Entry refusal based on appearance

[Takiap]

Personally I don't think they will enforce these rules, but they do mean that if you get lippy with an immigration officer, or maybe he or she is having a bad day, they can simply turn you away. It could also pave the way for additional income, or perhaps it's the beginning of a "only Thais can wear sandals" law.....lol.


Considering the latest developments happening in Burma, I just hope Thailand doesn't start chasing a lot of their tourists there instead. It's all fair and well saying they want to attract well heeled tourists, but I would imagine they get a huge amount of revenue from backpackers and other average income travelers.

My guess is Thailand gets far more tourists than its neighbors (Malaysia and Singapore), so from that point of view, why aspire to be like your neighbors. I for one enjoy the odd trip down to Malaysia, but for me, returning to Thailand is like a breath of fresh air. As for Singapore......no desire to visit at all. The day Thailand becomes the same, is the day I will gladly leave.

[centermid7]

I once saw three young people from Austrilia pass through Thai immigration at Nong Khai and all three had an open bottle of beer in their hand. They told me what they were going to do as we made that short train trip from Laos to Thailand.

They were quite amused that they could do such a thing.

[Nereus]

'Will result in fewer noisy bikes'? Oh dear that's likely to get some comments! Stereotyping or what...

Just as that list is stereotyping by the Thai authorities. They should be going for the big beer bellied bald sweaty farang who clearly look like sex tourists

Do you mean like the one in the middle of this photo?

stickman bangkok.jpg (21.04 KiB) Viewed 1024 times

[Big Boy]

About 5 years ago, the check-in clerk at Heathrow was going to refuse my 16 yo son's passage to Thailand because his hair was too long. I thought it was incredulous.

[Pleng]

1. Long hair that's not neatly combed and/or appears to be untidy.

2. If you're wearing sandals of any kind, unless sandals are a part of your culture.

3. If you're wearing a sleeveless top without any undergarments. (I have a feeling this clause is aimed more at female visitors)

4. If you're wearing short pants that are very short. (again, I think they are referring to females)

5. If you have too many tattoos and/or piercings.

6. If anything about you or your appearance suggest you may be a hippy.

These rules are not new; but I've never seen them publicly displayed before.

The sandals one is just bizarre, like it's unusual to be wearing sandals in Thailand???

Short pants that are very short; well they're also pretty common in Thailand; however I can at least understand how they could be deemed as offensive; certainly more so than sandals!

Too many tatoos and/or piercings; does that mean that any ladyboys who leave to visit other countries may have problems getting back in?!

And no 6 is about as vague as they can get; but I would imagine that would be used in the case of some moron coming into the country wearing a "legalize cannabis" t-shirt, or some such.

[STEVE G]

Seen at Pedang Besar, the border stop on the southern rail line.

No. 4 on that list seems an obscure thing to make a rule about:

"A person who wears silk pants that do not look respectable"

I assume they enforce this rigorously as I don't remember ever seeing anyone wearing disrespectful silk pants in Thailand.

[usual suspect]

I'm sure there was a thread on here a coupla years back about the attitude of the immigration staff when the office was at it's old site (was it Soi 102?)..what was agreed in the thread was if you want to get what you went for then dress in a smartish manner and you will be dealt with in a fair manner..but the scruff-bags of this fair city STILL turned-up there in ragged cut-off shorts,flip-flops, vest, whilst smoking a roll-up & nursing a can of Beer Chang.
Am I being to prude to say this dress-code is mainly for 'island-life'?

As for the farangs who 'parade' around town without their shirts on (usually wannabe 'he-men' sporting new tattoos) my only view on this is it's not BIG and it's not CLEVER..try to show some respect for the people of this town..you are after all a guest of THEIRS.
(In Pattaya, do the tourist Police not make Farangs put their shirts back on..??).

[STEVE G]

When I was working in SE Asia, I remember one case of someone almost getting refused a work permit in one country for having tatoos on show as they're still associated with prisons and organised crime in many societies.

[Big Boy]

I'm sure there was a thread on here a coupla years back about the attitude of the immigration staff when the office was at it's old site (was it Soi 102?)..what was agreed in the thread was if you want to get what you went for then dress in a smartish manner and you will be dealt with in a fair manner.

I remember that thread well, and have often thought about it since. The main subject of my musings since has been what constitutes a 'smartish manner'?

I'm used to going to work in the UK wearing at least a collar and tie, and depending on the day's business in a formal suit. That is my perception of a smartish manner. However, I couldn't imagine going anywhere in Thailand dressed like that - it's just too hot.

Can somebody please clarify what is meant by 'smartish'?

[dtaai-maai]

I actually take this semi-seriously, but almost certainly without good reason.

If I'm going to Immigration in HH on my own behalf, I usually wear trousers and a short-sleeved shirt.
If I'm helping a friend whose English isn't very good, I wear trousers or 'long' shorts (not that I have many short shorts these days! ) and a polo shirt or a shirt.
But I do think about it.

After 8 years, that's habit rather than any feeling of real necessity, but if there were to be a problem, I think that looking and behaving the part would be of considerable help, rather than appearing as some unshaven, ravingly angry farang in a singlet and swimming shorts.

Think of it as a job interview and it starts to make sense of a sort.

[usual suspect]

Oo-err Mrs!
Anyone who knows me will also know how I usually dress..(you're all jealous of my pants I reckon..5-5!).
But I think here we are all of the same opinion..and it follows what the immigration office is maybe trying to say to us...please 'dress-to-impress' (or at least be seen to have made an effort).. nuff said from me.

[STEVE G]

I'm used to going to work in the UK wearing at least a collar and tie, and depending on the day's business in a formal suit. That is my perception of a smartish manner. However, I couldn't imagine going anywhere in Thailand dressed like that - it's just too hot.

You could go for the tropical suit and Panama hat look:

[centermid7]

^ ohhh baby . . Puttin' on the Ritz ?

[Takiap]

When I was working in SE Asia, I remember one case of someone almost getting refused a work permit in one country for having tatoos on show as they're still associated with prisons and organised crime in many societies.

Yes you're correct. While things might have changed in the last 10 to 15 years, most employers in South Africa would insist that your tattoos remain covered during work hours, especially if your job involved dealing with the public. Tattoos on your hands and/or neck would almost certainly have meant you you wouldn't have been able to get a job.


While times have changed, I guess things do rub off on you because if I was an employer, I still wouldn't be keen on hiring someone covered in tattoos. Imagine going to see a doctor and he has tattoos on his hands and neck ................no thank you.

[BaaBaa.]

I wish they'd lockup some of the 2 week hippys as they are leaving, saggy arsed scruffbags.