Scott3000

1 hour ago, Tomate said:

I did enter on 30 days visa exempt from CM 2 months ago. I would enter from CM again if it was not a back-to-back.

Thanks!

Do they ask for onward tickets or bank statements or cash on hand?

I've been out of Thailand for 4 months... not sure if that is enough.

I will probably leave the region at some point in 2020, perhaps permanently. Perhaps take a longer trip elsewhere, and see how things pan out with immigration, pollution, and deadly transport in Southeast Asia in general. Not sure yet.

In the mean time, I left a suitcase in Chiang Mai, and it would be nice to make one or two visits, before traveling far away.

9 hours ago, BritTim said:

By all means try to enter via Surat Thani airport

Does Surat Thani airport rank higher on the list of probable successful entry without a tourist visa than, say, Chiang Mai?

I've already learned the hard way to avoid BKK & DMK airports... I have a similar history to the long story poster, but I do not have that nasty red stamp in my passport. (That was a previous passport ???? )

... and, what are the latest requirements for entry?

Thanks Ubon Joe! 

I will keep this in mind for next trip!

23 hours ago, BritTim said:

use friendly land crossings to enter Thailand as much as possible

Which land crossings are currently considered friendly?

Thanks!

On 7/20/2019 at 12:17 AM, jacko45k said:

You can extend the 30 day entry (not a tourist visa but a Visa Exempt Entry). This can be done once. You can then apply to convert that extension to a Non-Imm-O Entry, which will give you a 3 month permission of stay and the ability to pursue a retirement extension. 

This was posted the day after I left Thailand!... I think I would have qualified.

Of course, now the challenge would be getting back in, which seems unlikely, even if only for 2 months. Chinese New Year comes early in 2020... I'd certainly want to be out by January 18!

Oh well, maybe next year. Hmm... I recall a post on this forum about Langkawi as an alterative...

Not living in Thailand full time is less convenient, but certainly ups the adventure of the trip!

1 minute ago, BritTim said:

You definitely risk being denied entry when flying in to a number of the major airports.

Thanks! I did notice the following...:

Hi!

I left Thailand in July, after 21 months living in the country, legally, using a combination of Visa exempt (maxed out: 1 in 2017; 2 each in 2018 & 2019); one Non-Immigrant B Visa in June, 2018; and two SETV's from Vientiane in September & December, 2018.

I am considering returning to Thailand in November, after nearly 4 months absence. Am I likely to have problems entering at Chiang Mai airport? Unlike previous trips, this time I do plan to leave some time in January, 2020, probably right at 60 days in Thailand.

My Thai living plan is now more in synch with the wishes of Thai authorities: I no longer want to live in Thailand full-time, rather, pop in for a few months every year or every few years. I've identified the period of Chinese New Year thru June as a time I do not want to be in Thailand, and the rest of the year as more desirable for spending a few months in the country.

Is there, or can we start a thread called "Letting Go of the Good Ol' Days in Thailand"?

Something as overarching and constructive as the present thread, and it is a viable "Border Run Alternative" that could make for meaningful discussion. After all, the good ol' days really were good, and everybody recalls traces of them.

But those days are in the past. The writing has been on the wall for a few years now, and I recall living in Chile off and on during the late 90s & early 2000s -- beginning 10 years after the plebiscite to end military rule that had begun in 1973. Those processes take a long time, and we should be ready for that to extend into the 2020s and perhaps beyond, perhaps beyond many of our lifetimes.

I left Thailand 29 days ago, but it seems like a distant past already as I have moved on and reconnected with other elements of my life that were somehow blocked by my prior clinging to Thailand. I still believe there's a 50/50 chance that I will return to Thailand, but with 2 major changes: 

(1) It is unlikely I will live or try to live continuously in Thailand; and 

(2) It is unlikely that I will live in an expat hub like Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, etc. Rather, I would visit such a place, perhaps monthly, reconnect with my favorite aspects of that place, take care of practical concerns such as health care and buying supplies, then head off into the hinterlands. I've done that in Isan, living in the countryside and making monthly visits to Ubon, as well as in other countries, for example living on a boat/footpath-only property by the lake in Guatemala and spending one weekend per month in Antigua, etc., and have always been pleased with the results.

Funny thing is, this is exactly what the Thai tourism authorities want to promote: Alternative tourist destinations within Thailand; and ex-expatriation of foreigners, i.e., that expatriates who choose such a life be themselves expatriated from Thailand. 

The more I think of it, the above would be a viable Alternative to Frequent Border Runs ???? It would require extra planning and preparation on my part, to compensate for not trying to "settle in" someplace, but I'm confident the whole experience would be significantly better. Having a thread to discuss and share such ideas would be constructive.

On 7/28/2019 at 4:31 AM, tcallahan7 said:

an American friend who lives in Vietnam is going to join so he would be on a 30 day tourist visa

Your American friend will be on a 30 day visa exempt entry, not a tourist visa.

