Tod Daniels

Totally okay to bounce at Chiang Saen / SEZ (Special Economic Zone) up in Chiang Rai province with Lao. Only thing is you have to take a boat across and back because there is no friendship bridge where you can take the bus.. Other than that no issue at all bouncing out and back there to activate a new entry on a currently valid METV

There is no "test at the borders (air or land) to get back into the country ESPECIALLY seeing as what you're doing is getting OFF an existing ED visa extension and comin' in as a 'tourist' on a free 30 day entry stamp..

Careful spouting off on stuff you might or might not know anything about @DrJoy, Simply exiting on an ED visa extension DOES NOT officially cancel the extension (no matter what you posted saying otherwise). In order for people on an ED visa extension to bounce out and back like @driveout wants to they need to get documentation from their school saying they stop studying on xxx date (usually the day the extension expires), go to the immigration office that issued the extension about a week before that date, CANCEL the extension, immigrations will give them a stamp that lets them stay until the date on the paperwork from the school.. That's how you "officially" cancel an ED visa extension THEN they can leave any time up to or on that date... There are more than a few land borders that won't even let people on ED visa extension stamp OUT of the country without having cancelled it officially at the immigration office beforehand. And there are more than a couple borders that won't let people back in to thailand who bounce out, instead they tell them to slog to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap and fly back. What it sounds like the O/P wants to do is just bounce out and back to get NOT a tourist visa (seeing as you can't get tourist visas at the border but on a new free 30 day entry stamp.. <- called a visa exempt entry.. They say they're in pattaya SO they should FIRST cancel the extension they're on, and THEN look for a SERVICE that runs people to the border. The services that do that already have the wheels greased at the border they take their clients to so people can stamp out of thailand, stamp in&out of Cambodia and then stamp right back in to thailand after that.. Trying to do it by themselves to "save a few baht" is gonna be like watching a slow motion train wreck

Okay lets see if we can't give the O/P some answers and improve their understanding of what they're talking about.. It is obvious from the comments the O/P made that they are NOT talking about a year long multi-entry Non-O visa from a thai consulate in another country. So we can rule that out They mentioned agents, and what the agents call a 15month retirement visa Now what it really is (whether the O/P agrees with it or not is irrelevant) is a 90 day (3 month) Non-O visa and then a 12 month extension tacked on <- giving the 15 months. I think the confusion is that the O/P doesn't know visa terminology . Agents typically get these visas for the first year for people who are here on 30 day free entry OR 60 day tourist visa entry. They bank the money for the person and in some cases get the visa and the year extension issued in ONE DAY :O so when they get their passport back it has a stamp that's valid for 15 months What we have seen is agents have put the brakes on getting these visas right now because of the end of the year shuffle at the immigration offices and those back door, under the table 'we bank the funds for you for a day' visas/extensions are at this time unavailable. It happens every year for a period of time when they shuffle the section heads and people running the various immigration offices. Takes a couple weeks to a month for the 'dust to settle' and things to go back to business as usual at the immigration offices. As a general rule it seems Jomtien is the least affected by this shuffle and they seem to still be cranking out 3+12=15 visa/extensions It goes without saying but I will say it anyway, AFTER that first year of the 3+12 all you get the following year is a 12 month yearly extension. I have found that in Pattaya the "3+12 visa/extension" is about 25k from agents, and that in bangkok it's about 10k more.. Then after that first year the extensions in Pattaya are about 12k-15k and in bangkok they're about 17k I wish good luck to the O/P @cubism001 in their search for the 15 month retirement visa.. Sorry this post was long, perhaps it was marginally helpful in solving the conundrum and misunderstanding and in helping the O/P know what they're talking about

Keep in mind people the O/P said they're in Bangkok, which a year or so ago STOPPED asking for the bank book to be updated when you went back to get the year extension inked in AND went to a 3 week under consideration stamp. While it is okay to keep the funds in it is definitely NOT required at Chaengwattana,

The immigration office in Bangkok no longer checks proof of funds when you go back to get the year extension in section L-2 on the date your current under consideration stamp expires. Just show up with your passport and that blue green receipt they gave you that shows you paid 1,900 baht. Get a queue ticket from the counter for section L-2, they'll ink the extension in.

