Visa Runs in Trouble??

[Pianoman]

According to the Bangkok Post, Visa Runs, as we know them, may be restricted in the near future...

 

Visa rules will be tightened to stop abuse

Maximum stay of 90 days for foreigners

 

By Chatrudee Theparat

 

Visa-on-arrival (VOA) regulations will be tightened for nationals of 41 countries to prevent abuse of the privilege and curb the rising number of illegal entries, according to the Immigration Police Bureau (IPB). Foreign nationals from those countries, including the US, China and India, will be able to stay longer but with fewer chances of renewing the VOA.

 

 

IPB commissioner Suwat Tumrongsiskul said nationals from those specific countries are currently allowed to remain in Thailand for 15 days maximum after the VOA is granted. The VOA is normally renewable once.

 

 

However, some foreigners including tourists ''tiptoe around the law'' by resorting to so-called visa runs to extend their stay. Most take a bus to a border, check out of the country and then return the same day to have the VOA renewed.

 

 

They repeat the practice as many times as they wish, affording them almost unlimited stay in the country. The policy is largely intended to serve tourism.

 

 

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said the change of the VOA rules is in order.

 

 

In future, foreigners from those 41 countries will be able to stay in the country for 30 days from the first VOA stamp, which will be renewable twice at most, each time for a maximum of 30 days. In other words, a foreigner will be permitted to remain in Thailand for no longer than 90 days in total after three VOA stamps.

 

 

The commissioner said the current system is prone to abuse as many foreign nationals make numerous visa runs so they can stay on long term to do business. In some cases, they have gone unregulated, causing social problems.

 

 

Official figures showed that about 400,000 Chinese nationals were granted a VOA last year, and 18,000 of them have stayed behind.

 

 

Around 200,000 Indians made VOA visits last year and it was found that 16,000 of them have not left.

 

 

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said the new VOA rules will be put into effect once approved by the Royal Thai Police Office.

 

 

He said more information technology will be employed in the blacklisting system. The IT-operated immigration clearance system is now in use at 15 out of 55 checkpoints nationwide to check in tourists and screen out undesirable individuals. The technology lets the bureau enlarge its database of foreign visitors to identify those on the blacklist and expel them.

 

 

Pol Col Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, head of the Pattaya immigration centre, said its IT-operated database is shared by many hotels and resorts in Pattaya to help track down blacklisted people. The technology has been credited with weakening the local mafia network.

 

 

The Betong immigration centre in Yala is also using the system to trace people of dual nationality, some of whom are believed to be behind the southern strife.

 

 

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said more authority to issue visas will be delegated to regional IPB offices.

 

 

At present, IPB chief inspectors are authorised to grant visas, and in future their deputies will also be able to approve visa requests

 

 

Pianoman

[Mekong]

Sounds Like 2002 revisited, the last clamp down.

[Julian2]

So where's the list of 41 countries?

[FreeTime]

Not good news from my perspective. Just took delivery of air tkt arrive Bangkok late October from Canada, return to Canada late March 07. Means a tkt return date change (if available) or travel in surrounding countries for a couple months and return to Thailand for the final 30 day extension in March/07 and depart for Canada later that month?

How influential is the IPB? (Immigration Police Bureau) for such a change?

I was doing the 30 day visa run last winter from BKK.

 

[elef]

