BritTim

My understanding has been that Immigration cannot transfer visas that were issued by embassies/consulates outside Thailand. I thought you needed to continue to use both the old and new passports until the visa expired. Am I wrong on this? [I am wondering if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office has a service to transfer visas issued by consular staff. I have never heard that there was.]

That will be OK, in principle. The only issue (as I warned above) is that a typical land crossing only has one official who does stamp transfers (usually separate from where you stamp out from Thailand). That official might not be available for an hour or two if you are unlucky.

That depends. If you are in Thailand on a visa exempt entry, or with an entry from a visa (where all that needs to be transferred is basically your entry stamp) that can be done at the border. If leaving by land, note that you may need to wait until the official who is supposed to do stamp transfers is available. If you have an extension of stay with an existing re-entry permit, I believe (at the airport at least) they can transfer enough to allow you to leave Thailand and return. However, the extension (and re-entry stamp in the old passport) will not be transferred. You will still need to visit the immigration office that issued those to have them transferred.

There is no need to extend your original permission to stay (assuming you apply for your Non O visa when you still have at least 15 days left on your initial permission to stay. You are allowed to stay in Thailand during the under consideration period even if your initial permission to stay has expired. Your plan should involve: Transfer money and apply for the Non O visa (as soon as possible) (optionally travel around for a while) Return to Bangkok about four weeks later, or whenever the under consideration period is scheduled to end, to get the (immediately used) Non O visa and new 90-day permission to stay. (optionally travel around for a while) Return to Bangkok around 30 days before expiry of the 90-day permission to stay to apply for the 12-month extension of stay. You will then be free to go where you like.

It has been so long since I went to Ban Laem that I hesitate to venture an opinion. However, I do not believe you would encounter major problems. At worst, you might have to contribute small bribes, probably not even that. Look clean, have a pleasant demeanour, and discuss any requested unofficial fees pleasantly and with a smile. Ignore any "fixers" who claim you cannot cross without their help until this is proven to really be true (unlikely).

You will need to be physically present in Bangkok for (i) the Non O visa application; (ii) receiving the (used) visa stamp and 90-day permission to stay after the under consideration period about 30 days later; and (iii) when you apply for the 12-month extension of permission to stay (best done about 30 days before the expiry of the initial 90 days).

When dealing with Thai immigration, a little paranoia is healthy.

Yes, 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, with proof the funds originated abroad, on the day you apply for the Non O visa (with at least 15 days left on your permission to stay). Should be fine.

I do not think there would be the slightest difficulty in fully utilising the METV by using border bounces by land at most crossings. It is also unlikely that there would ever be a problem flying into airports like Chiang Mai that have historically invariably honoured visas.

Some time ago, there were reports by two people who had successfully applied for an received e-visas without being in home country. One applied while in Thailand. However, there have been clear statements that you must apply for an e-visa only when physically present within the jurisdiction of the issuing embassy/consulate (as in pre e-visa days). It appears that, at least, some embassies/consulates are now trying to enforce this.

If you apply in Bangkok, Chaengwattana immigration will accept the argument that you are staying in hotels while looking for a permanent place to live. There is no need for a long term rental agreement (though a friendly hotel manager will often give you that if you ask nicely).

If you already have two visa exempt entries by land in 2023, there is nothing to stop you from going to Vientiane or Savannakhet for a tourist visa. However, you will not have the security of knowing you will still be able to re-enter Thailand visa exempt by land even if your visa application is denied.

Unless you are using a car, getting to Ban Laem is difficult under your own steam. It is even trickier than going to Ban Pakard. I only went to Ban Laem once, just after it opened to foreigners. (At that time, they encountered an average of fewer than one foreigner a day: different now.) If planning to use public transport, Ban Pakard is to be preferred. There are direct vans/songtaeos from Chanthaburi. If wanting to do this, leave very early in the morning. It is difficult to find transport back from Ban Pakard in the late afternoon. Phet Prasert used to have fast, comfortable early morning buses to Chanthaburi. You could contact them to see if they still do. Estimated costs for experienced travellers who can dodge scams without upsetting officials: Pattaya to Chanthaburi return about 500 baht Chanthaburi to Ban Pakard return about 200 baht Cambodian visa on arrival US$30 (must have pristine notes). The officials will probably want more. Your demeanour is extremely important. You are friendly, quiet and smiling. You apologetically indicate that, while you sympathise with them, you are a poor traveller who cannot afford to pay more than the official visa fee. 0 to 300 baht for same day return. There is a Cambodian law that mandates an overnight stay. Officials will usually want to charge an unofficial fee to disregard this regulation. You can try to dodge it, but pay up with a good grace if they make it clear they want to be paid. The above represents the costs if all goes well. There are expert scammers at work at Ban Pakard (and according to reports also at Ban Laem). Well done if you can emerge unscathed. Doing this trip under your own steam involves a pretty long and stressful day (unless you have your own transport). If an agent has a comfortable, not overloaded van, and can provide a package deal that includes all fees, then paying a premium for an organised border bounce is probably justified. It almost eliminates the uncertainty.

