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Thanks Joe

For getting an extension to Visa exempt (45 days) in Bangkok do you go to Chaeng Wattana or IT Square Laksi Plaza? Do you need to wait until the last few weeks of the Visa exempt to extend this or can you do this immediately once you get it?

My assumption is that the border crossing points are open every day of the year, but only between certain hours of the day. Are there any special days when they might be closed - specifically are they open this Christmas and New year?

Mnnnn - Interesting Info - I had no idea this was ever in place.

Really? - "six visa exempt entries (total by land or air) since a specific start date which I have forgotten (maybe mid 2016?)" Is this still a thing? i.e A software flag is triggered - after 6 visa exempts obtained over the last five / six years?

Yup - This is sound advice!

Ahhh - OK, good. Then I think what you are saying is there is no centralised electronic record made when these warnings are made As for stamps or written notes made - He has over thirty nine pages with various stamps and notes and its not clear from just the single and joining page if there is something hiding itself in content from the six different countries (from three non English speaking continents) which I can not actually read or determine if there is a special Cambodian stamp in the mix.

Not sure, but that would be a different subject - I am just wanting to get an answer to the question posted.

A friend just got back from a Poipet border run. He is from the UK and entered Thailand for the first time after three years with a Visa exempt 45 days, with no subsequent extension applied to the exempt and was informed that he would not be allowed another visa exempt run. Theoretically this should not be the case since the new calendar year starts in a few weeks and the reset for two per year should then begin again. However it's possible this is a single officer making an arbitrary decision or a general Poipet immigration interpretation, either way getting the calendar year border run refresh is more likely to be available at Vientiane. Is there any kind of historical log made to reflect the warning by either ink stamps / written notes on the passport or centralised data entry for individual electronic records?

You are not going to get a straightforward answer to your question for the following reasons. Consulates outside of Thailand issuing e-Visa will not do so if you are known to be outside of your home country (unless exceptional circumstances are shown). However as you are probably aware it is sometimes difficult for the consulate to know that you are not inside your home country. Hence if you are able to fulfil all the other requirements including evidence of travel from Thailand (air ticket paid in full) and passport pages copy Visa pages last 12m of travel stamps then there is a possibility of success. However if you are currently in Thailand and if the last stamp was of when you entered Thailand then this would be clear to the Consulate admin. If you were to leave Thailand with a passport exit stamp in your passport this is where it becomes conjecture since the question would be more about the testing of the rules done by the immigration officer letting you back into Thailand. Whether this is part of their adopted role is not clear. I suspect that each will assume a different amount of checking and also will have different types of actions taken when they suspect a position where the e-Visa owner has transgressed a rule of the application only from the home country. Within this uncertain framework you would need to test and see what happens since there is no clear probability of a certain outcome.

Previous recent post and thread

If applying at the border - Is this a full page sticker?

Great response ubonjoe - Thanks

Great response BritTim - Thanks

Thanks Joe - Border is Poipet - However I specifically want to get the Visa prior to arriving and would prefer to have Visa in passport rather than have opportunity for tea money conversations between paperwork exchanges at border immigration. Visa in passport from in person Embassy application would be least paper exchange at immigration however I am not clear if this still gets a full page taken by a sticker. I am also not clear if the lesser paperwork exchange using the e-Visa online gets a small stamp with less page used or this also gets a full page sticker. Hence: Do you still get full page Visa stickers when applying directly at Embassy and do you get the same full page covered with the e-Visa online once you show the email approval at the border?

I will be doing a border run to Cambodian for a 45 day Visa exempt. Getting the Cambodian Visa before arriving at the border has two methods, either e-Visa online or visit in (Bangkok) Cambodian Embassy and make in person application. I have never used the e-Visa online before, but previously have applied direct with Embassy (8 years ago) and ended up with a full page visa sticker. Do you still get full page Visa stickers when applying directly at Embassy and do you get the same full page covered with the e-Visa online once you show the email approval at the border?

Ahhhh - OK, then my Bad - So Thanks. My understanding was that an airline did require the ticket proof to ensure that they did not have to pay for the ticket back on rejection, but even so; immigration could in theory ask for this ticket and was a requirement, but they rarely did so, knowing that the airlines would be mostly do this. I had presumed that this was also a theoretical requirement at the border. It is good to hear that this is not even in Thailand immigration policy as a requirement when crossing a land border and hence definitely will never be asked for if correct policy is followed.

While flight tickets out of Thailand are supposed to be shown on a border run are they actually normally asked for? I ask this since the rule for showing a flight ticket next time isn't very consistent - if you follow 'the Admitted until' without a flight this exit, why not on the next exit?

Did you need to show a ticket out of Thailand?

Actually that is a very good point - The warnings would probably prevent the denial of entry and like you say there are not a lot of border denied entry stories on this forum.

Blimey - So what happens then? Do you then have to turn around and buy a new (if there is a charge) Visa from the border country you just exited?

Did the immigration ask you for proof of onward ticket out of Thailand?

If when you enter Thailand Visa exempt and if this information was then available to the Embassy and also considered at the time of application for the eVisa - Then theoretically this would show that you are already in Thailand. Whether this occurs is unclear, but this is unlikely to be automatically available as a computer check and if done at all will be a manual process and probably isn't something that will happen due to the extra work for catching the few instances where it is occurring. Obviously applying for the eVisa while still in your home country and then entering Visa exempt would be possible - Yes immigration will have the eVisa information accessible, but when I entered Visa exempt the officer asked me for my eVisa paperwork assuming I was entering this way. I think they must use the printout bar code of the eVisa to access its details showing that it belongs to the passport holder, rather than using the passport information to access details of the eVisa to provide the match.

For what its worth, here is my interaction with London Thai Embassy: Me: Hi, I want to enter Thailand on a Visa exempt, then leave Thailand after 20 days to visit Vietnam for 30 days. Can I apply for an eVisa while in Vietnam to re-enter Thailand? Thanks Thai Embassy Reply: Dear Sir/Madam Thank you for your email. We are unable to proceed with your application if you are not currently in the UK or Ireland when applying for a visa with us. Warmest regards, The Visa Team

After working out a plan that should work because of personal circumstances I will be doing a border run for the first time in eight years. While I have done my first entry back to Thailand in 2 years (previous mix of O, O-A, Tourist and a few Visa exemptions over 12 years), arriving by plane this is the second border crossing for this calendar year. Normally the advice would be that the second border run would be accepted. However immigration does have the power to reject through personal discretion - This is where best laid plans could fall apart and theory of what should work boils down to one person's judgement which is without accountability of why the second border runs is not acceptable. I am only trying to understand my options if this situation occurs, not advice which is the best border to make the run. I really am trying to understand where rejection (or warning of rejection) actually occurs in the process, between the four stages 1). Thailand Imm OUT 2). Border Country IN 3). Border Country OUT 4). Thailand Imm IN. I am assuming that there is no situation where you can exit one country's border and be prevented from entering the next border since you would be stuck in no man's land. Is it normally the case that a warning is given before exiting Thailand (that a re-entry will fail)? Or are you able to exit Thailand, enter the new country only to find you are then prevented from now exiting the new country since you would not be allowed into Thailand? Finally in the event of failure is something added in your passport when exiting Thailand that can be seen at other points of entry?