BritTim

That is really important for people using that office to know. Most immigration offices, at worst, provide next day service on retirement extensions.

As mentioned, a tourist visa from Vientiane (or, Savannakhet, if you cannot get an appointment at Vientiane) would be prudent. If you for any reason were refused the visa (very unlikely unless you have several previous Thai tourist visas) you should enter Thailand by land. The visa exempt entry by land, while subject to the limit of two per calendar year, is otherwise very safe. Trying to enter visa exempt by air after six months on visa exemptions, especially at Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang, could possibly result in a denied entry.

Be guided by the IATA information for travellers, which is based on the rules followed by airlines and Immigration at your destination and during stopovers. To travel to Thailand, start at https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/TH-Thailand-passport-visa-health-travel-document-requirements.htm. If this site tells you you are good to go, you can rely on it, but should take copies of the pages to show airline check in in the event of problems. If the page warns you that you do not meet the requirements, I would advise you to reconsider trying to come to Thailand with your current passport. Note that the requirements applied by different airlines can differ slightly, but this service takes account of this, allowing you to specify the airline you are using

Documents required there were always pretty short. It is probably correct. Better to have a one sentence letter from your wife requesting they provide the visa, and evidence of a minimal amount of money (20,000 baht or so probably enough) which can occasionally be needed during any visa application. I assume you realise that Vientiane only gives you a single entry Non O visa.

There are two completely different visas that you are confusing: The Thailand Elite visa, a fancy tourist visa that has nothing to do with retirement, but allows you, without complications, to stay in Thailand because you like it here for a number of years. It costs a fair amount of money. There is zero benefit in using an agent when acquiring a Thailand Elite membership. A Non O visa (for those over age 50) together with continuing one-year extensions. The most common way of qualifying for this is by depositing 800k baht in a Thai bank account and, essentially, keeping it there. This is the option your agent is talking about. The agent can arrange the visa and subsequent extensions, without the normal financial requirements.. The cost should be about 25,000-30,000 baht for the first 15 months and around 12,000-15,000 per year thereafter.

Does anyone know the legal situation under the following circumstances: You have a checking account at Bangkok Bank. Your wife/girlfriend has a crossed check in the amount of 800,000 baht dated one day prior to your death. The cheque is processed subsequent to your death to transfer the funds out of your account. Obviously, what I have in mind is an undated cheque that your wife/girlfriend can date and submit immediately after your death.

The red stamp does not affect your ability to get visas with the exception of tourist visas. It does not affect your ability to get a visa exempt entry at most land crossings. It most certainly does affect your prospects of visa exemptions at airports. If you do end up with the dreaded stamp, aim to replace your existing passport as soon as possible. The problem is visible in your current passport, but not evident in the various immigration and consular computer systems. A replacement passport will be a complete fix (but stay away from the consulate that gave it to you: they might recognise you if you go there again). Although not an ideal solution, be aware that agents can assist you in getting retirement visas/extensions without the official financial qualifications. You will receive different opinions on whether this approach involves significant risk, as well as whether it is a moral approach.

Are you speaking from personal experience? The horror stories I am talking about are from spouses who were officially married and using lawyers who one assumes know what paperwork is required. It took months.

Correct in theory, but I have heard several horror stories of the difficulty in extracting money from Thai banks. At a minimum, it seems to take a few months.

Nationality and skin colour can occasionally also be a factor. As a Caucasian from a first world country who is conventionally clothed, it is vanishingly unlikely that you will be asked to show funds.

Do you happen to know the latest precise situation in Ranong? It seems clearly to be open to some extent, but probably with restrictions.

I assume getting a Myanmar visa in advance and travelling overland from Myawaddy to Yangon is also out of the question?