Any country that uses the Thai eVisa system discontinued issuing the year-long, multi-entry Non-O visa (for retirement OR marriage) that choice is not available on the eVisa system.

People who are permanent residents of Lao and can legally work in that country are allowed to apply for the 6 month METV for Thailand at the Thai consulate in Vientiane There is no issue at all and you will have no issue using that visa for unlimited entry to Thailand on 60 day stamps for 6 months from the day it's issued METV Vientiane

You get the link to book an appointment at every immigration office in the country from the main immigration website https://www.immigration.go.th/ For Bangkok they send you an OTP by email to book

If you're in Bangkok how about you just contact SWD Transport. They run to the Cambodian border and back almost every day at 4:30am from the On Nut BTS Lotus's parking lot. There's no need to slog all the way to Nong Khai just to activate an entry on a valid METV. If you're going to try a land bounce from Bangkok definitely use a service.

The year-long, multi-entry Non-O visa based on marriage to a thai or being over 50 (retirement) is no longer available as a choice on ANY thai consulate that uses the eVisa online system to issue visas for thailand Non-O Retirement Non-O marriage to a thai/raising thai child

Have them make a booking for the first 60 days of that METV online at a hotel then cancel it once they approve the visa Also some people are getting denied that METV because they don't show what the reason is for getting it I recommend booking a flight out of thailand about 2 months after you arrive and then a flight right back in a day or two later <- that will more than meet the "reason you need an METV" requirement You can cancel that booking once they approve the visa too 😮

Just a quick follow up to the topic at hand It appears that the thai consulate in Savannakhet is not at all concerned about any seasoning of the funds. You can show the funds just hit your account and they'll accept it. It also appears they will accept either a thai bank account in your name only OR a foreign bank account with the equivalent of 400K baht in it as well. They will also take financial proof that's a day or so old.. So you can update your thai bank book before you go and it'll be accepted. There is abso-tively, posi-lutely NO ISSUE at all getting a 90 day single entry Non-O based on marriage or raising thai children without any proof of funds. So if people can't show proof of funds, get the 90 day single entry, then once you're here take the 60 day visit thai family extension at your immigration office for 1900baht for a total of 5 months stay. It's better than nothing 😊

On that we agree 😮 Let's try it one more time slowly AND let's leave the work permit out of it completely 😕 because a work permit doesn't let you STAY in thailand it lets you WORK in thailand when you have the correct VISA or extension of stay from a visa.. So if you're married to a thai, there are two paths to take You either 1 - get a 90 day Non-O visa THEN a year extension based on marriage from the IMMIGRATION OFFICE in thailand by meeting the proof of funds, etc. On this year extension you do not have to leave the country, if you're in country for 90 days you file a 90 day report (for free) at the immigration office AND if you want to exit/re-enter thailand you BUY a re-entry permit at either the airport when you fly out or at the immigration office where you got your extension issued. OR 2 - you find a consulate that will issue a year-long, multi-entry Non-O visa based on marriage, (by meeting what ever requirements the consulate you're buying it from HAS) This visa is good for a year from the date it's issued, it's good for unlimited entries during the validity and every entry gets you stamped in for 90 days. When that 90 days is up you go to the border, stamp out of thailand, stamp in-n-out of another country and right back into thailand. You do that for the whole year the visa is valid for and you can stay 15 months (in 90 day increments) on a visa that lasts a year (you can actually stay 17 months if you get the 2 month "visit thai family" extension on the last entry you make on the visa.

