30 days on arrival visa, unfortuneately now you will find that if you don't have an onward ticket out of Thailand that is dated within the next 30 days you wont be allowed into Thailand, they now have notices on all Thai Cambodian crossing points, both in the Cambodian and Thai immigration offices stating that you will not be allowed into Thailand if you don't have an onward ticket out of Thailand.

I was chatting to one of the Thai immigration guys and asked what would happen if the guy does his visa runs by car, ie to Laos or Malaysia or Cambodia, well that aint a ticket out of the country so you wont be allowed in he said.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...isa_resize.JPG

So a train ticket to Malaysia should do?

Btw, let's not confuse terms here, these are not VOA, but entry stamps with a visa-exempt 30 days period of entry.
It's Indians and a number of other nationals who need to apply and pay for VOA. ;)

That will piss a load of tourists off.

What if you are travelling across SE Asia ?
How can you buy a train or bus ticket out of LOS before you even enter ?

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Originally Posted by Thetyim

What if you are travelling across SE Asia ?
How can you buy a train or bus ticket out of LOS before you even enter ?

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A return ticket is a requirement for visas and entry into Thailand, though most consulates in the West rarely insist on veryfing you have it.

So, what type of visas are you all on?
The average teakdoor poster has been here an awful long time.

Non Immigrant, I assume most members are on these, although if I was on a 3 month vacation around Asia I would be a bit dissappointed with Thailands new restriction, I mean whenever I have travelled it is basically without a plan, ie you know where you want to go but you don't know how long you will want to spend there, Koh Samet I used to spend a week or so at, Phuket one day was enough, Bangkok is alright to pass through :)

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Originally Posted by stroller

Btw, let's not confuse terms here, these are not VOA, but entry stamps with a visa-exempt 30 days period of entry.

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Correct.
VOA is only 15 days so the title is wrong.
Change it quick before LOM joins in.:)



OK It has been changed now

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Non Immigrant, I assume most members are on these, although if I was on a 3 month vacation around Asia I would be a bit dissappointed with Thailands new restriction,

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But it said for the 30 day entry visa exempt stamps, not for a tourist visa.

Thetyim, if I didn't have a visa what would I get at the border? forget about the new restrictions and that, but wouldn't I get 30 days?

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

Thetyim, if I didn't have a visa what would I get at the border?

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You hold a UK passport so you would get a 30 day entry stamp.
No visa needed.

The restriction has been applied to arrivals by air for quite some time. I remember coming here in 2002 on a BA flight which was a single. They insisted that I wouldn't be allowed on the flight unless I had:

a. a proper tourist visa from an embassy or consulate.
or b. an onward ticket leaving Thailand within 30 days.

Are you saying these long standing air restrictions are now being applied to land border crossings? If so, I don't see how that can be enforceable if you're travelling around Asia by bus or train. How can you get a train ticket from Bangkok to Laos, say, if you're travelling into Thailand from Malaysia? Is this just another stupid immigration law or simply a way of allowing the border guards to extort money?

Anyway, I notice that the sign says 'Annoucement' not 'Announcement', so perhaps 'Annoucement' translates as 'something we'd like to tell people, but won't, and maybe we'll let you in and maybe we won't. Depends on what you look like and if you've got any dosh.'

If this was really an official law, then it wouldn't have been knocked up on a home PC without reference to a dictionary or spell checker. Unless this notice carries a reference to the law and is issued by the immigration authority itself, and not hastily cobbled together on Mr Guard's son's PC, then I doubt it's enforceable.

It's been an unenforced regulation for many years. The fact that the posts on the Cambodian border are now actually enforcing it is a bit of a concern. It might be no coincidence that this comes at the same time as talk of foreign mafias terrorising Pattaya. It's probably aimed at making living in the eastern seaboard more difficult for the bad farang.

