Caldera

It's practical in places where immigration is willing to provide tourists with a certificate of residence. Simple as that.

The fact that it's big news in Thailand when a few individual members of the police farce could be seen actually doing their job...

That might well be the dumbest article on Thai visas I've ever skimmed.

Naughty. Thankfully, no dirty farang this time around.

The fact that he drove there on his motorcycle in that state - clearly a case of DUI - didn't seem to matter one bit. Not only did the guy's sister consider the cops to be a taxi service of sorts - the cops mind-bogglingly obliged.

I think you're confused. Before the 30-day extension for visa exempt entries was introduced, all you could get was an extra 7 days "denied extension but grace period given to leave the country". There has never been a change "from a discretionary time to a standard 30 days". All extensions are at the discretion of immigration, but assuming that your paperwork is in order, the 30-day extension is routinely given. At IT Square Laksi alone, to hundreds of applicants per day.

Even when your Thai card does work, it's unnecessarily painful with AirAsia. They will send an OTP for verification even if you've used the same card with their app before and told them to save it for future use. I tried to book a flight with them while traveling and it took too much time to receive the SMS with the OTP from Thailand. So I had to waste quite a bit of time going through their convoluted booking process again later. No such problems with other apps like Agoda.

Public trust in the police force? 555 I've seen no evidence of that. With or without Big Joke, it's a police farce more than a police force.

If you're old already, why do you refuse to just die when your time has come? Haven't you looted and polluted the planet enough already?

The healthy air of Chiang Mai - Thailand's latest miracle cure.

Jokingly. Of course.

That information isn't requested any longer since they switched to the new system. I'd guess their linking based on name and passport number you enter got better - they already have the visa and entry information in their system anyway.

Nonsense, they will just process the extension. What's with this silly and completely unnecessary scare-mongering?

Airport IOs hate border runs and same-day returns with a vengeance, it might well be that border run to Cambodia that was the red flag that triggered the questioning (more than the number of entries or days spent in Thailand as such). She should just apply for her extension as planned. Chances are it will be granted as per usual.

They're closed on the 16th, so you can go to immigration to apply on the 17th. Not a big deal, just expect immigration to be crowded after the long break (go there early, assume it will take a long time).

If you attend your classes and don't mind that immigration tests your progress when it's time for an extension, you pay 1900 baht. If you don't want the hassle, you pay more.

That's obviously a very bad idea, can't you see that? And that's regardless of your customs experience.

The local officials who clearly would prefer to milk the Swiss guy for his sins instead of sending him home won't be pleased...

Airbnb has an option to contact the host of the property you're interested in renting. If something like doing the TM30 notification is imported to you (as it was for me), you simply do that before booking. As with anything else, some are willing and able to do it and others aren't.

It's gonna cost him, the bargaining has begun.

If you apply for a new Non-O visa abroad, the money won't need to be seasoned. However, you already have a non-immigrant visa entry. So if you want to avoid having to leave the country, you need to apply for a 1 year extension based on one of the reasons you've listed. And for that, the money does need to be seasoned.

Did she extend her visa exempt entry already? If not, she could do that when immigration reopens after Songkran (next Wednesday, the 17th) without being subjected to paying an overstay fine. Best to expect that immigration will be packed to the rafters after the holidays, so arrive early and be very patient. If she hasn't entered visa exempt twice BY LAND yet this calendar year, a border run would be an option.

When I stayed at an Airbnb once (for a legal stay of 30+ days), the landlord took pictures of my passport, filed a TM30 notification and provided me with the TM30 receipt. That's how it is supposed to be done. I checked with the landlord before booking, as I knew I'll need the TM30 receipt.

The answer is, as always, to legalize it. Invest in education rather than in futile suppression. Yes, I'm aware that it's evil stuff. And still, suppression has been a complete failure, it's cheaper and more widespread now than ever before. Educate more people about the dangers and give them more opportunities in life.

That wasn't the question here. If you have another valid reason to apply for a one year extension (e.g. retirement or marriage), then yes,you can apply for it. But if you don't, you need to leave when your employment ends.