Hal65

Right now I'm paying 300/kilo at Friendship. Anyone know a cheaper place? Fresh/frozen doesn't matter

Ok then. Are there any good embassys in Indonesia, or nearby countries? I may do a visa stopover if so. I see there's a Thai consulate in Denpasar

Would like to head there for my next trip. How easy or tough are they for Thai Tourist Visa for people with a long history in Thailand? Yes I know Laos is easier and safer.

I am considering doing a border run to stay in Vietnam for 60 days total. Here is what I understand so far:

#1. Hire a border run service to go to a nearby the border from Ho Chi Minh City. I'm guessing one in Cambodia.

#2. Get the exit stamp on the Vietnam visa, and then apply for a Cambodian Visa.

After this I'm unclear on what to do next. As a American citizen I know that one of my few options to get into Vietnam is the eVisa. But I've also been told that the Evisa can only be applied for outside of Vietnam. Which means I think I would need to spend 3 days in Cambodia before approval. Or one day if I use an agency with rush service.

Is this how it's being done? If you guys know a more efficient way, please help me understand, thank you.

@JayClay the train ticket would have only proved his travel from Chiang Mai to Pattaya where his hotel booking was

I imagine this doesn't happen too often but I was thinking of staying in Medellin for a couple months and applying for a Thai tourist visa at the Bogota consulate. I am an American citizen.

In general are faraway consulates and embassies known to be harder or easier?

10 hours ago, Denim said:

Whatever the OP decides the best strategy at immigration arrivals ( airports ) is to avoid the queues that lead to a female immigration officer . Real sticklers for the rules especially if you have had a lot of Ed visas or look like a monger.

 

Next avoid the younger male immigration officers trying to shine and make it up the promotion ladder.

 

Pick the queue that leads to a kindly looking old man who wears glasses and appears a bit slow on the uptake.

 

When your turn comes give him a big wai a big smile and talk about the weather and how hot it is in Thailand but the food is delicious and Thai people so kind and friendly.

 

You will get stamped in no questions asked.

Great advice, thank you. How do you discern the kindly old man from the angry old man?

6 hours ago, Upnotover said:

There are 2 dates on a tourist visa.  Issue Date and Enter Before/Expiry Date.  You are not expected to arrive on the Issue Date (a lot of times this would be impossible) but only before the Enter Before/Expiry Date.  90 day tourist visa?

Yeah I asked for 60 and got 90. I'm not complaining!

I missed my flight to CNX. Next one is scheduled for March 11. I am a US citizen and have a 90 day tourist visa. I also have a 9 year almost continuous history in Thailand from ED (majority), tourist and volunteer visas.

Is there potential for Chiang Mai immigration to ask why I didn't arrive on the start day of my visa and start probing further? Or is this not a big deal?

1 minute ago, raz0r21 said:

I dont know if this helps but when I got questioned it was a super quiet day. I arrived on an evening around 19:30 pm and there were no queues at immgration. The person in the booth had all the time in the world to scroll through my passport and ask questions. 

 

So I would suggest to arrive when its super busy. Good luck and keep us posted how it goes. 

Will do? Which airport gave you the grilling? Did you remember everything? I don't remember most of my visa excuses. If they start asking about my ED language visas I'll have an issue.

10 hours ago, BritTim said:

Are you from a country eligible for Thailand e-visa applications? Applying from outside home country is dubious. Officially, it may not be allowed. However, as e-visa applications spread, it may become totally impractical to insist on home country applications for tourist visas.

 

Good luck! I think long stay tourism in Thailand has pretty much become a thing of the past.

I am from the US, not sure if Americans can do eVisas?

Sad to hear long stays are dying out. Edu visas have been my staple, I think they are still going strong, have you heard differently?

7 minutes ago, at15 said:

I'll be interested to see how it goes with the tourist visa, its a good thing but not a guarantee for entry. I would bet you still get grilled with questions but if you keep your cool you should be able to enter. Please do come back and update us as to what happens.

Even at Chiang Mai airport? I thought they were relatively easy compared to Phuket and both bangkok airports

2 hours ago, tfc said:

Did they want booking/payment confirmation for the whole 60/90 days?

The answer is yes, he was very specific that the start and end dates should align with the visa start and end. I just cancelled my 60 day hotel stay in Chiang Mai. Many hotels have free cancellation.

No I had to order 1 day rush service from an agent to make it work. Don't count on visa on arrival!

I'm in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam and was told that my Thai tourist visa application at the local Thai consulate is likely to get denied because I was in Thailand during the entire COVID era, which they don't like to see.

Should I even bother trying to fly into Chiang Mai airport (CNX) with a canceled visa in my passport from the rejection, to apply for visa exempt? Or should I just fly back to the US at this point?

Mental slip, yes you are correct ????

Questions about the "rejection case"

1. Is a rejection stamped into the passport? Is it logged into a computer?

2. If the answer to #1 is no for both, should I try for visa exempt at CNX (Chiang Mai, my flight is scheduled for March 9)? I hear it's 45 days at the moment. I'll gladly take that. I'm not sure if an HCMC consulate rejection would tar me for visa exempt though.

2 hours ago, Caldera said:

If you do end up getting a rejection stamp from HCMC, that stamp alone would make it pretty much impossible to get a tourist visa anywhere nearby.

 

Hanoi has been even more difficult than HCMC from recent reports. Singapore and Manila have been bad since long before Covid. Kuala Lumpur might be okay, but read their requirements carefully.

 

Why didn't you consider Vientiane or Savannakhet? Probably the easiest nearby places.

The school and visa runners I spoke to in Pattaya said not Laos for now. I don't know why. I sure wish I took their advice.

So if I am rejected in HCMC should I consider a Visa on Arrival at Chiang Mai to be impossible too? What is left then? Go back to the US? Is it even possible to apply for a tourist visa there successfully?

Summary of current status: I have run up against difficult immigration at HCMC Vietnam. They appear to be scrutinizing applications hard. There is a fair chance I am denied due to onward ticket not being verifiable and long history of stays in Thailand. Prior thread

I am considering flying into another nearby country using Visa On Arrival and abandoning my ticket to CNX (Chiang Mai Airport) in case I am rejected and my passport marked as "no legitimate reason to enter Thailand" as a local has warned me it might. In Pattaya I was told by local companies that land borders are bad right now. Also, Laos and Cambodia are bad.

So I see a few options left

1. Hanoi

2. Kuala Lumpur

3. Singapore

4. Manila

Are any of these options good for getting a Thai tourist visa? I would need visa on arrival, waiting for an embassy appointment would take too long. I am a US Citizen and I've been in Thailand about 9 years mostly on EDU visas.