BritTim

I think I recall a recent post by a UK national who received a visa in Australia without being a resident. Maybe that will change if Australia switches to the e-visa system, but I suspect visas will continue to be issued to non residents under some circumstances.

Let me comment on this specifically. You can often save dramatically on medication (especially in Thailand) by being smart. Doctors in Thailand tend not to prescribe generic alternatives for expensive medications, but using generics can often reduce the cost by 80% or more, especially if you acquire the medication through low cost pharmacies like Diamond Pharmacy near Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok. Look into this, and ask your doctor the next time you see them. Be sceptical if they tell you the generics (with the exact same formulation) are no good.

You were probably just told "one tourist visa". However, did they happen to clarify whether this was one tourist visa from them or a tourist visa from anywhere visible in your passport?

If you have time to provide this, it would be very interesting to know your recent immigration history when you received a tourist visa in Phnom Penh. The requirements on the webpage are one thing, but (historically) Phnom Penh was very tough on those they identified as long stay tourists. Is that still the case, or is satisfying their documented requirements sufficient?

The e-visa system has blurred longstanding rules on visa applications. At one time, visa applications needed to be made in person (or by posting them your passport from within the country) and ensuring you were physically present in the country when doing the application was very easy. The rule still exists that you must be physically in the country where you are applying. However, it is no longer easy for the embassy or consulate to know if the rule is being followed. The best way of proving your physical location at the time of the application is a good question. Usually, people assume that the embassy will take your word for it. For an METV, they additionally want to ensure that you have long term right of abode in the UK (or Ireland). Your UK passport is sufficient to prove this. People who do not have right of abode in the UK might be able to apply for a single entry tourist visa while in the UK. It depends on your nationality and some other factors.

The strong preference of most in high places in Thailand is that the METV be used for multiple discrete trips to the country. There are no regulations that enforce this, however and, as you post, it is quite feasible to use an METV for a single extended stay of over eight months. Some immigration officials absolutely hate this, and there have been rare cases of officials at some airports (improperly) actually blocking people from re-entering with an METV as a long stay tourist.

I confirm the above. Originally, the window for online notifications was shorter, but you can now use the online app right up to the due date. If after the due date, you must do it in person at the immigration office, but there is no penalty if you do it no later than seven days after the due date.

The fact that you have recently been working (especially if in a low paid job) may well make some officials suspicious that you could be planning on working illegally. It typically will influence immigration officials more than consular officials. You can no longer apply for a visa at the Bali consulate. Your application must go to Jakarta, and they are very strict on tourist visas. I have seen too few reports recently on tourist visa applications in Kuala Lumpur to form an opinion on your chances there. The embassy has oscillated between being reasonably easy and horribly unfriendly. I think you would succeed in getting a tourist visa in Vientiane. You need an appointment to apply there. Carefully check the requirements in Vientiane for a tourist visa, and ensure you satisfy them. Returning visa exempt via the Bangkok airports would involve some risk due to officials possibly deciding you are not a tourist and are a potential illegal worker.

Recent discussions raise one question in my mind that no one has yet encountered, and may not even have been considered by the BOI. What happens if you want to be outside Thailand at the end of the initial five-year period? Can you deal with all the paperwork and other requirements remotely without needing to be present in the country?

If you have a viable business plan, and plan to establish a Thai company to pursue it, you will need legal help to ensure you have effective control while there is the required 51% Thai ownership on paper. You should be including your visa as one of the deliverables you expect the lawyer to provide as part of the company establishment. Note that, if you are a US citizen. you have options under the Treaty of Amity between Thailand and the US. Forget the Thai company idea if you do not have a good business plan on how to make it profitable. There are some significant costs.

The "180-day rule" is cited on some consulate websites because, long ago, for a short period it did exist. Unfortunately, alongside some complete rubbish, describing rules that have not existed for a decade or more is depressingly common. You are correct that some officials use 180 days in the last year as a yardstick that strongly influences their attitude. Other officials may be more influenced by your age, how you are dressed, and your general behaviour. When it comes to visa exempt entry, the officials have wide discretion in deciding whether you appear to be a tourist.

