BritTim

As late as 1987, almost every upstairs bar on Patpong had underage girls, as did some bars in Nana and Soi Cowboy. In some bars, young naked girls would sometimes return from the dance floor to customers' laps without bothering to redon their bikinis. I personally helped to rescue a 14-year-old virgin from a Soi Cowboy bar who had been brought to Bangkok from up country by the bar owner under false pretences. This was around 1996. One bar on Patpong had an unusual form of live sex show. A very young (14 or 15-year-old) dancer once asked if I wanted to participate with her. It involved a girl and a male customer being pulled around the bar in a replica traditional Thai bullock cart as they screwed each other. I declined. I think the bar paid the girl and the male customer had a free session with a pretty Thai teen. For exhibitionists or very drunk customers this was probably a dream scenario.

How much are you willing to spend? Here is one option: https://alalanguage.com/ed-visa/chinese

It is absolutely certain that arrangements will be made for those intending to get re-entry permits while Zone 2 is closed. I would suggest just asking immediately before entering the Immigration area. Years ago, it was done at the Immigration office near the check in lines and before passing through security. Maybe, it will temporarily return there.

I think at CW the bank book without statements is acceptable as long as there are no consolidated transaction entries that make it impossible to check whether the balance ever dropped below the required minimum.

In country applications to study at informal schools were not allowed pre Covid. I believe they were permitted during Covid as travelling outside Thailand to apply was not possible. I am unsurprised at rumours that they will once again need to go vis embassies/consulates. I do not think police reports were ever required before to study at informal schools. I wonder if requirements have become muddled somehow. Usually, Vientiane and Savannakhet are better options than Phnom Penh. I doubt you would be able to get an appointment in Vientiane with only 10 days notice. I would suggest Savannakhet. Apply Tuesday or Wednesday to minimise the queues.

As of six weeks ago ... Maneerat will return your passport in the afternoon of the third day after receiving your passport (i.e. you are without it for two nights). They will do 90-day reports on request. For the 12,500 baht price, they do not do pickup and return from your condo. I am not sure if that is an extra price option.

Well, for instance, while this customary rule is usually enforced, immigration at international airports and a handful of immigration offices near land crossings will issue you re-entry permits if you can show you will be leaving Thailand immediately thereafter. For extensions, without the assistance of an agent, it is certainly very rare. However, I have not seen anything in Thai law that makes it illegal. I am not aware of any case where this was prosecuted, even when no effort had been made to change residence before the extension. That is not to say such a law does not exist but, until demonstrated otherwise, I am still inclined to believe that it is a matter of custom not law.

As far as I know, the only border crossing with Myanmar open for foreigners at the current time is the bridge at Maesot. It is also possible that the crossing from Ranong to the Grand Andaman resort is open. There were reports a few months ago that it was partially open, but not for visa exempt entry on the return.

Of course, it is none of the business of the members here, but I am sad to hear that your daughter has decided not to finish high school. This is likely to have a long term detrimental effect on her future life.

The Thai law is that your passport must be valid for the duration of your intended stay. Thus, if your passport has a validity of less than the normal length of a visa or extension, the expiry date will match that of your passport. For a 30-day extension of a tourist entry, this is rarely an issue. For a one-year extension based on retirement, for instance, you should ensure that your passport is valid for at least a year before applying for the extension. Otherwise, you will not receive the full extension that would normally be granted.

I am aware that immigration officials will generally tell you to get extensions, re-entry permits and so on from the immigration office in the province where you are registered. However, I have seen cases where this was not enforced, and was not aware that it was actually illegal. Can you point at the Thai law that mandates this customary practice.

Change is inevitable. Some changes are for the better, some for the worse. When I first visited Thailand in the early 1980s, it was common to see 13-year-old girls dancing naked in go-go bars. I hope we can all agree that the end of that practice is a good thing. Ya Dong/Lao Khao is definitely still with us (a mixed blessing) albeit not quite so visible as in the past.

