Thread: Final crackdown on tourist visas ???

This just in from the tv forum, if they enforce this a lot of people will be in big trouble.

Crackdown on back-to-back Tourist visa applications
Extended screening of visa applicants

BANGKOK (thaivisa.com): -- In a crackdown on the 60-days tourist visas, several Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates has announced increased screening of tourist visa applicants. We also have several reports on the Thaivisa Forum that this practice already has been enforced by some Embassies and Consulates.

The joint announcement reads: "As there has been a number of visa applicants having entered Thailand via tourist visa and misused it to illegally seek employment during their stay and, upon its expiry, sought to re-apply their tourist visas at the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate in neighboring countries, requests for visa renewal by such applicants are subject to rejection as their applications are not based on tourism motive, but to continue their illegal employment, which is unlawful.

This is in accordance with the Immigration Act, B.B. 2552 which stipulates that visa applicants are required to clearly express their real purpose of visiting Thailand. Should the case be found that the applicant’s real intention were concealed, the application will be rejected.

Please be informed that the intention of applicants to repeatedly depart and re-enter Thailand via tourist visa issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate in neighboring countries in recent years upon its expiry, is considered as concealment of real purpose of visiting Thailand. Thus their visas applications will be rejected."

Foreigners living in Thailand are advised to obtain a Non-Immigrant visa, which can be extended up to one year by the Thai Immigration Bureau.

Thaivisa.com has today confirmed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, that the extended applicant screening will take effect immediately.

-- thaivisa.com 2009-09-11

Attached is an example of a Royal Thai Embassy Joint Announcement, courtesy of the embassy in Helsinki.
Attached File(s) tvisa.PDF ( 421.69K ) Number of downloads: 58

They are really trying hard to slay tourism forever .... well, there's always Cambo for under 50 years scumbags like me.

Originally Posted by wefearourdespot

They are really trying hard to slay tourism forever .... well, there's always Cambo for under 50 years scumbags like me.

I don't think genuine tourists need a back to back 60 day tourist visa.

Originally Posted by Dug

Originally Posted by wefearourdespot

They are really trying hard to slay tourism forever .... well, there's always Cambo for under 50 years scumbags like me.

I don't think genuine tourists need a back to back 60 day tourist visa.

Spot on. There's definately a target group for all this and it's not your average, everyday, tourist.

Please be informed that the intention of applicants to repeatedly depart and re-enter Thailand via tourist visa issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate in neighboring countries in recent years upon its expiry, is considered as concealment of real purpose of visiting Thailand. Thus their visas applications will be rejected."

Assume from this wording it means Thai embassy/consulates in nearby countries. As they're not charging for tourist visas at the moment (I think), I doubt the relevent embassies will have any difficulty in denying he visas.

Friday, September 11, 2009


Good timing there chaps !!!

New Phuket airline launches regional flights

Happy Air Travellers' 34-seat Saab 340A aircraft will be flying between Phuket, Haad Yai and Langkawi from October onwards.

PHUKET: A new Phuket-based airline has announced the launch of daily flights between Phuket and Haad Yai along with a new weekend Phuket-Langkawi route.

The newly-launched Happy Air will begin operating flights from Phuket next month with its 34-seat Saab 340A aircraft.

The daily 40-minute Phuket-Haad Yai flights are currently scheduled to depart from Phuket at 9:30am and arrive in Haad Yai at 10:30am. The return journey from Haad Yai is scheduled to depart at 11am. Tickets on this route are priced at 2,500 baht (one way) and 5,000 baht for a round trip.

The 50-minute flights between Phuket and Langkawi are currently scheduled to depart from Phuket at 1pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and to depart from Langkawi at 3pm. Ticket prices for this route are 4,500 baht (single) and 9,000 baht round trip.

However, the airline said the flight schedules may change slightly before operations begin in October.

The Phuket-Langkawi flight is expected to be a boon for Phuket's foreign residents as they will now be able to do a visa run and get back to Phuket within a few hours, with no need to incur hotel expense.

Happy Air's flights will offer complimentary champagne and on-board meals, including ‘gourmet sandwiches’, fresh fruit juices, tea and coffee, and, on the Langkawi runs, the Phuket Gazette newspaper as part of the airline’s ‘premium’ service.

The Swedish-made aircraft are powered by Saab-GECT7-5A2 turbo-prop engines and can carry up to 34 passengers with 20kg of luggage each. The planes have a cruising speed of 484km/h (260 knots) and are capable of a maximum speed of 515km/h (278 knots).

Bookings can be made at the Happy Air offices on the Airport Road in Sakoo, Thalang. More information is available at Happy Air Travellers. Email: info[at]happyairway.com; telephone: 081-978 3457. – Thanasorn Chookate

Originally Posted by Dug

I don't think genuine tourists need a back to back 60 day tourist visa.

But they immediately think that those who get back to back visas are working illegally and I think that's presumtious. There are many who aren't married, working or retired who just want to hang out in Thailand and they have little choice other than to apply as a tourist

There are people who use back to back 60 day visas correctly.

I did it for several years before discovering the Hull non-O.

The usualy teacher wage is what? ca. 1000 euro - used to be half that when I was doing my 60day tourist visas a few years ago. The max is maybe 2000 euro.

My income (investment income - all easily provable) is several times that. Am I prepared to put up with the shit that teachers have thrown at them for such an amount? No.

Thai embassies asking the wrong question though. They need to ask what is your income and where does it come from. Why shouldn't someone with say 2000 euro a month from investments live in Thailand on back to back 60 day visas? Don't think that breaks either the letter or spirit of the law.

Originally Posted by NLo

I did it for several years before discovering the Hull non-O.

a bit far for a border run.
Anyone know what's the beef at Penang's consulate?

^^ If you have a provable stable income big enough you can get a Non O visa in your home country and that is what you should do, not stay on back to back tourist visas, a tourist visa is exactly that. But many of the under 50 bar owners/pimps hustlers and others working illegally, and the over 50 guys with insufficient funds to get a retirement extension have little choice but back to back tourist visas and they are the ones that will feel the noose tightening.

I guess the Thai language school will have booming business If the Thai authorities really sees this change through, but it is early days we have to wait and see what visa-runners report back from Vientiane and Penang.

I am really lucky that I have my retirement extension, and do feel sorry for all the genuine good guys that just want to stay here and enjoy life but somehow fall outside the different requirements to be able to get long term visa extensions.

But on the other hand if they really get some of the trash weeded out this way fine with me, but this is Thailand and I somehow doubt that it is going to have any real impact on the ones who have no problems with breaking laws.