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Why does Thai immigration ask about having a girlfriend during entry?

Dec 11, 2025
5 months ago
Pekka **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Why does the immigration ask whether you have a girlfriend in thailand? If you have DTV, is it a good idea to say that you have one if they pull you aside? I don't get the logic.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The question arises about the logic behind Thai immigration asking travelers if they have a girlfriend in Thailand. Experiences vary among expats; some report it can influence their case positively or negatively, depending on the officer's discretion. While some travelers have never been asked this question, others allege it can be used to check for potential scams or bribes. Thai society typically accepts foreign relationships, and the immigration process can be inconsistent.
DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
Ian *********
They want to see if she’s picking you up so they can then get tourist police to talk to her and tell you, you need to pay a bribe to enter. It’s happend to me.
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Alexey **********
They have a right to ask even her phone to call her and to ask some questions what are you doing in Thailand.
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Ethan *****
@Alexey *********
yes they did it to me last year
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Ethan *****
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Gordon *********
Tell them you're a butterfly
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Corey ******
@Gordon ********
πŸ’―πŸ’―πŸ’―
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Corey ******
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Chris *****
Usually Thai people strongly support foreigners having a Thai wife, mistress or gf. It's also normal in Thai society to have several mistresses at once (one "major" a.k.a. "wife" & several "minor" ones). Can some Thai immigration official please confirm this?! πŸ’₯πŸ₯³πŸ™πŸΌ
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Mark *******
@Chris ****
incorrect. Being tolerated by SOME is not the same as being supportive of or being normal.
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Chris *****
@Mark ******
Ofc this is not "official" policy. But Thai culture does it this way. It's even engraved in Thai language having dedicated Thai words for this (I assume you can read & write Thai). And "everyone" (referring to Thais) knows that HM the King has an official wife a.k.a HM the Queen and several mistresses. I am happy to be proven "wrong" though krab πŸ™πŸΌ
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Mark *******
@Chris ****
yes I can read but not write. It is extemely outdated.
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Joel *********
@Chris ****
I just asked my thai wife and she says you're extremely wrong. I dont know where you heard that, but its awful advice to be giving out to people.
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Juan ******
@Joel ********
What he says it's true, historically Thailand is a country where it was normal to have multiple wives. Now only one person we all know have twenty something...
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Mark *******
@Juan *****
20+ years ago. Not something common now...and it was always only tolerated but not actually "supported". It was to remain unspoken and not open. Try telling this to any young Thai woman today and she will have your head on a stick
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Joel *********
@Mark ******
dude thank you. This man is out of his mind. My wife is 22 and even me bringing it up to ask about it pissed her off and she asked "WHY YOU ASK?!" πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
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Mark *******
@Joel ********
yeh be careful πŸ˜…πŸ˜…
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Joel *********
@Juan *****
maybe if you're royalty or high society. But for normal everyday thai people thats not true. Not trying to be rude, but I think ill believe my thai friends and wife over two farang on the internet. And I don't mean to say that in a derogatory way, im farang too πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
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Juan ******
@Joel ********
We are talking about 3 centuries ago when it was also normal for women to be bare chested on public. Before all the western influence came in.
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Joel *********
@Juan *****
what is the point youre trying to make? That its the same way now or what?
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Juan ******
@Joel ********
No the point I was trying to make is that culturally in Thailand it's not so strange. As the clothing and the monogamy was imposed by the west.
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Joel *********
@Juan *****
bro are you really trying to suggest that the only country in SE Asia that WASNT occupied by the west has a value system "imposed" on it? Come on man. Where are you even from? You know better than Thai people apparently?
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Joel *********
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Deiter ********
Just tell them you are into LB, that should change the line of questioning pretty rapidly
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Deiter ********
@Chris ****
Smart one there Chris, lets smoke out the immigration officers lurking on this page gathering info on the bad farangs 😜
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Richard ***********
Mia nois 😍🀣
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Richard ***********
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Robin *******
14 years twice a year never been asked
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Winston ********
If you tell them that you have a Ladyboy they will give you an extension with no problem πŸ€”πŸ˜³πŸ˜‚
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TaupeSh*******
@Winston *******
a very short extension πŸ˜…πŸ˜…
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Robert **********
@Winston *******
but, the ladyboy already has an extention :-) (not that I would know hahaha)
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Markie ******
@Robert *********
obviously Winston knows
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Gerry *******
@Robert *********
by definition, they do 🀣🀣
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Wayne ********
@Robert *********
I guess it all depends if you’re the pitcher or the catcher
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Winston ********
@Robert *********
πŸ˜­πŸ€£πŸ˜‚
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Winston ********
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Wayne ********
@Winston *******
If he tells them that he will get an extension all right, but it won’t be from the immigration officer.
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Wayne ********
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κΉ€**
I’ve been asked by immigration before if I had a girlfriend that I was coming to visit. I told them no. As she was calling my phone 🫠
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Lucas **********
Say no ...
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Eric **********
@Lucas *********
Β« no , not one , five Β»
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Tristin *********
2 here πŸ˜‚
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Tristin *********
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Jon ********
They never ask that.
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Jean ************
@Jon *******
they ask me in order to explain to her and she translate to me
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Ben ********
@Jon *******
I’ve been asked before
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Area *************
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Nicolas ***********
@Ben *******
happened to me as well a couple of years ago ^^
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Jon ********
@Ben *******
You must be lucky. I have flown in and out of Thailand more times than I can remember and I live here as well. The only inquiry I was ever asked was where was my final destination is as my ticket was one way. It was not immigration asking the question. It was the airline when I checked in
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Graham ******
@Jon *******
yes but what visa are you entering on?
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Jon ********
@Graham *****
work permit, marriage and retirement.
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Graham ******
@Jon *******
so you're not a tourist and this requirement does not apply to you ;)
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Jon ********
@Graham *****
piss off ahole. I flew in many times as a tourist before I moved here.
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Thaimer ******
@Jon *******
they don’t ask these questions to these mentally challenged as you
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Jon ********
@Thaimer *****
so said the incel
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Thaimer ******
@Jon *******
said one with bar girl
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Thaimer ******
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Brandon ************
That's not really possible to answer, because everything is up to the discretion of the immigration officer you are talking to.

For some officers, that might help your case. For others it might hurt it.
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Brandon ************
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