Will my previous visa-exempt entries affect my chance of getting a 30-day stamp upon arrival in Thailand?

@Damien ******

okay, when you are asked for proof of funds at a thai consulate you show a printed bank statement and when you are asked for proof of funds when stamping into the country you show CASH.

When you are asked for proof of onward travel at a thai consulate applying for a visa you show a printed itinerary

Keep in mind the thai consulate in Penang is going to require you show 20K baht (or the equivalent) in a bank account, proof of onward travel and proof of a hotel booking to sell you a tourist visa

Frank Alvarado I dont need onward travel , they were just confused I had a return. Never even looked before I guess airlines getting more jumpy now and checking more with recent crackdowns

You can buy a ticket to a neighboring country for less than 50 USD almost any time of the year... You can even get the taxes back if you cancel the ticket. Worth it to not have to deal with the possible hassle, and maybe you will use the ticket and go chill somewhere else for a couple of days...

@Pilinka ********

yes but you knew you were going to thailand so you may as well got a return and just not used it, many airlines return and single almost same.

@Robert ***********

They are from different countries so how would they link them to same person? Surely the photos are linked to a passport number and not just a name?

@Robert ***********

I asked them about the cameras once,dont know if the answer I got was true or not but they said it was to make sure the same person left as came into the country..

@Da***

, she is a Mrs entering with identical DOB's and photos, regardless of passport, so I do not understand the comparison you are trying to make, sorry.

@Robert ***********

lol yes i know but say a Mrs Jones enters from USA and has 20 exempt entries, then a year later Mr Jones from Wales enters with UK passport with zero entries, you think IO will check every photo of a Mr Jones for dual nationality? lol

@Dar***

, without knowing her age and if she could satisfy various financial requirements, I'm not sure which visa would best suit her.

@Robert ***********

I was waiting for you to say that 🙂 Robert.. would she not be better off booking a flight to Laos (within the 30 days) and then getting a proper 60 day tourist visa?

@David ******

They have cameras which take your picture as well ^_^

@Robert ***********

Is that right? How would they know its same person if different passoports from different country? Wonder how many Mr Jones's are on file with multiple passports lol

Not familiar with Laos consulates (many here are) am familiar with the Malaysian ones, and they’re being quite strict at the moment..

@Pil****

, your name and travel history are in the immigration computers, changing passports won't help...

If your planning to stay as a tourist why not fly to Laos or somewhere within the 30 days and get a proper tourist visa? Solve both problems.

@Pilinka ********

I would get a cheap onward ticket, 20k cash and use Austrailian passport. I guess immigration store passport details reather than names ;-)

Yes.. combined with the 20k and proof of onward travel within the 30 days as well sounds like a much better plan.. good luck 🙂

@Pilinka ********

The passport wont make any difference, if you dont have a visa/return or onward travel you could have issues boarding the flight.

or get a throwaway bus ticket onward

There are some reports of people being allowed do that, buy a ticket on the spot, yes. It depends on the officer. You might also have problems boarding your plane without the onward ticket.

To be honest, my feeling is you probably won't have an issue, you have been out of Thailand for six months and many people do come here for the winter. I don't think that pattern is really what they are looking for, they are looking for people "living here" on tourist entries not people who come for six months over the winter.

There is no official rule about it but there have been some reports of immigration in the Bangkok airports using 180 days in a year as a rule of thumb for people they are going to question further. There is also speculation that six visa exempt entries may raise a flag in their computer to consider questioning further.

If betting were not illegal in Thailand, I would bet you most likely won't have any issue. But they do seem to be tightening up and there is a risk so better to have the proofs than not.

@Pilinka ********

yes 100% but if you arrive with an onward ticket that’s dated longer than 30 days it might not go down well..

Again, a post about this today. If I remember correctly your ticket for onward travel needs to be within the 30 days. 😕

@Pilinka ********

Times are changing. Be prepared !

Good luck in your journey

@Pil****

and please report back once you have safely arrived.

@Robert ***********

wise advice to her. She is a prime target by Thai Immigration based upon recent reports.

You should really apply for a visa more suited to your extended visits here. I'm afraid sooner (or later) you are going to get pulled aside for an interview...or worse.

I've seen you posting here before, often...I wish you luck!

It depends on the details but historically you could often try again immediately, as quick as you could get back, preferably at a different border. Recent reports have immigration at the Bangkok airports making notations in the computer that apparently are visible to immigration in other locations but it's unclear what weight these might have.

Once a visa exempt is obtained ofc no problem to extend, the issue is refusal. Risky.