Immigration Bureau accepts the request of the 1st Regional Office to order 4 measures to prevent free visa runs that are hidden in the grey business.

Following the policy of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Police General Kittirat Phanphet, the National Police Chief, who declared war on cybercrime

Recently, Pol. Lt. Gen. Chaengron Rimphidee, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Immigration Bureau and spokesperson for the Immigration Bureau, revealed that today (November 12, 2015) at 8:30 a.m., Pol. Lt. Gen. Panumas Boonyalak, Commissioner-General of the Immigration Bureau, called an urgent meeting of all Deputy Commissioners of the Immigration Bureau and all Immigration Bureau Division Commanders.

The policy was clarified by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Police General Kittirat Phanphet, the National Police Chief, who have assigned the Immigration Bureau to strengthen its efforts to prevent the influx of foreigners who may enter and exit the Kingdom as tourists to conduct transactions related to crime, particularly cybercrime, involving gangs, supporters, money laundering groups, and those who may be at risk of falling victim to fraud.

The Immigration Bureau has implemented four important measures as follows:

1. Enhance and intensify screening of individuals who frequently use visa-free entry and exit without returning to their home country, which is unusual for tourists. This is to prevent individuals disguised as tourists. It has been found that these foreigners use visa exemptions to enter Thailand for a maximum of 90 days at a time, allowing multiple entries and exits per year. This presents an opportunity for some foreigners to disguise themselves as tourists and enter Thailand to conduct various transactions instead of applying for the proper visa type. This creates weaknesses in the system's behavioral control. Therefore, all immigration checkpoints, both airport and border, will implement strict measures to control the entry and exit of foreigners. If a foreigner repeatedly uses visa-free entry more than twice without providing a valid reason, they will be denied entry, allowing them to apply for a visa that reflects their true purpose.

Since the beginning of 2025, the Immigration Bureau has denied entry to
approximately 2,900 foreigners exhibiting such behavior at airports.

2. Intensify the crackdown on foreigners with a history of being on watch lists in border areas of neighboring countries, a hotbed for scammers, such as Mae Sot, Tak Province. The assumption is that these foreigners are at risk of participating in crimes or becoming victims. The Immigration Bureau sees no reason for them to return to Thailand. Furthermore, foreigners who have been deported from Thailand in the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border area, who are already registered in the system, will be denied entry if they are found to have re-entered Thailand, without exception.

3. Instruct all provincial immigration offices responsible for inner-city areas to strengthen their enforcement of temporary extensions of stay for foreigners who enter and exit under visa-run conditions and then apply for extensions. If foreigners are found to have such information or behavior, they will not be granted visa extensions or their visas will be revoked after granting permission and subsequently deported.

4. All Immigration Bureaus are to mobilize to crack down on foreigners who overstay, ensuring tangible results and providing a summary of the results to the public.

However, Pol. Maj. Gen. Cherngron explained that the measure may impact the speed of passport control for foreigners, particularly during peak flight times at airports. He confirmed that screening takes no more than 45 seconds per person, with waiting times for immigration not exceeding 40 minutes. Airport Immigration will deploy personnel to all checkpoints to ensure full capacity. Thais can use the automated passport control lanes, which takes no more than 20 seconds. He confirmed that this will not impact the tourism sector in any way, but rather, will help select high-quality foreign tourists, generating increased revenue for the country.