The End Of Border Runs From Oct 1, 2006

[lomuamart]

Sergeant,
The rule on 30 days runs is now only 3 within any 180 day period. So, if your mate exits for 30 days and then comes back, he'll get the big red two. If the does that again, a big red three. If my arithmetic is right, if for a fourth occasion, he'll be back to the "one" again as 6 months (180 days) has expired from the date of the first one. It's nothing to do with consequtive runs, just 3 within 6 months. Hope that makes sense. He can come any time on a Tourist visa though.

[lomuamart]

Couple of other points.
I'd also heard that the Tourist visa is now set to become 90 days. At least that would save on the 1,900 B 30 day extension - mind you, bet they raise the cost. Of course, the big difference is that you can't apply for a year's extension as you can with a Non Imm.
It would be good news for many if places, such as Penang, were to issue as many consequtive TVs as you wanted, but I do have my doubts - although I appreciate that Guess met with imm in Pratchuap. My own experience in the past has been that it was difficult to get 2 consequtively, let alone more. However, I did read that imm were saying that if the visas were broken up with, say one or two 30 day runs, then another would be issued in Penang.
The good old multi-entry non Imm O is certainly still available in the UK. Mine took 2 days to come through from Hull, there is no need to show funds at all (as WL has said) and you "certify" yourself now that you can take care financially, rather than getting someone else to guarantee you.
Penang was always the easiest place to get the multi-entry, but that stopped a while ago for new applicants, even before the visa changes were announced. The reason being, quite simply, that they wanted you to sort your life out financially in Thailand within 3 months - hence, only single entries and "forcing" applicants to apply for extensions here, therefore needing to demonstrate funds.

[sargeant]

thanks heaps lomu not quite what i thought but sounds right

btw 2 good useful posts

and i do listen

[Guess]

A couple of days a go a wrote a summary od all points stated facts that I got from IMM in my marathon Wednesday meeting. It has disappeared. Anyway I'll post again with an update, I am due a social meeting with a seior official on Monday. One thing I did post that should not wait until then is:

The totally illegal service of getting visas remotely has suddenly become available again. At one time up until about three years ago it was possible to hand your passport to an unscrupulous agent who would put all the necessary stamps and visa on your passport and return it about 3 weeks later for a charge of about 3000 baht over cost of visa. This involved corrupt IMM officeers that I thought had all been rounded up and fired along with accomplicies.

Well this service is again being offered in Hua HIn and I have seen (closely scrutinised) the passport of someone who has used the service.

His situation was that his last stamp ran out on Sep 20th (no earlier information was available because his passport had expire in early September and the relevant information only had ben transferred to the new one. The British Embassy for some reason kept his old one.

He handed his passport and 3000 baht to an agent on September 17th and was told that he would soon get a three month visa on his returned passport with a sixty day stamp on it just as if he had travelled out of Thailand himself. This of course is dodgy and highly illegal with the passport holder the agent and the customs official (if there indeed was one) being guilty of an offence.

He got his passport back on October 9th. (Three weeeks). What was on the passport was all the info that had been put there when the new passport had been issued plus and exit stamp from Phuket Airport dated 20th September (the day the previous stamp expired). It looked real but that means nothing. THe next stamp eas an entry stamp on 9th October with an exit date of Nobember 8th. I.e. a standard 30 day stamp. There is no indicarion at all of where he was in the period between the aircraft lerving Phiket and its retun two weeks later. I am not aware of any service running out of Phuket that flys around in circle for two weeks and then retuns.

I have advise him to get to IMM in Hua HIn on Monday as sooon as they open.

Even the thickest IMM officeer would ask the following,

What did you do between September 20th and 9th Otcober as a fine of 500 baht per day shoud have been incurred but there is no indication on the passport.

Where did you fly to from Phuket airport. As far as I know the only two international destiantions from Phuket are KL and Singapore but of course he could have done a transfer and got a flight into Europe where his passport would not be stamped. A suspicious IMM officer would of course have been able to check the passenger list out of Phuket.

My advice on this is DON'T DO IT

[lomuamart]

Totally agree with the above for the same reasons. Unless you want to risk a stay in IDC in BKK, followed by deportation, don't do it.
The above is exactly what happened to numerous people from all over Thailand a few years ago.

[DawnHRD]

Agree completely. Immigration Officers just love catching people who've tried this scam. I remember the crackdown 3 years ago.

Out of interest, Guess, you can fly to HK from Phuket also, but you'd still get a stamp if you entered there. Could get connecting flight, but, as you said, passenger lists are easy to check...

[hogus]

I heard already, too, that this illegally service is offered in Hua Hin again.
A friend of mine got this kind of visa-offer from a travel agency here in Hua Hin about 3 weeks ago.

It's unbelievable, that some cunning agencies are starting with this bullshit again...
But the absolutely highlight was, when a so-called "law-consultant" (Thai), which knows that my friend is affected by the new visa-regulations, offered him a 1-year-visa for a unique payment of 65,000 Baht + a monthly payment of 18,000 Baht.