A 'guardian visa' is one issued because you have a foreign child legally here on an ED visa and it requires the 500K baht in a thai account in your name only for 30 days before you apply for the FIRST yearly extension and then for every subsequent yearly extension the funds need to be in the account for 3 months

There is zero chance he will not get the ban. <- meaning he WILL be banned That's the ONLY thing they are hard as nails about and the banning periods are well known and well publicized 😕

Okay boyz and squirrellz Just got confirmation from two different visa run companies who lug foreigners to Savannakhet for visas, that IF you want a year long, multi-entry Non-O visa based on marriage to a thai you DO need to show 400K baht in a thai bank account in your name only OR the equivalent in a foreign bank account. There is NO seasoning required on the funds, just has to show IN your account on the day you apply They will only sell you a single if you don't have that. That puts Savannakhet right on par with Penang in Malaysia (which requires 400K baht or the equivalent to issue the same visa). Any way you slice it, it's still a good way to get a year long, multi-entry Non-O visa based on marriage to a thai AND Just so everyone is clear, you CANNOT get a year-long, multi-entry Non-O based on raising thai children from Savannakhet, they do not issue it,

have him buy a ticket back to where ever it is he comes from, show up at the airport with 20K baht (the max the fine can be) pay the fine, sign the banning paperwork, get the 1 year ban if he's overstay under a year or get the 3 year ban if he's overstayed more than a year, and leave the country. He won't have ANY issue at all doing what I just outlined IF he gets to the airport. Can an agent help him? Unlikely, overstays are the one thing that are cut in stone, I mean you either overstayed your stamp or you didn't, and it's highly unlikely he 'forgot' he was on overstay for a year 😕 So I imagine he needs to suck it up, get the ban, go back to where he comes from, wait it out and then come back.

Okay here's how that works out, The officer is 100% correct, you do not 90 day report.. you have to be ON a visa/extension for the same reason at least 90 days. Coming in visa exempt was 30, <- as a tourist, then you changed reasons and got a 60 day visit thai family extension, you don't add those days together as they were for different reasons.. Then you got a 90 day Non-O visa <- but that visa doesn't let you stay IN thailand long enough on it's own to do a 90 day report. When you get the first yearly extension, they will put a small paper in your passport telling you WHEN you file your first 90 day report <- and it will be 90 days AFTER the date you apply for the first yearly extension The paper looks like this

You SURE you applied for a year long, multi-entry Non-O based on MARRIAGE to a thai? I ask because your VISA has the thai phrase อุปการะบุตรไทย and they write that when you get raising thai child Non-O visas NOT married to a thai Non-O's I ask because Savannakhet has NEVER issued year-long, multi-entry Non-O visas based on having a thai child

I have been to Chaengwattana FOUR times recently (within the last 3 months) with people getting year extensions and EVERY time those people had the year transaction detail report (the one that's on like dot matrix printer paper with the perforations on the edges). This was in addition to updating the bank book (when possible) the same day AND having the standard bank letter. I say when possible because one was a fixed deposit which only updates the account to show interest paid in. CASE 1 Was someone who used monthly international transfers, the officer really took time to go thru the year detail report and highlight the monthly transfers (some months had more than one but they totally 65k or more each month). CASE 2 Was banked money on a dedicated account that had NO activity for months and months and to add more confusion the old bank book was recently stolen so the new bank book only had 3 months of data.. They REALLY wanted the year detail report along with the police report on this one because the current bank book didn't show balances every month (actually neither did the year statement but they didn't say anything) CASE 3 Was banked money method with someone who has no ATM card or online app so he takes his passbook to the bank to make withdrawals. In fact he had FOUR filled bank books for this last year !! We provided copies of EACH page of EACH book. The officer asked for the year detail statement (which was EXACTLY what the copies on the bank book were transaction by transaction) in this case. I'd gotten it but told him to hold it back to see if he'd be asked for it, and he was.. CASE 4 Was fixed deposit account, and even on that (an account with NO activity but monthly interest payments) they asked for the year detail transaction report. They didn't seem to care that the bank book couldn't be updated that day though, as the last entry was interest paid the previous month. Dunno how much that helps or not, but I can say with 100% accuracy this is exactly how it went out there. I would strongly recommend if you're doing an extension at Chaengwattana, getting the bank letter AND the detail yearly transaction report along with updating the bank book the day you apply for the extension.

