Gaybutton Posted September 9, 2006 Posted September 9, 2006 The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Visa Rules Will be Ttightened 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 Quote
Guest wowpow Posted September 10, 2006 Posted September 10, 2006 This report seems very confusing and confused, Essentially a Visa on Arrival is NOT a 30 day permission to visit Thailand for touristic purposes visa free. The VOA does Not apply to citizens of the USA - the list of countries that it does is on Thai Visa. com The current VOA countries get only 15 days permission to visit Thailand so increasing that to 30 days would be welcomed. It seems that they then want to say they can do two visa runs before repeats are stopped. As the author says the VOA and 30 day visitors may tip-toe round the law by making 'visa runs'. The point is that it is the law and only Parliament can change that- surely or can the Immigration Police? Quote
Gaybutton Posted September 10, 2006 Author Posted September 10, 2006 This report seems very confusing and confused, Essentially a Visa on Arrival is NOT a 30 day permission to visit Thailand for touristic purposes visa free. The VOA does Not apply to citizens of the USA - the list of countries that it does is on Thai Visa. com The current VOA countries get only 15 days permission to visit Thailand so increasing that to 30 days would be welcomed. It seems that they then want to say they can do two visa runs before repeats are stopped. As the author says the VOA and 30 day visitors may tip-toe round the law by making 'visa runs'. The point is that it is the law and only Parliament can change that- surely or can the Immigration Police? My interpretation is that the policy applies only to foreigners arriving in Thailand without previously having obtained the 90-day, or better, non-immigrant visa. You are given 30 days upon arrival if you did not previously obtain a visa. That can be extended for an additional 10 days by paying a fee at an immigration police office. I believe they allow you to do that only once per entry into Thailand. After the 10 days is used up you have to leave the country. Of course, you can simply opt to leave the country and re-enter without obtaining the additional 10 days. If you leave the country, and then re-enter, it's the 30 days all over again, starting fresh. I remember that government officials have talked about this before and now are going to put a stop to it. Apparently they do not have a problem about people renewing the 90-day visa ad infinitum, but there are people actually living in Thailand on the 30-day privilege, which means they are living in Thailand with no visa at all. People living in Thailand like that don't have to report their address to the immigration police, don't have to prove their income, don't have to obtain re-entry permits when leaving the country, or live up to any of the other requirements expected of foreigners living in Thailand. That, I believe, is what they consider to be abuse. The article does not make clear just how long you have to remain outside of Thailand, before re-entering, before numerous repetitions are going to be considered abuse. Actually, I don't see why this would be a big problem. If you are over 50 years old then you are most likely eligible for the one-year retirement visa. If you are under 50 years old, it is not difficult to obtain the 90-day visa. I see this as a problem only for people who, for whatever reason, don't want to do anything at all. Let me repeat - this is only my interpretation of the article. That does not make it fact. If you are someone who would be affected by this, then I urge you to speak to the immigration police and/or a Thai attorney, to be sure just where you stand. I don't know if this is a matter of law or policy - policy controlled by the immigration authorities. Suppose it is a matter of law? If you get stopped by the immigration authorities and are refusied entry into Thailand, then law or no law, what can you do about it? Quote
Guest wowpow Posted September 10, 2006 Posted September 10, 2006 Sorry Gaybutton but it is not a matter of interpretation. A "Visa on Arrival" is not the same thing as a "Permission to visit Thailand for Touristic purposes Visa free" that's not technically a Visa. Currently the Visa on Arrival is offered to 20 countries which currently get a 15 day Visa. 1. Bhutan : Kingdom of Bhutan 2. China : People Quote
Gaybutton Posted September 10, 2006 Author Posted September 10, 2006 TeePee, I don't understand the point you are trying to make. When I say that this policy will apply only to holders of the 30-day whatever-it-is, am I incorrect about that? Is that what you are saying? Please clarify. Quote
Guest wowpow Posted September 10, 2006 Posted September 10, 2006 Gaybutton, I am trying hard to be crystal clear. There are two ways to enter Thailand without obtaining a Visa before travelling. 1) For citizens of 42 countries you can ger a "30 day permission to visit for touristic purposes visa free" The list includes most rich western countries including the US and the UK. This is the one that you are talking about but not the one that the Immigration Police are talking about. 2) Visa on Arrival, VOA, described above, which is valid currently for 15 days, extendable by 10 days and then if you exit the country you can immediately return and get another one. The Immigration Police article is all about this Visa and not about the 30 days Permission/Visa Free. However, it seems that they are thinking of extending this from 15 days to 30 days. This gives me opportunity to post my long article on the 30 days Permission. 30 day Visa free entry for tourists - updated Sat 12 Aug, 2006 3:43 am 30 Days Tourist Visa Exemption Quote
Guest JoeM Posted September 10, 2006 Posted September 10, 2006 Stickman has written on the potential impacts and solutions to the new visa policy. Stickman's Weekly Report Quote
Bob Posted September 10, 2006 Posted September 10, 2006 Teepee: Not trying to be difficult here but you but I'm not really sure what "visa free" means other than you don't have to get a visa prior to entering the country. I thought a visa was permission to enter a country and is evidenced by a stamp/endorsement on one's passport. The 30-day "visa" , I would think, is just a visa given after entry to certain country's citizens. Calling it a "visa free" situation seems to be erroneous wordsmith. If it was truly "visa free", I wouldn't need the permission or the stamp I would think. On the other hand, I can understand the new policy is intended to stop the "30-day" people from essentially staying forever. But, unless the Thai authorities plan on investigating longer-term visas applicants than the "30-dayers" that show up at the airport, I don't see the point of all of it. Quote
Guest JoeM Posted September 10, 2006 Posted September 10, 2006 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. Duhh...just learned about this. Amazing Thailand. Tourists who stayed for 90 days must leave the kingdom for at least 90 days before being permitted to re-enter Thailand, Suwat said. This will make for a long visa run... Thailand tightens visa rules for tourists to cut illegal workers 09.10.2006, 09:45 AM 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. Forbes Quote
