BritTim

Bear in mind that some of these border crossings are not open for use by foreigners, only locals.

Be reasonably well groomed, and I would be amazed if you ran into any major issue. You have a plausible narrative, and even the worst official would find it hard to justify leaving your daughters abandoned at the airport, as Immigration insist the airline removes their father from Thailand.

I assume you are referring to your permission to stay, and not the visa you used to enter Thailand. (The original visa's expiry date is irrelevant, and is no longer usable after entry if it is a single entry visa.)

The problem is that (when you use visa exempt entry) officials are asked to judge whether you are using visa exemption for purposes other than those of "normal tourists". Some officials in some locations may even see fit to appoint themselves consular supervisors to review whether the embassy/consulate was correct in issuing you a tourist visa. I absolutely agree that "tourism" can be of many different kinds, but you can be at the mercy of an official with his own, restricted view of what constitutes a tourist. Anyway, as far as the OP is concerned, there have been no cases of being denied entry with a tourist visa if clearing immigration at Chiang Mai airport. It is only a worry at some other airports, and especially at the Poipet/Aran land border.

Agreed. For Americans, there are possible options under the Treaty of Amity, though they do not seem as great as 30 years ago or so. Otherwise, a great, well connected lawyer might succeed in getting a representative office approved (if you have an existing overseas company). Anything else will be very costly.

You can apply for single or multiple re-entry permits to protect any permission to stay. The permit ceases to be valid as soon as you change your permission to stay with a new one-year extension.

When you return with a re-entry permit, no new TM30 should be needed, officially. A handful of immigration offices may not be able to read the rules, however. Sometimes, the first 90-day report after a return to Thailand must be made in person. It all depends on how well the online system is working. There is no rule that the online system cannot be used.

The visa application is probably "under consideration", with nothing to worry about. One of the problems with using an agent, however, is that you cannot look at the passport to verify the current status. If you trust the agent, relax. If the agent is flaky, ask where the passport currently is, and whether it is possible to see a scan of recent stamps.

You did not apply for a one-year retirement extension. You applied for a Non O visa at immigration (you were previously on a tourist entry/visa exempt tourist entry). The Non O visa gives you an initial 90-day stay. When you go back to apply for a one-year extension, you will need to pay 1,900 baht. Immigration cannot give you a one-year extension when you are in Thailand as a tourist. All this is standard. Take a careful look at the stamps in your passport. Together with my explanation, hopefully all will become clear.

It is actually very rare that this happens. If it does, most agents will refund your money. This could still leave you in a very difficult situation but, as I wrote, this is something you are very unlikely to encounter. What can happen is that the agent discovers that they have additional unexpected expenses, and wish to pass this on to you. If that happens, do not immediately go berserk, accusing them of cheating you. It is probably incompetence, but consider covering at least part of the unexpected cost. A declaration of war on your agent, regardless of the reasons, is not wise.

Over the last 15 years, or so, I have tried hard to understand he pros and cons of different dietary strategies. The only absolute conclusions I have come to are Extreme diets may be appropriate for limited periods, especially if weight loss cannot be achieved in other ways. However, a more balanced diet should be employed most of the time. Weight control is key in most people, and especially as we age. Being underweight is worse than being overweight. Being slightly overweight may not be harmful for some people, especially if they exercise regularly. The most important nutrient to avoid consuming to excess is fructose which is associated with many long term health issues. This should guide us, especially, in which fruits we consume often. Optimum sustained glucose levels is really hard to assess, and probably very much dependant on the individual. Low glucose levels seem to be correlated with long term mental deterioration. The risks of high glucose are well known. Other than the above, I continue to read the latest research with interest. I am especially interested (as I am now in my seventies) on how dietary decisions can facilitate delaying the diseases of aging. Occasionally inducing ketosis, it seems, might be part of the puzzle, but this is controversial.

Unless you really want to run a profitable business in Thailand, a Thailand Elite visa would be cheaper. For the basic company formation, there are many lawyers who will do it cheaply, providing the necessary Thai shareholders, and ensuring you have effective control in spite of the (on paper) minority ownership. They will ensure that statutory meetings for things like bank account creation are documented. None of this is very difficult for the specialist lawyers who deal with this, and competition keeps prices very reasonable. However, the main cost comes from needing four Thai employees. You can try to fake them, but the authorities are aware that some will try to do this, and there are mechanisms in place that make it a risky proposition. Note, also, that once you have opened a Thai company, there are costs involved in properly closing it.

