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Friend of mine just told me that today when he went into the Immigration office in Pattaya he was told by an officer that he must leave Thailand since he's been there over a year and not to even attempt the Visa run from Cambo. He was recently married to a Thai woman but this does not help his case, he must exit the country at once. On Monday he fly's to Singapore and will try to get a Visa to come back to Thailand from a Thai embassy or consulate there. He told me what really got to him was the bad attitude the immigration officer gave him. This is the real deal guys... they are not fooling around with this one.
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Here we go again!
I'm guessing badly dressed farang catches immy official on a bad day!
The poor fellow was given bad advice so don't read anything into that. -
OK... I suppose we had better clear up this mess because other websites and other posters are gonna get confused...
Questions and Answers: [/b]
Question: It is obvious that the present border runners will change into visa runners to other countries. What are the Department of Immigrations thoughts on this?
Police Major Suppachai: From October 1st you can travel to the border and re-enter 3 times using the system of waiver of a visa. After that, if you get a single entry tourist visa from abroad you can stay here for 60 days, after that you can get a visa extension for 30 days, so it is already 6 months. Each time you leave the country you can come back with the visa extension again, so the tourist visa intervenes.
Question: So if we buy a tourist visa and extend it for 1 month can we leave buy another tourist visa and back, can we continue to do that?
Police Major Suppachai: Yes, you can do that. We don't want some people staying on visa extensions for ever. Some people stay for 10 years. The main thing at the moment is that now people that come to Thailand for 10 years are not getting screened. With the tourist visa the police now have a chance to check the people that are not on the blacklist. That is the main thing of this new law.
Question: When does the new rule effecting 90-day maximum wavered visas come into affect?
Police Major Suppachai: It means that the person who has been staying on visa extensions for years, you can depart. If your visa ends on the 30 September, you leave the country and come back on the 30th September, you still can use that 3 times. There was misinformation on the Internet, it doesn't count by stamps, it counts by days. This is very important, it counts by days not stamps. Yeah counts by days.
Question: This is going to effect the airlines. How is Immigration going to handle this? How does an airline know when a passenger comes to their stamp quota? The airline is responsible for their passenger?
Police Major Suppachai: Your question is a very good question. OK we know that from the first of October it counts from 90 days and the problems will come back. Many people will be stopped at the border, right. So within 90 days we will try to do something. Because we are thinking about the electronic visas. We will use that kind of visa where the airline will have to submit the name of the person to our office before to issue the ticket, similar system to the US. It needs at least 1 year.
We don't want people using that kind of system (visa waiver) to stay in our country forever, we have to use the tourist visa to intervene in that system to screen them, to screen the people who are staying in our country.
Question: We have heard that there will be a 3 month visa you can buy here in Bangkok. Is this a new rule, if so when is it in place, is it already in existence, can you explain?
Police Major Suppachai: It is not a new visa, it is a new regulation for foreigners who don't have a visa, but visa extension, it means you can apply for a non immigration type B and O at the Immigration Bureau.
Question: In Thailand right?
Police Major Suppachai: Yes. But it means that you have to have at least 3 weeks, I mean visa. It means when you come in right, you have 4 weeks. In the first week you have to contact immigration, in Bangkok in Suan Phlu and submit the papers that you want to change your visa. You have to have a visa. Before we could change the category of visa from tourist to non-immigrant, but this time we can issue the visa as well.
A summary of points that were discussed in more detail:
The reason for the new regulations are twofold:
1. Try to eliminate known foreign criminals from entering Thailand. It is desired by the authorities that those staying longer term in Thailand should be screened through a more thorough computer system available at Embassies, Consulates and Immigration offices. Hence the reasoning of forcing people into applying for longer stays after a maximum of 90 days by obtaining 3 consecutive free 30 day waivers of a visa at entry points. Border crossing checkpoints are currently limited to screening out undesirables on the 'Blacklist' and high profile undesirables.
2. Persuade foreigners that are on the incorrect visas or stamps to correct their paperwork in line with the law. By making the trip to an Embassy, Consulate or Immigration office necessary within 90 days from 1st October 2006, it is hoped that foreigners who are disrespecting Thai law rectify the situation by applying for the correct visa. To aid this, Non immigrant B and O visas will be issued inside Thailand at the Immigration Office in Bangkok. IMPORTANTLY, to apply you have to have at least 3 weeks remaining on your current stamp and obviously the correct paperwork. The visa needed to apply is yet to be clarified.
The Department of Immigration controls borders and The Department of Foreign Affairs controls Consulates and Embassies. There has been no official orders to tighten controls on issuing visas abroad. It is at the discretion of the issuing officer. It is business as usual. There is and never was a guarantee that you would be issued a single, double, etc visa. At borders the 90 day max of 'waivers of a visa' will be enforced once your 90 days FROM 1st October have been utilized within the period of 180 days.
Days in country are counted and NOT number of stamps. There is an issue here with airlines and the Department of Immigration understands this. It is their wish that a system similar to something like the US where passenger list are checked electronically before departure will be installed in the future to eliminate problems. This may take some time.
The Department of Immigration understands that their will be problems with the new regulations and will review as necessary.Comment
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as I sated before... 1,000,000 baht and join Thailand Elite... stay in LOS forever... mai pen rai... plus all the other benefits...
I know FAR MORE THAN YOU DO
https://asiants.com
https://ladyboysthai.comComment
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What Stogie you think I€™m making all this up or got it off some other website? This is a first hand experience from a good friend of mine living in Pattaya who€™s well informed of the situation and he dresses a lot better then you do.(stogie bear @ Oct. 04 2006,16:57) Here we go again!
