VISA CHANGES For people entering Thailand by land

@filmmaker2,

Sounds like both officials acted correctly.

The first allowed you on the plane because you had a visa and gave you advance warning of what may or may not happen in Bangkok, so you could be prepared.

The second used your visa for entry (although she could have bent a little and allowed you in by visa exemption, saving you some hassle!).

This indicates that they are alert at both departure to and at arrival in Bangkok.

It does sound as if they would not have let you on the plane to start with if you did not already have the visa and also had no ticket for onward travel. That is the eternal question.

From where did you fly ? . The immigration law is all over the place - in some versions of it a ticket is stipulated for even travel with a visa . This is the reason some consulates /embassies require a ticket out as a condition of granting visa and others don't. Mosty airline staff wil just accept a visa and not ask for onward ticket , but in your case the staffer was strict and had no understanding at all about what happens in reality on the ground. Thanks for sharing experience , but don't forget to state where you flew from.
In spite of your recent experience the risks of getting trouble about it when flying from Vietnam are not that likely , and coming from Cambodia by land even less . Its mostly when you are flying from outside the Asia region that check in staff are strict - although some posters have reported having trouble when flying from Japan.

On arrival, I handed my documents to the officer, hoping to just get the 30 day visa exemption so that I could save the use of my visa for the onward portion of my journey - when I crossed back in from a neighboring country. Unfortunately, she noticed my visa. I told her that I wanted to use the visa for later re-entry into the country, but she said that was not allowed. She wouldn't let me have a visa exemption, but she did use my visa and didn't ask about onward travel.

This probably falls under the same rule that says you can't have two visas for the same country in your passport at one time, which is what you would essentially have if the official had left your visa unstamped and still let you enter.

But the 30 day stamp is not a visa , it seems the rule may be that a visa has to be activated when entering the country . Although once I forgot to check my passport and found that at the border the person stamping the passport had not noticed my 60 day visa and had given 30 day stamp . I stayed 2 moths later and explained to immigration what happened at the airport. They were relaxed about it and asked if I wanted to use my visa - not that I had a choice- and stamped the visa as used.
It may be that different staff may have different attitudes to whether they would allow someone not to use their visa.

I suggest asking these questions on the Thai Visa website forum where you can speak to professionals who know what they are talking about.

The Thai Visa website is not always right , sometimes incorrect and exaggerated info has been given there in the past . And the people who write it are just expats that don't necessarily have any greater insight into whats actually going on . If the Thai authorities themselves give conflicting info at times how can you expect some expats running a website to give definitive answers ?. You are also being a bit unfair to those on this thread who have given time to try and explain things in suggesting in an offhand way that they don't understand what they are talking about . That sort of statement undermines the thread.
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Getting back to the visa exemption , if it is in fact against the rules to be given 30 day stamp when holding visa , in a way that makes sense . Its designated specifically as a visa exemption and thus may be only intended for use by those who don't have visa already.

Its conflicting suggestive information peppered with comments such as 'seems' and 'may' that undermines this thread, not the suggestion of asking on a forum that specialises in this very subject where people who know what they are talking about will assist in providing correct information. Anyway, expats who live in Thailand are most often going to be more informed on this subject than tourists who only come here occasionally.

I'll check on this with the immigration dept tomorrow morning and provide a definitive answer for the person asking. Then we can dispel with the ifs and buts.

It can't be helped using terms such as 'seems' and 'may' since the immigration rules are all over the place . Again how are expats going to be more informed when the powers that be are just making it up as they go along at times. And Thaivisa has not always been correct in the past .

http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/download.aspx?id=20120924124227

Well if you dont know, you don't know. It would appear that on the strength of stories here that not utilizing the visa upon arrival is not an option if the visa is sighted, however if the visa is not seen and the 30 day exemption is provided instead that the passport holder will not get in trouble when exiting if the visa is spotted, they will just have it stamped as used. I will call the immigration department tomorrow for confirmation of this and then provide accurate and up to date information to the poster asking. That way we can dispel with all the ifs, buts and maybes.