Tod Daniels

At most offices you can apply for a new yearly extension when you have 30 days or less left on your current stamp

Once you apply and get the 30 day under consideration stamp you CAN indeed leave the country IF you buy a re-entry permit (which will be valid only for that under consideration stamp period) It goes without saying BUT I'll say it anyway, that you need to be back in country on/before the date your under consideration stamp runs out so you can show up at the immigration office on that day to get the year extension inked in

Also with more and more offices doing "home visits" for extensions nowadays let your immigration officer know when you apply you're going to be out of the country during the under consideration period, so that they can work around that if they need to do a home visit

Just now, Jetsam said:

I take it that ME is not available at Vientiane.

the reports where people got year-long multi-entry Non-O visas based on marriage to a thai (even with 2 months of 400k in a bank account) are slim to none..
Savannakhet is the place to go OR HCMC (which is one of the only consulates that will still sell that year/multi-Non-O based on marriage with just 20K baht in the bank)

@Jetsam Savannakhet NEVER listed that they sold the Non-O visa based on marriage in multiple entry

You make an appt online, go there, have 400K baht in a thai bank account for 2 months before you go apply, you need the marriage certificate(s), thai i/d of your wife, her house book listing, copies of your data page, visa to Lao, entry stamp to Lao, 2 passport photos and 5000baht

Takes TWO business days not counting the day you apply for the visa 

they went down to ONE NIGHT out of the country at Chiang Khong (and most likely Chiang Saen) and are handing people this at the thai border when they go to stamp out

The only people I see that Visa being a benefit for are FIFO or people who work rotation and can't physically stay in the country long enough to get the 90-day Non-O burn that down to 30 days, apply for the year extension based on marriage to a thai, wait the under consideration period then go back and get the year extension inked in.

For those people the issue is not about the proof funds it is about the time they can spend in country before they have to leave for their work.

For many of them the year-long, multi-ent entry Non-O is a viable Visa for them.

That is the demographic of people I'm seeing getting that visa at this time

8 hours ago, Mr BBS said:

Savannakhet would not be a convenient option for me.

( money not been there for 2 months)

Sadly, for you, convenience doesn't really factor into it. You want a year-multi Non-O you gotta meet the requirements and go where it's sold

With that being said, you won't get a year long multi entry Non-O visa at Savannakhet without the funds banked for 2 months before you apply.

If you haven't taken the one 60 day visit thai family extension yet do that to buy you time to season the funds.

If you have already taken that, then bounce out&back to get a new free 60 day entry stamp.

You need the funds seasoned 2 months or they'll just give you single entry Non-O

I wouldn't even waste the time going to Vientiane reports of success there, even with 2 months seasoning are hard to find.

My advice, if you want a year-multi Non-O, get your funds seasoned, make an appt, slog on over to Savannakhet and get one.

6 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

Looks like it's only possible 2 times per year in Laos

and you gleaned this bit of misinformation how exactly ? 😕 😮 

I can say with 100% accuracy that there was no issue bouncing out and back at Mukdahan/Savannakhet yesterday.

Here's an out in stamp

35 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Are these reports from folk using border bounce agents (minivan runs) ? 

As I said, the agencies that bounce people to the borders in Chiang Rai province are not full service providers like the agencies in Bangkok or Pattaya

They are just transportation to the border and back. They don't have a prearranged system in place to get people out back like a "real" border bounce company.

The report I got from last night was customers of the bounce companies and people who showed up on their own to Chiang Khong all got stuck coming back.

Also at this time I don't know which side (Thai or Lao) implemented the policy, but I couldn't fault Lao for wanting people stay at least a night in their country to "spread the wealth" some .

On 8/15/2024 at 12:49 AM, speerbob said:

But a US citizen must use the US passport for the whole trip from the USA.  A US citizen cannot enter or leave the USA on a foreign passport.  Also, they must use the US passport for the whole trip by US law.  US immigration will look for the stamps from the other countries on the trip.  So she must travel on her US passport to Thailand and back.  I did confirm this with the US passport office.

That is 100% total b/s, she shows her US passport to get OUT of the US and she could have shown her thai passport to get IN to thailand no issue at all. THOUSANDS of thaiz who hold US nationality do that every time they come to thailand  They don't look for stamps from other countries when she comes back to the US, they KNOW she's thai and holds a thai passport

On 8/15/2024 at 12:49 AM, speerbob said:

Right now she has a 90 day O visa but she plans to stay 118 days.  So, if I understand right.  Before the 90 days is up she can cross the border at Chom Chong into Cambodia and for a fee get the Cambodia entry stamp and then cross right back into Thailand and she will have another 60 days as a tourist in Thailand. 

  No she shouldn't do that at all really There's no need to bounce her out and back

On 8/15/2024 at 12:49 AM, speerbob said:

Someone mentioned getting an extension to her O visa at a local immigration office.  Is that actually doable with an O visa?

That's exactly what she should do, GO to the immigration office in the area where you live, show her thai passport, thai i/d and house book listing and get a one year extension for 1900baht

It's the easiest extension the immigration office issues for ANY reason.

Also you can get a 60 day "visit thai family" extension at the immigration office too for 1900baht as well  

46 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Where did you get that from? I've never heard or read that anywhere. 

That you did not hear it, does not negate the fact that it is true at more than a few offices when it comes to extensions based on marriage to a thai trying to use 40,000 baht income method by transfer

2 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

Todd, for the 400K to be in the bank two months before submitting the application for the extension of stay, does Immigration go by calendar months or calendar days?

2 MONTHS date to date before you apply for the extension    (except for the month of Feb when they add 2 days 😮)
So if you show up April 17th to apply for an extension you needed to have the money in the bank before Feb 15th

EU is not a country 😕 and entry to thailand is controlled by country of passport origin.

You do know that 90+ countries are on the new "free stamp" 60 day visa exempt entry program right? Maybe your nationality is on it

That would mean you could come in visa exempt, get 60 days, and take one 30 day extension

If you're from a country that is not on the list then go ahead and buy a single entry tourist visa from the thai consulate in your country before you wing your way here  

@Happy happy

The only visa option you have that is tax exempt would be the LTR (Long Term Resident) visa because Elite Visa isn't tax exempt

you would apply under the 'wealthy pensioner' category.

It's a 10 year visa that stamps you in for 5 years at a time  

https://ltr.boi.go.th/

49 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

The last time I heard they wanted 300 baht for same day bounce.

yep totally common request 🙂

On 8/13/2024 at 9:17 AM, Dande said:

I arrived in Thailand on July 12th. I thought that the visa regulations had changed since 15 June (information from internet), and that I would receive a 60-day visa upon entry

Okay, how about you tell us the date you stamped IN to thailand and the date you're allowed to be here because your post is sure screwy

BOY I SURE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO READ 😮 My apologies to @Dande 

If you showed up July 12th you should have been stamped in until Aug 10th (which was a Saturday) and IF you'd gone to the immigration office yesterday (the first day they were open after the weekend and holiday on Monday you could have gotten your 30 day extension WITHOUT paying an overstay fine 

You can still go to the immigration office pay the 500baht a day fine and get your 30 day extension like normal 🙂 

Can you post an image of your red entry stamp so people can get to the bottom of this