BritTim

Which border crossing did he use please?

One might ask why itt should be harder for a foreign man married to a Thai woman than for a foreign woman married to a Thai man. The answer is simple: preconceived notions about gender roles. At some point, these kinds of prejudices may well disappear, but it will likely take time. When my daughter was born, a child born in Thailand to a Thai mother and foreign man was not entitled to Thai nationality. This later changed, but many second and third generation refugees in Thailand still cannot claim their legal rights because of the attitudes and prejudices of officials.

Of course, you mean the TM8 form. I know this is a simple typo, but worth correcting to avoid confusing the less well informed.

It seems likely that your friend was applying for a one-year extension of an existing Non Immigrant permission to stay, not applying for a Non O visa at immigration. The former is signed off at the local immigration office. The latter is taken under consideration, and approved at Division headquarters.

They are already well aware of the rules. They simply choose not to follow them as it is too much trouble.

When there is a documented procedure for receiving a Non O visa at immigration from a visa exempt entry, accusing someone of being "lazy" because they plan to use that procedure strikes me as victim blaming. In reality, the person being "lazy" is the immigration official who does not want to break into his mobile phone play time by doing his job. Processing the visa application is a significant amount of work for which the official only receives his regular salary. I can understand why some officials (if their superiors permit it) would shirk doing part of their job. What is next? Refusing to do 30-day extensions of entries on tourist visas on the basis that the applicant can go to Laos for a fresh tourist visa instead?

To bring you up to speed ... He wanted to apply for a Non O visa at Immigration. This is possible on a visa exempt entry if you have enough time left on your current permission to stay. By doing a border run, he was able to receive the visa exempt entry that was a necessary prerequisite for the Non O visa application. Clear now?

You will not be fined, and usually the one day overstay will not be considered significant in your immigration history. However, an overstay when under an order to leave (even if only by one day) will be considered a more serious infraction. In my view, if you intend spending time in Thailand in the future, it would be better avoided.

As long as you request a (denied) extension before your current permission to stay ends, it is 100% normal to be given the seven days to leave the country. Note that this is not a regular extension. It is an order to leave that, short of a critical medical issue, must be complied with.

If it happens at all, it is extremely rare. It would only happen if there was some uncorrectable defect in the application. What I have heard of is that region headquarters wanted a document not included in the original application, and a call from the local immigration office asking you to provide it before the application can proceed.

Sort of true. They cannot use form TM86. If they entered visa exempt, they must use form TM87.

Savannakhet has not done them based on Thai child for a long time. The last consulate in the region known to do them was Penang. Financial proof was needed. Reports suggest you can no longer get them there. Some nationalities might be able to get them in home country, or through the e-visa system.

I have not heard of Thai immigration restricting foreign minors from travelling. They only start asking questions if one of the parents is Thai. It is prudent to have a consent letter from the mother (with contact details) but I doubt it will be needed.

I think they are still good guys. The problem is that they were completely swamped by visa run groups taking long stay tourists for tourist visas. They were unable to cope, and something had to change. They did not go the same route as Penang (which simply refuses to process any more than the first so many people in the queue). Instead, they elected to deter long stay tourists from using the consulate. I do not think they wanted to do this but, short of tripling the number of staff, what else could they do?

The last time I helped a friend open a bank account, using the inducement of buying the bank's accident insurance, it was definitely just for one year. My friend signed nothing that would authorise the bank to renew the insurance in subsequent years.

At the request of the OP, this thread is now CL:OSED

It is perfectly normal that after stamp transfers to the new passport, no further stamp goes in the old passport. Your official acted properly.

As I recall, the last time I did the trip I used the 21:30 Transport Co. Ltd bus and had no complaints.

Most border bounces at Mae Sai are same day. Many do this daily.

Unfortunately, lots of other people also like Vientiane, and trying to process up to 1,000 applicants a day became impossible. With prior planning, using Vientiane is still possible.

If you want a multiple entry Non O, your only option is Savannakhet. Although there is a small airport there, the flights from Vientiane are expensive. A possible alternative way of getting there is a fly-ride ticket to Mukdahan, crossing to Savannakhet on the international bus. If you only need a single entry Non O, Vientiane is a better option, but you need an appointment in advance to apply there.

If you take the overnight VIP bus (as I suggest) and the first international bus in the morning, you should be at the consulate by about 8:00 am.

If the hotel is cooperative (and does the TM30 notification online like almost all hotels) they should be able to do the notification and provide you with the evidence within a few minutes.

If you have returned on a fresh entry (i.e. not using a re-entry permit) a new TM30 notification is compulsory.

If you have not already used your two allowed visa exempt entries by land in 2023, you should be able to do a border bounce for a fresh visa exempt entry. Alternatively, if you have not already extended your current entry, you can apply for a 30-day extension at immigration to provide the time needed for the visa application.