If you're just going to hop across the Myanmar border and return right back to Thailand, I strongly recommend you have your friend wait for you on the Thai side in Mae Sai, and not burn a land entry, not fill up another page of valuable passport space, not pay 500THB to Myanmar immigration officials. Plus, that's 3 additional immigration formalities that are absolutely unnecessary, unless you plan to visit Myanmar, which you have not indicated as your purpose of travel.

I made a similar trip with a friend visiting Thailand from Panama for 28 days -- they waited just inside the Thai side while I did my REQUIRED formalities.

17 hours ago, junejet said:

Hello, I flew in from HK three days ago. I was told by an immigration officer at Suvarnabhumi airport that he’ll not let me in next time if I don’t use Visa from my home country. I don’t have visa this time and I have 2 TV, 1 ED visa and several 30-day stamp on my passport. I understand that he has right to let me or not let me in to the country, but I don’t think it makes sense to use visa only from my home country. Hence, I want to know if I miss a new Thai immigration policy or something. I’ve never tried coming into Thailand by land, so I’m thinking to get a TV in Vientiane and take a bus to Nongkhai. 

I have been avoiding both Bangkok airports, BKK and DMK, for visa exempt entry since I was interrogated at DMK in 2016. The two times I have entered by air, one was with an SETV in October, 2016, the other visa exempt in October, 2017, were via CNX -- the second time at extra cost in both money and travel time to me. I keep up with postings on this thread, and others have posted to the same effect.

In your case, it's probably much less costly to enter by air visa exempt to a different airport than it would be for you to go to your home country. And I have gotten two SETV's in the past 9 months by the method you suggest: At Vientiane and entering by land at Nong Khai. Last September, I entered by Nong Khai by one of the airline buses; in December, I didn't even bother to take the bus across the border, rather just share a taxi after checking out of Lao immigration, then flying out of Udon Thani airport. The flow through Thai immigration at Nong Khai has been much more efficient by personal vehicle than by bus, but both were free of hassle or inconvenience.

But by all means, with a number of visa exempt entries and SETV's in my passport since late 2017, I certainly would not enter Thailand visa exempt by BKK or DMK, without living outside the country for at least a year.

Hope this helps!

Thanks ubonjoe!

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It seems there are only long lines on Mondays and Thursdays when the visa run company goes there.

No mention of them limiting the numbers or an appointment system.

Vientiane is OK if you have enough time to make an appointment 2 or 3 weeks in advance.

This sounds better than expected, especially for Vientiane, as I am considering a visa run in mid-July.

Is there any additional documentation requirement than late last year? At that time, no bank statements were required in Vientiane, and Savannakhet required one recent statement showing more than 20,000 THB.

Thanks!

Hi!

Any news on the SETV situation in Savannakhet?

I seem to recall somebody posted last month that they were mobbed with 500 Filipinos and considering limiting the number of visas issued and/or implementing an appointment system.

Thanks!

Thanks BritTim & JackThompson!

I may just give Cambodia a visit at some point this year. Biz visa will be the way to go.

On 3/5/2019 at 10:45 PM, BritTim said:

By Cambodian law, you are supposed to stay the night in Cambodia when entering by land (exception being if you have a multiple entry business visa).

Can you also get a Cambodian business visa at the border?

Thanks again for the added detail about pickup on the 17th, Ubon Joe.

This little event is proving quite costly.

Thanks for the timely update!

Thanks Ubon Joe!

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It has not been approved yet. 

Same for 2 entry tourist visas.

Thanks for the update Ubon Joe!

Seems I will be off to Vientiane next week. From what I gather on this and 2 other threads, it seems like I should be fine getting my second SETV in a row there... sounds like VTE functions as it did when I went there in September, i.e., no bank statements, plane tickets, hotel bookings required. Just fill out the form, provide 2 photos (I think it was 2), pay the fee, and pick up the next day...?

Any news on the new policy, that from 15 November to January 15, there will be unlimited visa exempt entries at land borders per calendar year? 

I've got 2 land entries from early 2018, as well as 1 SETV from Vientiane in September that will require action next week... I'm trying to figure out what to do.

Thanks!

 

Hong Kong is not a cheap or fun place in my opinion...

... and after my latest visa run to Vientiane, I don't like that place as much as I used to. It has become more polluted, and motorbike operators make getting around much more dangerous than when I was there in 2015.

Nevertheless, HKG and VTE are the best consulates I'm aware of for achieving the goal, which is to get the tourist visa in the most efficient, hassle-free way possible, with the greatest chances of success.

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

A tangential option - there is a "self defense" course offered in CM, which is taught by ex-military.  Purportedly no problem at all with your visa-extensions with them, due to connections. 

Thanks Jack!

This thread is proving most informative!