Tuesday 27 October

Passengers at the departure gates area of Don Mueang Airport

Travel

Don Mueang to swap metal-detector wands for pat-downs

Passengers still walk through the detector or body scanner first. Daily News said the rule applies at every Thai airport, but Suvarnabhumi and other state-run airports had not announced it by 27 October.

From 1 November, Don Mueang Airport staff will search passengers by hand instead of using hand-held metal detectors, the airport said on 27 October.

Why it matters: the airport said security screening may take longer at busy times.

The airport said the change follows Regulation No. 113 of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and international civil aviation recommendations.

What to do Take metal items out of your pockets while you queue, and tell staff about an implant, injury or pregnancy before they search you.

Visas & entry

Ministry to seek 15-day visa waiver for three nations

Emirates told the Tourism Authority of Thailand that 20 to 30 booked passengers a flight from Mexico don't travel because their visas arrive too late. The ministry also wants waivers for other markets.

The Tourism Ministry plans to ask the Visa Policy Committee on 9 November for a 15-day visa waiver for Mexico, Colombia and Uzbekistan.

Why it matters: travellers from these three countries have needed a visa before flying since they lost visa-free entry on 15 September. A waiver would let them stay up to 15 days without one.

Uzbek travellers have had to apply for e-visas through the Thai embassy in Russia, and some agents have moved tour packages to Vietnam.

The committee will weigh security and economic effects first. If it backs the plan, the waiver would still need Cabinet approval and publication in the Royal Gazette before it takes effect.

What to do If you hold one of these passports, apply for your Thai visa early, as you do now.

Visas & entry

Immigration steps up checks for visa overstayers

Police arrested overstayers on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, and more than 200 immigration offenders in Mae Sot, in mid-October. Officers also raided a suspected scam network in Bangkok on 19 October.

Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Nopasin Poolsawat ordered officers nationwide on 20 October to track down foreigners who have overstayed, news reports said.

Why it matters: overstayers caught in these checks can be arrested and deported, and usually face a longer ban on returning than those who come forward.

A Matichon column said on 25 October that officers had found about 10,000 overstayers; other reports say 10,000 is the number officers were told to trace. The bureau has not published a breakdown or a confirmed count.

Background Background

Overstaying is fined 500 baht a day, up to 20,000 baht. Someone who overstays more than 90 days and hands themselves in faces a ban on returning of one to 10 years, depending on the length of the overstay. An overstayer who is arrested faces a five-year ban for an overstay of up to a year, and a 10-year ban beyond that.

What to do Check the date on your latest entry stamp or extension; if you have already overstayed, leave as soon as you can and pay the fine at immigration as you go, and get legal or embassy advice first if it is more than 90 days.

In brief

TransportNok Air suspends Don Mueang flights to three southern cities.
Flights to Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Hat Yai stopped on 27 October because of fuel costs, the airline said, and none can be booked before 20 December. Refunds can take 45 to 90 days.
LawCustoms holds Mumbai arrival with 2.6 million baht in cash.
The Indian passenger was carrying £50,000 and US$10,000 when officers searched him at Suvarnabhumi, the Customs Department said on 26 October. Foreign cash worth more than US$15,000 must be declared on the way in or out.
Lighter sideFewer Naga fireballs rise over the Mekong this year.
An unofficial count in Nong Khai’s Rattanawapi district put the glowing balls at 155 on 26 October, the end of Buddhist Lent, against 237 last year. About 48,000 people watched from the riverbank.

The Thursday Newsletter

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What's on in Bangkok this weekend
Entry and visa changes, in plain English
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