It is not straightforward. (Hopefully you are vaccinated.) In principle, you must enter Laos as part of a tour. There are travel agents in Nong Khai who can help with this. Then, you need a ThaiPass to return to Thailand which includes US$10,000 (starting May 1st) of Covid insurance for at least 30 days. The days of an easy border bounce (or an easy visa run) to Laos are not yet upon us.

If you have spent a lot of time recently in Thailand, immigration officials may scrutinise you closely as a "normal tourist" before granting entry without a visa. As part of that process, they can ask for all kinds of things (or nothing). It is up to the official. Wage slips and bank statements are not direct evidence that you are a tourist, but they might help in establishing that you are not working illegally in Thailand, having adequate income outside the country. If you have reason to believe you might be targeted, ensure you have 20,000 baht equivalent in Thai or a major currency. Also, have a good explanation as to why entering visa exempt is appropriate (i.e. you are a short term tourist) and do not consider an actual visa appropriate given your plans for the next month or so.

As of May 1st, you would need US$10,000 of Covid insurance for your return to Thailand. I am not up to date on the requirements for entry to Malaysia. All requirements are subject to change at short notice.

There are two separate questions here: Assuming your wife gets a Non B visa and subsequent extension based on teaching in Thailand, can you get a Non O visa and subsequent extension as her spouse? The answer, I believe, is yes. However, it is tricky, you will not be able to get the Non O visa in Thailand, and cannot apply for the Non O visa at all until your wife is on a long term permission to stay. The logistics will probably involve a visit to an embassy outside Thailand to get the Non O. Prior to that, you will need to be in Thailand as a tourist. Can you and your wife engage in offshore work (either as your only source of income, or as a side-line)? This is a recurrent question, and you will get mixed answers. I state with confidence that, at the current time, although not explicitly allowed, it is tolerated. This might change in the future. However, historically and at the current time, as long as you do not work for a Thai employer, and you do not earn income from customer here in Thailand, the authorities will not interfere.

If you actually went on the 18th, you might be lucky. It all depends on whether the paperwork has been returned to them in time. They certainly are not going to tell you that the 18th will be OK, but there is a good chance you would be OK.

Do not expect any Thai official to know anything about services other than those they handle themselves. The immigration official will know which documents they need you to produce. However, what is required to get those documents is not something they will have the slightest idea about.

I believe it likely that the passport will get an under consideration stamp on Monday. Try to get your passport back to hold until the under consideration date. Your agent may want to hold onto the passport as they feel more in control that way. At the end of the under consideration period, you should get both the initial 90-day permission to stay (dating from the day your visa application was approved, a few days before) and, a few hours later, the one-year extension of permission to stay.

Probably yes. Whether it is easy and quick to get depends on the age of the child. I assume you are named as the father on the birth certificate, and the child was born in Thailand. Even then, it is tricky if the child is a baby. It then must go through the courts, not via a simple application by you at the amphoe accompanied by your child.

It is also worth mentioning that it is not always the case that bonking will immediately result in pregnancy. Also, before proceeding with this dastardly plan, I would verify what the young woman in question will ask for in return, both immediately, and in return for cooperating with ongoing visa applications (on the assumption that you will not be able to get sole custody). Note that there is also some cost involved in keeping children alive. Unlike dolls, you cannot just put them away in a cupboard until you want to take them out to play with. If you are proposing this as an alternative to the hassle of visa runs, perhaps it is time to reconsider.

This is a recurrent problem people have with the annual extensions, and there is no ideal solution. With proof of your overseas trip, most immigration offices will, within reason, try to accommodate very early extensions. Talk to them about this and see what they say. In theory, it should be possible to cancel an existing permission to stay, and on a same day apply for a new extension. Although the law seems to allow this, I have rarely heard of people being allowed to do it. Again, talk to your local office and see if they are willing to do it. Other than that, the solution (as you allude to) is to leave Thailand without a re-entry permit, and restart the whole process of getting a Non Immigrant visas and subsequent extensions from scratch. Obviously, this is a bit of a pain.

Just before leaving the country, the Covid extension represents your permission to stay. Immigration will want this transferred to the passport you are using for travel before giving you the exit stamp. Certainly, like the entry stamp (which would be transferred if you had no extension) the Covid extension is no longer of interest once you leave, but it is important prior to receiving the exit stamp.

The above is basically correct, with a small word of warning. If leaving Thailand through by land through some of the smaller crossings, the official who needs to do the stamp transfer may not be available for hours. It will usually be done at a special desk, sometimes in a different building. If relying on a stamp transfer at one of these small border crossings, ensure you leave a lot of extra time. It may be needed.

Wow! I am surprised that they were allowed to travel on the expired passports. Good to know that it is possible, at least with some airlines.