Thailand visa: Tourist visa two entries, overland to Cambodia and directly back to Thailand?
Dear editors,
I have a question about a tourist visa with two entries of 60 days. Is it possible to go to Cambodia by land and return directly to Thailand on the same day?
To a question to that effect when collecting my visa at the Thai consulate in Amsterdam, I received the answer that I have to stay in Cambodia for four days. I can't find anything about that but it seems very unlikely to me. Do you know anything about it?
I also heard that it would vary from border crossing to border crossing.
Thanks for an answer,
Regards,
Nanda
Dear Nanda,
If you have a valid visa with two entries, you can leave and re-enter Thailand on the same day. Nowhere does it say that you are obliged to stay in Cambodia for four days. I have heard more of those stories, although the number of days may differ.
It is different when you do not have a visa and you stay in Thailand on the basis of “Visa Exemption”. There people dare to do something difficult and they sometimes apply local rules, which means that it is not always possible to perform a “Border Run” on one and the same day. However, this does not apply to you because you have a “Tourist Visa Double Entry”.
In your case it should therefore not be a problem to make a “Borderrun” (Out/In, Visarun) of one day. Please note the validity period of your visa. You must make your “Border Run” before the end of the validity period of your visa (look at Enter Before on your visa).
After the validity date, not only your visa expires, but also your entries, even if they were not used.
Yet this one. When problems arose at the border posts (especially the Thai-Cambodian) on September 13, 2015, a “Border Run” was impossible for everyone for a few days. Even for persons with a valid visa / entries. Fortunately, this was reversed after a few days. Persons in possession of a valid visa with Double, Triple or Multiple entries could again perform their “Borderrun” in one day. Only for “Visa Exemption” people continue to be difficult, but as said before, that may depend on the border post and / or immigration officer.
In Thailand it is always difficult to draw a line where you can say “That's how it is”. I therefore advise you to obtain local information about the situation at the border posts before your “Border Run”. As I write it here it may very well be that the weather is changing
Here's some more info on the border issues:
aecnewstoday.com/2015/bomber-blame-game-sees-thailand-immigration-abruptly-change-visa-rules/#axzz3licfPO1h
Update #5 This article was updated at 10.30pm on September 23, 2015:
aecnewstoday.com/2015/bomber-blame-game-sees-thailand-immigration-abruptly-change-visa-rules/#axzz3licfPO1h
Reports from Thailand-Cambodia border crossings at Ban Laem/Daun Lem, Ban Pakard/Phsa Prum and Aranyaprathet/Poipet indicate that out-in stamps are again being issued for Western, Japanese, and Russian passport holders in possession of valid double/multiple entry visas.The ban on out-in stamps is reported to still be in effect for citizens of Asean member nations irrespective of whether they possess a valid visa, while all nationalities are still banned from obtaining out-in visa exempt entry stamps.At the time of writing there was no information available on the Phu Nam Ron/ Htee Kee border crossing in Kanchanaburi. (I thought the latter was also open again, but I can't find the source directly)
pattaya-funtown.com/thai-cambodian-border-closed-to-outin-visa-runners
UPDATE (October 7) – More good news it seems. It appears like the visa run crackdown situation has returned to “normal” again at least at the Ban Laem checkpoint on the Thai-Cambodian border in Chanthaburi, a popular destination for daily visa run tour groups from Bangkok and Pattaya.
A Bangkok-based visa service company reports today:
(…) 15/30 day visa exempt possible again, restriction: Thai Immigration will allow a total of 90 days under visa exempt per calendar year. Valid for ASEAN, Westerners, Russian and Japanese. Time spent under Tourist Visa or Non Immigrant or extensions are not counted towards that 90 day allowance.
Out/in border runs are reportedly also possible again at the Ban Pakard/Prum checkpoint, also in Chantaburi province, and at the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border crossing, ie provided you haven't exceeded a limit of 90 days on visa exempt entries in a calendar year.
In other words, most checkpoints on the Thai-Cambodian border are open again for out/in border runs as long as you stick to the (unofficial) “90-day rule” which currently seems to apply to the “four southern crossings to Cambodia and the Kanchanaburi crossing.”
This would be in line with an earlier AEC News Today report (see our update from September 14) that suggested that the most recent crackdown affected only tourists without a visa that have stayed in Thailand for a total of 90 days in a calendar year and wish to re-enter Thailand on another visa-exempt entry.
We interpreted that as follows:
As previously, foreign tourists from eligible countries do not need a visa to visit Thailand but can do so under the visa exemption scheme.
Back-to-back 15/30 day visa-exempt entries at land border checkpoints will also be allowed.
Foreign visitors may however not stay in the kingdom on visa-exempt entries, ie without a valid visa, for longer than a total of 90 days per calendar year.
Once you've stayed in Thailand on visa-exempt entries for a total of 90 days in one calendar year and cannot produce a valid visa, you will get rejected at the border.
Please note that this new procedure currently only appears to apply to the “most popular” border checkpoints near Bangkok and Pattaya and has not been officially confirmed yet
pattaya-funtown.com/thai-cambodian-border-closed-to-outin-visa-runners/
Good luck. I would like to know how it went for you. You can then help other readers further. Thanks in advance
Regards,
RonnyLatPhrao
Disclaimer: The advice is based on existing regulations. The editors accept no responsibility if this is deviated from in practice.