BritTim

36 minutes ago, dontpanic said:

Is it possible to get this same one in hcmc still or was I reading wrong on another post?

 

Thanks. 

A single entry Non O to visit your Thai child is available at most embassies/consulates. However, some require financial proof (anything from 20,000 baht to 200,000 baht). I am unsure if HCMC requires any financial proof for this category of Non O.

At the start of February, the Public Health Minister proposed suspending visa-on-arrival for Chinese citizens. No action on his suggestion has been taken. Visa policy remains unchanged. There is an online system to apply for a visa-on-arrival which avoids queuing at the airport, and would (we assume) block applications if visa-on-arrival for Chinese nationals was suspended.

17 minutes ago, drbeach said:

It's no different from the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand or Australia. I have watched many episodes of "border security" from all 5 countries to know of examples of travelers who were denied entry on their second visit. The usual scenario is - stay almost as long as your visa allows (3-6 months), then leave for a short period and attempt to come back for the second time on a multi entry visa. Then they get denied and banned from re-entering for 3 years or so. Where's the "official" time limit that tourists can spend in these countries? Doesn't exist either. Depends on the officer.

This is the common response to the argument that Thai law imposes no official limits on the frequency and duration of visits to Thailand as a tourist: point out that many (actually most) other countries give their immigration officials full discretion to deny entry, and argue that this should apply to Thai immigration officials also. I think many senior immigration officials are of the same opinion, but I do not buy it. The fact is that those who drafted the Thai Immigration Act were clear that such discretion only applied to the Minister, not to individual immigration officials. I believe there were good reasons (limiting scope for corruption) in making the conditions for denied entry clearcut, and preventing individual officials from being able to override them. If Thailand wishes to change their own laws, they ought to do so, not selectively decide to adopt the laws of other countries instead without any announcement.

4 minutes ago, drbeach said:

Thai immigration isn't really changing the rules so much as enforcing the rule that someone who is a tourist can't spend an indeterminate amount of time here living on visa waivers or tourist visas. Almost every case I have read about here, is from someone like that.

The problem is that the "rule" that supposedly exists limiting time on tourist visas is not specified in any official law or regulation. Further, the rule only applies at certain entry points into Thailand. Expecting, say, snowbirds to be aware of the entry points where the "rule" applies, and the precise limits at each entry point that impose limits does not seem to me reasonable.

1 hour ago, Gvrnor said:

Thanks for the answer and help. I want to do 2 trips abroad, so leaving country 2 times is fine for me. I was just thinking, will they look my student visa and suspect something because im coming back one week after i left. 

With your history, you would get two visa exempt entries without difficulty if you really want to make two trips out of the country. As  @tommytouch advised you, a 30-day extension from Immigration would be cheaper and less time consuming than the second overseas trip if you were only looking for an extra 30 days in Thailand.

I do not know the policy in Penang, but I know in Hong Kong they absolutely insist on a police report (fortunately easily done) in this situation. Their reasons for insisting on the police report are nonsensical, but they are firm about it.

12 hours ago, hughglo9 said:

A side question. I know if I flew from Cambodia to Bangkok I would likely have problems in the airport due to my travel history and TV's, but..

 

What if I flew from Phnom Penh to Chiang Mai?, and tried to get a visa exempt? . There are flights which go via DMK, but I assume I would go through immigration at Chiang Mai and only transit DMK.

 

If I have a recent history of TV's, would I get problems at Chiang Mai?

If flying directly to Chiang Mai from overseas with a visa you would be very unlikely to be denied entry. However, Chiang Mai airport immigration does sometimes deny visa exempt entry (and they have orders to screen those requesting visa exemption to ensure they qualify as regular tourists). I strongly advise those with an extensive history as a tourist to avoid trying to enter visa exempt through any airport if there is a reasonable alternative.

27 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

Another option is to get a new passport, which will allow for 2 or maybe 3 tourist visas.

That is now a maybe. At some consulates, if suspicious that you have "been a tourist for too long", they may demand to see your old passport.

1 minute ago, Eddie2244 said:

I will be able to sort the money out just at the moment I live in the uk and she is in Thailand I will have to send the application From here 

You can apply for the single entry Non O visa while in the UK. Your wife does not need to be with you. This will allow you to enter Thailand, receiving an initial 90-day permission to stay. Your wife only needs to accompany you when you visit immigration to request an extension of your permission to stay.