Since Chaengwattana went to 3 week under consideration stamps for marriage extensions they stopped asking for updated bank book. No harm in taking it, but I was there last week and they weren't asking for it. I'd say show up around 9:30-10:00, get a queue for section L-2, and you'll be done pretty quickly. Your approved paperwork is already sitting in that section waiting for you to show up on the day your u/c stamp runs out. They go pretty fast, as all you can do there is get year extensions inked in from under consideration stamps

From what I understand, appeals to a denial of entry take three business days to be decided. That means you sit in the lock up at the airport while you wait for the decision. Of the many, MANY people I have spoken to over the years who were at the airport being denied entry, I know of only three who appealed their denial, two were successful and were allowed in while one was sent back to where he had previously came from, KL I think. It's the sitting at the airport lockup for three business days that put people off of filing an appeal on a denial of entry.

I posted this on a f/b page but it goes over exactly what the O/P is asking More than a few people (especially ones with extensive entry/stay histories entering at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang) have been denied entry. First off denial of entry is NOT being deported. You have to be stamped IN to thailand to get deported. On a denial of entry your attempt to ENTER thailand was denied (you didn't even get stamped in ). There's some confusion how it works.. When you're denied entry the OFFICER denying you entry has the choice to do one of three things; 1 - Send you back to where you just flew in from 2 - Send you back to any country you can buy a ticket for OR 3 - Send you back to the country of passport origin. <- not all that common but can happen One thing I want to let people know is they're going to hand you a form all in thai that they want you to sign. My advice is do NOT sign it . There is nothing bad that happens if you don't sign it (no matter how much they pressure you to). If you do sign it almost 100% they WILL put a denial of entry stamp in your passport but if you don't sign it, people are reporting they don't put the DOE stamp in your passport. Of course it's still in the computer as a denied entry, but it's not visible to someone just thumbing thru your passport looking at your stamp history. One thing that people get wrong often is on a denial of entry YOU are responsible for paying your own way out, the air carrier is not responsible for your fare out. There are holding cells at both Don Mueang & Suvarnabhumi airports where you stay until your flight out. There's wifi, and you can have them get food for you. If you're denied entry at a land border, they just turn you around and send you back from where you just left. The country you just left cancels your exit stamp and you get back in there. Most every case of denial of entry (no matter what they tell you the reason is) gets the same reason code in the passport for why you were denied. Immigration Act Clause 12 subsection 2 - ไม่มีปัจจัยยังชีพตามสมควร = no reasonable means of sustenance <- no proof of funds. They will use this reason EVEN if you showed them 20K baht or the equivalent in cash At land entries IF you can't keep track and try to get a third free entry during the calendar year, you will get denied because of the immigration act clause 12, subsection 1 - ไม่มีวีซ่าเข้าประเทศ = no visa to enter thailand.. and it will say the border you were denied at Long story short denial of entry is not all that bad. I mean it's not good obviously but many many people are denied entry every week in the country. Mostly due to extensive entry/stay historys, history of being here during covid extensions, an ED or Volunteer visa (gotten during covid), foolishly picking the wrong border to try to enter at (AVOID Aranyaprathet/PoiPet) OR just not paying attention to how many free entries they've made by land so far this year. Also if you have a valid visa in your passport and are denied entry, it does NOT cancel the visa. You are free to use that visa for another entry try some other time or place Almost everyone denied entry just tries to enter again, either at another border, another airport, some get tourist visas from thai consulates and enter by land, and MOST everyone does get it. Hope this was helpful,

Think of it this way. You sign everything with your name on it, she signs everything with her name on it. So you sign the copies of the data page or you passport, your lao visa, entry stamp, the application for the Visa and she signs her Thai id, her house book listing. you BOTH sign the copies of the Kor Ror 2 & 3 marriage certificates. Take the original rose border one with you so they can see the seal on it if they ask. Also there are more than a few confirmed reports recently of people who were denied the year-long, multi-entry, non-o visa because their thai wife wasn't there. Those people were sold only a 90-day single entry People are getting around this by having their wife right a letter addressed to the Thai consulare asking that the visa be issue