The limitations on applying for multiple tourist visas at embassies/consulates in neighbouring countries are opaque and complex. They vary according to where you apply, as well as your nationality. As a general rule, the limitations have been getting stricter over a number of years. I cannot guarantee that everything I write below is still accurate. It reflects my best understanding. Depending on the embassy/consulate where you apply, there can be limits such as the following: (The least strict) A limit on the total number of tourist visas from only that specific embassy/consulate visible in your current passport. That is, usually, the consulate cannot easily check applications that you made prior to getting your latest passport, so those will not be taken into account. A limit on the total number of tourist visas visible in your passport that were issued anywhere. A refusal to issue you a tourist visa if you have spent more than a specific number of days as a tourist in Thailand over the last 12 months. A refusal to issue you a tourist visa if you have a stamp from another embassy/consulate to the effect that "you travel frequently to Thailand as a tourist" (explained below) and/or a visa sticker that is marked cancelled together with a stamp that it has been cancelled because you are a tourist too much. (The strictest) Not issuing you a tourist visa if you have just departed from Thailand. At some consulates, they have a nasty habit of stamping your passport with a warning to other consulates that they consider you someone who is abusing the tourist visa system. You really, really want to avoid this kind of stamp. Unless your current passport is very clean (as far as time in Thailand as a tourist is concerned) try to be aware of consulates that are liable to do this to you, and avoid them. Once you have a stamp like this, you will find it very difficult to get further tourist visas until you replace your passport. In Vientiane, historically, American citizens have been allowed two tourist visas from Vientiane (as visible in their current passport). An attempt for a third is liable to be rejected, and may result in the dreaded stamp. Tourist visas issued elsewhere are OK. Savannakhet seems to allow at least two tourist visas issued at that consulate (issued elsewhere ignored) to American citizens. Historically, Yangon has been a good place to apply, probably also safe for two tourist visas from that embassy. Until recently, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been good places to apply, but recent reports suggest they have become strict and probably bad places to use. Penang is very busy, but appears to allow at least one tourist visa from there. The situation in Kuala Lumpur is very changeable. Kota Bharu used to be a reasonable place to use (albeit, inconvenient to travel to) but I have seen zero reports from there post Covid. Singapore has long been very strict, with applications often rejected but (as I recall) without use of the dreaded stamp. Jakarta and Bali are awful places to apply, though theoretically they do issue tourist visas. Phnom Penh liberally uses the stamp any time they deny an application. They will typically issue a tourist visa if you only have one other tourist visa in your passport (from anywhere) but are liable to deny your application otherwise. It is probably prudent to use a good agent if applying there who can abort an application if he knows it will be rejected. This is the best I can do. Hopefully others will provide corrections based on recent first hand information.

I sympathise. Unless very confident about the professionalism of the agent, I would also be extremely reluctant. Always ask an agent where the visa/extension will be processed, and how long you are required to be without your passport.

My experiences at Mae Sot were always very positive. Your statement about being asked for a departing flight is something I never experienced. Was this a requirement by Thai immigration before they would grant a visa exempt entry? Did the Myanmar side allow paying for the border pass with US$10 or did they (as in Mae Sai) insist on 500 baht?

That is a good question. Long established and honest agents have been known to mislay passports, and take weeks to find them. As you say, the stress involved should this occur is immense. The level of risk is mainly determined by two factors: (i) the administrative systems in place by the agent; and (ii) the number of hands through which your passport passes. With established agents, the risks are reduced to almost nil if the agent does not send the passport to another province to process the visa/extension. That aside, there is at least one big agent who has advertised in this forum who does send passports up country for processing, but has excellent administrative procedures, and can be relied upon not to mess up.

Two months before and three months after. Easiest to avoid problems is just to maintain an 800k balance continuously, and possibly even to use a separate account to avoid accidentally dropping below the required balance. If on a retirement extension, going forward, about every three to six months, get a stamped statement from the bank covering the previous period. The only annoyance with the retirement extension is that Immigration may want to see 12 months of bank statements to confirm your bank balance hour by hour over the year. (That will not be necessary the first year you make the switch from Marriage to retirement extension.) At least Bangkok Bank needs several days to provide a 12-month statement, but can provide up to a six month statement on the spot.

