My friend arrived today from UK travelling with two others who are here for short holiday 21 days . He though has came back for a longer break, he was here at end of 2024 on a tourist 60 day visa and extended it from 60 to 90 days and then he went home to Uk early December, not sure exact date. He booked a return flight for another 90 day trip , no hassle at the departing airport not sure if Qatar or emirates but they just said will he be applying for a visa extension, no problem with airline to let him fly as his return flight was in 90 days. When he got to immigration in Bkk he was in his words grilled by immigration officer on what his intentions were. Where would he stay , where was he travelling. She told him not allowed to visit for 90 days and go away short time and come back for another 90 days , he must apply e visa online , at one point he thought she wasn’t going to give him entry it was really bad the other two friends got scared as they heard all this and thought he was going to be refused entry. The officer was very rude and direct , visa not for long visit only tourist for holiday, the more he tried to reason the more she said it.
He did not argue as he was on verge of being refused . Now immigration officer has put a note on his file to warn other officers. He’s panicking, she said ok you have holiday , go away for long time come back for holiday , it beggars belief they want tourist that they do this , this friend took early retirement and is loving visiting Thailand but this has put him off . He travels Europe a lot so he might return to that . I told him to get a multi entry retirement visa to last him 15 months but after this 3 months he is not coming back until September/ October , so should he risk return in September and do retirement visa then or get it on this trip even though he won’t use it again from when he leaves in April until he returns in September.
Has anyone else suffered at immigration? This guy is actually genuine lol he fell in love with the lifestyle but he’s genuinely just using the system to holiday nothing else. I told him to get an agent to do his extension at 60 days as he will never know what this officer put on his file and he might be refused. He is shaken by the experience
Sorry for long post I have literally just left these friends and this was the main topic of conversation
TLDR : Answer Summary
A user recounts their friend's stressful experience at Bangkok immigration after returning to Thailand on a tourist visa. The friend, who had previously extended a tourist visa, encountered a rude officer who warned him against frequent short visits and advised him to apply for an e-visa instead. The officer noted his file, causing the friend to panic about future entries. The discussion reveals concerns about misinterpretations of tourist intentions by immigration and the growing scrutiny of repeat visitors at Thai borders. Suggestions include obtaining a multi-entry retirement visa for longer stays.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
- Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
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