BritTim

If someone has a visa, the official's job is very simple. Check if any of the reasons for denial of entry as listed in Section 12 of the Immigration Act apply. If not, stamp you into the country. The situation is a bit different with visa exemptions where, indeed, the official, in principle, is supposed to assess whether you are likely to be a genuine tourist.

I think it would establish a good reason for frequent visits to Thailand. "Friend" often means "girlfriend". The lack of good reasons is more likely to point to bad reasons for frequent visits. That said, absent some kind of red flag, I do feel that the questioning is pointless.

You know, that is an interesting possibility. When immigration officials imply that they have made some comment about you in their system, we tend to dismiss that, but it could be true. Maybe, several years ago, an official flagged him as a possible "abuser" of visa exempt entry, and this was picked up on his most recent entry.

The actions of Thai immigration officials are determined by Thai law, not some universal natural law. The fact is that the Thai Immigration Act establishes significantly different rules to those you are used to with most other countries. As it happens, while I still believe the actions of the official was over the top in the OP's case, her scrutiny was not as offensive as it would have been had the OP had a visa. With a visa exemption, the immigration official takes the place of a consular official in determining whether the qualifications for entry as a tourist are met. That said, do not assume that Thai immigration officials have the same broad discretion that US customs and border control agents have. They operate within totally different legal frameworks.

There is still no problem with an immediate turnaround.

The forum tries to be a resource to help those with immigration related issues. Having every individual post their own thread for each issue they encounter is inefficient. Instead, posters are supposed: To search the forum for recent threads that address the problem or question they have. If they find a thread that is responsive to the subject they are interested in, but they still need clarification, add their post to that thread. If no existing thread addresses their problems, create a new thread with a subject line that identifies the subject area of interest. Hopefully, by following these guidelines, we can have one thread on "extensions to visa exempt entries" rather than one for each person who has entered Thailand with a visa exemption. Unfortunately, there are many, many duplicate threads anyway but, at least if you use a descriptive thread title, others can see whether your thread is potentially of interest without having to open and read every individual thread to see if it covers their issue.

Goof find. That was not what was originally proposed.

Due to the security situation in Myanmar, it is very unclear when land border crossings will be allowed again: might well be years.

Lao nationals receive visa exemptions under bilateral agreement. As such, they continue to receive only 30 days (non extendable). On the positive side, they are not restricted to two visa exempt entries by land as those on standard tourist visa exemptions are.

I assume you were using the road crossing. Pre Covid, there appeared to be a much better experience for those able to clear immigration in the train station. Unfortunately, immigration control in the station is only open during a short window around arrival and departure of the shuttle train between the Thai and Malaysian sides of the border.

The short answer is "no". The longer answer is as follows ... There is such a thing as an investment visa. The main qualification for this is to transfer 10 million baht into Thailand from abroad, and use it to purchase qualified investments. One of these is freehold or lease in the foreigner allocation of an approved condominium project. The condos tend to be overpriced, and bad investments. The investment visa does not give you the right to work. A work permit would be required for this, and you would likely qualify for another type of visa if you could meet the requirements for a work permit. If you have 10 million baht in free capital, and are just looking for a good way of staying long term in Thailand, I would suggest: Purchase a 20-year Thailand Elite membership for 1 million baht. Invest 9 million baht overseas at 5% interest. Rent an equivalent condominium in the open market for about 30,000 baht a month. In my opinion, investing 10 million baht in a condo you would have no immediate chance of selling for anything approaching that (and possible problems getting the money out of Thailand if you did) is not a smart move.

For Savannaket, I would suggest overnight VIP bus to Mukdahan (only because it connects perfectly with the early morning international bus into Savannakhet) and fly-ride on Air Asia to return from Mukdahan to Bangkok the following day. If you actually want to spend time in Savannakhet or Mukdahan (or Ubon Ratchanthai) there are some possible alternatives.

Mods can change the subject line. You can "Report" your own post with a message giving your suggested modified subject line. I would suggest "STV (Special Tourist Visa) extensions. Possible? Experiences?" There are others who will likely be interested in this thread, and I would not delete it.

With a Thai spouse or child, you could get a 60-day extension. Otherwise, depending on your nationality, your best option might be a border bounce (leaving and re-entering Thailand) for, most likely a visa exempt entry (45 days) or a visa on arrival (30 days).

From October 1st, a visa exempt entry gives you 45 days, regardless of whether entry is by land or air.

How much of that did you pay when buying the Cambodian visa on arrival, and how much in a bribe when stamping out of Cambodia to return the same day? Or, did you pay an agent on the Thai side who assured you that you could not walk across to the Cambodian side yourself?

As @ubonjoe is trying to make clear, it is critically important to know whether you want a VOA (visa on arrival) or you are eligible for a visa exemption. The VOA is only valid for a 30-day stay (usually, only 15 days, but temporarily allowing a longer stay) and it cannot be extended inside Thailand.

If I remember correctly, you are required to show you have health insurance when entering on a Non-OX visa. If you fail to satisfy that condition would you be given a visa exempt entry? I would that thought the entity that issued the Non-OX visa (presumably the embassy in his home country) should have the power to cancel the Non-OX visa on request. If not, what on earth needs to happen if someone on a Non-OX visa wants a work permit?

Your experience is not unique. What I believe they are doing is checking that you did not stay illegally in Thailand on an extension of stay based on marriage after a divorce. Lots of people believe (erroneously) that they can stay until expiry of their current permission to stay, only having a problem if their ex wife reports them. The check you report is the main reason why you should look for an alternative way to stay in Thailand immediately after a divorce.

Absolutely. The experience has been aggravating but, in the end, far from a catastrophe (assuming, of course, that the agent managed to put your passport in the correct envelope for sending it back to you).

The border crossing at Tachileik is not open due to instability on the Burmese side. You can get two visa exempt entries per calendar year when arriving by land. Thus, you could potentially make a border bounce at one of the crossings with Laos nearly immediately, a second on late December (after getting an extension of your permission to stay from the first visa exempt entry) and still be able to have two more in 2023.

If a visa on arrival, you now receive 30 days which, as before, cannot be extended. If a visa exemption based on bilateral agreement, there is no change. If a standard visa exemption, you now receive 45 days on entry, which (as before) can be extended one time for 30 days at Immigration. If you do not know which category you fall into, this Wikipedia article will be helpful. Just search it for your country, and read the rules that apply. The article has not yet been updated to reflect the changes to the number of days that took effect today, but is otherwise generally accurate.

On cooking facilities, it will cost you a lot if you want a fully equipped kitchen. However, if you know what typical Thais use to cook their food, that is available for fairly cheap accommodation. You do not want to bring cigarettes into Cambodia. That is one of the things (along with alcohol) that is way cheaper there. In most of Cambodia, there are no supermarkets worth the name. In major cities, you can expect much the same as in Tops in Thailand, mostly at higher prices and fewer choices. The legacy French influence means that you can get some items (like good French cheeses) more easily than in Thailand (again, only in the cities).

I saw that post about someone willing, without complaint, to hand over 2,700 baht to a scammer. I did not regard it as an accurate reflection of what you can expect to pay if doing the in/out yourself. On top of the US$30 for the Cambodian visa, I would not expect to pay more than 500 baht at the most in bribes, and would hope to pay nothing extra for the visa and 100-200 baht for same day return.

Based on my reading of that link, it seems the embassy might be more restrictive than some other places in issuing Non O visas for dependants of existing visa holders. They write: They do qualify the list of those who can apply with "including", but I suspect they might not issue a Non O for dependants of retirees. It may be necessary to find another embassy/consulate that is less restrictive.