Caldera

How is it these days? Closed!

This border crossing hasn't been re-opened since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It's a bad idea to travel overland in border areas with an overstay, as you could be unfortunate enough to get caught at a checkpoint. Just travel to Laos earlier than planned. 

You could consider applying for a multi-entry tourist visa. While you don't really need it for your relatively short stays, chances are better that you'd fly under the radar with your pattern, having an actual visa designed for frequent visits as a tourist.

Regardless of the visa exempt vs. tourist visa question, in case you get questioned, make sure that you meet all the official requirements for entry as a tourist (cash, flight out, hotel booking) upon each arrival. Additionally, be prepared to prove your employment in Norway and ideally your work schedule, as that would help convince an IO that you don't work in Thailand illegally. 

42 minutes ago, Fritteboy said:

i just read some visa run company refuse to take you to savannakhet if you had a volontueer visa before or if you stayed in thailand more than 180days. So it might be the best if they are only strict on tourist visa. 

You could ask such a visa run company specifically if any of that is a concern when applying for an education visa.

That old volunteer visa in your passport could raise questions even in Vientiane, as their expectation would have been that you subsequently apply for an extension at immigration in Thailand. They might not be too happy that it didn't work out as expected and that you now try the education visa route to prolong your stay.

Tricky, especially because you've already used up your land border visa exempt entries for this year, so you risk getting stuck somewhere outside of Thailand.

I don't think Savannakhet applies their "180 days" rule to anything other than tourist visas, so they might be your best bet.

Did your school not give you any advice about where to apply? They must have other students in the same situation. 

The meddler is meddling, no surprises there.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

The PEA noticed evidence of electricity meter manipulation, with readings showing lower power usage than the actual amount consumed.

So the headline is nonsensical, as so often. Not the fact that they were mining bitcoin is illegal, but the fact that they were stealing electricity. 

5 hours ago, vinci said:

the border is called Ban Pakkad Border Checkpoint, it is in Pong Nam Ron District

Maybe. From the OP it isn't clear if he went to the Ban Laem checkpoint or to the Ban Pakkard checkpoint. They're both in the same district. 

For someone who travels a lot in and out and who's interested in the perks which used to be much better, buying such an original Elite visa isn't a bad option.

But others use it mostly as a means to stay in Thailand with as little hassle as possible. For that group, having to apply for an extension every 90 days instead of once a year makes it a less attractive option. 

Isn't that "state pension" that low that frozen or unfrozen barely makes a difference? Google says £221.20 a week, so about 40,000 baht per month.

Someone who doesn't have additional income or assets cannot have a comfortable retirement on that money alone anyway.

1 hour ago, Jack1988 said:

I mean the biodata page of the passport, not the photo. When the system scans his passport info tells him that is unable to read data on middle name but my friend doesn't have any middle name

Take a clearer picture of the passport data page and try again. Most likely that issue is due to reflections or poor lighting. 

3 hours ago, Randy99 said:

I believe now that Immigration was  in cahoots with one particular visa agent in Pattaya although I have no proof of that.   Uggg.

What would be the benefit for that agent? If you have to fly out, the agent doesn't get any money.

11 hours ago, webfact said:

The woman claims her confrontation with a security guard resulted in significant mental health issues. However, CCTV footage suggests she initiated the physical exchange. 

Looks like her mental health issues weren't the result, but the cause of the confrontation. 

13 hours ago, webfact said:

unfolding climate crisis

Crisis lol. Let's continue to call it "climate change", shall we?

3 hours ago, kidneyw said:

Today I did a border bounce at Ban Ron. I have a multiple entry non O visa which is valid until August. Immigration refused me exit and said because I have used this visa twice at land borders, I must fly out.

That's a new one and completely nonsensical of course. Sorry to hear about your ordeal. 

2 hours ago, Wongkitlo said:

Money deposited between the 4th and 8th April only. My wife transferred from her account so could only do 80,000 b a day. 

You mentioned a bank letter. Was that a letter stating just your current balance (as of the day it was issued), or a bank statement covering a certain period of time?

20 hours ago, jethro69 said:

Line pay, you need a Thai ID, might find a turnaround there.

You don't need a Thai ID for LINE Pay, but it isn't compatible with PromptPay. You can only use it to pay where LINE Pay is accepted.

I think the same is true for TrueMoney. They are similar systems, but separate from PromptPay. 

6 hours ago, ianguygil said:

Many benefits and almost no disadvantages I can see as long as you are not running some kind of weird business and do not want the authorities to know about income.

Well, the OP just pointed out something that I'd consider a major disadvantage: Thailand gets millions of tourists per year who can't participate in PromptPay, because they can't get a Thai bank account.

Nothing to do with evading the authorities.

It's relatively new, but yes, apparently financial institutions have been instructed to check a foreign customer's permission to stay when conducting business. There have been reports of this happening before. 

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Starting May 1st, Russians can enjoy a 60-day visa exemption, but this is shorter than before, replacing the previous 90-day programme set to conclude at April’s end.

That looks like a half-baked mess.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Surachate inexplicably withdraws his malfeasance charges against the PM.

The man. The mystery. 

What's the new name gonna be? Ivanka Plaza?

1 hour ago, 1tent42 said:

I wasn’t married then. 

Apparently, you were of retirement age and the IO saw you as a frequent visitor, so tried to steer you towards a retirement visa.

That's a bit over the top with regards to your particular history, but not unheard of.

Is it even worth it to buy a Lao SIM card for a short trip? I've always bought a 7-day data roaming package for my Thai SIM card instead.

I'm sorry that I can't give you a definite answer to your question, but knowing how bureaucratic Laos can be, my best guess is that they might well insist on seeing the original. And knowing how inconsistent Laos can be (same as Thailand), it might well be different from one place to the next.