Tod Daniels

The Chong Mek/Vang Tao is a totally acceptable border to use for a bounce

It's not a busy border, and you shouldn't have any issues bouncing out and back there

News Flash !!

ALL Land borders with Burma are CLOSED to foreigners bouncing out and back and have been since March 23rd 2020 when the country locked down. 

With that being said ALL land border with Burma ARE open to local traffic <- (for the thick that means thaiz and burmeze)

Three of the four countries who have land borders with Thailand are open; Malaysia, Cambodia & Lao 

One final time BURMA land borders are CLOSED to foreigners exiting OR entering

The Aranyaprathet / Poipet crossing is by far the worst border crossing of all the land borders in Thailand post covid.

For Cambodia cross at Ban Laem or Ban Pakard.

And if you have a passport filled with covid extensions use a border bounce company to lug you there-n-back and grease the wheel so you get in without issue.

Good luck, choose wisely.

7 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

We all know VIPs don't travel around in vans so can you tell us what the van is really like?

They only have room for 10 people,
Plus the seats are way bigger and more comfortable than the one where they jamb in 12 or 14 people

Tanya at B/B doesn't run, but Thai Visa Service runs from Tesco On Nut 3 or 4 days a week

https://www.thaivisaservice.com/

Just so you're clear. The STV program ran out Sept 30th, and it was not continued like it was the previous year.

It's not even on the eVisa site (used by some consulates) as a choice.

And if you got an STV before the program ran out, all you get is the 90 days you got stamped in for when you entered.

It cannot be extended inside the country any more.

There are copy/photo shops on either side of the immigration office on the 3rd floor at IT Square Laksi Plaza
You can get photos, copies, and they'll even fill out your forms (for a fee) if you want

ANY country that uses the eVisa online portal to get a visa for thailand has the option of getting a 6 month METV,
https://www.thaievisa.go.th/
You FIRST select Tourism/Leisure Activities, that will fill in the next spot down "Visa Type" with Tourist Visa (TR) and then you select Multiple in Number of Entries.

Keep in mind IF you want a 6 month METV you have to show you're exiting/re-entering within 60-90 days of your expected arrival. They specifically say if you don't show you need this visa you will get sold a single entry and NOT get the difference refunded (example an METV in the US is 200 and a SETV is 40 so you lose 160 if you don't show you're exiting/re-enter thailand 

All the land borders with Burma have been closed for more than two and a half years.

Why not just go to the immigration office and get a 30-day extension for 1900 baht off your 30-day entry stamp

Or if you're hell bent going on a board of bounce slogan up to Chiang Rai province and bounce out at the Thailand/Lao border crossing of Chiang Khong. You need to buy a Lao visa to stamp in and out of the country for $40 but that is the closest land border that's open to Chiang Mai

Hate to go against ubonjoe ????BUT in Vientiane it is NOT turn in one day pick up the next afternoon anymore ☹️

Now they have a THREE day processing <- meaning you turn in your application and pay one morning and then TWO days later (the 3rd day) you pick your passport up in the afternoon. This means if you apply on a Thursday you get your passport back MONDAY afternoon

Also you aren't gonna get IN to the consulate without booking an appointment in advance but joe did link to the appointment web-link

Pay attention to the posted holidays too. This Friday Aug 12 is a holiday SO if you turn in your passport Wednesday this coming week you ain't gonna get it back until Monday 

Just curious why you paid or said you paid 2000 baht for a visa to Lao when they are typically 30 to 45 USD depending on nationality.

11 hours ago, Scott424 said:

 If I remember correctly I needed to have 400k in the bank with the balance coming from monthly transfers so it was not possible for instance to have 200k in the bank and monthly transfers totally 600k. 

 

I believe that is a misunderstanding on the immigration office/officers part of how the rule is really written. ????

There is NOTHING in the rule in thai or english that says for the combination method that you must bank 400K baht. ???? What it says is the seasoning requirements are in effect for the banked portion <- That means what you're banking has to be in the account for 2 months before you apply, must remain in the account for 3 months after and then the balance can't go below 50% of that amount the rest of the year (no matter how much you're banking) ????

I know of a couple immigration offices that told people that, one person I spoke with filed an appeal and had their initial denial of extension overturned (he was using 200K baht banked to make up the short fall of his monthly transfers). Another person wasn't bold enough to tell the officer he disagreed and wanted to file an appeal and I don't know what happened in his case.

