Kinnock

I considered that option, but they stamp all the passports anyway. It's a strange system on cruises - all the passports get stamped when the ship arrives, then if you decide to visit the port you just use the Cruise ID card to go through Immigration. I spoke to an Immigration Officer yesterday, and she said as I have the one year Multiple stamp in my passport and Residence Permit, it will be OK even if they miss stamping the Residence Permit or give me the wrong type of entry. If I get a 45 day visa free stamp, they can just cancel it and add the correct one later. She suggested I attach the Residence Permit to my passport, but if they miss the stamp at Phuket, to not worry as I have the 12 month multiple endorsement.

There used to be a drag strip at Tepnakorn, near Samut Songkran, but it's been inactive for several years. I'm not aware of any others in the area.

For the compulsory insurance - you can get this from 7-11 (of Lotus's's's's or Big C) for 100 THB. The insurance certificate has a tear off section along the bottom that is used by the DLT office for tax renewal. With a bike - you don't need to queue up at the drive through lane, just drop into the DLT office, take a queue ticket for the tax (not the one for driving licence renewal, which can be a long queue), then hand over your insurance document and green book plus 100 THB for a small bike (107 THB for my 300), and 5 minutes later you'll get your tax sticker. I went to the DLT office on Sukhumvit Road, tax renewal is on the upper floor, it took less than 10 minutes in total. Also possible to do the whole process in 7-11, but you need a Thai ID card, and you have to wait for the tax sticker, so better to go to the office. All signage was in Thai, but it's easy to figure out the process, and staff were helpful.

The cruise operator had no idea about PR, but my agent is now contacting the Immigration Officer who gave the multiple endorsement for advice. I'll probably attach the Residence Certificate to my Passport, but I've seen the cruise port entry procedure - the Immigration Officer plus Cruise Staff just stamp 2000 open passports in a large rack. You're not even allowed to have a case on your passport. Any anyone needing Visa on Arrival just pays a handling fee - and again they are not present for the stamping. So I'm a bit worried they may lose the Residence Cert, and pretty sure they will not stamp it anyway. With hindsight, I should have avoided any cruise that calls into Thai ports. But hopefully I'll get confirmation that the Multiple 1 year endorsement is enough to maintain PR whatever happens at the port.

Yes ...... I obtained mine while working in Thailand before retirement, but if I had to pay for it all myself, I'm not sure it's good value in money or time. Although I like not having to deal with annual visas/extensions of stay and 90 day/TM30 reports, and I was able to buy a condo using savings in Thailand without having to transfer out and back in. I'm guessing that getting the one year multiple stamp in my Residence Book and in my Passport before I travel is enough to prevent losing it on the cruise, but I'm not certain, so need to make more checks. The 'Warning' in the Residence book is as below, but if anyone has any more thoughts that would be helpful ..... Warning A Residence Certificate is of permanent validity but it automatically expires when the holder leaves Thailand, unless an endorsement has been made and sealed on the document by a competent Immigration Officer at an Immigration Office before departure. If the holder of an endorsed Residence Certificate returns to Thailand within one year from the date of endorsement such Residence Certificate shall be considered valid.

I'm after some advice from Permanent Residence (PR) experts .... I'm taking a short cruise from Singapore, and one of the ports of call is Phuket. When I depart from Suvarnabhumi I'll get my blue Certificate of Residence stamped as usual, but at the Phuket Port, all the immigration processes are handled by the cruise company. We hand over our passports when we board in Singapore, and don't see them again until we leave the ship back in Singapore. On a past cruise (before I got PR) I had the 12 month Extension of Stay linked to my Work Permit, but I noticed that the Thai Port Immigration just stamped my passport for the (then) 30 day visa free tourist entry - this is because they just stamp all 2000 passengers' passport en mass ..... no problem as I'd get 12 months when I flew back into Swampy. But now I have PR - missing the Residence Permit stamp at the port and getting 45 day visa free entry could be serious? I obtained a 12 month multiple exit permit at Chaengwattana Immigration (Non Quota Immigration Visa - Multiple) on Jan 3rd to cover the Phuket entry/exit, but now I'm getting worried about the stamp in the Residence book and potential impact on PR, as I've heard that you can lose PR if you exit Thailand incorrectly. Any views or advice very welcome.