BritTim

Personally, if arriving on the overnight bus, I have always found it least hassle just to transfer straight to the international bus and get the crossing to Savannakhet over and done with. The only slight concern I would have is that the first international bus in the morning might get to the border with the visa-on-arrival desk at the Laos end not yet open. It is frustrating if you need to hang around for 30 minutes or so for the officials to turn up. (That does not apply if you have a Laos e-visa.) Leaving Mukdahan bus station to get to a hotel, needing to return to the bus station early the next morning does not appeal to me. For what it is worth, Mukdahan is not a bad town. There are some good restaurants. However, it is not a place where I would bother to spend time unless it was convenient.

History is irrelevant, and the distant future almost equally irrelevant. All of the requirements for every kind of visa everywhere are subject to change. When considering what to do in the short term, just meet the current requirements. When there are major changes in 2024 (say, insurance or level of financial proof) deal with it then.

Presumably, you are unaware, in spite of my earlier post, that Thai Smile flies from Vientiane. The fact that you intend anyway to fly from Udon, in my view, makes it even less logical to go to the trouble of getting a visa and crossing by land.

These days, with the e-visa system, I suspect, when applying in China, you have no control over where the application is processed. Does anyone know different?

If you are leaving in August, a flight VTE-BKK, which will not require a visa, now costs about US$100 on Thai Smile. Counting visa and overland travel costs, you could save money by the overland route, but not that much.

It would be worth trying to apply for a tourist visa through the e-visa system. Especially given the quarantine requirements for journeys through China, I think the embassy in China is very likely to accept applications coming from outside the country.

Where are you now? If you just need to connect with a flight from Suvarnabhumi, maybe the easiest solution would be just to fly to Suvarnabhumi from wherever you are now.

No. It is a black and white rule by land. By air, Immigration scrutinises you to decide whether you are using visa exempt entry for "normal tourism purposes", which is obviously subject to interpretation. By land, you are virtually 100% safe in trying to enter visa exempt within the two per calendar year limit (the only exception being the rogue crossing at Poipet/Aranyaprathet). By air, if you have already spent months in Thailand as a tourist, it is a gamble, with the risk being higher at some airports than others.

An answer I think we can both agree on. If you make meeting the rules of officialdom a priority, you can always find the time to do it, if necessary ensuring you are in the right location when a visit to the immigration office proves necessary.

Thailand has 77 provinces, and properly exploring some of the larger individual provinces alone can take weeks. Travelling does not always involve acting like an American on a once-in-a-lifetime two week trip through Europe. Indeed, one of my biggest pleasures is going somewhere with natural beauty, and spending my time hiking through the area and enjoying the local culture and food. It is certainly possible to time matters so that, especially if the online system works, you can deal with officialdom. That does not mean it cannot sometimes be a hassle.

I actually sympathise with that viewpoint, and I have tried to live my life in a way that allows me to enjoy life's experiences, fitting them around my responsibilities. However, it is a reality that, for instance, you are not free to travel the world at will when holding down a fulltime job.

Some people become even busier after retirement than they were before. They are trying to fit in everything they had no opportunity to do earlier, and before they become too old and decrepit.

The plan is OK. However, note: Each initial entry stamp is for one day less than people think (59 nights, not 60, and 29 nights not 30). The extensions give you a further 30 nights as expected. For that reason, do not plan on the basis of a stay of 210 days. It should be a few days less unless you want to stay a few days in Laos. There may be no easy way of staying longer, if your visitors want to do so. Two visa exempt entries by land in a calendar year is a hard limit. If, however, the trip is planned such that you have a visa exempt entry close to the end of the year, then 1st January gives you two fresh visa exempt entries to play with, allowing a longer stay. Actually visiting embassies/consulates in the region for actual tourist visas may also be possible, though it is not 100% certain that applications would be successful. The good news is that, with a visa, entry, through almost all land crossings is assured.

The problem in the OP's case was not Thai Immigration. It was the airline that refused to check him in. I have known others who had your experience, but apparently you need to be aware that the airline might have different policies.

Nothing else. Just make sure you have US dollars. If you want to pay for the visa on arrival using any other currency, it is much more expensive.

Your friend will not accept the good advice that several have made: he should leave Thailand immediately (20,.000 baht fine and, probably three year ban from returning to Thailand). Since he is too stupid to take the proffered advice, sooner or later, he is going to end up in the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC). He will remain there until he can pay for his deportation. For many people, this can mean years in detention under unpleasant circumstances. Since he is American, he is lucky. Most likely the US authorities will advance the money to get him out of the IDC and back to the US. Once they do, his passport is history, and any ban from returning to Thailand is moot.

If you are in hospital, the hospital can arrange a medical extension on your behalf. I do not think the hospital will apply for an extension on your behalf if you are simply convalescing at home. Unfortunately, Immigration is not very sympathetic in cases like yours. Partly, that is because of the potential for abuse if they provide easy ways for people to get extensions without satisfying the normal requirements. You may have to resort to using an agent, if there is no way you can have yourself transported to Immigration. Where are you located?

This link shows the days Immigration will be closed during July: https://move2thailand.com/immigration-work-calendar/ 13th-15th July they are closed.

You will be able to get a 30-day extension of you visa exempt entry (it is not a visa) at the immigration office in Krabi. When the time comes, here is a Google Maps link showing you where it is. You should apply within the final week or so of your initial 30 days. No translator is required. If it is convenient to have a Thai with you, by all means do as it makes getting any answers you want easier, but it is of little importance. There is a TM7 form that must be completed. You can get this from the immigration office when you arrive. Alternatively, if you want to fill it in in advance, you can download it from https://aseannow.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=436894. You will also need one photo, and copies of your passport data page and entry stamp. Immigration will not care that your return flight is not within the initial 30-day stay. However, your airline might well make it an issue.

At which point, many on here would be pointing out that it is much more economical to get an Elite at a million baht for 20 years (50k per year) rather than paying an extra 70k baht per year. On the other hand, those visiting for six months might find a 60k visa with no extension or reporting requirements very attractive. The authorities need to set up a system where people can propose their own custom visa conditions, and have Immigration agree or deny the applications on an individual basis.

It is extremely easy to get a taxi in the middle of the night in Bangkok. If you are not near a main road, you might prefer to use the Bolt app to get a taxi, however. You might not find a taxi cruising in the depths of a residential area.

Make sure you include a room number in the Royal Palace. I have had immigration officials pull me up for a failure to include this.

You want to "legally" establish and run a business while illegally pretending to be the employee of another business, paying them to falsify the work permit application? Sorry, but I cannot take the question seriously. Note that, under some circumstances, you might be able to carry out certain export activities (but not import activities) in Thailand without a work permit, and also to get a business visa on that basis. This could definitely not be used as the basis, later, for a PR application, however.

Agreed. 10,000 baht to the estranged wife for an hour of her time would be a good investment in simplifying matters.

I have a couple of reactions to this. Scrapping the TM6 form is, in principle, a good thing. Based on my experience of Thai computer systems, relying 100% on computer records ,without any kind of paper backup, fills me with dread.