BritTim

There is no need for someone to be a long stay resident of a property for a TM30 notification to be necessary. Foreign overnight guests must be notified, and no one expects them to have a lease agreement. The person specified on the lease is a householder under the meaning of the law. They, logically, ought to be the one responsible for notifying Immigration about short term foreign guests (or, in your case, additional residents).

What you plan is doable. If you run into a complete roadblock in Nan, here are two alternatives: Go to Savannakhet Laos, and apply for the Non O visa there (which is placed in your passport the next day). It is possible to apply for a Non O visa at Chaengwattana in Bangkok from a hotel. They accept the explanation that you are newly arrived and still looking for somewhere permanent to live. However, this will require three visits to Bangkok (application, return after under consideration period, and first extension). Surely, a single visit to Savannakhet will be more convenient unless you have other reasons to come to Bangkok.

I would be interested in knowing where in North America you can realistically live on US$300 per month which (while I would not want to try it myself) is just about possible in Thailand. In most parts of North America, just being warm in winter costs more than that.

Let's look carefully at this: I do not believe this is talking about an extension of stay for a Thai child under the age of 20 living with an alien parent. Even by Thai standards, that would be ridiculous. It is surely saying that the alien can get an extension of stay based on their relationship with a minor Thai child. Reason 2.18 (5) is noting additional requirements when qualifying as a parent of a minor Thai child under 2.18 (4) or as an elderly parent being supported by an adult Thai child. It is similar to (6) being an additional requirement when you qualify under 2.18 (3). The counter argument is that the translation has an "or" between 2.18 (4) and 2.18 (5). I believe that is an error. The original Thai does not imply that (4) and (5) are alternatives. The whole wording of reason 2.18 is horrendous, and ought to be justification to have the lawyer who drew it up disbarred. However, a careful forensic examination still enables the meaning to be deciphered.

It depends on the ATM card daily limit. The usual default is 50,000 baht which implies at least 16 days to pull 800,000 baht. However, you can be allowed a higher limit.

In my opinion, being a homeless beggar in San Francisco is not better than living in a 3,000 baht per month room, and eating street food in Thailand ... and those are sometimes the realistic alternatives. Of course, it is different if you are a national of a country with a strong social safety net, like the Scandinavian countries.

I believe the entry stamp (which refers back to the e-visa) should be sufficient, but I am not sure. Are you in Vientiane or Savannakhet? As I recall, there is somewhere that can print an attachment you send them by email near the embassy in Vientiane. Your hotel may also be able to do it..

I assume the OP is asking about applying for an extension of stay under reason 2.18 which includes this: where the 20-year-old age limit is specifically mentioned. (Source: Police Order No. 327/2557 as translated by Siam Translation) I am wondering if the OP is old enough (at least age 50) to apply for a retirement extension.

There have been rare reports of problems at check in when using a one-way ticket while holding a valid visa. However, I believe these have been because airline staff misread the regulations. You should be fine.

If running a business in trouble, and resolving issues for a problem grown-up daughter, it does not take long to blow through $25,000+. It is easy to criticise, but "there but for the grace of God..." Mistakes and bad things can happen to generally good and intelligent people.

There is no long term extension that fits your case. The suggestion of a multiple entry Non O visa (based on marriage to a Thai) from Savannakhet is a good one, giving you another year, at least. After that, best would be half the year in Thailand as a tourist, and half outside the country. The easy solution, if you can afford it, is a Thailand Elite membership.

At the current time, there is no facial recognition or fingerprint check involved when an ATM card is used. Yes, drawing money from an account that is not yours is illegal, but ATM machines do not enforce that law.

First, you have the option of a 30-day extension of your visa exempt entry at the immigration office at IT Square, Laksi Plaza. Second, if planning an in/out for a fresh visa exempt entry, avoid the Aranyaprathet/Poipet crossing which superficially seems the most convenient from Bangkok. It is a rogue crossing as far as Thai immigration is concerned with many experiencing problems.

It is rumoured that they still do, though unclear what its purpose is these days.

My experiences with VFS have been positive. That does not change the fact that two trips to their office, and an 11-week wait for your new passport with extra courier costs is not an improvement over a three-day application process at the British Embassy.

I do not see the point in keeping this thread open. The OP has confirmed that he has since resolved his issue, and (correctly) that not a single post in this thread directly answered the question he was asking. CLOSED

It was over a decade ago. They spent lots of money upgrading all the embassies in the region to ensure photos suitable for facial recognition, then introduced a system where, for a few years, you applied by courier to Hong Kong. Finally, to make the process more convoluted, they started using a third party where you apply in person in Bangkok, but still need to pay a courier fee as I suppose sending all the applications to the UK in a single bundle would be too complicated compared with sending them all individually (assuming they do). Of course, just allowing you to send the application directly to HMPO in the UK (cutting out the middleman and trips to Bangkok) is not an option.

There are never any guarantees when it comes to clearing overstays at immigration. If you were talking about an overstay of two or three days, the chances are good that immigration would work with you. If even thinking about 10 days (which is pretty long) agree in advance with Immigration that they will allow it. My guess is that they will not. Given the seriousness of your situation, do not try to solve the problem through email. Phone the US embassy and explain the situation. Keep trying when they do not pick up immediately. Also, consider talking to the US Consulate General in Chiang Mai. Maybe, they can help.

If you apply for a change of visa status from a visa exempt entry or tourist visa to a Non O based on retirement, you can expect a house visit. For a one-year extension of your permission to stay based on retirement, house visits are not normal. Immigration officials can visit you at any time and for any reason, but such random visits are rare.

If you still have time to do so, make an appointment to apply for a tourist visa at Vientiane. You can then enter with 99.9% safety by air or with 100% safety via the Friendship Bridge to Nong Khai. Trying to enter visa exempt by air, especially with no or minimal time outside Thailand in between, you would have a high risk of a denied entry. If you must try that, I suggest flying into Chiang Mai where denial of entry to those requesting visa exemptions has been much rarer than at the Bangkok airports. If you want to stay longer in Thailand, you need a better solution than being a long stay tourist. That has become hard.

All offices will process retirement extensions. There is a handful of offices that will often refuse to accept "conversion" applications for Non O visas on the basis of retirement from people who have entered visa exempt or with a tourist visa. They will tell you to get the Non O visa at an embassy/consulate outside Thailand. There are some indications that they do this when the person applying for the visa is living a long distance from the immigration office, as it then become onerous for the officials to carry out house visits.

They can be done regardless of where you are living.

The cost depends on where you are applying. The basic reference price of a tourist visa is 1,000 baht. However, you will be charged in your local currency at a conversion rate that varies from bad to absolutely extortionate.

While it is possible that my interpretation is wrong, my assumption following his most recent posts was that he is still on the initial 90-day permission to stay from the Non Ed visa, and needs to attend immigration before its expiry to get a one-year extension of stay. That is based on believing his early claim that this is for a course of study at a formal university, not something like a Thai language course at an informal school.

Imagine how horrible it was for them having to watch you. The experience must have scarred them for life.