In all likelihood, an agent could arrange something for a price. However, @DrJack54has given you good advice. Either get a single entry Non O visa to enter Thailand, or return visa exempt and apply for a fresh visa at Immigration. I would only depart from this advice if you are planning to apply for permanent residence or citizenship, and want to avoid a break in your period of stay here. Otherwise, your current permission to stay is not that important to save.

I assume you want to do an actual visa run (i.e. visiting a Thai embassy/consulate for a tourist visa). Laos has recently been a good place to do this. I really do not advise using a visa run company for this. They will almost certainly take you to Savannakhet on days when the consulate is swamped with applicants. Also, note that a recent report from a credible source indicates that Savannakhet has become stricter in issuing tourist visas. If you are enquiring with the view to doing a visa run several weeks from now, I strongly recommend that you make an appointment at the Thai embassy in Vientiane, and get the visa there. Travel to Nong Khai by train or fly to Udon airport. If your application for a tourist visa in Vientiane is unexpectedly denied. you can still return via the Friendship Bridge with a visa exempt entry (assuming you are eligible, and have not used your two allowed land based visa exemptions for 2023).

I think Jomtien will require you to do the stamp transfer at a separate desk. I am sure someone else will be able to tell you if Jomtien applies an unofficial charge for this service and, if so, how much it is.

You have a valid permission to stay until it is either cancelled (with you being ordered out of the country) or you are on overstay. During the under consideration period for a new extension, your permission to stay remains valid.

Assumption: you have a long term extension of a Non Immigrant permission to stay. Usually, you must do the transfer at the Immigration Office that issued your most recent extension. If you have changed your permanent address (TM30 and long term rental contract to prove it) you may be allowed to do the transfer at the immigration office in the area you have moved to..

There is no problem with what you propose (provided, as you believe, you receive the new passport in time). When you apply for the extension, Immigration will transfer your most recent entry stamp along with annotations documenting the change of passports. They will then stamp the extension into your new passport. At most immigration offices, one official will coordinate all of this. At some larger offices, they may want you to request the stamp transfer at a separate desk before applying for the extension. The change of passports is supposed to be free of charge, but some offices will want to charge you. The prevailing consensus seems to be to accept this unofficial charge as long as it is minimal. Which immigration office are you planning to use?

As someone else pointed out, historically, residency was intended to mean "right of abode" if you are not a national of the country where you are applying. I recognise that the situation in the US is somewhat special as you are supposed to choose the correct consulate based on your current location. However, in the UK and most other countries, it has always been sufficient to show your passport when applying in your home country.

I believe you will most likely be OK flying in to Chiang Mai, an airport that has historically been less strict on visa exemptions. It seems that most of your periods in Thailand have been of limited duration, and there are significant periods in between. You do not fit the profile of someone who might be an illegal worker, the main category Immigration are concerned about.

The normal basic steps required (assuming he does not use an agent) are: Open a Thai bank account (if not already done so) and deposit 800,000 baht with proof it came from abroad. With at least 15 days left on his existing permission to stay, apply for a change of visa status at Immigration, based on retirement. This is taken under consideration, with a report back date about 30 days later. On the report back date, receive a Non O visa (immediately stamped used) and a 90-day permission to stay. Note that, sometimes, the paperwork for the under consideration period is incomplete on the report back date, and you must return later. Towards the end of the 90-day permission to stay (you are usually allowed to apply somewhere between 30 and 45 days early) you apply for and receive a 12-month extension.. As he is a Danish citizen, as an alternative to the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, he should be able to get an income letter from the Danish embassy in Bangkok that states that he earns a minimum of 65,000 baht per month in income. More details on the visa status change (typically called "conversion") and annual extension of stay is available in many previous threads.

That is important information. Are they only strict on tourist visas? It it possible to give guidelines on when you are likely to be denied?

If they are not already doing so, they will apply for tourist visas in Penang or Savannakhet. The queues there on certain days are already completely out of hand. They are set to get worse.

Good decision