anotherfarangishere

Hello everyone, In 2025, I spent 270 days in Thailand: 1 single-entry tourist visa + 2 visa exemptions, with each stay extended by 30 days. I left Thailand at the end of November and returned two months later with a single-entry tourist e-visa obtained from the Thai embassy in Hanoi. Upon arrival at Don Mueang, after my fingerprints were taken, the woman checking my passport told me that I had spent a lot of time in Thailand and called someone over. That person, a very calm man, asked me to follow him: we walked about 10 meters, he asked me to sit down, took my fingerprints again, stamped my passport (60 days), and told me I could go. In total, it took one minute; there were no questions or comments. I still asked whether there was a problem, and he replied that I had stayed too long in Thailand, which I readily acknowledged. Has anyone ever had this kind of experience? I plan to apply for a 30-day extension and then leave for Vietnam, normally for a three-month stay. Is there a risk that the 30-day extension could be refused? Unless, with the closure or difficulties of Middle Eastern hubs, they start offering free Elite visas! Thanks,

Yes, I know this from the Japan embassy but still, I find it not 100% clear : it's what I asked if some people have some experience with the e-visa.

Thanks for your comment. It seemed to me that if the visa is not specified, it is a simple tourist visa. Let's say I was wrong... Which consulate? Since it is an e-visa, I don't understand the question. Regarding the nationality of the passport, I am surprised that this could affect the decision of a Thai embassy to reserve the e-visa for people who live in the country or not, but it is a French passport.

Hello everyone! As the title says: Thai e-visa from Japan: OK? No problem, even if you are not Japanese or a resident? Or is there a problem - refusal - like in HK for example? If there's no problem, what is the average processing time? Is the embassy in the habit of systematically requesting additional documents (like the one in Seoul, for instance)? Thank you in advance for sharing your experience or knowledge.

Many thanks, really, Rob, for your time. "...maybe their airport-jail was already full of other folks who don't know how things "really work," here." As I mentioned, I entered by land at Padang Besar. "My advice: Cover Your Backside with a Non-Immi Visa" That is also exactly what I indicated I want to do. "...at least minimize the potential nightmare, by entering by-land, so a denied-entry only means walking back to the other country, and canceling your exit stamp with them." I confess that I do not understand that at all. I was once sent back to Malaysia from DM; I had to urgently pay for a "Bangkok - KL" flight three times more expensive than the KL - Bangkok flight I had taken to come here. At Nong Khai, I would just have to pay for the bus to return to Vientiane. Moreover, as you mention yourself: "Land-borders are generally less likely to deny entry, if you stay out a few days (the longer the better)..." That is also my experience. "...but, given your longer-history on Tourist-entries this year, even this is problematic." I am aware of this, which is why I am trying to measure the risk. The experience and testimony of someone in my situation, at the same border, would be useful to me. Thanks again.

Hi Tod, Thanks again for your time and all the precisions. No safe entry provider at Nong Khai ?

Thanks for your comment, but your statement — like some other “from people who have considerable expertise” — loses credibility because it doesn’t match what I clearly detailed in my original post. Regarding you: in 9 months I’ve only entered Thailand once by land. So, the real risk of being refused should come from the fact that I’ve already spent 9 months in Thailand, not from the mere fact of using a land border again with a visa. From my recent experience, it is much easier to enter by land than at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang. Now, if you have testimonies or evidence that even with a visa the Nong Khai border can very easily refuse entry for multiple reasons, I might reconsider my choice and work out a plan B to leave Vientiane for another destination instead of Thailand — or maybe try flying from Vientiane to Chiang Mai ? Furthermore, as you said, it is indeed entirely possible that my tourist visa application will be refused — a possibility I have already considered and for which I also need a plan B. Thanks again for your message and your good luck wishes.

I’m not nonchalant since I intend to get a visa. Moreover, I make sure to return to Thailand via a land border: a refusal is much easier to handle there than at an airport.

No, not at all: even if it doesn’t guarantee entry, it’s always better to have a visa than no visa, especially when the previous two entries were already visa exemptions.

The point of applying for an SETV/e-visa in Vientiane is to mitigate the high risk of refusal at the Nong Khai land border. After nine months of continuous stay using multiple visa-exempt entries and extensions, I am showing a pattern of over-reliance on border runs. While an approved SETV does not completely eliminate the risk of being denied entry, it provides a much stronger argument than attempting a third consecutive visa-exempt entry. The SETV is a pre-approved visa that provides a more solid legal basis for a 60-day stay (extendable to 90 days), giving me a more solid foundation for my longer stay, and effectively resetting the immigration clock.

Hello everyone, In a few weeks, I will have spent 9 months in Thailand: e-visa + extension: 90 days 2 nights in Vietnam, then 2-month exemption (Suvarnabhumi) + 30-day extension 2 nights in Penang, then 2-month exemption (Padang Besar) + 30-day extension My plan is to go to and stay in Vientiane long enough to apply for and obtain an e-visa. What are my chances of getting it? Also, average processing time for a response from the Vientiane embassy? For clarity, I plan to return to Thailand via the Nong Khai land border. Thank you.

Yes, me too I thought that maybe the problem could be the term "medical certificate".

Hello everyone, I need a dental implant, so I contacted a dental clinic I had used last year. I explained that, following an initial appointment to determine the necessary procedures and set up a treatment schedule, I would need a medical certificate to support a visa application. The certificate should ideally include: The nature of the treatment (e.g., dental implant with crown restoration) The estimated duration (e.g., 6 to 9 months) Confirmation that multiple appointments and follow-ups are required (e.g., for osseointegration, crown placement, and post-op checkups) My full name and the dentist’s, along with the date, their signature, and the clinic’s stamp Ideally, the clinic’s license or registration number, if available The clinic replied that, as a clinic, they are not authorized to issue medical certificates, and that I should contact a hospital instead. Does this response seem normal to you? Has anyone encountered something like this before? Thank you!

Thanks but you sent me Padang Besar to Butterworth. But you're right, I found this : https://www.train36.com/padang-besar-hat-yai-shuttle-train.html Thanks again!

Thanks for your answer and your help. Some of the backups you mentioned don't work for me, I don't want to use van (too many accidents).

What about flying to Penang or KL, stay 2 nights, and bouncing back to Thailand via Padang Besar? Seems ok? (already 6 months in Thailand in 2025 but 0 land border). BTW, are they the 2 daily trains from Padang Besar to Hat Yai still working?

Airplane company, in Bangkok, before to give me my boarding pass.

I made a round trip Bangkok Da Nang Bangkok two months ago: they asked me for an onward ticket at Suvarnabhumi, they didn't in Da Nang.

Ok, I'll try to find it, thank you!

Thanks for your help. No similar plan for Padang Besar ? It's only 50 minutes by train.

Thank you. But I'm not ready to do this, even for a 5 years visa.

Yes, you're right. Thanks.

But you can extend it 6 months, no?