Entering Thailand for a holiday by land

[Hugh Cow]

A friend who has a Thai wife visits Thailand on a regular basis about 2 times a year. Due to a recent medical problem he has been told not to travel by air. His wife has already left by air and he wants to meet her in Thailand.
He wants to go via a land border from Malaysia. He has been told if he enters from a land crossing he can only stay 15 days but he must have an air ticket leaving Thailand and according to the Thai embassy in Canberra, if he only has a return train ticket and not air ticket he maybe refused entry. I called the local Thai consulate and they said a return train ticket is ok.
He lives in Australia but travels on a kiwi passport. Is there a way he can go and leave by land border through Malaysia and stay for 30 days. He is using Malaysia to enter and exit Thailand as he is getting a ship from Australia to Malaysia.

[Maanaam]

Not sure about your specific question, but I will advise that the border post at Padang Basar (where the train stops) is quite corrupt (or was... I haven't gone through there for a while). A short distance away is Danok, a well-run post.
I don't know if a corrupt border post will be something he wants to avoid, or hope for .

It may pay to get his wife to meet him on the Malay side and go through with him, armed with marriage certs etc.
If going to the trouble of travelling by ship, why didn't he just get a marriage visa in Australia? I thought Kiwis got 30 day permit to enter, the so-called "tourist visa"?

[Hugh Cow]

^^ Only if entering by air according to the consulate and 15 days through a land border. He only wants to visit for 30 days and will then go back to Oz. He has been waffling about marriage certificate translations proof of Australian Visa police clearances etc etc just for a tourist visit. He is from NewZealnd you know.

[cyrille]

15 days only by land with the visa exemption on arrival.

As manny says, makes no sense to go to the trouble of arriving by boat and not get a tourist visa in advance.

He needs zero paperwork to get the 15 days exemption on arrival...just his passport.

[David48atTD]

HC, my understanding is as you outlined in the OP

1. Land crossing by an Aussie/KIWI is 15 days on a Visa exempt
2. Proof of exiting Thailand by Train is acceptable.

As an aside, that last time I flew, the departing Airport in the West didn't ask to see my confirmed exit plans.

Plan B
If your Mate wants to cover all bases and has enough coin, buy a full fare plane ticket which he can get a refund on if cancelled.
After he gets his entry stamp, cancel the plane ticket and exit by train as planned.

[David48atTD]

^ Thanks Nev ...

Ray, I didn't think you were allowed to use the Nev Nik so early in the afternoon.

[Hugh Cow]

^^ Only if entering by air according to the consulate and 15 days through a land border. He only wants to visit for 30 days and will then go back to Oz via malysian border.

[cyrille]

Yeah, it's pointless doing this...

Plan B
If your Mate wants to cover all bases and has enough coin, buy a full fare plane ticket which he can get a refund on if cancelled.
After he gets his entry stamp, cancel the plane ticket and exit by train as planned.

...if ultimately he is still arriving in Thailand overland and getting a visa exemption on arrival.

In order to enter as he plans and stay for thirty days he needs to get along to a Thai embassy or consulate and get a visa beforehand.

[lom]

His 15 days of visa free entry can be extended at any immigration for another 30 days of stay. 1900 baht and a return ticket is all he need to bring when extendin
That extension is based on tourism.

He can also bring the wife and marriage certificate and get 90 days for the same price.

[Dillinger]

His 15 days of visa free entry can be extended at any immigration for another 30 days of stay. 1900 baht

i thought you could only get a 7 day extension on the 15 day visa exempt thingamebob

[tomcat]

...why not take a boat to Thailand and enter through a port?...

[Dillinger]

Unlike at an airport, it's difficult to refuse entry at land borders because the traveller has already been stamped out of the only country they can be sent to

Bollocks

[cyrille]

I've watched it happen.

To a bolshy African-American.

[Luigi]

His 15 days of visa free entry can be extended at any immigration for another 30 days of stay. 1900 baht and a return ticket is all he need to bring when extendin
That extension is based on tourism.

He can also bring the wife and marriage certificate and get 90 days for the same price.

