BritTim

As @ubonjoe stated, some red stamps mean nothing. Red stamps when applying for visas at embassies/consulates can mean trouble. Notably, instead of just telling you your application for a visa is denied, they can place a visa sticker in your passport, and then cancel it with a big red VOID stamp. That is bad news when applying for visas elsewhere, and possibly when entering at airports. Some embassies are notorious for this. They should be avoided. Another type of stamp to be avoided is a denied entry stamp (which is often red, but not necessarily). This might happen when trying to enter without a visa (visa exemption) at airports. These can also have continuing nasty after effects (sometimes with immigration of other countries). Overstay stamps are usually not red (though they can be) and also look bad. If you are ever deported from Thailand, this will result in some very unwelcome stamps, but you will hopefully never be guilty of an offence that leads to anything so drastic.

If you are currently in Thailand on a Non Immigrant permission to stay, I would advise, as a first step, seeing if you can extend your permission to stay based on working. Whether this will be possible will depend on the basis for your employment and your salary. If you cannot get an extension based on working, you will not be able to apply for a "conversion" visa at Immigration either, so entering visa exempt or with a tourist visa will not give you a path to legally work in Thailand. Under some circumstances, it might be possible to get a one-year multiple entry Non B visa (90-day stays) although not meeting the salary requirements for an extension of stay from Immigration. This used to be possible in Penang, but is now not possible there if I remember correctly. Let's see what @ubonjoe suggests.

I have probably said too much already. Let's just say that any possible generosity shown by the agent is not going to a registered charity.

... and, indeed, he does not. If he personally demanded more than the official fee, that would be illegal. Of course, if someone else received a monetary advantage, there would be no breach of Section 35.

You and I certainly do, but I am pretty sure that many using agents have no idea of the requirements for their extensions. I would also be completely truthful in stating that I had no desire for the agent to do anything illegal.

This has been discussed many times. There are ways it can be done, taking advantage of (deliberate) loopholes in the law., With care by the agent it is legal, although it involves what looks like corruption. Besides the apparent corruption which operates indirectly, a senior official abuses his discretion in allowing the extension, but that does not make it actually illegal. If the official's superiors do not turn a blind eye, he could be disciplined (without any actual laws needing to be broken). In the event of a crackdown, you have broken no laws even if, clumsily, the agent has. You are paying the agent to help with your application, and have plausible deniability over the ethics and legality of the methods used by the agent to process your application. The worst that might reasonably happen is that other disapproving immigration officials could give you a hard time in future. See, for instance, what happened after the dubious scheme involving volunteer visas and extensions during Covid. There was a kind of crackdown, but no one prosecuted for any crime.

I am pretty sure I know what you mean, but 2,000,000 as a bribe in most currencies would be pretty excessive.

It is worth emphasising that Padang Besar is two separate immigration crossings (the rail crossing and the road crossing). The road crossing has long been unfriendly. The rail crossing is better, but only open very limited hours for the arrival and departure of the shuttle from the Thai side.

The Cambodian fees can change at short notice (not the official fees, but the final price after presents to Cambodian immigration). For that reason, a visa run company quoting a price that includes all fees is taking a risk that makes their price slightly superior, even, if the costs were already equivalent In this case, there would be no reason to opt for a price of 3,200 baht plus Cambodian fees ... unless you found that the transportation was much more comfortable for the more expensive option (perhaps, a full size bus rather than a minibus).

Everything you outline should, in principle, be fine with just one flaw. Phu Doo is one of the two crossings from Thailand to Laos where you cannot get a visa on arrival. Unless you are able to get an actual visa from the embassy in Bangkok or consulate in Khon Kaen, you will not be able to use this crossing, and will need to choose another.

That is a very reasonable price with current gas prices. It is a good reference price for others thinking of doing this.

It is possible. Given your limited time in Thailand, and obvious status as a short term tourist, I think you will be safe using the border from Aranyaprathet in Thailand to Poipet in Cambodia, returning the same way. Entering Cambodia, you will need to buy a visa on arrival (US$30, though they will probably attempt to get you to pay more). You can resist demands for an inflated price for the VOA but, if you do, be polite and friendly while doing so. With good negotiation skills, a taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap (the city near Angkor Wat) can be remarkably cheap, probably about US$30 now. Busses are available but abound with scams and I prefer to avoid them. Enjoy your holiday!

It absolutely is possible. However, (i) you may be asked to pay more than the official price for the Cambodian visa on arrival (a demand you may be able to resist); and (ii) you will probably be asked for fork over a penalty for same day return. (There is a Cambodian law that says you must stay at least one night unless in possession of a multiple entry Cambodian visa.) The fee for same day return tends to be negotiable (perhaps, 200 or 300 baht) and I have often been able to avoid it.

