Caldera

I'm not sure it's "better", as they're prone to being exploited as cheap labor and that's basically the whole idea of this legal framework for migrant workers. I think I prefer staying in Thailand as a Westerner, it feels more like a holiday than a labor camp!

Just like with any other similar program before (Elite, Smart Visa), they'll attract a few thousand qualifying applicants and that's it. Or in other words, they will miss their target by orders of magnitude. Two reasons: Most of those who qualify for the new LTR visa would have qualified for one of the previously existing visas as well. If they had been interested, they would already be here, or maybe they switch from their current visa to the LTR - no net gain in wealthy foreigners for Thailand! Some conditions don't make sense and/or put off potential applicants. As always, they start with a grand idea, only to let the bureaucracy spoil it. It's comical and saddening at the same time.

With AIS, in my experience receiving Thai bank SMS messages (including OTPs) while roaming abroad was hit and miss. Depending on the country I was in, as well as possibly the roaming partner. My solution: I activated "Voice over WiFi" (VoWiFi), which covers SMS as well, despite the name. That has worked reliably ever since. https://www.ais.th/4g/vowifi/en/ Nowadays I just need that as a fallback, however, as I'm mostly using the apps which don't require OTPs.

Wow, in 2025, they've really missed the FinTech boat.

Then you're in trouble now that the TM6 cards have been scrapped at airports. ????

Joining his former and recently departed pope in hell, I suppose.

Mukdahan is quite far away from Ubon. If there are no vans from the airport to the Chong Mek border and you go to the bus station anyway, it might be worth checking if the international bus to Pakse is back in service.

As you're extending a new visa exempt entry, you do need to submit a new TM30 report. Those returning from abroad with a re-entry permit, on the other hand, don't need to report the same address again.

That was never in doubt.

Vientiane requires an appointment, Savannakhet doesn't.

Not sure if there are vans from the airport to the border, the last time I went there I had to take a taxi. Otherwise your plan sounds good.

Savannakhet is best, all things considered.

There are several possible reasons for the VOID stamp. A clerk could have assumed everything is alright, prepares and puts in the visa, then sends it to the boss to sign it, but the boss spots an issue and decides to reject the application. If you've used an agent, the VOID stamp serves as proof that the agent actually applied on your behalf, but the embassy rejected your application. So the agent can prove that he didn't just pocket your money. Last but not least, what you said, it alerts other Thai embassies as well as immigration that you were denied a visa you applied for.

Great report, but since you seem to like trains, you could have saved yourself quite a bit of hassle by taking a train to Nong Khai and crossing the border to Laos there instead.

As you have plenty of time, how about studying at a Thai university? It removes the 1 year restriction and other hassles that come with studying at an informal (language) school. You could use that time to save up money for the Elite visa, while staying in Thailand legally. But yes, quite a lot of work, so I guess it depends on whether you'd enjoy studying.

The idea seems to be that you are located in your country of residence at the time you apply, which is why there's only a single field as per the OP. People who have reported on here that they've actually asked a Thai embassy about this got the answer that you are supposed to remain in the country you apply for the duration of the visa application process. Otherwise that particular Thai embassy doesn't have jurisdiction to grant you a visa. As with almost everything in Thailand, this isn't consistently checked or enforced.

It's not an urban myth. If Aranyaphratet / Poipet wasn't stricter than other border crossings, visa run companies would still be going there, if only because it's quicker to get there from Bangkok. WHY they are stricter is anyone's guess. Maybe they're just lazy and don't like being overrun by border runners.

So what happened when you returned to Cambodia? Didn't they cancel the exit stamp they had given you? That's what @visarunnerwas referring to.

You're lucky that they gave you the option to just return to Cambodia. It's a win-win really, you don't have a denied entry on your record and they didn't have to process the paperwork. Flying back in shouldn't be a problem with just 4 months spent in Thailand recently. But make sure you meet all the official requirements.

Congrats Kevin, you've proven to be an upstanding masochist. As for the "GOP", what a bunch of spineless <deleted>.

I'm not in the market for a Thai girlfriend, but I couldn't help but notice that Café Amazon girls are, more often than not, polite and beautiful. Some are also quite flirty.

It's probably better to err on the side of caution. Last year they checked vaccination certificates at land borders, so it could very well happen. It might even be enforced inconsistently.

Make sure you meet the requirements (flight out, money, hotel booking). You should be fine even if you get questioned.

With your history, you shouldn't have a problem anywhere. Assuming that you already have your return ticket, take that with you in case your plans are being questioned.

What surprises me the most is that people still go to the bank in person to pay the rent. Surely that's a waste of time no matter which form of ID they require. I haven't been to the bank since May, when I had to get a new ATM card. Passport required as per usual, passbook required as per usual, way too much time wasted as per usual. I keep these visits to an absolute minimum.