What are the risks of entering Thailand without a valid visa and how to avoid them?

Well I tried to help as much as I could, but alas, the flood of bad information is just too much for even me (an entry/visa/extension subject matter expert 😮) to keep up with 😕

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆/𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱?

𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗔 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗔 !

Good luck to each and every one of you in your endeavors 🙂

If you'd known your rights and stood your ground, the airline would have flown you back to France for free. Only denied passengers with a visa have to pay their own flight, visa exempt is the airline's responsibility.

Of course the friendly airline people make it sound like it's not, but you can tell them it's BS. Thailand will pressure them to get rid of you. Even detention room is on their dime as long as you don't sign the form they ask you to sign. Good way to save $1500. 💸

This happened to me. They wanted me to sign a document and laughed when I wanted to read it. Well I'm fluent in Thai. I declined to sign and asked for a flight out which they accepted.

there is no limit for entries yes but there is limit for staying in Thailand total in a year before becoming residents which is 6 month in a year. some officers enforce that and some are not, i also heard you can pay and get away with that...but after 6 month in a year you should not test your luck and get a long term visa like DTV or LTR. this guy was lucky to get away easily in Thailand otherwise people in europe can be in worst situation for the same situation.

I probably get messages from more than a dozen people per week who are "hung at passport control" (meaning they're going to get denied entry) 🙁 By that time there's nothing that can be done, no magic agent can grease the wheels and get you in, you're gonna get shipped out on your dime and you should just buy a ticket and get out as soon as you can. THEN you can try to come up with a plan to get back in

Most all of them thought they could just fly out and right back in (like we could in the days when it was free 30 day entry and there wasn't much scrutiny by air entry) AND sadly those people found out it is not like that any more.

People who live here on free stamps w/extensions get complacent, because they got out/back a time or two, they think they're "6 foot tall and bullet proof", they think they "contribute to the country". Then when they get pulled aside, asked why they came right back in, where their proof of flying out in 60 days is, where their proof of 20K baht in CASH is they get caught.

I honestly don't know why more people (whose only interest is getting a new 60 day entry stamp) don't use the LAND BORDER SERVICES that lug people to the border, get the out and back the same day, no matter their entry/stay history, without any issue 🙁 The reason those services cost what they do is they have it set up at that border so their customers CAN get out and right back in without trouble

Dont just copy from Google as this information isn't correct, their is a limit, you can only stay 180 days as tourists in a calendar year that's January - December and if found to be staying longer you can be refused entry and sent back, money on hand doesn't do anything unless you think your gonna bribe the immigration officer if caught attempting this with the wrong person you can also get banned, always get the correct visa for Thailand or stick within the laws, land border bounces or unlimited flights but maximum stay 180 days or get ready to be questioned and possibly refused entry

a SURE way to get singled out, taken aside and talked to is MAXING out your 60 day entry stamp then taking a 30 day extension and maxing it out then trying to fly out/back to get a new free entry stamp.

These "milkers" (and the muck running they do here) are the exact reason the powerz that be are saying they're going back down to 30 days rather than the 60 days it has been since July 15th 2024 🙁

The TWO entry by land (there is no sea entry you stamp IN on dry land) rule was cancelled back on July 15, 2024 when they went from 30 days free entry to 60 days free entry.

Most of the people that are denied entry are ones who try to live here on free stamps, especially since it went to 60 day free entry. 🙁 But cancelling that 2 free stamp entry by land rule just made entering by land as sketchy as entering by air now.. It's totally up to the officer you're standing in front of when you go to stamp in. It's totally up to that officer to decide if you're a "real tourist" or if you're a "milker" (someone living here free stamp)

You fly in, get 60 days, take 30 days, try to fly out and right back in (Even if you stay out a few days) you're not fooling anyone at passport control. They know you're doing it to just milk another 60 day free entry stamp 😮 Those people make up the bulk of denial of entry.

Remember when you're denied entry you're not banned, you're not deported <- you have to be stamped IN to thailand to be deported 😛 You just didn't get in on that try, and you're free to try again.

Another thing to remember is IF you give the officers at passport control a hard time they can (at their discretion) decide you go back to country of passport origin, no matter where you just flew in from. SO if you're going to be denied entry, suck it up, take it like the adult you are pretending to be 😛 and buy a ticket back to where you just flew in from if they'll let you. That is always preferable to having to go back to your country

Also the IDC's (Immigration Detention Centers) at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang are like the Ritz Carlton hotel compared to the REAL IDC down on Soi Suan Plu 😛

I know people who spent a week in the airport lock up and they were able to order food, refill their mobile phones, etc. Is it fun? Nope, it's not meant to be 😮 You weren't let in to thailand and have to leave, but is it barbaric? Nope, just not comfortable at all

What a surprise. You need a valid visa if you want to stay longer in a country. lol… Get detained and deported it you dont comply. Absolutely correct by authorities to deny these people and send them back.

What is this mess ^

YOLO

It’s great that you’re highlighting this. The same thing happened to my friend a few months ago on a student visa. It has always existed, but it’s becoming much more common now.

yup or any another appropriate visa😀

DTV is a guarantee unless obtained in some shady way. Stop with the BS.