On the re-entry permit, the above is broadly correct. There are a few major land border crossings that have re-entry permit desks, but the majority do not. At best, the nearest immigration office may do them, but obviously only during the hours the office is open. If unsure of the status at a land crossing you plan to use, get a re-entry permit in advance (as advised, in the office that issued you the extension, if any, or where you submitted a TM30 if you need a re-entry permit for an entry from a visa).

The law most definitely does exist, and has existed for many years. In more detail, the law mandates that visitors to Cambodia must stay overnight with only two significant exceptions: (i) it does not apply to those with multiple entry business visas; and (ii) it does not apply to those transiting at specifically Phnom Penh airport. The original justification for the law is that Cambodia is a poor country, and its economy is benefited by having visitors spend at least one night in the country.

Wishful thinking in the US wants it to be a Chinese lab leak. It is, indeed, conceivable that it was. However, there is a big gap between sloppy disinfection practices and an undetected leak causing a major outbreak at a live animal market. The best available evidence (some of which only came to light a few months ago) suggests that the initial source was racoon dogs in a specific area of the market. We shall probably never know for sure.

You do have the option of contesting the charge through your credit card company, as you did not receive the visa you were paying for.

Until the expiry of an LTR visa (like any other visa) you can spend as much or as little time in Thailand as you wish, and still use it to enter Thailand.

Getting extensions based on money in the bank has always been available, and has nothing to do with income letters from the embassy. Those who can use income letters just need to show an average level of total income of 65k+ baht over the year. Those who cannot get income letters must transfer 65k+ every month into a Thai bank account. Many people with a total income exceeding 65k+ baht per month cannot transfer this amount each month to Thailand owing to commitments they have back in their home countries. Also, if one transfer fails to go through as expected, you are no longer able to get your next extension. Some who were able to satisfy the income requirements using income letters have been forced into the clutches of the agents to continue receiving extensions after their embassies stopped issuing the letters.

Immigration reserve the right to turn up at your reported residence at any time to verify that the information you have provided was accurate. In places like Bangkok, they rarely do so. However, it is not that rare in some places up country.

You can apply for a Non O visa at Immigration from a visa exempt entry. See the TM87 form (https://aseannow.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=439176). Note that, these days, opening a bank account in Thailand is much more difficult than formerly. Depending on where you are living, it may be nearly impossible on a visa exempt entry or tourist visa.

You indicated confusion over my last post. You correctly identified Laksi as the location for extensions of visa exempt entries. Perhaps, this will help you understand why I identify Chaengwattana as the correct location for those who entered using tourist visas: If my post is still unclear, perhaps explain what has confused you rather than just using a confused emoji.

Ask the Labour Department. It may well vary from office to office in obscure cases. As an example, can someone on a Non O visa as a (foreign) dependant of someone on an extension of stay based on working get their own work permit? What about the situation mentioned by the OP in this thread? I do not pretend to know what the answer will be at all Labour Offices in every situation.

A 30-day extension of a visa exempt entry is done at IT Square Laksi Plaza 3rd floor. A 30-day extension of an entry from a tourist visa is done at the Government Complex Chaengwattana Road. As noted above, appointments can be made using https://www.immigration.go.th/?page_id=20131.

In my view, his point was apposite. Rather than focussing on the visa directly, you should look at whether, based on it, the Labour Department will issue a work permit. There are a multitude of possible situations with visas and extensions, but being allowed to work comes down to what the Labour Department will allow.

For 8. and 9. if they insist you upload something, just upload a simple "not applicable". They are not relevant to the type of visa you are applying for.

This is the key point. If the Labour Department will give you a work permit, you are good to go. What is not clear is whether they will do so if you are on a Non F visa (or an extension of stay based on it).