Caldera

That's because Elon IS co-president, and now even the muppets in Trump's team realize what that means. Let that sink in.

I've noticed that agents that offer the "safe entry" service at airports have added CNX to their list. Now, would anyone pay for this if they continued to fail to hassle people? Therein might lie the answer...

No, they've got that right, the amounts for visa exempt are the same as for visa on arrival. The amounts you mentioned are for tourist visa entries. Now obviously visa exempt gives the same permission of stay as a tourist visa (60 days) since the latest change, but that ministerial order with the financial requirements is very old and hasn't been updated. Source: https://rtehanoi.thaiembassy.org/th/publicservice/46327-announcement-on-the-amount-of-money-that-the-foreigners-must-possess-while-entering-into-the-kingdom-of-thailand

The rule says "10,000 baht per person or 20,000 baht per family", so in your example the adult should be able to show 20,000 baht in cash. You never have that, many people don't have that either, but IF they ask and you don't have it, you won't get in. It would be extremely reckless to risk a denial of entry when traveling with two children.

That's probably unlikely, considering their infatuation with TM30 notifications. I'd guess that they would simply send you to the TM30 counter with those other documents first, and tell you to come back once you have the TM30 slip.

Immigration MIGHT ask to see that money, and if they do, it needs to be cash. Same with the outbound ticket, they might ask. If they really want to go to Chiang Khong, which is a questionable choice for a border run, they should definitely meet those requirements, as Immigration there seems determined to discourage people from using their border crossing for that purpose.

I really can't fault Grab. I use Grab all the time and mostly without any issues. One time a driver was dumb enough to overcharge me for toll fees. I reported him and got a refund and an apology without fuss. Help them kick out the bad apples and that's what they'll do!

What's your history like? Your plan in itself looks fine, you only need to worry if you've spent a lot of time in Thailand as a tourist previously.

Could be anything, maybe just a typo in your name or passport number. The important point there is though, online is fine (in Bangkok).

They really love their stamped TM30 slips at the Jomtien office. And I guess that's the only "explanation" there is. It certainly isn't normal, and here in Bangkok for example, I use an online TM30 printout for all my dealings with immigration - never a problem!

I can imagine that it was mayhem, nobody could tell who's a monkey and who's a cop.

The worst time (of the year, that is) seems to be when the snowbirds are in town and have stayed long enough to be in need of an extension. I'm not surprised that people aren't reporting long queues right now, but reported mayhem back in February. The worst time of the day now is probably still much better than the best time of the day in February.

The lame duck strikes. Amazing.

Applying for a tourist visa at a nearby consulate such as Savannakhet is pretty much nonsensical right now, as you can get the same time (60 days) visa exempt just turning around at the border. That in itself should make those queues quite a bit shorter.

Excellent news for all those who like to party on the beach at night.

Because so many of their customers are mugs who don't seem to mind marrying a prostitute. I've experienced the situation you've described myself - in many cases it's painfully obvious what the wife's "background" is. Sometimes her bar girl English gives it away immediately, in other cases the truth comes out once she's drunk or throws a fit. Embarrassing.

That's fine, the current version of the form doesn't have most of those fields to fill in anymore. Except for the TM6 number, which is still being asked for but not a required field any longer (as foreigners entering at airports and some busy land borders currently don't need to fill in arrival cards).

They need to establish if they have a FATCA reporting responsibility. Nothing really new, but maybe they make more of an effort to cover their behinds.

I'm sure many Thais are feeling much happier already, since the day his government left office that is.

I think he just wants to take credit for what's happening between now and his inauguration. He probably thinks it would be unfair if the outgoing Biden administration were to be given credit for the booming market since his election. I wouldn't read too much into this, just the usual "look how great I am and how great I'm making America (again)".

Which part of "mass tourism" did you fail to understand? Do you think rich Chinese and Indians want to holiday alongside their less affluent compatriots? Think again! Nothing to do with race.

Well you could ask the same question about trying to attract mass tourism from the likes of China and India. The more successful Thailand is with attracting those tourists, the less desirable it will be as a destination for "quality tourists". You're not wrong. The more gay tourists Thailand attracts, the less desirable it will become for a devout Muslim to come here to holiday with his family. You can't have them all, but that's exactly what Thailand seems to be trying.

And for that reason alone, every single employee of every single hospital should be thanking you and other tourists and expats like you to this day. On their knees.

As said, nowadays you can get a certificate of residence in Bangkok as a tourist without problems, as long as you have a TM30 receipt for an address IN Bangkok (OP wrote "near Bangkok", which is ambiguous) and can receive mail at that address, as the certificate of residence will be mailed to the address they confirm without exception.

I've been reading this kind of story, and that Russia is running out of tanks, since more than two years. Still waiting for it to happen.