Just to clarify, the extension based on marriage is 60 days, not 90.

Would be 15 days + 60 days.


People near the borders call it the unofficial marriage visa. It was more popular when all land borders were giving 30 days instead of 15, and there weren't any dodgy consulates in nearby countries passing out 1 year 5,000thb marriage visas to dodgy illegal workers and the sort.

[lom]

Just to clarify, the extension based on marriage is 60 days, not 90.

Right you are

[Dillinger]

So are they allowed back into Malaysia / Cambodia / Laos / Myanmar?

If the Country you've been sent back to don't want to let you back in for whatever reason, they won't leave you in no mans land or send you back, the burden is on them to stick you in their Detention Centre and get in touch with your embassy before waiting for you to get the funds for your flight back to your home country and deportation.

[Dillinger]

People near the borders call it the unofficial marriage visa. It was more popular when

.....You were married?

[Dillinger]

What in your opinion is the main reason for the twice per year land border rule?

To boot out undesirables and curb all kinds of illegal activity, ie drugs, gun running, people trafficking, terrorism, tefl-ing without a work permit.

[Maanaam]

Nice one Dill. I'm a tad taller than that though. You're mixing up my body with Lu's.
I don't tefl, nor do I need a WP.
Cue Lu.

[Dillinger]

[Luigi]

i thought you could only get a 7 day extension on the 15 day visa exempt thingamebob

No.

It can be extended for a number of reasons.

Tourism - 30 days.
Family - 60 days.

These number of days begin at the end of the original Permission of Temporary Stay (15 days in this instance), and not from the day you get the extension.

What in your opinion is the main reason for the twice per year land border rule?

Illegal workers.

Many within the school system, working with kids. Doing so illegally. Perhaps due to being unable to get a clean criminal background check, so they continue on their crimes here.

Others/also illegally working for a bodgy family business enterprise.

[Luigi]

I need a WP

Correct.

Both for your school job, and the translation agency work.

[Phuketrichard]

GOd, lots of bad info here


all land borders give you 30 day visa exempt since 2016 unless ur from a strange country and NZ is not a strange country!!!
allowed 2 x /calendar year or unlimited flying in ( until they start asking questions)
https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand...isa-exempt.php

Can extend if married to a thai or have a thai child in country for 60 days
as a tourist 30 days

train /bus tickets may be ( not 100%) accepted as travel on wards proof, ONLY air tickets out
chance of him being stopped are less than 01%

Unlike at an airport, it's difficult to refuse entry at land borders because the traveller has already been stamped out of the only country they can be sent to.

Wrong, many many people are being denied entry an forced back to Cambodia, laos where they cancel the exit stamp
or if there visa is expired, they need get a new one.

those refused are for various reason, to many entries to Thailand on tourists visa and visa exempts, not enough $$, no ticket out, shady passport or less than 6 months valid etc etc

[David48atTD]

^ Nice one .. good link.

Visa Exemption and Bilateral Agreement

(Last updated: May 26, 2017)

Passport Holders who can enter Thailand without a Visa

The VISA EXEMPTION RULE allows tourists from 55 countries¹ to enter Thailand without a visa. They are granted to stay a maximum of 30 days if they are entering Thailand via an international airport or entering through a land border checkpoint from neighboring countries.


Under the new provisions of the VISA EXEMPTION RULE and BILATERAL AGREEMENT effective December 31, 2016, passport holders of 55 countries are entitled to enter Thailand under this rule provided that they meet the following criteria:

1. The visit is strictly for tourism purposes.
2. They must have a confirmed return ticket to show that they are flying out of Thailand within 30 days of entry, as appropriate. Open tickets do not qualify. Traveling over land out of Thailand by train, bus, etc to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia (including en route to Singapore), Myanmar, etc may be accepted as proof of exiting Thailand.

I stand by this ...

Plan B
If your Mate wants to cover all bases and has enough coin, buy a full fare plane ticket which he can get a refund on if cancelled.
After he gets his entry stamp, cancel the plane ticket and exit by train as planned.

[Maanaam]

.....