As Scott424 correctly suggested, GO talk to the immigration office in person, BUT make it clear you know that there is no "must bank 400K baht" in the combination method and push it as far up the flag pole as you feel comfortable with if you're getting a different answer

5 hours ago, zenplay said:

My expiry date for OA visa on passport : 07-Sept-2022.

 

If I re-enter Thailand between 01-Sept-2022 and 07-Sept-2022, I will get one more year, but Am I concerned with the new policy of mandatory insurance (as this is not a 1st application of visa, and not an extension) or the old policy is still OK in that case ?

I would wager this is a question NO ONE (not even the highly illusionary posers ???? errr posters on this group, myself included ???? ) knows the answer too

The insurance coverage WILL increase (in fact some immigration offices are already telling people applying for an extension NOW that they need the 3.5 million baht policy, not the old 40/400 one)
AND
some embassies that are selling the OA visa already have implemented the 3.5 million baht policy as well.

If your OA visa (the sticker or the eVisa PDF) is expiring in Sept 2022, you'd need to renew or get a new year of insurance anyway so you'd get stamped in for another year.

Personally I'd just get the increased coverage, and then you're sure no matter which way the cards fall when you go to come back in on an existing OA.  

This is a policy offered by LMG which is the 3.5 million baht coverage but has 1 million baht deductible ???? as you can see it's mostly a "tick the box" show the insurance policy seeing as you'd pay the first 33K USD of any claim. 

These two show the difference in premium when the insurance goes from 40/400 to 3.5 million

You have to go back to the immigration office that issued the under consideration stamp
NO office that I am aware of will "close the loop" on a pending u/c stamp except the issuing office
SO
Your choice is go back to the office where you got the stamp, get the loop closed and the rest of the covid extension
OR
stamp out of the country on or before the date on the current under consideration stamp. <- I say that because you asked in another thread about going to Vientiane and getting a visa from the thai consulate there.
 

You can indeed go to the thai consulate in Vientiane and apply for a visa to thailand.
That consulate has required an online appointment booking (since before this covid sh*t show started) so make sure you book one or you won't get in the gate.

You book an appointment here
Online appointment booking link

This is the main page about visas
Visa Info Page Thai Consulate Vientiane

Sadly, there is no 'long term' visa option for you OR your foreign wife who is piggy backing on the non-B/extension you have under the trailing spouse clause. 

You have an extension a year at a time and that's about all you're gonna get for employment in thailand (although some companies [BOI and IEAT notably] get 2 year extensions for their employees)  

IF you have been on unbroken yearly extensions of stays making more than 80K baht a month for 3 years you could look into applying for permanent resident status. It is NOT a visa, and has strict requirements takes time but could be the option you're looking for.

You can read about it at this link (which is about the most useful one out on the inter-web for people interested in P/R and/or thai citizenship) 
https://www.thaicitizenship.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-thai-permanent-residence/

There is also a very long, thread which is super useful for people thinking of PR called "Camerata's Guide To The Permanent Residence Process"
https://aseannow.com/topic/74654-cameratas-guide-to-the-permanent-residence-process/

That's about all I can think of that would let you continue to work here, good luck with it

yes the immigration office you'd use would be the main one out at the government complex (Building B) on Chaengwattana Road.
The only exception to that is if you're here on a visa exempt entry (in which case you'd use the new immigration location at IT Square Laksi Plaza)

If you don't do the money swap in two steps it could cause you to not meet the requirements for seasoning of funds using banked money method

I would recommend you move 400K baht to the new bank account FIRST.  Then a few days later move the rest.

That way you meet the seasoning requirements of having a minimum of 400K baht in a thai bank account in your name only during the year. And as long as the 800K baht is in an account for 2 months before you apply for your next extension you should be okay,

Keep in mind there is a good (in fact great) chance that you will be required to have the year transaction history from the bank account you have now (to show the officer you kept the 800K baht in the bank for 3 months after you applied for the last extension AND that the balance didn't go below 400K baht the rest of the year.

I am near 100% certain they will NOT accept your application for extension if the money is "missing a few days" <- as in not in one account or the other when you go to apply for your extension. The recommendation I made is just to stop you from running yourself off the rails 

7 minutes ago, LivingNThailand said:

I've "heard" that returning expats need a 30 day insurance policy.  Now the above says same as work permit and not needed.  What is it?   I'd rather not buy a policy but the rumour mill is ridiculous.   Anyone know for "sure".

I can say with 100% certainty that if you legally work here (holding the correct visa/extension and a valid work permit) you can use your S/S number/card on the thai pass application and NOT need to buy the 10K USD insurance. Too many people have done it and gotten in just fine.