MooNoi Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Had a friend crossing the land border between Thailand and Malaysia 2 days ago and they were denied entry as the guy in the booth told him that the government has changed the "90 Days in 6 months" on a tourist visa to "60 Days in 6 months". Anyone heard about this? My friend had to go back to Penang and couldn't get any sense out of the Thai consulate there today and will try and sort something out tomorrow. What's the story? Anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Was this his third a visa run since October or was he trying to enter with a clean passport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooNoi Posted January 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Third visa run since October. Same passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 the 30 day exemption is not a visa. I don't know why people keep calling it the 30 day visa or a tourist visa. it is neither... There is a 60 day tourist visa which one needs to apply for out of the country in which this can be extended 30 more days. One can also get a multi-entry tourist visa based on how that thai embassy is feeling that day... There is no such thing as a 30 day tourist visa...One is here on a 30 exemption in which time they must leave the country. One is allowed three of these in a six month period and then can't return for 6 months.If you come and go less than 30 days, it doesn't matter; it counts as one visit of the three allowed.. He could have been given wrong advice but don't worry no gov official can be held accountable for improper actios or their advice...TIT CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Not sure about just 3 visa exempts arrivals, I remember reading notes from a meeting with deputy chief of national immigration police and he said they're counting days only and you're allowed 90 of a 180 day period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooNoi Posted January 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Yep... that was the notes from the meeting at Sabah Cafe in Banglamphu. I think they were posted on the board. But that was a while back - about 3 months. I want to know if it has been changed to 60 days from 90 in the last few days or weeks??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Foreigners who enter the Kingdom under the Tourist Visa Exemption category may re-enter and stay in Thailand for a cumulative duration of stay of not exceeding 90 days within any 6-month period from the date of first entry. Link but the Thai Consulate in Hull gives this information What has been commonly called the â??30-day visa runâ? has been curtailed and now it is possible to enterThailand under the â??Visa Exemption Ruleâ? for a maximum of only three 30-day stays within any 6-month period after which it is not possible to re-enter until a further three months have passed. This applies whether entering Thailand by air, sea or over-land (road/rail). Conditions applying to persons wishing to enter Thailand under the â??Visa Exemption Ruleâ? are as follows:- Passport holders of any of the 42 countries listed below are entitled to enter Thailand under the â??Visa Exemption Ruleâ? provided they meet all of the following criteria:- a) Purpose of visit is strictly tourism. Must be in possession of a confirmed flight ticket (e-ticket acceptable) to show they will be exiting Thailand within 30 days of entry. Open tickets do not qualify. Traveling overland out of Thailand to check-in for a flight from an airport in another country (Malaysia, Singapore, etc) is not accepted. c) Having access to living expenses of 10,000 baht (approx £160) per person or 20,000 baht (approx £320) per family. It may be necessary to be able to prove this on entry. The Tourist Visa is available with one, two, three or four entries. The single (1) entry visa has a validity of three monthsfrom date of issue. The double (2), triple (3) and quadruple (4) entry visas all have a validity of six months from date of issue. On arrival in Thailand each entry allows a stay of maximum 60 days. The fee for each entry is £25. It is no longer safe to assume you can obtain an â??extension of stayâ?Â, such extensions are granted solely at the discretion of Thai Immigration and are given only in special circumstances. Having been issued with a Tourist Visa please note the following:- a) With a ONE entry Tourist Visa you must ensure you enter Thailand within the validity of the visa which will be 3 months from date of issue. With a TWO, THREE or FOUR entry Tourist Visa you must ensure you enter Thailand on your final visit before expiry of the visa which will be 6 months from date of issue. When you first arrive in Thailand and pass through Thai Immigration you will be granted a 60-day stay and receive a stamp in your passport giving the date you arrive (ADMITTED) and the date by which you must departure (UNTIL). It is most important not to stay in Thailand beyond that departure (UNTIL) date otherwise you will be fined when leaving the country and you run the risk of being imprisoned if stopped at any time by the Thai Police and found to possess an expired visa. With a 2, 3 or 4 entry visa you can re-enter for further stays of maximum 60 days until you have used up all entries. If you have a visa with more than one entry and wish to remain in Thailand it is necessary to visit a Thai Immigration Border Control Office on about day 58 of your 60-day stay to activate your next 60-day stay and you can keep doing this every 55-60 days until you have used all your entries provided this is done within the validity of the visa. At the end of your only or final 60-day stay you must leave Thailand and you cannot re-enter until you obtain a new visa. Please bear in mind that it can be difficult to obtain a Tourist Visa with more than a single entry from anywhere other than your country of nationality. Link # 1 and 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 I think that the tourist visa hasn't changed you get 60 days but you can get an extension of 30 days without leaving the country. With the single-entry non-immigrant visa you can stay 90 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 so those two statements of the multiple entry but max 90 days during 6 months and the max 3 stays of 30 days during 6 months are contradictionary and we have a typical case of TIT! but everything is negotiable, so i guess it depends then on the officer and yourself how you will get along with that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 I am not sure there is much he can do about it save try another immigration officer or or checkpoint. Extremely doubtful the consulate can or will do anything. Why? It has nothing to do with TIT. You must first understand how the immigration procedure works. It is pretty much the same in any country. Rule #1: The Immigration Officer at the port of entry (POE) has *absolute* discretion as to let you in or not and for how long (i.e., the max allowable by law or some other lesser time). Always be nice to immigration people. There are the kings of their little kingdom. "But I have a visa!" you say. A visa does NOT mean that you get into the country automatically. It means that the powers-that-be have pre-checked you and feel that you are good enough to enter the country. It means that you have permission to present yourself to the Immigration Officer at the POE. That officer makes the final decision whether you get in or not. See immediately preceding paragraph. The thirty day visa waiver entry simply means that any national from XYZ country has been deemed good enough to present themselves to an Immigration Officer at a POE. But once again, as stated in the preceding paragraphs, the officer makes the final decision whether you get in or not. IMHO, this officer was bucking for some baksheesh. You friend should have ponied up a few red strips of paper and all would have been fine. That's the only TIT bit here (but holds true for any third world country). Assuming that nothing was derogatory was stamped in his passport, I'd tell him to try another Immigration Officer (even going as far as trying to get there on a different work shift) and try again as the rules have not changed. But now you understand that the rules are not rules as such, but guidelines, and the Immigration Officer was 100% within his scope of duty to not let your friend in for *any reason* he saw fit. CB: You are wrong here mate. In December I have entry stamps for four in-outs, but I only spent about 10 days in LoS. The rule *is* "a maximum of 90 days of each 180 days allowed to be on visa waiver entry stamps." Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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