BritTim

It means a pretty horrendous journey, but SkyScanner suggests that Gulf Air in November might bring you to CNX for a bit over 600 UKP from Heathrow via Bahrain and Singapore. Often these SkyScanner prices are mirages, and you are faced with long stopovers if using this Gulf Air routing. Still, you might want to check it out.

Were you entering with a visa, or expecting a visa exemption?

Although I do not always have much respect for UK consular services, I cannot imagine they would be unaware of the countries that will accept their emergency passports for entry. More of a problem, I think, is liable to be the Thai consulate in Savannakhet, and their policy on stamping visas into such passports. At land borders, care is needed on this. It should be possible in general (as should transferring the entry stamp at Nakhon Phanom immigration) but transferring stamps at minor land crossings can be tricky, especially if senior officials are not available. Better, as I suggested earlier, would be if the OP could fly out from a Bangkok airport. There, it is certain that they would be able to promptly accomplish what is necessary.

If you want 90 days, a Non O visa (to visit Thai spouse) is a good option. It is only the Non O visa (over age 50) that is contraindicated. Another option for your stay could be visa exempt (45 days) + 30 day extension + 60 days extension (to visit your Thai wife)

All the borders with Cambodia are open, but it is a pretty inconvenient trip from Hua Hin.

I am almost certain that the crossings in Kanchanaburi will be a non starter for some time. There are suggestions that the Andaman Club resort from Ranong may be open, but only useable by those with multiple entry Thai visas (no visa exemption on return). I cannot confirm any of this, but that might become a viable option soon.

I am surprised that you cannot use your old passport with its stamps as proof of your previous valid immigration status, and leave on the ETD. I appreciate that they cannot transfer some of the stamps from your old passport, but transferring the current permission to stay stamp should be possible. I think the problem is that Nakhon Phanom immigration really does not know what they are allowed to do, and simply refuses to do anything as the simplest solution. Assuming you can navigate the situation sufficiently to exit Thailand, the next question will be whether Savannakhet will agree to affix a multiple entry Non O into your ETD. One problem might be the validity period of the ETD (in which case a single entry would probably be OK) but they might have other objections. The issue with leaving Thailand could probably be overcome by flying out. Airport immigration has much more experience at dealing with these edge cases. However, I think you need to be clear about what will happen once you are out of Thailand. Maybe, easiest will be to return visa exempt, and switch back to Non O visas when you receive your replacement ordinary passport.

My understanding is that he does not have an extension. He has a valid multiple entry Non O-A visa. His plan is sound, but I would personally leave on the 7th, get a cheap room on the other side of the border for one night, and return the following day. The cost will be about the same, and I believe it is smart to avoid even short overstays (although a one-day overstay has no short term repercussions). EDIT: One other point occurs to me. Normally, leaving and returning on an unexpired Non O-A visa will give you a fresh one-year stay. Immigration at the border might refuse to give you this because of the lack of qualifying insurance. However, in that case, you should instead get the visa exempt entry you are looking for without incurring any overstay.

Some have problems, others do not. I think there are fewer people now for whom applying for a visa in advance makes sense. A single entry tourist visa buys you little, and a Non O-A visa or single entry Non O (over 50) tends to be a mistake. This is not because of the e-visa system per se, but because of changed requirements over time, and the current availability of a 45-day visa exemption.

That is why I suggested the use of an agent. It can avoid most of the hassle. However, if you are worried about the cost, your best bet is probably going to be a bus down to Malaysia.

We have been assuming that "visa" runs to Myanmar are not possible. Officially, all the land crossings are closed to foreigners. I wonder how this service via Ranong is able to overcome the issue. I wonder if there is some special arrangement with the Andaman Club on Thahtay Kyun Island where the security concerns preventing normal opening of the border crossings might not apply. A quick Google search does not reveal whether the hotel and casino is open for business.

I am almost sure there is an hourly international bus from Nakhon Phanom bus station that crosses the third Friendship Bridge (price around 80 baht each way). Of course, this still leaves you with the issue of getting from the airport to the bus station.

This warning on the home page is critical:

If you can meet the requirements, a one-year extension of your permission to stay in possible. If you cannot meet all of the requirements, an agent can assist, but this raises strong emotions among some as encouraging corruption. There is no obvious valid short term extension available for you. Creative solutions might be available. For instance, maybe a 90-day education extension might be possible with help from a language school.

Yes, when crossing a land border to/from Thailand, you must use the same passport on both sides of the border. When travelling by air, you can change passports.

That is a valid comment. However, when you can meet all the requirements, an agent is not very expensive, and reduces the hassle involved in the process. It is up to the OP whether the convenience is worth the cost.

No problem at all with what you plan. Make sure the airline(s) have the right passport information for each of your flights.

The METV predates the Thai e-visa system. When first introduced, an application required a letter from your employer confirming that they were OK with you spending months in Thailand over the upcoming six months! Fortunately, that requirement appears to have disappeared, at least when applying in most countries.

It is annoying, but a sign of the times. Officially, the rules are far tighter now. In practice, individual branches have plenty of discretion to allow you to open a savings account if they want. Sometimes, agreeing to purchase a moderate accident insurance policy (perhaps, a 3,000 baht premium) will be enough to persuade them. They receive a small commission for selling you the policy.

Applying for e-visas when outside home country has been discussed a few times. The official line is that it is not allowed. In practice, some have received them fine, some even while in Thailand for use after a border bounce. If you can afford to lose the visa application fee, you could try your luck and see what happens.

Border bounces by land for visa exempt entries (right now allowing a 45-day stay, extendable once for 30 days at an immigration office) are allowed twice per calendar year. Outside of this, you will need to get tourist visas. The rules currently being applied by embassies/consulates in the region post Covid are not totally clear. Some options that used to be available (such as Hong Kong and Yangon) are not available at the current time, but might return. Even with a visa, entering by land would be prudent. Staying multiple years more will probably be hard.

If an ex, this would probably work, but would be a fraudulent application, and likely get you blacklisted from Thailand if discovered.

On the requirement for proof the money came from abroad ... The reason for the requirement is that it prevents people using a one-day loan to satisfy the financial deposit requirement. If you can demonstrate that the money has been continuously in your account for several months, most immigration offices will waive the requirements for proof that the money came from abroad. Check with your local immigration office to see what their policy is on this. As an alternative ... If you are a South Korean national, I believe it is possible to get a letter from your embassy in Bangkok confirming that your income is greater than 65,000 baht per month. If so, you can use this as an alternative to money in the bank. You could also enquire at the Thai embassy in Seoul whether they will issue you with a 90-day single entry visa and, if so, the requirements. In some cases, you only need to be able to show 800,000 baht in the bank anywhere to get the visa.

Simplest would be to enter Thailand visa exempt, and use an agent to facilitate longer stay as a retiree. This involves little effort on your part. The agent can offer you different options, cheaper if you are willing to transfer 800,000 baht into a Thai bank.

Unless you are from a country that is entitled to visa exempt entry to Laos (very few countries) you need to add the cost of a Lao visa (either eVisa or visa on arrival).. Even without that, I think 3,000 baht is optimistic. Taxis from provincial airports tend to be expensive. If looking for a visa exempt entry or a new entry on a multiple entry visa, this still looks like a decent candidate.