Reporter: RonnyLatYa
If you want to make a border run from Pattaya to Cambodia to obtain a new Visa Exemption period, you must first contact a Visa office. Preferable than the one they recommend in the article which happens to be located next to immigration.
You need to register there. A copy of your passport will then be sent to you and if it is considered that you are eligible, you can obtain a new Visa Exemption of 45 days. That way you can come back the same day. If you go alone, you may have to stay in Cambodia for a day to a week before you can return.
Here's the full article: Immigration police detail restrictions on Cambodian visa runs from Pattaya – Pattaya Mail
What I find strange is that the Cambodian immigration keeps you in Cambodia and actually decides whether you are going to get those 45 days or not by letting you return or not. There where they actually have nothing to do with it, because that you get that period of residence is only a decision of the Thai immigration.
Moreover, that 2 x Visa Exemption is officially based on a calendar year and not 12 months as stated in the article:
Only 2 Visa Exempt Entries At Border Crossings Per Calendar Year Effective Dec 31st – Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits – Thailand News, Travel & Forum – ASEAN NOW
From the article it seems to me to only be about Visa Exemption. Nowhere is there reference to those who do a border run with a visa in order to obtain a new period of residence. Personally, I think it's an organized scam, but I'll let the reader decide what he/she thinks about this.
Note: “Reactions are very welcome on the subject, but limit yourself here to the subject of this “TB Immigration Infobrief. If you have other questions, if you would like to see a topic covered, or if you have information for the readers, you can always send it to the editors. Only use www.thailandblog.nl/contact/ for this. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation”.
That misleading text ends with:
To place your advertisements in the Pattaya Mail newspaper and website, please contact:
It seems that the visa agency itself has purchased advertising space to convey their message.
I think those border officials at the Cambodian border are willing to play the game.
A few years ago, the price of a Cambodia entrance fee was 20 dollars, so I had already brought a 20 dollar note, but she wanted 1400 Thai baht.
They didn't want the Dollars and started threatening that I had to stay at least 24 hours and book a hotel in advance.
Behind the office were a lot of expensive Lexus cars.
Regards,
jos k.
Possibly it's a purchased ad, but she still suggests it's from immigration
I just googled Jessataporn Bunnag.
I think he has a subscription with pattayamail website.
He is also president of the pattaya bridge club.
Regards,
jos k.
Could well be the reason.
You don't read anything about it anywhere else, just that Pattaya Mail article.
If immigration imposes that, you would read more about it on social media, I think.
I never paid in thb always dollars.
If they said in thb I pointed to the sign that said 20 or 30 dollars.
Never had any problems.
Ben
Visa – problems such as which to accept money and which not can be easily avoided by a
Create Cambodia e-visas, the price is fixed and no hassle at the border crossing.
Moreover, you save a page in your passport.
I never hand over my passport and always visit Cambodia in person - never encountered any problems at the borders.
regards
Guy
I don't understand why you should go into a neighboring country with a border run. With an exit stamp you have official proof that you have left the country and so you should be able to re-enter the country immediately afterwards, with the right type of visa or visa exemption.
Can someone explain this to me?
It is true that already about 8 years ago I did a border run at the border crossing of Nong Khai because of a multiple entry non-immigrant O visa.
Traveled to Nong Khai with my girlfriend.
Got an exit stamp at the Thai immigration office on one side of the road, crossed the road and got an entry stamp with 90 days of residence at the Thai immigration office on the other side of the road.
Then back home.
Because people check at those border posts whether you have a stamp from that other country in your passport.
If you do not have that, you will not receive a new period of residence.
What you say seems to me to be something that is very exceptional because I used to do a lot of border runs from Nong Khai, say 10-15 years ago, and that was always checked.
And there are those who tried but they were all sent to the tube that takes you over the bridge.
Also visited Pu Nam Ron (KanchanaburI) often.
A Myanmar stamp in it or you might forget…
If it were, everyone would do that and you would also read about it on social media.
And rest assured that many try.
TheoB, I think you were very lucky.
I know that border post; used it at a non-im-O in Thailand at the beginning of my stay and lived a few miles away. It was always checked whether I had stamps from a stay in Laos and whether there was a Laos visa. Didn't have any problem with it because bought cheap wine in Laos….
This link also says something like this; you really have to go into the other country. https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand-visa/thai-visa-run-malaysia
@ Ronny and Erik,
Then it must have been my particularly charming appearance and personality that I was admitted that day (25-01-2015) without a 'new' exit stamp from Laos. 🙂
Entry and exit stamps from Laos from a previous border run (1 week Vientiane) were in my previous passport.
Because I wasn't sure beforehand that it would work, I traveled to the border post with my girlfriend, so that she could still go with me into Laos in case I wasn't allowed back in immediately.
Suppose a non-Thai with a non-immigrant O multiple entry flies from Thailand to his home country, his passport is scanned in his home country (so no entry stamp), leaves his home country, where his passport is scanned again (so no exit stamp), flies back to Thailand, loses his boarding pass and reports to immigration after arrival. So this person will not be admitted because there is no 'new' exit stamp from another country in his passport and he cannot show a boarding pass?
That is why I would still like to see the official English or Thai text of the rule that one must not only have left the country, but also enter from another country. Which article of which regulation should I read?
TheoB! What a legal question and despite my personality (no, you are not alone in that….) I have no answer.
But also the Thai Immi knows that, among other things, NL does not stamp and therefore one does not have to look for it.
As for the rest; remember a case of a tourist who went from country A (supposed: China) to country B (supposed: Laos) over a footbridge and was not allowed to enter country B! So he had to walk back to country A. The newspaper comment was that an international treaty required country A to take mister back. Conditions? I didn't miss any of that. So there is probably something regulated in treaties and that will also be the case with Thailand.
Also in case Farang A travels from Thailand to Laos and loses his passport there. His country's embassy is in Bangkok…. Well, what then? If there is no consulate, then look for a Schengen embassy, or something else? Local police? I honestly don't want to experience it....
If you go through an international airport, you must have left the country, right?
It is therefore not necessary to have a stamp from another country as proof that you have been to another country.
But without a ticket you can't get to immigration to leave the country either.
Or are you making plans to buy a ticket to get to immigration, not fly and walk back somewhere on an arriving flight?
Of course you can think of anything…. but also think about the consequences if they come out? But you might get away with it if you have a rather endearing appearance and personality. 🙂
By the way, do you really think that someone who has lost their boarding pass will be refused? Why would you think that? There will be more who forgot their boarding pass on the plane, or simply threw it away because they thought they no longer needed it. They're not going to return them. They know quite well which flights have arrived.
They automatically assume at an airport that you come from abroad. Simply mentioning your flight will suffice. In the worst case when in doubt, they can also simply ask the airline if you were on that flight.
It's immigration telling a country post that you have to go to the other country. You must follow their instructions.
But I suspect there will be an instruction somewhere and possibly even an agreement with the other countries.
But I'm not going to bother looking for that. After all, I don't need it.
You know what else to do.
You can always try of course.
One if they refuse argue with immigration, or wave your rules when you find them.
What can they do?
Saying that you shouldn't come back for at least that day, or requiring you to re-enter through an airport?
The latter is what they also do with those who have more than 2 visa exemptions over land. This aside.