BritTim

In his case, he wants to work. You cannot legally do so on a retirement extension, but can if on an extension based on Thai child.

I slightly sympathise with your sarcastic answer to the OP's question, but it is, although correct (as I am sure you realise) not very helpful. To the OP, to get advice that is relevant to your situation, we need to know: Are you currently in Thailand on a retirement extension, wanting to change from money in bank to income method? If so, this is considerably more complex than it used to be. If you are inside Thailand on a tourist entry, and want to apply for a retirement visa followed by annual extensions, a) if you can get a confirmation of income letter from your embassy (depends on nationality) it is easy; b) otherwise, you will need to show the start of regular monthly transfers from abroad into your Thai bank account. You need to have at least 15 days (might be up to 21 days) left on your tourist permission to stay at the time you apply for the Non O visa for retirement. If you are outside Thailand, you may be able to get a Non O or Non O-A visa from the Thai embassy.in your home country. Whether this makes sense will depend on the requirements and your personal situation. If you are applying for a first one-year retirement extension of the 90-day permission to stay from a Non O visa, a) if you can get a confirmation of income letter from your embassy, it is usually easy; b) otherwise you will need to show transfers from abroad into your Thai bank account of at least 65,000 baht every month for the last three months; and may also need to show documentation suggesting your ability to continue doing so. Summary: it can be complicated. Tell us your current situation and your nationality.

He was returned to his embarkation airport, as per standard practice. It is very difficult to get the airline representative to agree anything else when the standard operating procedure is easy.

I sent you a PM.

Presumably, when he was refused entry on a visa exemption, he had not flown from Singapore, but from a country (perhaps Vietnam) where he would have been unable to enter if returned there. Under those circumstances, it varies very much depending on the airline representative, along with the complications in returning you to home country, whether the airline representative will negotiate another option with you.

Which province are you living in?

OK. Let me start by explaining the background to your question. While there are a few exceptions, you can basically be in Thailand on a permission to stay based on a tourist entry or on a non immigrant entry. To convert from the tourist entry to a non immigrant entry, you need a visa first. In most common cases, you can get the necessary non immigrant visa at immigration in Thailand, although in some cases you must leave Thailand and apply for the relevant visa at an embassy/consulate overseas before returning to Thailand. You cannot change from a non immigrant permission to stay to a tourist permission to stay without exiting and re-enter the country. When you are already in Thailand on a non immigrant permission to stay, there is no need to apply for a fresh visa when you want to change to a non immigrant permission to stay based on a different reason. With correct organisation, you simply cancel your current permission to stay, and apply for a (usually one-year) permission to stay based on the new reason. Thus, in your case, forget applying for a visa at immigration. That is not what you need to do. Instead, visit immigration and explain that you want to cancel your retirement permission to stay, and apply for a new extension of your non immigrant entry based on your Thai child. Make sure you know exactly what immigration require before going ahead with this. Although everything is completely legal, this needs to go smoothly as otherwise you can end up wit significant problems. Unless you are 100% confident you can do everything correctly, consider using an agent to facilitate correct execution of this touchy process.

That is actually the standard procedure if you are denied entry. The airline that transported you to Thailand is responsible for removing you, if possible taking you back to your embarkation airport. If you are ineligible for entry at the originating airport (most often visa issues) the airline will then often try to return you to a country of which you are a national, because they know this will definitely be the end of their troubles with you. However, you can often negotiate with the airline representative to take you somewhere else where you can convince them you will be able to enter without trouble. EDIT: Also, under international law, this does not qualify as 'deportation'. It is classed as an INAD (inadmissible person) and the rules are different. It only become deportation if you are allowed to enter the country and subsequently ordered to leave.

Those who had a 'proper' one (with or without a work permit) will be able to explain what they were doing as a volunteer, and I suspect will almost always be OK. However, even if the officials believe you, there is still a very small chance that they will still tell you "you have been in Thailand too long" and deny a visa exempt entry.

Certainly, using an agent is easiest. However, last year, I helped an American friend open an account at Bangkok Bank without a residence certificate. They agreed that a long term rental agreement was good enough. The simple fact is that the senior bank staff will often turn a blind eye to the listed requirements (sometimes to your benefit and sometimes to your disadvantage) when they feel like it.

It is frustrating. It is, indeed, usually challenging these days to open a bank account when on a tourist entry. The easy solution is to use an agent just to assist with opening the bank account. This is likely to cost 2,000-5,000 baht (the higher amount being if you need to buy an accident insurance policy from the bank as an inducement). Opening an account without using an agent requires a lot of persistence and good technique. First, dress smartly, and be well groomed generally. Next, if at all possible, visit the bank with a respected Thai who already has an account at the bank. If you cannot speak Thai (and do not have a respected Thai who already has an account) visit the bank with another person who can act as an interpreter. Make sure you choose someone who also looks smart and well groomed. Ensure the bank is aware that you intend depositing a million baht within a couple of days of the account being opened, and plan to maintain a continuous balance of 800,000+ baht. Finally, if necessary, offer to buy a cheap accident insurance policy (for which the bank staff get a small commission) if they allow you to open the account. Throughout the process, it is important to talk in a friendly, smiling way, avoiding the typical Westerner entitled attitude. Good luck!

Be aware that using a good agent in Phnom Penh improves your chances of scoring a tourist visa, but it is no guarantee. Prior to Covid, it was not uncommon for the embassy to refuse to agree tourist visas applied for through agents, often insisting that you attend the embassy yourself for interview (after which you might, or might not, get the visa). Good luck!

