RE: Entering Thailand as a tourist and being denied entry

We're getting more and more reports of people either being questioned extensively at the time of entry, or directly being denied entry to Thailand.

Ever since visa exempt entries were changed from 30 days to 60 days, things seem to have been getting stricter in regards to entries. As always, your entry will be at the discretion of the immigration officer you are standing in front of.

One of the key things that seems to be a point against you will be if you applied for an extension to your 60-day entry previously. If you came to Thailand as a tourist (visa exempt or tourist visa) and then applied for a 30-day extension, and then leave and return, this is what seems to be causing issues. Maybe the immigration officers believe 90 days is enough time for you to have been a tourist?

How long you need to be out of Thailand after doing these 90 days varies, and will likely be dependent upon your history in Thailand. We've seen people who returned after 3 months and still have issues. Of course some people leave and return in the same day and encounter no issues, but there's no way for you to know how it will go for you.

If you are coming to Thailand as a tourist and have already been in Thailand within the last 6 months as a tourist, there are a few things you can do to increase your odds:

Have the 3 "proofs" that can be asked for, but usually are not. If the immigration officer wants to deny you entry, these are the 3 easiest reasons for them to do it.

1) Proof of funds (20,000 baht or equivalent in another major currency, IN CASH ONLY)

2) Proof of onward travel (a ticket out of Thailand within 60 days)

3) Proof of lodging (a hotel reservation, or proof of where you will be staying in Thailand for at least the first few days. A lease agreement is not going to be in your favor when you're trying to argue that you are just a tourist and not living in Thailand)

(The single biggest item in your favor will be if you can show them a plane ticket out of Thailand within 60 days, especially if it's back to your home country)

If you have just spent your 90 days in Thailand and want to get a new stamp, then you are recommended to use a land border bounce agency to drive you to the border and make sure you get out and back in without any issues. These typically leave very early in the morning so they can get you back home before the end of the day. For example in Bangkok, they tend to leave around 4AM. Normal costs anywhere from 4-5k baht. More and more land borders are also requiring 1 or 2 nights out of Thailand if you want to do a border bounce, and using an agent will bypass that requirement as well.

You also have the option of using a "safe entry" agent at the airport if you want to fly out and back to get a fresh stamp. These typically cost around 4-5k baht as well but the price will go up if you've been spending a lot of time in Thailand. This is not the same as Fast Track which just gets you into a faster line.

Getting a tourist visa is an option, but nowhere near a guarantee. There's not really any difference between a tourist visa and visa exempt anymore as they both give you 60 days in Thailand. The immigration officers know they are one in the same and if they think you have spent too much time in Thailand as a tourist, a tourist visa isn't likely to help.

There will be many people who want to say "I entered 14 times without any problems" or "I have NEVER been asked to show money in my 800 years of entering Thailand" but it's not relevant. Unless that person has the exact same travel history as you, and was stamped in by the exact same immigration officer that you are standing in front of, their experience is irrelevant. We are talking about trends here, and the trends show that they are getting more strict across every method of entry into Thailand.

This post won't apply to 99% of people who are coming to Thailand as actual tourists for a few weeks and then going home. But there are a lot of people trying to spend a lot of time in Thailand without a long-term visa, and they are the ones in the crosshairs currently.

Tim Newton of Tim Newton Today upped intell three hours ago re the bank account drama.

TLDR: He strikes a more positive vibe and in essence it’s “hold tight” as the situation is developing. His sources indicate it might blow over in as little as a few weeks.

He does state that reports are correct that there’s no “goverment decree” ban but that tightened diligence is effectively banning new accounts.

Personally this will deeply affect me. My last several visits (VoA) I’ve been too busy to open an account. I now regret my procrastination. For me it’s about quality of life - easier and cheaper access to transferred funds, ability to use QR, easier online shopping through Thai websites (ever had your non-Thai card rejected?), easier and cheaper transfers to help my girlfriend’s sick buffalo, etc. I’m a very cashless person too.

Dont know if anyone elsehas encountered this problem. I recently tried to send my wife a small amount of money using WISE. After three days I got an email saying my account had been closed due to fraudulant activity, which is absolute nonnsense. I have spent several hours on the phone submitted a claim with them and they still have my money. I cannot seem to talk with anyone with any authority. Anybody else have this experience and any idea on how to get my money back. Disgusted by this.

Hello! I’ll be travelling to Nepal for 6 weeks and wondered if anyone has successfully applied for the DTV from Nepal? Was it straightforward or complicated?

Hi my friend had trouble coming in, he had hassle at airport immigration saying he had come back too quick . He flew to uk after stayin in Thailand for 90 days from sept to December then he flew back on 16 January after more than a month at home. The officer gave him a real hard time , to the point he thought he was getting refused entry. He wants to extend his 60 day tourist entry to 90 like he did last time but his fear is the immigration officer said she had put a note on his file. Do you think an agent would be able to get information on what was put on the file, he’s terrified to go to immigration to try extend and get refused . This is only his second visit , he hast been to Thailand since covid and even then only came for a 30 day visit. Any suggestions, he is not a con man just wanting to have nice longer holiday with new friends he has met. What would be cost for an agent to do 30 day extension? And do you think they can access what has been put in his file by airport immigration? Thanks in advance

Well, back into CMX on DTV yesterday and luckily I did have the dirty photocopy of the DTV as the immigration officer screamed at me for it. I simply said, "Sorry, I didn't know you needed the paper as well," and that was enough and then he got difficult. Luckily I found it in my bag. He huffed and puffed and stamped me through. Going to make many photocopies of that piece of paper.

Hello everyone, I would like to ask what health insurance that is best to get for Non O Retirement visa. I am inquiring on behalf of my mother and she is already 79 y/o. Thank you in advance.

I'm a us citizen traveling to chiang mai this week. I know I'm 60 day visa exempt, but is there any fee I pay upon entering the country?

Thank you

Hey guys, looking at applying for DTV for my family and I (myself being the primary visa holder and my 2 kids as dependants & my partner/spouse.) We are currently travelling around Asia and starting up content creating, but haven’t got a professional portfolio done yet as it’s still in its infancy. Have sufficient funds to satisfy the 500,000 baht criteria.

Couple of questions:

Would it be best to apply under soft power, like Muay Thai (I’m actually interested in doing this)

Also, my partner and I aren’t married, but have children together, would she still qualify as my spouse?

Appreciate any feedback/suggestions 🤙🏽

I have a question regarding work visas for Thailand please.

My husband and I are hoping to come and stay in Chiang mail for 6 months and we can both work online.

Just wondering which visa would be best for this situation and length of time. If he likes it there we may want to extend our time.

Thank you for any info