The purpose of gong to the MFA is to have the notarisation by the Thai embassy in London verified. This is reasonable. Other organisations in Thailand cannot really be expected to determine whether a Thai embassy stamp is genuine. As a general rule, documents in English do not need to be translated into Thai. The MFA will not need this to validate embassy stamps.

I have no recent experience, but I think a written note that you will enter by land, a copy of your flight reservation out of Thailand, and a statement that you will stay in your condo should suffice.

At the current time, the options from Phuket are not great. One option is to fly to Penang, and return by bus (through Sadao) or train (via Padang Besar with onward travel from Hua Hin to Phuket). I have seen reports that crossing from Ranong to the Grand Andaman Resort is possible, but only with a multiple entry visa (no visa exemption available for the return). That report was some time ago, and it would be worthwhile enquiring with local agents in Phuket who organise border runs to check the current status of the Ranong run which, if available, is the cheapest and most convenient option. EDIT: This link might be helpful.

I can remember exactly one occasion on which someone avoided the automatic blacklisting for an overstay of more than 90 days. This was leaving from U-Tapao with an extremely good sob story. If leaving from Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang, your chance would be exactly zero. Even an accidental overstay when on a Thailand Elite visa resulted in a blacklisting. There used to be fixers who were able to resolve long overstays in conjunction with immigration at certain land crossings. Most likely, if you can find the right people, this is still possible. However, you need to be able to pay the resulting high fees.

After returning with a visa exempt entry, as you have been advised, you should go to Immigration and request a "conversion" to a Non O visa (which will come with an initial 90-day permission to stay dating from when the visa is approved) with the intention of later using one-year retirement extensions. This application is made using a TM-87 form together with proof of 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account that has either been continuously in the account for months or was transferred from abroad (in the latter case, no seasoning is needed). Towards the end of the initial 90-day permission to stay from the visa, you apply for retirement extensions in the normal way (for the first extension, your 800,000 baht only need to have been seasoned for two months).

Be aware that you can only get two visa exemptions by land in 2023 (that is the limit in any calendar year). You should avoid trying to get a visa exemption by air after being in Thailand a while. Good embassies/consulates are Vientiane (need appointment, can enter by land which is very safe), Savannakhet (less convenient travel there and back, safe entry by land), Ho Chi Minh City (need appointment, entry by air which very rarely has been problematic in the past), and Yangon (can only do this by air right now).

No problem. You can apply for a Vietnam eVisa from anywhere, not just your home country, and they want your permanent address on the form.

Usually, a little under six hours. It is often pretty dusty too. For those seeking a visa exempt entry, the Aranyaprathet/Poipet crossing is not an advisable solution. However, those who want to risk it should look into the casino buses which take around three hours. These are more expensive than the train which is ridiculously cheap, but comfortable and still inexpensive.

Believe it or not, US$500 represents a decrease from the price being quoted a few years ago at Poipet. Also, this money is to overcome the barriers erected by Thai immigration. At most Cambodian crossings, the problem is on the Cambodian side (where, indeed, a 200-300 baht present is usually enough for a no hassle same day return).

I simply do not believe you can get a no hassle experience at Aran/Poipet nowadays for that kind of price. Are you reporting your experience from another border crossing?

Yes. His post is extremely confusing. My assumptions: (i) he thinks a retirement extension must be associated with a Non B visa (perhaps, because he was once on a Non B visa before retiring); and (ii) he thinks the "conversion" to a Non O visa from his visa exempt entry must be followed by a further conversion to a Non B visa before he can do a retirement extension. Right now, he is asking about how to do the border bounce to get a visa exempt entry. That does not require straightening out his understanding of visas and extensions, but he will hopefully have everything clarified in due time.

Thank you for the feedback. I am glad everything went OK.

I concur with the suggestion to use a border run company, though it can be pretty uncomfortable. Independent travel by public transport to the Ban Pakard crossing, negotiating the in/out yourself is possible, but not recommended except for seasoned travellers good at dodging scams.