So before you leave to get another 30 day stamp you buy a train ticket HadYai to Padang Besar which will probably cost less than 200 baht and immigration will stamp you in.
This option is only available for border runners and not for genuine tourists travelling across Asia. Defeats it's own object.

Aranyaprathet border crossing into Cambodia is doing the same, when asked what type of onward ticket was needed the immigration stated it had to be an onward flight ticket and had to be within those 30 days, a train ticket aint gonna do it, also they are not issueing Visa On Arivvals at the moment.

The new Thai immigration arrivals hall.


https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...crossing_1.jpg

No VOA for now sign.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...crossing_2.jpg


The warning about having an onward ticket out of Thailand.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...crossing_3.jpg

And here we are nipping off to the casino in Poi Pet.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...crossing_4.jpg

This visa free entry situation is definately turning into a nightmare. I've just been reading a post on another forum of a woman who turned up at Chiang Mai airport and was given only 4 days despite the fact she'd been in country only 72 days in the last 6 months. She claims she was told that the 4 days took her to the end of her six month period, but she could leave the country and return on the 4th day getting a new 30 day visa free entry.

In other words it's not 90 days but "up to 90 days" in a six month period. So if you have a one day stay and come back five months and 28 days later they'll only give you 1 day. Good news for the tourist industry.

^
Maybe they just need to be trained how to use a calculator?
I have noticed them passing on passport to a 'qualified' superior who'll take ages adding up the days.

It's all comedy material, but rather sad for the ones affected by this. :(

Probably a silly question this, but I have relatives who came in on 30 days with a return air ticket and now want to extend to 60 days and postpone their departure. Do they actually have to leave the country to do that, or can they just go to immigration with the altered airline ticket and get it on the spot?
Sorry to ask a really simple question, but I've never been on a tourist visa here, so I don't know the rules...whatever they are this week.

You can get an extension (7 days?) but to get an extra 30 days you have to nip over the nearest border. If yo're in Pattaya that would be Cambodia or if you're in Chiang Mai head up to the Burmese border and come back on a new 30 day.

If you're here on holiday it's a good excuse to see the neighbours.

Thanks for that. They're in Chiangmai at the moment so I might suggest that. Alternatively, they were interested in Angkhor Wat but the air packages seem to be a bit pricey - 12,13,000 baht each for two nights accomm and fares, so I don't know what they'll do about that.
You'd think this country would encourage tourists to stay longer and spend their money, but I guess they have to have rules to control the illegals from the neighbouring countries, even if those rules don't relate to financially comfortable foreigners from Oz and such places.
At least its not as bad as Saudi Arabia, where tourism simply doesn't exist, I hear.

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Originally Posted by Bruce

You'd think this country would encourage tourists to stay longer and spend their money

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They do!
Getting a 60 days tourist visa which can be extended to 90 days beforehand is easy enough. All it takes is a bit of advance planning.

This ticket to go out of Thailand request is now also written at immigration when you enter Suvrnabhumbhum airport...


We were few people to come in, i have Non Imm B and the rest has Non O, the kids have none as it is not required for them if you know it, but nobody will tell it to you...,

we were not asked for the fly away tickets...

but it is new, to be written there, as i pass quite often and never seen this before...

Yes, that's fair comment. Unfortunately, in this case, they got over here not knowing much, looked around and really liked the place, and have decided to extend their stay. This is a good thing, I think, and should be encouraged.

what about entering with no visa from usa by flight and departing 2 1/2 month later, any problem on entry? I`m planning to go to Penang anyway by rail . Or whats the cheapest air ticket out of Thailand across any border? To late to get a visa now, just saw this entry today and leaving jan.3 Thanks, Chesscrazi

May I have your attention please????
We are moving the goal posts........again!!!!

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Originally Posted by chesscrazi

what about entering with no visa from usa by flight and departing 2 1/2 month later, any problem on entry?

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You will get 30 days, you can then do 2 more in and outs on any border and get another 30 days each time.