I have no special knowledge on this matter. My suspicion is that problems at airport immigration after a dodgy volunteer visa are probably real, rare, and due to the attitude of a handful of individual immigration officials rather than a general policy. Since there are reliable reports of some people having no problem, in spite of the offending stamps, it seems clear that you will only have problems, if at all, if you are unlucky.

If coming from the UK, you receive a 30-day visa exempt entry (no visa is required). If necessary, you can extend the visa exempt entry one time only by an additional 30 days. After you enter visa exempt, an agent will be able to fix you up with a retirement visa followed by extension. Be ready for this to be substantially more expensive than just an extension. where you are already on a Non Immigrant entry.

If the airlines will be seeing this as completely separate flights (that is, you are planning to pass through immigration at the, now, 'transfer' airport, collecting all your baggage, before checking in for your flight to Thailand as a completely unrelated flight) then there will be no problem. However, be aware that the pre departure PCR tests (if still required) will need to be within the required time limit when you check in for the Thailand flight. Also, you will now be entering the 'transfer' airport, not just using it to connect flights without passing immigration. Make sure this does not have additional requirements. If you tell the airline at check in the UK that your journey finishes in Bangkok, or if you try to do an international to international transfer without passing immigration, there is a high chance of problems IMHO.

Just for curiosity (you will probably be OK with the plan you lay out) is there a good reason why do not want to apply for the 30-day extension early, say about April 27th, rather than waiting until May? EDIT: Also, a word of warning. People often assume, reasonably, that the Thai embassy is a reliable source of information on immigration rules. They are not! You might sometimes get a correct answer, but the embassy should only be relied upon for information about the services they provide themselves. In general, the Thai embassies are about as reliable a source of information on immigration rules as a typical bar stool warrior.

You can apply at least a week early (probably nearer two weeks) and the 30 days will be added to the end of your current permission to stay. For information only (do not do this) if the immigration office is closed on the last day of your permission to stay, you can apply for an extension on the first subsequent working day and, as long as the extension is granted, there is no penalty. Immigration offices will be closed on May 2nd (substitute for Labour Day).

All the rapid antigen tests are different. They vary in terms of sensitivity and specificity. It is known that the Thai authorities purchased some very low quality tests from China. China does have some better tests, and there are also good tests available from South Korea, Switzerland and other countries. If possible, research specific tests before buying. If you feel unable to do so, pick a test manufactured in Switzerland or South Korea. The information leaflet with the test states the sensitivity (probability of a positive result when you are actually infected) and specificity (to simplify, the probability that a positive result is genuine). I go for tests with high sensitivity, and worry less about false positives (which I can deal with by follow up tests if necessary).

Hopefully, someone will post the announcement from a year or so ago where the TM30 rules were changed. I cannot be bothered to search for it now. EDIT: I decided to take a quick look at the pinned topic on immigration laws etc., and the announcement is linked there. This is the English translation: https://aseannow.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=689586 The important change is this:

For many, the prospect of leaving Thailand when old and frail would definitely be a deterrent. For me, that is not a factor. If I become old and ill, I will stay in Thailand if at all possible. It may be different in Australia, but I have seen the care home options in the UK, and the long delays in getting health treatment that can improve quality of life. I do worry slightly about palliative care in Thailand if you have a very painful terminal condition. That is not an area where Thailand is strong. However, if my condition is terminal, I am not going to worry too much about losing my investment in the Thailand Elite membership. Anything short of that, and I can be better taken care of in Thailand, whether via home help or moving to a care home.

That is not the correct question. You should ask yourself What are the conditions for retirement extensions likely to be five, ten, twenty years from now? How confident am I that my guess on this is correct? (Bear in mind that the headline number on financial proof has not changed in about 20 years.) Will the Elite visa option (and at the same price) still be available if I decide I want it in a few years? Is knowing my total required investment for an easy 20-year stay worth paying a risk premium over the best case scenario not using an Elite membership? As against that, there is the obvious issue that you are locking yourself into a long term commitment. If you change your mind, and depart Thailand, your investment is lost.

It seems you are not aware that you can visit an immigration office and get a 30-day extension of your permission to stay for 1,900 baht. Unless you are right next to a border, this will probably be cheaper, even without all the current Covid mandated extra expense.

This is another subject worthy of discussion, I think. Will removal of most border controls mean that Covid extensions cease to be economically favourable for Thailand? For many people, the availability of extensions on demand creates a situation where inertia keeps people here. Once they are forced to leave, a large number will not return (or, at least, will not return for a significant time). Those dreaming of 30 to 40 million arrivals of foreigners a year in Thailand are delusional in my view. Maximising the length of time foreigners remain needs to be an important part of propping up the hotel/hospitality sector.

If Covid extensions are continued, it will be because forces win that are pressing to allow continued easy extensions for economic reasons. If they are discontinued, it will be a win for those arguing that foreigners can now easily return to their home countries, and it is time to return to normal immigration rules. Similar are the arguments between those wanting to remove all Covid controls (at the border and otherwise) for economic reasons, and those arguing for continued public health measures. My own opinion is that public health measures should remain strict (stricter than now) until much more effective treatments are available to prevent hospitalisation, death and long Covid. I also think that almost all foreigners should be able to get indefinite extensions on demand as long as the current clear economic benefits of this remain. I believe there is a strong xenophobic element in high places in Thailand who want Covid extensions gone for emotional, not rational, reasons.

This is a very common argument. What I have been totally unable to find is any evidence that Covid extensions were created to provide an alternative for those who would otherwise extend their stays in Thailand by using border bounces. Can you cite any source that indicates that this is the objective of the Covid extension? If it is, why does the government not just say that Covid extensions will be discontinued once land borders are open?