BritTim

Yes, it seems excessive, but those are the advertised rules.

Vientiane is generally a good location to apply for visas. If you have all the required documents, it should go smoothly. Note that you need an appointment to apply in Vientiane (https://thaivisavientiane.com/)

You are required to lie and state that the TM30 notification was done within 24 hours of arrival at the property (as required by the law). Do not worry about it. Just specify today's date as the check in date and, if queried, state that you are making a new report after a short domestic trip.

Yes, correct.

It really varies, depending on the official. A common issue encountered by offshore oil workers, who decide to spend their off time in Thailand, is being told they cannot do it with visa exemptions. I believe they are a classic case of people Immigration ought to have no problem with: less than half the year in Thailand, and gaps of a month, or so, between visits (and lots of money).

They do not care. For an easy life, just pay 200 baht and let them fill in the form.

A failure to do 90-day reports is punished with a fine. Even if an official is incensed at your failure to report, they cannot lock you up for it.

I agree. On the other hand, what reason does he give for wanting to come so often? Sure, Bangkok has great food options, but Singapore does too. Historically, a Thai girlfriend was seen as one of the legitimate reasons for frequent visits. The problem is that the wrong official might interpret this as "I am a sex tourist".

It is up to the discretion of the immigration official when you arrive. You may be able to continue to use visa exemptions indefinitely, or may run into an official who decides your use of visa exemptions is inappropriate. Should the worst happen, you will likely be told this is the last time they will allow you to enter visa exempt, and you will need to find an alternative (perhaps, a multiple entry tourist visa, though I appreciate that the Thai embassy in Singapore is tough).

The dependant extension does not need to be altered in any way as long as your permission to stay remains unbroken. The problem only comes if you no longer have a permission to stay in Thailand. A break of even one day will invalidate the extension as your dependant.

Many offices do, indeed, usually impose that condition. The reason, I think, is that they want to prevent people shopping around for offices with easier extensions, and insisting that you have a long term rental agreement helps to ensure that. Not all offices have that requirement, though, for a marriage extension, they need to be able to verify that you are really living together. You could ask to talk with the senior official to explain your situation, and ask them to waive the requirement. It is not mandatory for an office to impose this condition, just a common practice.

Does the requirement to use the actual reservation you show at check in mean that, in the event of a denied entry, you must remain at the airport in Bangkok until that flight leaves, perhaps 30 days later? That is a singular requirement.

A visa issued at Immigration does contain a visa placed in your passport (stamped "used") as well as the fresh initial 90-day permission to stay granted from "entry" with the new visa. It is true that Immigration is only authorised to issue visas in limited situations, and only via Division headquarters, but the visas Immigration issue most certainly are documented in your passport. A change in the reason for your current permission to stay (kind of a change in "visa status", though that is a misleading term) is achieved through applying for an extension, stating the new reason for being granted temporary permission to stay in Thailand.

Bickering posts that degenerated into insults have been removed.

If you were using a multiple entry Non O, there is no need for health insurance for an extension of stay based on retirement. I assume that is what you have. Only if you have a Non OA (long stay) visa which allows a year on each entry is health insurance required (both during the validity of the visa, and also for future retirement extensions if you originally used that visa to enter). If you really do have an unexpired Non OA visa, make sure you enter just before the visa expires, getting a final one-year permission to stay, and pair this with a multiple re-entry permit. Note that health insurance will then still be required, as it was for the original application.

You were given correct information. As with many immigration related matters, implementation can be confusing, but I guess they have concluded that, when you are in direct communication with the immigration office, you are already confirming your current address and a 90-day report would be superfluous.

Some embassies/consulates have long required a bank statement for a single entry tourist visa, and I think all have required one for a multiple entry tourist visa. The requirement seems to have been gradually extended to all consulates, even for a single entry. I agree with you that the honorary consulates used to be great, at least for those who lived near one. In theory, being able to do everything online ought to be even better, but the e-visa system has not been well implemented.

If you no longer have a valid permission to stay, your wife's permission to stay (as your dependant) ceases also. If you are able to get a new extension of your permission to stay, your wife's permission to stay remains valid. Is your new job with another BOI company? Will the new job start immediately the old one ends? BOI should be able to advise you on this.

This is an example of a Thai embassy website that is actually correct. However, be warned that such websites are not a reliable source of information on anything other than the services they provide themselves (and occasionally not even then).

We all have our preferences. Personally, while happy to use some of the European airlines, there is not a single US airline I would use over most of the Middle Eastern and Asian carriers.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not vouch for foreign marriage certificates, birth certificates etc. All they will do is confirm that the Thai embassy in London has verified that the document is genuine. For a document issued in the UK, I do not think there is any way of circumventing the Thai embassy step. I have heard of some people being lucky with a witnessed affidavit at your embassy in Bangkok, but the UK does not do those.

I can believe that this might be true. I am aware that Indians are often denied entry. However, I would be interested in knowing where this statistic comes from. It is the first time I have seen it.

Sigh! People understandably assume that the Thai consular officials will be knowledgeable about all things Thai (and also that the website will contain accurate information). In reality, they are a terrible source of information about anything other than the services they directly provide themselves. In particular, they are ignorant about the workings of Thai Immigration, a different branch of the bureaucracy under the different ministry.

Were many in the queue waiting to clear overstays, or were they all awaiting re-entry permits? How long did it eventually take?

They probably accept a statement a month or so old. I would be very surprised if a statement older than that would be acceptable.