The criminals with the white vests seem to sniff morning air again?

[Norseman]

2 weeks ago a friend of me went to the Bangkok imm. office.
He needed 3 more months stay visa.
Paid 25.000 Bt. and got his visa.

It's all a matter of what you are willing to spend.
Nothing has changed whatever they say.

To be true, I did not believe him, until he showed me his passport with the necessary stamps.

[Wanderlust]

He got his passport back on October 9th. (Three weeeks). What was on the passport was all the info that had been put there when the new passport had been issued plus and exit stamp from Phuket Airport dated 20th September (the day the previous stamp expired). It looked real but that means nothing. THe next stamp eas an entry stamp on 9th October with an exit date of Nobember 8th. I.e. a standard 30 day stamp. There is no indicarion at all of where he was in the period between the aircraft lerving Phiket and its retun two weeks later. I am not aware of any service running out of Phuket that flys around in circle for two weeks and then retuns.

I have advise him to get to IMM in Hua HIn on Monday as sooon as they open.

Even the thickest IMM officeer would ask the following,

What did you do between September 20th and 9th Otcober as a fine of 500 baht per day shoud have been incurred but there is no indication on the passport.

Where did you fly to from Phuket airport. As far as I know the only two international destiantions from Phuket are KL and Singapore but of course he could have done a transfer and got a flight into Europe where his passport would not be stamped. A suspicious IMM officer would of course have been able to check the passenger list out of Phuket.

My advice on this is DON'T DO IT

Of course that is the correct advice from Guess; however the answer to give if you are this individual, as to where they were in that period, is the UK, as they do not stamp your passport either in or out for a UK passport holder. However a change in the last year (I believe) is that rather than just the cursory glance that used to be given by UK immigration officers to UK passports, they are now scanned (the barcode) both in and out, so there is now a record of a UK citizen entering and leaving the country, whereas before it doesn't appear there was (other than in the records of the particular airline/boat/train company you are using. But it doesn't show up in your actual passport for an immigration officer in another country to see, unless there is some agreement for the barcode info to be available to them, such as I would imagine there is between the UK and the US for example.

[lomuamart]

They didn't swipe the barcode for me, in and out, last month and I didn't see it happening to anyone else - although I went through the non-EEC section with my wife on the way in. All that was different was a longer look at my passport as I left.

[DawnHRD]

Last time I was in UK was February 2006. My passport didn't go anywhere near a computer on the way in or out. The only "security improvement" on previous visits is that they actually opened it & looked at the details. I've come into LHR before & got through immigration with the outside cover of my passport being all that they glanced at. I guess a UK passport was enough - didn't matter whose it was!

[richard]

Regardless of swiping or not do not forget how much information airlines have on their databases about your movements.

I have a friend who was a senior jumbo pilot and who was after his flight days came to an end trained staff in administative skills. He told me about the amount of information that is stored about every passenger and confirmed that this information is shared when required.

Big Brother is certainly here!!!!

[Guess]

Regardless of swiping or not do not forget how much information airlines have on their databases about your movements.

I have a friend who was a senior jumbo pilot and who was after his flight days came to an end trained staff in administative skills. He told me about the amount of information that is stored about every passenger and confirmed that this information is shared when required.

Big Brother is certainly here!!!!

Yes all true. The pretence is that is it used for statisitcal purposes which are then used for marketing and route scheuling. Of course there are many agencies that under the data protection act can get a warrant for acess.

The curious point in this case is why the hell would someone go to the UK and then not return withs a visa but just a 30 day stamp which he could have got himself ar Ranong, Pedang Besar or Lankawi for less money and where is the overstay stamp. My guess is that it will be spotted on the next crossing whcich is why I have advised hin to get to IMM ion Hua Hin first thing Monday Morning.

I can see a couple of arrests coming up soon.

As for

Big Brother is certainly here!!!!

Too true and the country that were nost opposed to it and were against the carrying of ID cards are now the worlkd's leading exponents. At heathrow the now have cameras with facial recognition software. Even the Yashmak and Burka is no defence any more. There is still enough information to identify a person.

Not sure if they have cracked American Football players wearing their full kit yet.

[lomuamart]

Whatever happened to The Data Protection Act?
In which country?
Rhetorical question, people.

[Guess]

Whatever happened to The Data Protection Act?
Rhetorical question, people.

Already mentioned Lomu, further up the thread and not remotely rhetorical. The DPA only applies to the private sector. MI5 & MI6 have a streamed real time feed of all passengers boarding aircraft in the UK and probably have reciprocary arrangements with the Pentagon, ASIS, KGB, Interpol and many others.

Most of this was inplemented post 9/11 where the Brits had already warned of suspects travellling to the US but the information was ignored.

Big Brother is up and running and getting bigger. I am now thinking of have a skin colour change and some plastic surgery so that I can go to Britain on a fake passport and pertend to be an Afghan or Iraqui refugee. Free housing, free food and nothing to do all day.