Hi,

I am currently travelling SEA since March 2024 and have spent most of my time in Thailand. It must have been 8 Months in total already. Last time I entered Thailand via plane, I was pulled out at immigration and was questioned, why I want to enter Thailand again. I am currently in Laos and plan to stay for 30 days - I arrived 3 days ago and plan to go back to Thailand, before going back home to Germany. Now I am quite concerned that my entry will be denied.

What is my best bet? Would a tourist Visa help in this case? I already tried to apply, but I seem to need a permanent address in Laos?! Could someone please help me understand?

Any help is kindly appreciated

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.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been researching the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) process but would love some guidance from those who have already gone through it recently.

Current Situation:

• Location: Chiang Mai

• Thai Soft Power Activity: I found a Muay Thai gym with experience in DTV applications

• Financials: Foreign bank account with 500,000+ THB

• Accommodation: My lease expires in a month, but it is in my girlfriend’s name

Goal:

To get the DTV as fast as possible with possibly minimal cost involved.

Options:

1. Apply online from Romania (This would cost me more money because the flight tickets are very expensive).

2. Apply online from a neighboring country (e.g., Vietnam) (I don’t understand exactly how the process works when applying online from a country other than my own).

Questions:

1. Is there a difference in processing times between applying from Romania vs. a neighboring country? I’ve heard Romania takes longer, even though both are online.

2. Do they require proof of long-term accommodation in Thailand when applying from Vietnam?

3. Some applications mention proof of salary for the past six months—how does this affect unemployed applicants?

For those who have been through the process recently, I’d truly appreciate any advice or insights you can share. Thanks in advance for your time and help! 🙏

I applied in KL after I got deported while trying to enter again in tourist visa.

I have everything they asked for but no 6 month rent contract, since I’m not in the country.

I have more than enough funds and retourning salary of 100k baht + per month.

Any advise how I can proof the rental contract without entering the country?

Hi all, im arriving Friday 3rd Jan evening on a 60 day VOA after exiting the country for 10 days.

I originally arrived on Oct 30th with a 60 day tourist evisa applied thru the Thai Embassy in Canberra and exited on Dec 23rd.

My question is that I dont have an accomodation booking as im currently renting a condo for 6mths.

Will that be an issue? Or should I book one nights accomodation somewhere to help navigate immigration at the airport?

I plan to organise a more suitable visa in the next few weeks.

Proof of payment for accommodation

Number 6 on. TR tourist evisa check list.

Thai embassy KL

Any idea if the yearly lease of my condo would work as a substitute for such a document.

Bank transfer proof will only show proof of transfer of funds. Not sure if owner or agents would supply tax number on a receipt. Has anyone had any experience of supplying such a document

Hello everyone,

I’m preparing my visa application for Thailand and I have a question about the required documents.

I understand that:

* Point 4 requires the flight ticket/travel booking confirmation.

* Point 5 asks for proof of accommodation in Thailand, such as hotel bookings or an invitation letter from family/friends.

However, I’m unclear about Point 3, which states: “Document indicating current location.” What kind of document is needed for this? Would it be proof of residence, a utility bill, or something else?

Any advice or examples would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello

I am currently applying for the DTV visa from South Korea and have received an additional document request:

"Proof of Accommodation in Thailand: Lease Agreement or Invitation letter to the Royal Thai Embassy, Seoul. (Typed with sponsor’s signature including reason, period, pp no) to certify your stay (Upload Sponsor's PP and ID copy, etc)"

Since this visa cannot be applied for from within Thailand, how is it possible to submit a Lease Agreement? It is unrealistic to sign a rental contract online without even seeing the place.

Has anyone else encountered this request? If so, I would appreciate it if you could share how you resolved this issue.

Hello

I am currently applying for the DTV visa from South Korea and have received an additional document request: "Proof of Accommodation in Thailand: Lease Agreement or Invitation letter to the Royal Thai Embassy, Seoul. (Typed with sponsor’s signature including reason, period, pp no) to certify your stay (Upload Sponsor's PP and ID copy, etc)"

Since this visa cannot be applied for from within Thailand, how is it possible to submit a Lease Agreement? It is unrealistic to sign a rental contract online without even seeing the place.

Has anyone else encountered this request? If so, I would appreciate it if you could share how you resolved this issue. Thank you.

Hello. Has anyone applied from Rome, Italy? I will apply via e-visa on Friday, but I still have questions. In the DTV documents section of the site, they ask for proof of entry-exit flight reservation and proof of accommodation. When I arrive in Thailand for accommodation, I want to rent a house and I only booked a hotel for 2 days. Should I make a reservation for the number of days I will stay and show the exit flight ticket?

Required Documents

1. Flight Itinerary showing flights into and out of Thailand

2. Proof of accommodation: Copy of hotel reservation / rental contract/deed. In case of residing with a family, an invitation letter from the host family along with a copy of their undersigned Thai ID or house registration is required. The name of the applicant must be indicated clearly, or

Thanks for your help