1. Australia : Commonwealth of Australia

2. Austria : Republic of Austria

3. Belgium : Kingdom of Belgium

4. Brazil : Federative Republic of Brazil (****)

5. Bahrain : State of Bahrain

6. Brunei Darussalam : Negara Brunei Darussalam

7. Canada

8. Denmark : Kingdom of Denmark

9. Finland : Republic of Finland

10. France : French Republic

11. Germany : Federal Republic of Germany

12. Greece : Hellenic Republic

13. Hong Kong : Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

14. Iceland : Republic of Iceland

15. Indonesia : Republic of Indonesia

16. Ireland : Republic of Ireland

17. Israel : State of Israel

18. Italy : Republic of Italy

19. Japan

20. Korea : Republic of Korea (****)

21. Kuwait : State of Kuwait

22. Luxembourg : Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

23. Malaysia

24. Netherlands : Kingdom of the Netherlands

25. New Zealand

26. Norway : Kingdom of Norway

27. Oman : Sultanate of Oman

28. Peru : Republic of Peru (****)

29. Philippines : Republic of the Philippines

30. Portugal : Republic of Portugal

31. Qatar : State of Qatar

32. Singapore : Republic of Singapore

33. Spain : Kingdom of Spain

34. South Africa : Republic of South Africa

35. Sweden : Kingdom of Sweden

36. Switzerland : Swiss Confederation

37. Turkey : Republic of Turkey

38. United Arab Emirates

39. United Kingdom : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

40. United States of America

41. Vietnam : Socialist Republic of Vietnam

 

Source

[elef]

There's also one other change discussed in thai government. As Schengen countries stopped all who come on a tourist visa to return for the same period as they stayed inside Schengen - a thai visisted Europe 3 months cannot get a new tourist visa until after 3 months outside - Thailand plan to do the same except for those countries making bilateral agreements. So for those countries stopping thais to return within a certain period after a visit the same period Thailand will stop citizens from those countries to return to Thailand - you've stayed 30 days in Thailand you cannot return until 30 days outside Thailand.

[..]

As I pointed out in the other thread on this, the article is VERY unclear. It references and lumps together two very different things: 30-day visa free stay and the 15-day visa on arrival.

 

The 30-day visa-free stay is what most Western & all ASEAN countries get (see the list posted by Elef).

 

The 15-day visa on arrival means that one has to queue up, apply for and be granted a visa, then go to the normal counter and get stamped in for 15 days. Indians & Chinese and most Middle Easterners are amongst the ones who need to do this.

 

So who knows what the fuck they really are on about? All I know is that they have been saying this for years now and nothing has been done about it. And likely never will. With articles like this, it always leaves open the face-saving plausable deniability when it never happens!

 

Cheers,

SD

[Julian2]

Thanks Elef, I'll have to buy you a beer sometime.

[colorwolf]

Some more on this...although still devoid of details it may just nicely clear out Pattaya...

 

 

Thailand tightens visa rules for tourists to cut illegal workers

 

BANGKOK (AFX) - Thailand will tighten entry regulations for tourists in a bid to crack down on illegal foreign workers, the Immigration Bureau said.

 

The move, which takes effect October 1, would affect tourists from 41 countries including Australia, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the US, said Suwat Thamrongsrisakul, the head of the bureau.

 

Currently, tourists from 41 countries can enter Thailand without visas and stay in the kingdom for up to 30 days.

 

They can extend their stay by checking out of the country, mainly by crossing the borders of neighboring Cambodia and Laos, and returning with new entry stamps.

 

'Under the current rules, people from those countries can stay in Thailand as long as they want. Some even stay here for one year,' another bureau official said.

 

The bureau had learned that a growing number of foreigners from the 41 countries worked illegally in Thailand, Suwat said, adding many were employed in bars and restaurants in the popular seaside resort of Pattaya, east of Bangkok.

 

'Tourists are taking advantage of the visa exemption law. Instead of sightseeing, they are doing business here,' Suwat said.

 

From October, tourists from the designated countries can still enter Thailand without visas and stay for up to 30 days, but their entry stamps will be renewable twice at most for a maximum stay of 90 days.

 

Tourists who stayed for 90 days must leave the kingdom for at least 90 days before being permitted to re-enter Thailand, Suwat said.

 

 

 

[chuckwoww]

Stick, right on cue, covers all the various options well in this weeks column. I don't think he has much to worry about from the nonstick guy.

 

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Weekly2006/weekly279.htm