In a significant move to bolster national security, Thai Immigration announced on 25 November enhanced screening and verification measures for all foreign nationals entering and exiting the kingdom. The initiative, which applies across all international airports and land border checkpoints, is designed to prevent individuals from disguising themselves as tourists to commit crimes or engage in unlawful activities.

Thailand Launches National Crackdown on Foreigners Abusing Visa-Free Entries

Police Major General Jaturapat Bhiromkaew, the Deputy Spokesperson, stated that these are preventive measures applied equally to all nationalities without targeting any specific group. The screening process will focus on identifying high-risk behaviours, including unusually frequent entries and exits, the misuse of visas, or individuals flagged by INTERPOL and other international security intelligence agencies.

Operationally, immigration officers have been instructed to increase the thoroughness of inspections by leveraging advanced biometric systems and international databases. This technological approach aims to prevent document forgery, illegal entry, and the movements of individuals potentially linked to serious transnational crimes such as human trafficking, illegal labour, call-centre fraud, and money laundering.

Thailand immigration police are tightening checks on foreigners abusing visa-free entry by making multiple back-to-back visa runs https://t.co/Ic8RWZYlK9

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Authorities have emphasised that despite the increased scrutiny, the measures will adhere to human rights standards to ensure law-abiding tourists are not adversely affected. Police General Kittharath Punpetch, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, reinforced this by stating that all officers are strictly prohibited from soliciting or accepting any benefits, with any violations resulting in immediate criminal and disciplinary action.

A key focus of the new protocol is to block foreigners, particularly scammers, who exploit Thailand’s visa-free entry scheme by making repeated “visa runs” to extend their stay indefinitely. Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimpadee, deputy chief of the Immigration Bureau, explained that officers will now carefully question foreigners making a third consecutive visit with back-to-back visa-free stays. Individuals who have remained in the country for extended periods, such as 45 days or more per visit, will also face greater examination.

“These foreigners do not visit Thailand for tourism. Many of them work or operate businesses with Thai nominees as fronts,” said Pol Maj Gen Choengron. He revealed that some visitors have made as many as seven visa runs in a row, accumulating stays exceeding 200 days while avoiding official visa channels that would place them within Thailand’s systems for occupational and tax control.

The deputy commissioner added that immigration police would deny repeated entry to such visitors to prevent scammers from relocating their illicit businesses to Thailand. He also addressed misinformation, noting that those profiting from visa-run services have begun spreading false claims that immigration is targeting specific nationalities.

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The Immigration Bureau has affirmed its commitment to continuously monitor and refine the screening procedures to ensure they effectively target high-risk individuals while safeguarding the travel experience of genuine tourists, who are always welcomed.

-Thailand News (TN)