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A friend has been suffering extreme back pain since receiving her Astra Zeneca injection two weeks ago. She vomited for several days but that's not an issue now.

There is quite a lot online about females being more adversley affected by AZ than males and particularly about changes in menstruation and cycles etc.

However, there is nothing about severe back pain, in her case it is in the centre of her back.

I would like to ask whether anyone else has heard of similar experiences and what hospital or doctor would you recommend she attend. She's in Bangkok, she's only 26 and has always been very healthy.

Any help much appreciated.

Ubon Joe is correct. You can get a three-month Non-B there.

But it is more involved than doing it outside the country, for example, I had to have my degree both notarized (by my embassy) and legalized (by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs). The latter took two trips to Chaengwatthana. No such requirement in the consulate in Vientiane with several previous applications.

Also, I think the application had to be submitted two weeks before the expiry of the tourist visa.

In addition, there is now a two week review period before the visa is issued. Apparently this was introduced quite recently. Of course, this also requires two trips to Immigration. However, if you go to a consulate the visa is issued the following day.

Would have preferred to have done it in Vientiane, not just because I have friends there and like the place but because, overall, it's actually less hassle and less time consuming.

Thanks for the info. I will probably take that option and then travel home to return in May as, apparently, I will be able to come back from Europe on another visa exemption at that time. I take it that I can leave and return next week by either air or land.

Thanks again.

My three month Non-B expires in a few weeks and I can't extend it for contractual/medical reasons. It would be convenient to stay for another month though.

Is leaving the country to return on a visa exemption an option, perhaps a risky one? Or leaving and applying for a 90 day tourist visa or even a transit visa at an embassy or consulate abroad, maybe just as problematic?

I have assumed that there isn't any option at local immigration. I have gone from tourist to Non-B at local immigration but haven't heard of anyone doing it the other way.

I had intended returning to Europe for two months, it would be easier to recover from my recent operation, but perhaps an extension of stay would prejudice any attempt to return in April or May. 

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks for all the replies.

Big difference in the recovery times alright. I guess I was thinking in terms of being able to engage in normal activities, carrying nothing heavier than a laptop. I'm 51 and not very active, but I'm not carrying any extra weight.

I'll query those places and ask for the total price upfront in each case.

Thanks, Sheryl. Like Anchadian, I've had the hernia for a while, around a year, but it's become painful and much larger in the last two weeks, so I have to get it done as soon as possible. I acquired the hernia as a result of coughing violently with a chest infection last year.

Thanks again to all for the advice and for the best wishes.

I must have surgery for an inguinal hernia as soon as possible so I'm looking for advice. One old thread had some information but it may be outdated by now. I've also seen recovery times mentioned that varied from 3 days to 4 weeks.

I'm in Bangkok now but have lived in and have friends in Chiang Mai, Lampang and Phuket and have no problem traveling elsewhere if there is good reason to. I can have Thai friends come with me to translate, though that may not be an issue, as all the medical professionals I've dealt in the past had very good English.

Apparently, what I need is open mesh surgery. I don't really want to return home for it as, most likely, an equivalent level of care can be found here. It seems to be quite a common procedure, albeit not one without some risk.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks, Joe. Yes, I've had an extension. Thanks for letting me know about that. When I applied for my tourist visa I crossed the border by land so I wasn't sure if that toursit visa counted, but as you've clarified, I've only used one visa exempt entry so far.

Cheers!

This year I have had one 60 day tourist visa issued in Vientiane and have done one run to the Kanchanaburi/Myanmar border which gave me 30 days. Apparently, I can do two border runs per year. I want to visit friends in Vientiane and was wondering if I can do a border run to Laos or would I have to apply for a second toursit visa if I go there? Will they give me a stamp for 30 days given that I have had a 60 day tourist visa issued in Vientiane earlier this year?

Thanks for all the replies, many helpful ideas.

Like some of the posts, I too had extensions to an SETV in previous years without any of this, I only ever had to supply an address of a hostel or hotel.

I had done the same as in the first of Peter’s suggestions on a previous occasion and it was hassle free, and it might even have been sufficient this time.

I opted to do a border run instead as I will likely be able to go for a Non-B visa next month.