I'm guessing badly dressed farang catches immy official on a bad day!
The poor fellow was given bad advice so don't read anything into that.
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The irony here is that I know loads of Brits who I would certainly not call friends but more acquaitances who are married to Thai women and are total crooks. Seems little is being done to get rid of them but TIT - this is Thailand.
Cheers
MardhiComment
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Oh, I don't doubt what you say is true and I believe it happened. But it's a case of a pissed off official trying to scare the farangs and having a good laugh about it over his tea break.What Stogie you think I€™m making all this up or got it off some other website? This is a first hand experience from a good friend of mine living in Pattaya who€™s well informed of the situation and he dresses a lot better then you do.
The fact is that your friend was given erroneous information. What a Pattaya immigration official knows and what he tells a farang are not one and the same.
Unless border immigration have good reason, your friend will NOT be turned away from Thailand simply because he's been here for over a year and the fact that he's married to a Thai makes it even less likely as border officials can use their discretion when applying the rules.
I do the 30 day run and have done it for 5 years now and I have just returned from one... It's business as usual, despite what your immigration clerk thinks (or more importantly - SAYS!)
The fact that your friend was treated so badly should have set the alarm bells going off. The immigration staff at my local office in SamutPrakan are extremely friendly and meticulous to the letter of the law and they have explained to me in detail (as much as their English would allow it) exactly what the new guidelines are and how they will be implemented.
I'm sorry that your friend has been put to so much trouble by an angry immigration employee. That's too bad. This is a reflection of his own experience and doesn't represent what is currently happening. I don't think he is as 'well informed' as you think he is. Although I don't doubt that he dresses better than I do!
I'd be interested in why the official was so rude to your friend. In my experience (over 50 border runs and 4 passports to date and many more interactions with immy staff on behalf od teachers etc,) it's always the way the farang is dressed or how he behaves. I've seen people in dreadlocks, smoking in the office, kicking around in sandals and even drinking cans of beer while waiting to get stamped into the country. I've seen shouting matches where uppity farangs have demanded "their rights!" I've seen line pushing and women stepped over by people (although this is mainly Koreans who are waiting too long in the heat!)
I have also been on the recieving end of some rule breaking by officials (in my favour) when I have made a mistake on my passport.
You don't have to wear a tie to a Thai government office but common sense should tell you that slouching in there with shorts and a vest on, or smoking or drinking (yes, I've seen this) is not going to ingratiate you into a low paid officials good books... especially if you want something from them.
I have my ear to the ground and if people were being turned back from the borders because they have been here for a year then it's for a very good reason like a criminal record or something.Comment
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The immigration office near my house actually has comment cards you can fill out!
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I am so confused, just wandering if I can come back to LOS in June and stay for a year this time or how long I could stay without a hassle 
SB, would you be my Immigration Officer
You Live and You Learn -- Hopefully!Comment
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if your over 55 you can get a thai resident visa? if im informed correctly you need 800 000 bhat in a thai bank acount and a clean record . thats it 1 years stay reaply at the end of year.
good info on visa runs stogie well donejust a sex tourist looking for hot funComment
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It's easy... Get a visa for 3 months, stay 90 days on a tourist waiver get another visa for 3 months then stay on a tourist waiver for 90 days!(SamplerDoc @ Oct. 06 2006,11:00) I am so confused, just wandering if I can come back to LOS in June and stay for a year this time or how long I could stay without a hassle...
Immigration are fully aware that most expats living here legally will do this and are fine for it to continue... at the moment!Comment
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Oh my God! You need to be on first name terms with Buddha for a resident Visa! Forget that route, it's never gonna happen. But all is not lost!(donnnnnny @ Oct. 06 2006,13:25) if your over 55 you can get a thai resident visa?
Criterias for retirement visa.b
If you qualify it takes about an hour!
First off you must apply for a Non-Immigrant visa before you enter the country from a Thai Embassy abroad. Permission will be for 90 days. for the first permit (single entry) but you can apply for a multiple max one year stay in Thailand.
Requirements:
Application form T.M.7
Copy of passport or substitute document.
One 4 x 6 cm photo.
500 baht fee.
Proof of financial status or pension.
Letter from your embassy saying you wish to retire in Thailand
For an applicant who is over 50 years old, proof of a sum of 800,000 baht in a Thai bank OR an income of not less than 65,000 baht per month must be presented - OR a combination of balance in the bank and a monthly income...
Example: 400,000 Baht in the bank and 32,500 Baht coming in every month.
If you are sickill, or have weak health and are sensitive to colder climates or has resided in Thailand for a long period, and are 50-59 years old, special circumstances may be given.
The applicant must also submit medical certificates and proof that he/she lived in Thailand for a long time.
Pensioners arriving before Oct 1998 with unbroken records while living here only need 200,000 baht in a Thai Bank when they apply for an extension.
A foreigner must show evidence that he/she has income amounting to at least 65,000 baht per month or a bank account amounting to at least of 800,000 baht in cash when initially applying for a one-year visa.
Ready the same day!
With all the required documents in hand, and the bank certification dated the same date the applicant goes to the Immigration office, the one year Retirement Visa is usually ready in an hour or so, the same day.
Until early 2002 year it took 3 or 4 months - now, many of the Immigration offices have authority to issue the one year Retirement Visa without sending the applications, etc. to Bangkok - i.e. issue them the same day.
Note: The bank certification of deposit (of 800,000 baht) must show that the money came into the bank from another country.Comment
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