Tourist gets denied entry into Thailand warns others to steer clear of ‘notoriously strict’ Don Mueang Airport

THAILAND: A TikTok video from a young British woman recently went viral when she documented being denied entry into Thailand through Don Mueang Airport (DMK), the old main airport in Bangkok, due to the technicality of having insufficient funds.

After spending 13 hours in a holding room at the airport, she and her mother were deported to Vietnam, from where they had come before flying into Thailand. Just a short while later, however, they were able to enter the country, although through a different airport.

The tourist, who goes by @kaotickaya on the platform, wrote in the caption to her video on Dec 4: “A warning to all travellers planning on entering Thailand through DMK, this airport is notoriously strict on technicalities.”

She added that the airport should be avoided “at all costs unless you want to spend the night in an immigration holding room,” and that she heard “insane stories” from others at the holding room, as they had been given “ridiculous reasons” for not being allowed to enter the country.

At first, Kaya was confused as to why she and her mum were not allowed to enter Thailand after having been away for 45 days, as no explanation was given to them.

@kaotickaya

I was denied entry to Thailand over a technicality 😳 pt1 ⚠️A warning to all travellers planning on entering Thailand through DMK, this airport is notoriously strict on technicalities. Avoid it at all costs unless you want to spend the night in an immigration holding room. I was there for 13 hours and the stories I heard from other people in the holding room were insane, most of them were given ridiculous reasons for being denied entry. I will explain the full reason and details on how to avoid this situation in pt2. #creatorsearchinsights #thailand #immigration #traveltiktok #backpacking

♬ original sound – Kaya | Third Culture Kid 🌍

Her video showed footage of the rather dismal-looking holding room, and in it, a man can be heard saying that there was someone who had been there for four days. She also added that she could not get any sleep, had been sick, and told of a 67-year-old man who had just had surgery and could not walk very well. As the airport had allegedly refused to provide a wheelchair for him, Kaya and her mum raised a fuss until they did.

By her next video, posted on Dec 6, she was already back in Thailand, saying that she had arrived the day before “with zero issues at a different airport.”

She then endeavoured to explain why they had been deported, saying that she and her mum had not broken any laws. Because they had previously spent a lot of time in the country, their travel history was reviewed at immigration.

The official reason they were given for being denied was “lack of sufficient funds.” They had hurriedly filled out forms as they were rushing to make it to their flight on time, and appeared to have filled out the portion incorrectly that had to do with having at least 20,000 baht (around S$814) in cash, which they had never been asked in any of their previous entries.

Had they known this was a requirement, they would have rushed to the nearest ATM and gotten the money.

Kaya also explained that her beef was not against Thailand, where she’s had many positive experiences, but that she wanted others to be aware of entry requirements so that they won’t make the same mistake.

“Immigration decisions can sometimes be unclear and strict, even when you think you’ve done everything right.

Requirements to guarantee your best chance at entering Thailand again:

– 20k baht in cash

– Digital arrival card

– Accommodation booked in Thailand

– Proof of onward travel

To avoid the same mistake I made, these requirements are always subject to change, and all travellers should check them on the official government website before booking your trip,” she wrote in her caption. /TISG

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