I will incur an 800 baht fine over the delayed TM30 when I present next time, regardless.

A friend faced increased scrutiny in Vientiane recently regarding a second SETV so there is certainly a change in operational procedures across much of the service. And, it seems from the posts on the query, there’s no consistency.

Next week, I must extend my 60 day tourist visa in Chaengwatthana. I have been told that I must have the documents below. When I extended my visa exempt stay earlier this summer I gave only the name of the guesthouse I was staying in, and that sufficed.

My landlord doesn't know anything about these requirements and thinks they are a recent introduction.  I did not register any house address after coming back from Laos almost two months ago as I was staying in hostels at that time. It has been suggested that I will likely be fined for not doing so. Is this the case? Would I need all the documentation below if I was still residing in hostel accommodation? Is it only at Chaengwatthana that all these documents are required?

Any help much appreciated.

Hi, Ubonjoe.

Thanks for your reply. I'm happy to hear that, as it will give me time to get my affairs in order and relocate.

Much appreciated, cheers!

I have a Non-B visa that is valid until the begnning of May, but the job at the school hasn't worked out so I will not proceed with getting a work permit. Can the school cancel the Non-B visa or will it merely expire in May? 

I hope it is the latter, as I will need time to relocate.

Glad I read this post. Never knew about that requirement, and have gone through Nong Khai many times. Didn't always have that much cash with me either but will next time, just in case.

Thanks again for the informative replies,

I got a second 60 day tourist visa as ubonjoe figured I would. I didn't know that I was getting a visa exempt entry at Mae Sai or that each one could be extended, makes such a difference.

I will be leaving soon for Europe and plan to return in January. I take it from what elviajero says that I should be able to come back on a visa exempt entry, especially as it will by air rather than a land crossing.

I read that, as it will be a new calendar year, this should be the case, but I'd query with those who know.

Cheers

Thanks very much for the replies, and the clarification. I will apply for another tourist visa this week.

Hoping someone can tell me if it is possible to get a second 60 day tourist visa in Vientiane.

I have had a 60 day tourist visa which I extended by 30 days in Chaengwattana. I then got two 30 day extensions at Mae Sai. Is it possible to get another 30 or 60 day visa? What is the best option for someone in Chiang Mai?

I think it was possible do this two years ago but things may have changed since.

Thanks for that info, I must leave the country then and apply for a visa next time. Can you only have one visa exempt entry per calendar year?

Thanks for the replies,

I was confusing them, I should not have referred to the visas issued in Vientiane as extensions, thanks for the clarification.

I guess I should try to get an extension of my visa exempt entry at local immigration, as there is no overall limit I will try for a second consecutive extension should I be successsful with the first.

I had two tourist visas issued in Vientiane last year, perhaps it would be worth trying there again if I am unsuccessful with local immigration.

Thanks again guys

I couldn't find a thread that addressed this so hope someone can advise on the best option.

I am approaching the end of my 30 day visa exemption, last year I got my first extension of 30 days in Chiang Mai, I went to Vientiane for my second extension a month later. I subsequently had three more before returning home to Europe in October.

Could I repeat this or might the first 2016 extension issued in Chiang Mai prevent this? It will have been just a few days over one year since the first extension at CM immigration.

Thanks for the information guys, I didn't know about the single entry visa permitting a 60 day stay. Neither did I know about the danger of mentioning the ED visa though it makes sense that they might have such suspicions and be disposed to deny entry. The two exits I made were through Nong Khai/Vientiane, I didn't know about airports being problematic either so that's good to know.

I will definitely have either the Tourist or ED visa before travelling and will try to look as well off as I can. The Multi ED would be great if it made the 90 day extensions less uncertain, need to make a decision pretty soon. Thanks again.

Hope somebody can be of help. I stayed in Thailand from mid April to mid October this year on five extensions of stay following an initial visa exempt 30 days.

I'm planning to return to Thailand in mid April next year to study Thai, almost six months will have transpired by then.

Would I be able to return under the tourist visa exemption, I could acquire an ED visa afterwards, would the interval be sufficient, if not I would need to apply for the non-immigrant B ED visa before I leave?

I still haven't decided on a school yet so if I have to go the latter route I would need to make a decision pretty soon.