Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the fact that denial of entry is always a risk when you are dealing with any Immigration checkpoint. And I didn't specifically make the title of this video about Thailand per se because it is true. Any immigration checkpoint around the world, this analysis I think applies to. Let's get into it. 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Thai Examiner, that's thaiexaminer.com, the article is titled: Immigration Bureau tightens rules for foreign tourist visas as the country feels the heat on scammers. Quoting directly: "Thailand tightens foreign Tourist Visa rules as authorities crack down on scams and illegal stays. Visa extensions are now limited, Border Runs targeted, repeat offenders face entry bans, while genuine tourists on short visits remain largely unaffected." Again, if you're watching this as a tourist coming in to Thailand over this next high season, you never been here before, you're just coming here as vacationers, don't worry about any of this Visa stuff. Honestly, all of it, just forget it. Just come here and enjoy yourselves, because if you have a visa exempt passport, for example from the US, UK, Europe, even Russia, various places out here in the Eastern part of the world, if you are visa exempt, you've never been to Thailand, this is your first time, you're fine. You're probably going to be processed through Immigration, you won't even know what happened, okay? 

What we're talking about this stuff for, is clarification for expats, nomads, more these travellers that we are seeing more and more, that kind of live nomadically. That said, quoting further: "Thailand has slammed the brakes on foreign tourist visas as of Thursday and rising concerns over border security and elicit scam compounds in neighbouring countries particularly Myanmar, Cambodian and Laos. Under the new rules, foreigners can get only a seven-day extension on their second visa application at an Immigration Bureau Office and authorities are cracking down on so-called Border Runs with anyone trying this more than twice risking outright denial of entry." And that's more or less the point of this video is that all, any time you are going before a foreign border checkpoint, it's always a risk you could be denied entry, even if you have a visa. That's why I said at the beginning of this video, I didn't title this specific to Thailand, because I think this analysis applies virtually any country you go to.

Now I guess I can't say I know for certain it applies to every country around the world, but it definitely flies to the US and Thailand, and it's my understanding, just understanding Immigration Law after nearly 20 years that that is standard operating procedures that if you want to get in to a given country, you have to request access at an Immigration checkpoint. Whether you have a visa or not, an Immigration Officer at one of those checkpoints can deny entry; they have that ability to do that. 

And the point of bringing this up in this video is I've kind of noticed some sensationalism with respect to these reason announcements by Thai Immigration. This isn't really all that big of news insofar as they are just reiterating what has always been policy. You have only ever been able to do two presumptive Border Runs per year since the Ministerial Decree that deals with this, which if I'm not mistaken, I think occurred back in '18, it might have been even earlier than that. I did videos on it at the time when they released that decree, they promulgated that decree that said hey, two "border runs" per year be they land, sea, or air, will be presumptively permitted each year in Thailand. After that, you are subject to the discretion, or more discretion if you will, of the Immigration Officer and that Officer is going to wonder what you're doing on your third attempt to get into Thailand without any proper visa status after you may have been there the better part of a year. Because at a certain point, they're starting to ask "hey are you living here on this Visa?" If so, that's not what this is intended for. You need to get a Non-immigrant visa and come back; that's the thing to understand about this. 

But the point I wanted to make with this video is one, really the stuff that has been announced recently or been talked about a lot in the Press, and I think rightly so, because immigration did talk about it, this isn't a lot of new policy. This is just more scrutiny, more enforcement, of otherwise promulgated laws, rules, regulations, and policies, here in Thailand. So that's the thing to understand. If you're trying to get into any country whether you have a visa or not, there's always a risk that you could be denied entry by an Immigration Officer, either in another country, or here in the Kingdom of Thailand.