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In spite of the fact that visa formalities are comparatively strict, Thailand is in principle an open country, not only for those coming for short tourist visits but also for those wishing to stay longer. People have stayed for years on ordinary tourist visas without being looked upon with suspicion by immigration authorities. This is the case for all foreigners. Under Thai immigration law, those who stay illegally are detained for a certain period of time prior to deportation. The stiff fine of 200 Baht per day is imposed on those who overstay their visa. The fine is collected at the airport rather informally. However, without paying, departure is not permitted. The inclusion of a child or children on a parent’s passport can cause problems if the parent wants to travel out of Thailand without the child or children. Thai immigration laws prescribe that a child sharing a parent’s passport must leave the country with the parent. The solution is to have separate passports issued for children. No
innoculations or immunisation is required unless the foreigner comes from a
contaminated or high-risk area.
Foreign tourists from these countries must enter the kingdom by passenger planes or registered sea-going vessels of 500 or more tons or overland from Malaysia. According to the books, tourists must hold tickets for onward travel. Those who enter Thailand with a privately owned or rented car must bring all relevant registration papers for the vehicle. The 15 day permit cannot be extended except for unforeseen circumstances such as illness or a delay of aircraft departure. Special and most favourable regulations apply for nationals from New Zealand, South Korea and Malaysia. New Zealand and South Korea citizens holding valid passports may enter Thailand as temporary visitors for three months without obtaining a visa. Malaysian nationals entering the kingdom overland from Malaysia by bus, rented car or motorcycle need not have return or onward tickets. The Malaysians don’t need a passport but can get a border pass. The border pass, valid for 6 months, allows a Malaysian national to travel up to 50km into Southern Thailand for a maximum period of 15 days. Similar regulations are in effect for Burmese, Laotians and Cambodians who can cross the borders into Thailand with border passes but are restricted to one day stays within a limited area along the borders. Citizens
of Hong Kong and Taiwan are exempt from the requirement of a valid
passport. Taiwanese only need an entry permit from a Thai Airways’
office in Taipei or a Thai embassy in a third country. Hong Kong Chinese
can travel to Thailand with their Certificates of Identity. The visitors must carry a valid passport or other travel document issued by one of these countries. They must also have a fully paid ticket that enables them to travel out of the kingdom within the stipulated time. The application for a visa must be accompanied by one passport sized photograph. A fee of 300 Baht is to be paid. Ordered by continents, the regulation applies to the countries listed below.
In the areas of northern Thailand and Bangkok, most people staying longer than three months make their exit journeys to Penang, Malaysia. There is a train that leaves daily at 15:15 from Hua Lamphong Railway Station for Butterworth in Malaysia, opposite the island of Penang, arriving there shortly after noon. There is an immediate ferry connection to Penang Island. Connections to Singapore are more difficult. Trains have to be changed twice, first at Butterworth and then at Kuala Lumpur. Delays in the connection from Butterworth to Kuala Lumpur will cause the passenger to miss the train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Travel from Singapore to Bangkok will usually mean either a day stop-over in Kuala Lumpur or a night in Butterworth. For those who want to travel straight through from Bangkok to Singapore, it’s generally difficult to obtain a sleeper for the second night of the journey, from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. The Thai and the Malaysian railways systems are not well coordinated at present. While it is possible to buy tickets in Bangkok straight through to Singapore, there is no possibility to make reservations all the way. Reservations are possible in Bangkok only up to Butterworth. When arriving in Kuala Lumpur the traveller will usually not have the time anymore to make an onward reservation as the reservation counter in Kuala Lumpur closes around 20:00, and that’s about when travellers from Butterworth arrive. Thai visas are granted in Penang within 24 hours. The Thai consulate is on Jalan Nunn off Jalan Macalister, quite a way from the city centre. Two passport pictures are needed and the citizens of most countries will have to pay a visa fee of 30 Malaysian Dollars. The Thai train back to Bangkok departs from Butterworth at 13:40. Usually, visas can be picked up at the Thai consulate early enough to catch the train. For those who want to catch the train on the same day, it is advisable to be at the Thai consulate between 9:00 and 10:00, as often the passports are stamped only when foreigners arrive and want to pick them up - which often means a waiting time of something between half an hour and two hours. Tickets from Butterworth to Bangkok can be bought at a Malaysian Railway counter at the ferry terminal of Penang; reservations can also be made there. However, those who want to make sure that they have a sleeper back to Bangkok should buy their tickets already in Bangkok and make firm reservations well in advance - in spite of the fact that changing reservations carries a quite heavy fee. The Thai train for Bangkok typically starts in Butterworth. Most of the time, all berths in the four sleeper cars departing from Penang are fully booked several days before departure. Those who buy their tickets only on the day of departure or just a few days earlier will have to be content with the non-aircon second class car which is not particularly comfortable for the 20 hour journey to Bangkok. However, the second class non-aircon car is suitable for those who just want to travel to Surat Thani and from there to Ko Samui. Many travellers wouldn’t mind to go as far as Hat Yai in the non-aircon second class car and to transfer there into one of the sleeper cars, which are attached to the train in Hat Yai. However, it is not possible to make reservations in Penang or Butterworth for cars attached in Hat Yai. Those who have not been able to book a sleeper in Butterworth can check with the conductor whether a berth has remained vacant in the cars attached in Hat Yai. It’s worthwhile to bring a few items from Malaysia to Thailand. While there is no duty free shop where the train crosses the border, many Western goods are substantially cheaper in Malaysia than in Thailand, even if not bought duty free. The most striking example is cigarettes. Simple brands are not only cheaper in Malaysia but also of a better quality. Chocolate costs less than half in Malaysia. Customs’