The border closes at 10:00 pm, but it would be stupid, IMHO, to arrive at the Thai side any later than 9:00 pm. If you want to arrive in Nong Khai really late, just stay the night in Nong Khai and cross early in the morning (the border opens at 6:00 am). Immigration on both the Lao and Thai sides at the Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai are hassle free. You would get the 30-day visa exempt entry without any problem (and no money in bank or onward flight ticket is necessary).

When you are on a long overstay, it is unlikely you could clear it at Immigration. Most likely, they will simply tell you to leave Thailand via an airport without delay. However, they might decide to have you arrested. If you are on a short overstay (say, seven days or less) there is virtually no risk involved in attending the immigration office, and it is likely that you will be able to clear the overstay (paying a fine) and receive any extension of your permission to stay for which you are eligible.

Banks prefer that you have a work permit because it provides a decent assurance that the account will be an active one. Banks dislike opening accounts for tourists where the effort of setting it up is wasted when the account just languishes unused. That said, the work permit is not a non negotiable requirement. There are various ways you can often persuade them.

This is incorrect. Regardless of when you apply for the 30-day extension, it is added to the original 60-day permission to stay.

If you really have a visa on arrival (which allowed a 30-day stay instead of the normal 15 days up until March 31st) than your permission to stay cannot be extended. You must then, immediately, do a border bounce at a border crossing that allows you to apply for a further visa on arrival (all international airports, and a few land crossings). If you have a permission to stay from a visa exempt entry, as noted by others, you will have received 45 days on entry. You should be able to pay the fine and get the regular 30-day extension, only if your overstay is short. If the overstay is more than seven days, they very likely will tell you that you need to immediately leave Thailand. With a longer overstay, contact an agent. To voluntarily overstay in Thailand at the current time is stupid. There are immigration offices in every province, and you can apply for an extension of a visa exempt entry at any of them. Anyway, clarify when you entered Thailand, whether you entered visa exempt or with a visa on arrival, and the current expiry date of your permission to stay.

Are you intending to work for a Thai employer, or are you trying to get a work permit for your own company?

An alternative to visiting an immigration office is to do border bounces. This could especially be your best option if you fancy side trips to, say, Vientiane or Phnom Penh. There are various ways of dealing with the requirements for a return/onward flight when making the visa application. One is to book a ticket that allows your return flight to be changed free of charge (or for a nominal fee). Another is to purchase a cheap flight anywhere outside Thailand within the original 60 days. You could also have the return flight after 89 days, but include a note that you plan a side trip during your stay that means you will be in Thailand for less than 60 days at a time. (Usally, the embassy will accept this.) Finally (but a bit risky IMHO for a visa application) there are ticket rental services that allow you to rent an onward flight ticket for a very limuted period. These services are very cheap. However, for a visa application, they are iffy as you cannot ensure that the ticket will be valid at any point the embassy decided to check.

No problem with getting one 30-day extension at immigration for each 30-day visa exempt entry, or each 60-day permission to stay from entering with a tourist visa. No problem with getting two visa exempt entries by land in a calendar year at most crossing points. The crossings with Myanmar and Laos are to be preferred. The only crossing to avoid at all costs is Aranyaprathet/Poipet. While there is no hard limit to visa exempt entries by air, they carry a risk of a denied entry if you are a long stay tourist (especially after 180 days nearly consecutive, but possibly with other history that a specific official finds objectionable). Entry by land with an actual tourist visa is unlimited, and is safe at almost all land crossings. Entry by air with an actual tourist visa should also be safe at airports. However, historically, it has been known for immigration at some airports to refuse to honour a long stay tourist's visa. That has been seen in the past at both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang, but never at Chiang Mai for instance. The risk of airport immigration refusing to honour a visa seems to be very low at the current time so, if a land entry will be inconvenient, risking an airport entry with a visa is not really reckless.