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Thanks Joe

On the site for single tourist visa: '5. Travel itinerary to Thailand e.g. plane ticket, hotel booking' Can it be assumed that the plane ticket is not an actual requirement, since many arrive across the friendship bridge.

Brilliant answer - Clear understandable - Thanks

Assuming that that the flight into Thailand has occurred from a home country and then an attempt to re-enter Thailand was from a land border Is this re-entry (same calendar year) defined as the second visa exempt entry or is this entry defined as the first Visa Exempt - now by land border entry?

Joe - The same thing has happened - I hit edit for first post and the result is not an edit, but rather a second post occurs - as if the post has been used as quote. Not sure what is occurring - Can you delete the second post?

Thanks recom273 I don't have a bike, but I like the feel that you have created a reason to find a bike and go on a journey. When I first stepped into Thailand many years ago I just wanted to find every corner of any undiscovered place and I made trips to many places, one day I thought to myself there was no places left This sounds like a reason to go discovering.... Thank You!

Thanks Joe

Mnnn - Interesting. A previous recommendation from many years ago was to get the train down to Sungai Petani, then there is a minivan to Betong and then you can take a minivan from Betong to Hat Yai Bus Terminal. Obviously doing the Visa run this way is not the most efficient, but done simply for the experience and for the enjoyment of taking the road less travelled.

Interesting - I did not know that Satun Border option even existed. I remember last I did the border run I was advised not to use Sadao because there was an insistence to stay one night in Malaysia before returning. I never tested the Sadao border run and I went to Padang Besar. It sounds like from your experience, it is not as easy as it once was at Padang Besar. I just did some quick research on Google maps and just as you say Satun is difficult to reach without transport. However I can see that most all Border runs from Phuket or even Koh Samui all chose to go to the Satun Border.

Yes - On my first train journey I just looked on the map and thought that the Padang Besar I would arrive was on the Thai side, not realising that there was two Padang Besar stations. I got off when the rest of the train emptied then assumed that I had got off at the Thailand side . I am assuming that the same train stops at both Padang Besar stations and hence need to ignore the first Padang Besar station or if not take taxi to the passport controls on the road track up to the station.

xylophone A totally Brilliant response to DrJack54 questions.

Good point my friend I

sandyf - Brilliant response - Just what I wanted to hear. It is posts like this that make a differences and provides value to me and other people on this forum. Thanks

Great point zzzzz As the world economy changes the risk free interest available from Banks, Gov Bonds or money market funds continues to increase the argument for better use of 800K Baht. Today that risk free difference equates to over 22K Baht minus the Thai bank deposit rate of say 0.5% (4K), the resulting 18K Baht gain should be worth at least a consideration.

Thank you, Peterw42, xylophone, zzzzz, Misty, Mike Teavee, jimn, PeachCH for the really good information about how using agents would be helpful to readers. Adults can now make a better informed decision. Those with strong opposing beliefs clearly are entitled to expression, but is not as welcomed when it becomes disrespectful or personal..

I just remembered my very first time coming back from Georgetown 2012 and I also wandered over to the market where I bought a t-shirt with a 1960's ban the bomb logo and then came back for the afternoon train, I got out of station and went to nearby McDonalds, 6 hrs latter a bomb exploded, killing 11 people. At the time I was on the train going north to Bangkok wearing my shirt from the market.

Really good information Mike. The breakdown given is useful in determining the costs for different levels of service: 25K for conversion VE to O visa, apply for extension and 90 day reports. 13/15K make the O conversion by self, but then agent gets the extension 8K same as above but using own 800K funds. I sense that some on this forum have strong beliefs about using agents and wish to impose these beliefs on others, even trying to ridiculing helpful information. Thank you for your data, adults can now make a better informed decision.

Really 13K? I have used 800K method for 9 years, since agents in Bangkok quoted 25K. Just doing the maths: The cost of an agent would be 1.625% for the use of 800K. If compare this with other use of funds: While you can only get from Thai banks on deposit 0.25% - 0.5%, but Gov 2yr gilts in my case UK is paying around 4.4%. By paying 1.625% to an agent and getting 4.4% for better yield the net gain is 2.8% (and someone else does the work).

Ahh perfect - So what you are saying I think is that at least the border run can be done in the station similar to any border run by land. I was not sure that there was going to be some kind of gotcha when arriving by train and leaving by train. If what you imply, that it is possible inside the station and there is no requirement to stay a night in Malaysia, then this is great news to hear. There is also the added bonus that if the full border run is possible inside the station it becomes a whole lot more simple to navigate. Every land based border I have ever done I always find myself wondering around unsuccessfully looking for clues where to go next.

OK - Thanks Joe for responding.

Thanks Joe - I am going to songkhla for pleasure and fitting in a border run while I am there. Are there any issues with requirement to stay overnight in Malaysia before returning to Thailand from this border crossing?

Thanks for that - Good info. I also remember also coming on the train from Butterworth on a different time and the commuter train waiting. Hence I need to factor in time as part of this crowd for processing to get back on the train before it leaves. It sounds like you are familiar with this border crossing, hence are able to confirm that it can be accomplished (ignoring the time constraints) that a border run would be possible from inside the station and immigration officers are normally prepared to provide both the In / Out passport stamps for both countries similar to any other border run.

Thanks Joe for your response, I will be leaving from pratumnak hill Pattaya, flying from Bangkok and targeting songkhla for a visit. I remember the last time I tried to do this you provided advice on the merits of the different border crossing with Malaysia and some required overnight stays before returning to Thailand. This information may now be different since that was in 2016.

I was planning to fly to Hat Yai and get the local train to Padang Besar. Last time I did this was many years ago. It seemed simple then, just left the train and stamped out of Thailand and then stamped into Malaysia while in the station. Due to no trains running that day to Hat Yai I took the roadway from the station (next to the canteen) and then got stamped out of Malaysia and back into Thailand, got a local bus back to Hat Yai. Questions: Is there now a rule prohibiting leaving Malaysia on the same day and needing to spend at least one night in Malaysia or is this just at specific border crossings with Malaysia? Rather than take the road and the bus as before, this time I will only use the train since the return to Hat Yai leaves 45min after arriving at Padang Besar. Is it possible to Stamp out of Thailand, stamp into Malaysia, stamp back out of Malaysia and finally stamp back into Thailand (with a 2nd Visa exempt for this calendar year) without leaving the station? Is Padang Besar the best Malaysian border to do a visa run?

It is generally accepted that two entries into Thailand by border crossing would be accepted in the same calendar year, but much less likely that attempting a second flight into Thailand would be acceptable to gain entry with a visa exempt. Does this flight acceptance for the second Visa exempt depend upon when the flight was taken, being in the same calendar year as the first original entry flight from the home country into Thailand or is the date of the attempted re-entry by flight irrelevant and Is it simply unlikely a Visa exempt would occur no matter of what are the dates?