Tod Daniels

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

Are you an 'Agent' then ? 

nope I'm about as far from an agent as you can throw a stick and by all accounts am pretty "anti-agent" meaning that most people can "push their own paper" and get their own extensions, etc

I'm just someone who years ago didn't believe people who said "rules change all the time" "they're always different", "they're too hard to understand" 😮 I made it my "mission" (more a hobby) to learn about entry/visa/extension to thailand, by going to immigration offices and talking to officers, going to borders and seeing how the process worked there, and over the many years I've been here it's added up to hundreds of visits to immigration offices, check points etc.  

You seem like you just don't want to believe the fact that they discontinued the two free entry by land in a calendar year rule from Jan 1 2017, BUT they did, got confirmation from the Malay border and got confirmation from the Lao border that they're doing it  

Believe what I'm telling you or not, I broke the news, I backed it up with stamps, then I backed it up with MORE stamps, and other people weighed in that their borders said the same thing too.

30 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

This is the very point some posters are missing.

There is no limit on visa exempt entry via air, however many threads where folk are doing back to back visa exempt (few times) especially with little time out of Thailand.

Often questioned and warned or even denied entry.

 

Some folk think that this change to "unlimited land border visa exempt entries" is a Gold Pass.

It ain't. 

Reading the change too literally. 

VERY well said 👍 👍 👍

I too believe this "no limit 60 day by land" is a double edged sword, and now it'll be more like the airports comin' in and you will be at the mercy of the officer stamping you in as far as if they think you've been here too long milking time here on free stamp entries w/30 day extensions 😮 and turn you back at the border.. ..

At least before when it was a hard limit of two free stamp entries per calendar year, you knew if you got hassled at the airport flying in OR got denied entry you could just show up by land and get in without much trouble at all as long as you hadn't burned both free entries by land that year 🙂

Time will tell how 'unlimited' the program will actually be, at this time border bounce companies have no issue getting people back in on the new 60 day stamps (even people who flew in for 30 days, took a 30 day extension, then maxed out their two 30 day land entries w/30 day extensions <- meaning they'd been IN country SIX months by the time they bounced out and back, yet get stamped in without issue

Now is it because the company already greases the wheel to get people out/back the same day OR is it because there really is no limit on the land entry stamps, dunno honestly.  
 

Here's slightly less of a train wreck of stamp history 😁

First 30 day Land Entry; 27 Apr until 26 May


Second 30 day Land Entry 26 May until 24 June


30 Day Extension in country 24 June until 24 July

THIRD LAND ENTRY (60 days) 21 July until 18 Sept

On 7/18/2024 at 12:28 PM, brianthainess said:

Not meaning any offence or trying to be rude, what makes You a Thai Visa Forum "EXPERT" ?

I have a limited skill set here in the glorious "Land 'O Thaiz" and that is I know entry/visa/extension inside, outside, upside down, in a box with a fox.

I've been to Immigration offices hundreds of times, talking to officers over the years, I talk talk to border crossings, agents, border bounce companies all over the country.

Hands down I am the smartest foreigner in thailand about entry/visa/extension information, If I do say so myself, <- which I just did 😉 

Any more questions or you good now?

15 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

the MFA site SHOULD carry some weight -

and why is that? The MFA <- Ministry of Foreign Affairs office runs the Embassies and Consulates scattered around the world and sell VISAS outside of thailand
They have less than zero to do with free stamp entry to thailand OR anything visa/extension wise that happens inside the country
That stuff is run by the Immigration Division of the Royal Thai Police.

To give you an idea of how bad some of the websites are out there at the embassies/consulates SOME are still saying land entry is limited to 15 days, 😞 That stopped in 2017

This post also has abso-tively, posi-lutely ZERO to do with entering by air free stamp and no where did I say unlimited air entry. This is a rule change in the number of times you're allowed in by land free stamp entry

Believe me IF you try to live here on back-2-back free stamp air entries w/30 day extensions and you're gonna get pulled aside SOONER rather than later and asked WTH you think you're doing. If they let you in, you'll be told to get a visa sorted, OR they'll just deny you entry and ship you out on your dime. 

 

Listen people, this was ONLY to show that the old rule (implemented back in Jan 1, 2017) when the border bounces went from unlimited 15 days by land to 30 days by land with a limit of two per calendar year (Jan 1 - Dec 31) is no longer in effect.

I don't care how long you've been here, I've found time IN country rarely equates to knowing sh*t from Shinola about things. I have a limited skill-set here in the glorious "Land 'O Thaiz" and that is I know entry/visa/extension stuff about this place inside, outside, upside down, in a box with a fox. 😛  

Believe what I'm saying or don't 😮 I didn't post this to get into a 'who can piss further in the sandbox' game with every Tom, Dick and Somchai foreigner here .

   

another company that bounces people posted on their site unlimited entry by land now

Okay people listen up.

This isn't about flying in, and you can/will get grilled if you're milking free stamp to live here.

This is about the fact that the prettiest rule, exacted Jan 1, 2017 that limited visa exempt entries by land to 2 in a calendar year does not apply to this new 60 day Visa exempt entry program.

There is no longer a limit of 2 visa exempt entries by land

Okay people there is some confusion about the extension, I am out at the main immigration office in Bangkok as we speak and have just spoken to the officers about the DTV Visa.

They said you get the visa at a Thai consulate/embassy outside the country, you enter the country and get 180 days, then you can come to the immigration office and get one 180 day extension.

In Bangkok you do that at the main immigration office at Chaengwattana.

The officer told me you do it in section j which is the section for tourist visa extensions and the extension cost 1,900 baht.

There are some documents floating around that show that the extension is 10,000 baht, but the two girls I spoke to, one at the main counter and one in section J said that is not correct the extensions are 1900.

ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS: (I edited this to better show the entry / stay (overstay) history 😛 )

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a breaking News bulletin..

The new 60 day entry stamp program that started 3 days ago is not limited to two entries by land in a calendar year, it is unlimited entry by land.

Just had somebody that did two free stamp land entries this year bounce out and back and get a new 60-day entry with no questions at al.   The officer said unlimited.

Here are the  two 30 day land entry stamps and the new 60 day stamp they just got this morning.. as you can see they even had a 3-day overstay this morning when they left.

Remember you heard it first from Tod Daniels.

EDIT:

Okay here's the stamp "trail" and it's a screwy one with an overstay at every step of the process

1 hour ago, jacey said:

is it me or these visa runner company is getting greedy

Yep it's just you,

I think you failed to realize that all the border run companies that go to Cambodia have it pre-negotiated with the Thai side of whatever border they go to do they can get people out and back the same day without having you stay overnight in Cambodia.

And whether you know it or not the fee is different depending on how long people get stamped in for and what their nationality is.

So when they opened up the borders to 90 plus countries coming in on free 60 day stamps, rather than 55 countries that can come in on 30 day free entry the Thai powers that be at the border decided to increase the cost to let people out and back the same day.

You are always free to do one of those "I'm going to save money and bounce myself" train wreck of a border bounce.

Many, MANY people have found out it's not near as easy as it seems especially when you get denied entry trying to come back into Thailand.

Sadly, I can confirm that people are only getting 30 days entering by land or by air and that the 60-day Visa exempt entry program has not started.

Here's one from Don Mueang Airportand three land border entry stamps from the Cambodian border