14 minutes ago, roaming2019 said:

what is the minimum amount /duration    .  

The main options are 500,000 baht for five years or 1,000,000 baht for 20 years.

The guarantor fields do not require filling in for a Non O based on marriage. The form covers all categories of visas, and provides space for information that does not apply for most applications.

4 hours ago, ambj1994 said:

Which land border entries are easy or friendly?

The situation can change between now and July but, entering from Laos to Nong Khai, Chong Mek or Mukdahan has always historically been a comfortable experience (certainly for Westerners). Another excellent choice has been entering from Myawaddy in Myanmar to Maesot.

6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But on the way back coming into Thailand, only the passport and completed TM departure card.  And I've made enough international trips lately and in recent years, that if they were doing it regularly, I should have been hit up at some point in time.

Usually, I think the Advance Passenger Information Service (the link between the airlines and immigration) provides this information. If the official asks for the boarding pass, it may well be because there has been a snafu in the system, and your passport is not automatically linked with an incoming flight.

Years go, it was absolutely routine for Thai immigration to compare your boarding pass with the immigration form and customs declaration. I am rarely asked for it these days.

On 2/19/2020 at 12:16 AM, Maestro said:

 

It is perfectly legal for you to start taking your Thai language classes while you are in Thailand on your 60-day permission to stay based on your entry with a tourist visa. During this time, with the necessary papers from the school, you can apply for a non-immigrant visa and subsequently for an extension of stay for the reason of studying under clause 2.9 of the Police Order 327/2557 (2014). The school should be able to give you guidance with these applications.

It is true that you can study while on a tourist entry, but forget about getting an extension under Clause 2.9. That requires that you are in Thailand on a Non Immigrant entry. Further, although it is possible to convert to a Non Immigrant for the purpose of studying a university course, a conversion will not be granted to attend a language school (even, I believe, with an agent's assistance).

All the OP can do is what he has already tried: travel to a neighbouring country for a Non Ed visa. He might be lucky at another consulate, but there have been reports of refusals at Vientiane and Ho Chi Minh City, previously popular locations to apply for Non Ed visas.

There should be no negative consequences of the refused extension and seven days to leave the country. It is reasonably common, and I never heard of anyone being treated worse because of it. Just avoid an actual overstay.

It seems the 60-day extension to visit your wife would be most appropriate. A border bounce for a visa exempt entry would also be possible. Do not be afraid of land crossings as long as you avoid a couple of problematic ones.

4 minutes ago, inxuinxu said:

I am from Finland and got SETV in Helsinki and arrived in Thailand Nov 15. I am staying in Nong Khai countryside with wife in her house. We are both retired and are staying in Thailand 180 days every year. Two winters before this year I used a NON-OA-visa still shown in my current passport. 

 

Last week Feb 11 I traveled to Vientiane and got easily another SETV there. Neither any financials like cash or bank statement nor flight ticket were asked anywhere. Copies of stamps leaving Thailand and arriving Laos were required.

So maybe it is better for you to travel to Vientiane instead of Savannekhet.
 

It seems slightly easier to get an SETV in Vientiane than in Savannakhet. However, it is not as easy as in years past. You will probably need the bank statement in Vientiane. Vientiane has an appointment system, so make sure you have an appointment for the day you plan to apply.

If you are in Nong Khai, I see no good reason why you would choose Savannakhet over Vientiane for a tourist visa application.

The fly-ride service (from Nok Air or Air Asia) is definitely best for the return from Mukdahan to Bangkok. For the outbound, you might decide to take a VIP overnight bus (yes, I am not keen on these either) only because it arrives in Mukdahan around 7:00 am which works perfectly for doing the visa application the same day. Going to Mukdahan using the fly-ride service means an extra night in either Mukdahan or Savannakhet.

51 minutes ago, Mangkhut said:

Thanks for answer, much appriciated.

Bank statement - like a letter from my bank, or just a print of my bank-account current status?

A print of your bank account current status (preferably in English or Thai) should suffice, as long as it is clearly genuine, and clearly your own account.

An air ticket is not needed. A recent bank statement showing the equivalent of at least 20,000 baht is definitely needed. They may well want to see a hotel reservation (easily made and later cancelled). Even with that, there is no guarantee that you will get your visa. Over the last year or so, Savannakhet has been very reluctant to issue tourist visas, except to those with very little previous recent time in Thailand. Since you will be there anyway, it makes sense to try. Good luck!