officers search the train not only at the border but additionally anywhere
between Padang Besar (the border town) and Bangkok. Customs’ searches account
for many of the unscheduled stops on the way to Bangkok. Application
forms for non-immigrant visas must be accompanied by a letter from an employer
stating an applicant’s employment. To get a residence permit, one must file either at a Thai embassy or consulate abroad or at the Immigration Division in Bangkok an application form secured from the Thai Immigration Division. Together with the application form, a bio data must be submitted. A guaranty fee of 5,000 Baht for adults and 2,500 Baht for each child is to be paid. All applicants for residency are also required to present a working permit issued by the Thai Ministry of Labour. If the application is approved, a residence certificate or blue book is issued to the alien for a fee of 1,000 Baht. The foreign resident must register his place of residence in Thailand at the local Amphur Office and get a house card. 7 days after receipt of the residence certificate, he must apply for an alien book (red book) at the local police station. He has to re-register there every year, an affair accompanied by a fee of 200 Baht. If the holder wishes to leave Thailand, he or she must notify the Immigration Division prior to his/her departure. He is issued an Endorsement of Departure, which he needs for his return. The residence permit only remains valid if the alien re-enters Thailand at least once a year. Before departure, a clearance from the Revenue Department is also required. A person’s residence permit does not cover the spouse or any dependents. Children born in Thailand of foreign parents have a legal status all by themselves. They are not Thai citizens (even those born to a Thai mother and a foreign father are not automatically Thai citizens - only those born to Thai fathers qualify, regardless of the nationality of the mother). On the other hand, children of foreign parents, even if both are just tourists, are not classified as tourists. Technically speaking, they have not entered the country as visitors at all - neither as tourists nor as temporary visitors. To be considered legal residents, they also don’t need a residence permit. Immigration officers say that those born in Thailand can stay indefinitely without any formalities, until they leave the country for the first time on a non-Thai passport. Those born in Thailand do not need a residence permit but must be holders of a Thai birth certificate. Processing takes about two weeks and usually is handled by the hospital where the child was born. Birth certificates are standard forms exclusively in Thai script. Many law offices in Bangkok have their own English translations of these forms. A common rate for these translations is 200 Baht. For
more information on residence permits, especially for foreign investors, please
see the chapter Business & Employment. Prohibited
Items Firearms Personal
Effects Cameras Tobacco,
Alcoholic Beverages Permits
for entry for animals coming in by air can be obtained at the airport. If
animals are brought into the country by sea, an application must be made at the
Department of Livestock Development, Bangkok, Tel 251-5136, 252-6944.
Certificates proving that animals have been properly vaccinated facilitate the
entry formalities for pets. Rabies is common in Thailand, and many countries
impose long quarantines on animals brought out of the kingdom. A license must be obtained from the Department of Fine Arts before any art objects or antique piece can be taken out of the country. The rule applies for originals as well as reproductions. That the rules also cover reproductions is a Thai particularity. A similar rule outright prohibits making reproductions of especially revered Buddha images. The rule of prohibiting in principle the exportation of Buddha images as well as the copying of the country’s principal images is intended to prevent the country’s religion becoming commercial. The
art or antique object for which a permit to export is requested must be
submitted to the National Museum in Bangkok (224-1370 and 224-1333) or the
Chiang Mai National Museum (Tel 053 / 22-1308) or the Songkhla National Museum
(Tel 074 / 31-1728) at least five days before the date of shipment or departure
of the applicant. An application form must be filled in, and it must be
accompanied by 2 front view post card size photographs of the object or objects
in question (no more than 5 pieces in one photograph) and by a photocopy of the
passport of the applicant. If the vehicle is brought in through Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport or Klong Toey Seaport, either a bank guarantee must be shown or a cash guarantee must be placed. The guarantee must cover the approximate value of the vehicle in Thailand, plus 20 percent. If the entry is overland from Malaysia, a personal guarantee is sufficient. It is given in a prepared for, which must be filled in and signed. Permission to use a specific vehicle in Thailand is granted for up to 6 month. If an initial permit has been granted for just a short period of time, an extension can be applied for at the Customs Department. The
driver of a vehicle crossing the border into Thailand must be in possession of
an international drivers’ license. He or she must also bring registration
documents for the vehicle or, in the case it is rented, an authorizing document
from the owner. Tourists no longer need a tax clearance certificate, regardless how long they have stayed in Thailand. A tax clearance certificate is, however, still required prior to departure from non-immigrants who are or were employed in Thailand, as well as from foreign residents. The requirement for a tax clearance certificate can be extended to a person’s spouse and children. Tax
clearance certificates can be obtained either by paying an assessed tax or by
giving the Revenue Department a bank guarantee for the value of one’s tax
liability (minimum of 20,000 Baht). The Thai Revenue Department may elect to
assess a person’s tax liability based on what the person would have to have
earned to live in Thailand in a way considered likely for foreigners. Apostolic
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