June 20, 2024
3 months ago
Unfriendly welcome at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Yesterday just after midnight and after 4.5 months of travelling in China and central Asia I arrived back in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi airport. Wanted to enter on visa Excempt like I normally do 2 or 3 times a year since 2011. Nowadays I extend the visa after 1 month with that 1900 baht extension. So I normally stay for 2 months then travel 3 or 4 months in Asia and then come back. During Covid I have not been in Thailand for 2 years.
My 7 year old 66 page Dutch passport is now full with Asian visa stamps and stickers. The emigration officer goes through all of them. He speaks he mix of english and Thai numbers and Thai border cities to himself or to me, that was not clear. Then asks how long I want to stay. I say 30 days, but then i remember the rumor of 60 day excempt and say 60 days. He did not like that answer and presses the red button.
Another officer comes and I have to follow him to a desk. He blames me of going to other countries 1 day and then come back, which I never did. Mostly there are 3 or 4 months between my reentries. Then he showed me Lao stamps from 2018 where I stayed 1 week in Laos. Is that not allowed? He says if he went to my country he would have more problems, well can I help that? He blamed me for coming for thai girls.
I could enter this time but next time would send me back.
So is there a rule that I cannot enter 2 or 3 times on visa excempt? I know at land borders its 2 times.
Does thailand no like tourists?
Should I worry next time when I want to enter on visa excempt?
PS Next morning after sleeping on the bench in the airport, I suddenly remember the first thing the first officer said was something with 2 dollar, but I could not hear it clear and asked sorry? Or did I dream this?
TLDR : Answer Summary
An expat returning to Thailand experienced an unfriendly welcome from immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport, raising concerns about the rules surrounding multiple entries on a visa exemption. The individual typically entered Thailand multiple times per year on a visa-exempt basis but faced scrutiny this time, leading to questions about whether repeated entries could lead to future denials. Comments from the community suggest that while Thailand generally welcomes tourists, immigration officers may be stricter with those perceived as 'living' in Thailand on tourist exemptions, especially if they suspect misuse of the visa exemption system. There's a consensus that obtaining a proper visa, such as a multi-entry tourist visa, may be advisable for longer stays.
