This is the burning question that is causing sleepless nights for many families especially foreigners working offshore as a soldier, oil and gas worker etc, who tend to work on a rotational basis normally 30 days working and 30 days in Thailand with their family or close friends using Thailand as a base to travel from before going to work.
Why is it like this? Everything at the moment is up in the air but it is mainly because the Immigration Bureau of Thailand are trying to stop or cut down foreigners they presume may be working illegally in Thailand and the officer on the day at the airport has to ascertain now if they feel you may be using Thailand for illegal gains or not which is why they are scrutinizing foreigners passports on entry to Thailand and at the moment detaining foreigners and interviewing them or refusing them entry to Thailand which is a nightmare if you have a Thai wife and children waiting for you in Thailand and not something you want to be greeted with when you get off the plane.
After pondering on this subject for a week there is no real answer apart from getting a more permanent visa but this is not always possible so I have a few suggestions on what you may do which has not been published and only my opinion.
Foreigners working offshore
- Carry in your hand luggage your contract of employment for work
- Working salary slips showing you do not working in Thailand
- Bank account statements showing your salary paid in be it Thailand or overseas
- If married carry your marriage certificate
- If have children carry their birth certificates
- If you own property carry your home ownership in Thailand
- Have a letter from your employer explaining why you travel in and out of Thailand so often.
- If you rent a home a copy of rental agreement and a utility bill “true vision etc”
- If married and have children then carry a photo of you together as a heart warmer
- Showing a Thai bank book with funds is a good idea as you can show how you can support yourself in Thailand.
What the above will do is show the Immigration officer that you are a genuine traveler to Thailand and that you have ties to the Country so have a copy portfolio in your hand luggage and if you get detained or refused entry at least you have something to show the officer because turning up empty handed will not cut any ice so preempt a situation, I am in no way saying this will work but my feeling is it could buy you time to sort a visa type out and be allowed in to Thailand.
Foreign partners of people residing in Thailand
It has also been reported that foreign partners i.e. from the Philippines etc are also being detained and questioned or refused entry if they are seen to have many entries in their passport in to Thailand as also it could seem to the officer that you are working illegally so below is some suggestions, not rules just my opinion.
- Have a letter from you foreign sponsor/ boyfriend and a copy of his passport and visa stating they are your guarantor in Thailand and the reason for visits.
- Details of were the foreigner resides and proof of were you will be staying in Thailand , e.g. rental agreement, house ownership of the foreigner
- Make sure you carry a minimum of 20,000 Thai baht or the equivalent on your person to show you have money
- Bank statement Thai or overseas from your foreign partner and photos of you both together
- Make sure your airline ticket is a return ticket specifying your length of stay in Thailand on the visit
- Contact numbers for the foreigner in case the Immigration officer wishes to confirm the above is correct.
As I have said this is suggestions and in no way will guarantee your entry to Thailand but it is better than having nothing especially if you have no visa in your passport as stranded at the airport is no laughing matter or really ever been experienced in Thailand.
We are hoping that certain rules maybe put in place for entry to Thailand in the future to make it more guaranteed “lets hope so and hope the above helps”
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