At one time, there were direct flights. However, the demand was simply not there to make this route profitable, and it was discontinued years ago. The same is true of the Hua Hin to Kuala Lumpur route.

Countries can support smaller airports when its citizens can afford air travel. Thailand has rather a large number of small airports, but few routes into and out of them can make a profit. Flights like Trad to Bangkok, from Maesot to Bangkok, and charters from U-Tapao to Russian destinations can charge high prices that make low passenger numbers supportable. Routes like Hua Hin to Udon Thani are not quite attractive enough to foreign travellers, and will rarely be used by Thai business people. In fact, Hua Hin airport is more developed than one would expect based on passenger numbers.

If counting the pennies, bus all the way. Less time consuming is to fly to Udon Thani airport, less than an hour from the Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai.

It seems as though you are pretty familiar with your options, but I include a couple of points, just in case. First, depending on your nationality, you might be able to get an income letter from your embassy. If so, many immigration offices do not need bank account information. If the lack of a bank account is your only problem, and you can easily satisfy financial requirements, opening a bank account is possible, though a lot harder than in the past. See if a branch used to dealing with foreigners can be tempted to allow you to open a savings account based on your offer to buy an accident insurance policy from them if you do. While not in Hua Hin, I have succeeded in helping a friend open a Bangkok Bank account on this basis. The policy cost around 3,000 baht, and was not totally wasted given various dangers that exist in this country.

There should be no issue in principle. However, make sure the Ko Lipe immigration is open. As I recall, entering there is only possible seasonally, when the boats are running. There is rarely a problem at any of the land borders.

Although rare, there have been occasional reports of suspicious immigration officials insisting on calling your wife to check before stamping you in. As I recall, this has only happened at airports, but I am not sure. EDIT: Actually, it is not the job of Immigration on entry to carry out such an investigation. Once the visa is issued, it is valid for entry, and immigration ought only to act if they somehow accidentally become aware of clear evidence of fraud. There is otherwise no real justification for them to question the decisions of the consular officials.

It will be helpful (though insufficient for a one-year extension of stay) if you are named as the father on the birth certificate.

First, if you are denied entry, you will never be taken to the IDC and deported. That is not how a denied entry works. If you try to fly into Thailand, there are three possibilities: The airline will receive a DNB (do not board) instruction from Thai immigration via the Advance Passenger Information System. This is very frustrating, as it is usually impervious to any negotiation. You arrive in Bangkok, and Immigration tell you that you are blacklisted, and will be denied entry. At this point, you have a chance to argue your case, and will probably ultimately be allowed to enter. If not, you will be held for a few hours at the airport until the airline that brought you to Thailand arranges your removal. You arrive and enter without incident. Entering by land, you will either be admitted without incident, or Immigration will try to send you back. You will have a chance to argue your case and, at some land crossings, they will probably make the effort to determine whether you ought to be blacklisted, ultimately admitting you. A possible strategy would be to buy a ticket (important: same airline) that transits Bangkok to Vientiane or Kuala Lumpur. On arrival in Bangkok, try to enter. If unsuccessful, the airline should be happy to remove you on the already booked onward flight. You could then try to negotiate your way across by land. It would be possible (but expensive) to have a well connected Thai immigration lawyer aware of your planned arrival flight, and prepared to assist you with the negotiations with Thai immigration on arrival. This relies on dodging a DNB instruction via APIS which is why I suggest only seeming to transit in Bangkok.

It is not necessary for your wife to be with you.

It is worth mentioning that an easy, low hassle option (using an agent to get a one-year extension) has been suggested to you. However, you reject that (I guess) on cost grounds. Yes, staying longer could be more convenient. Your current location in Thailand is unfortunate, being a long way from open border crossings. With respect, I do not think the Thai government is to blame for the military takeover in Myanmar that has created the unstable security situation that keeps their border crossings closed to foreigners. Your implication that the Thai government should arrange international flights from Hua Hin airport for your convenience is going to be seen as humorous by most here.

There are two kinds of visa this might be referring to. You can do searches for both of these. One is the Smart Visa (https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/). The other is the Long Term Residents Visa (https://ltr.boi.go.th/) specifically, for "Work-from-Thailand Professionals" and "Highly-Skilled Professionals". You are going to find, I fear, that you qualify for neither.

Unfortunately, you cannot use an e-visa at either Ban Pakard or Ban Laem. There are limited entry points where they can be used. You will need to buy a visa on arrival (or a visa from the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok, which I assume will be too inconvenient). Officially, it is 10:00 pm closing. However, you might not be able to buy the visa on arrival in the evening, and might face a higher charge for same day return. I would recommend arriving by about 4:00 pm.