localexp

@007 RED

up until very recently i was on an non-o visa, then the laws changed and the people i was trusting to help me, despite extensive credentials, never backed their words.

i will be getting a non-o as soon as i can, just not in the next few weeks

but yeah its insane that the officers can act independently of the law.

for the sake of devils advocate, is their any more or less safe way i could return on an exemption without going in for a tourist? i really have no qualms about being chewed on by immigration, so long as they dont say no or worse yet refuse me to visit my family for an extended time.

what i dont get is that, in the worse situation i have read so far, you are allowed 2 border exemptions and 3 flights in a 6 month period, under either consideration i have only been in and out three times this year and know multiple people who go in and out far more often.

this would not even be a concern up until very recently, but in light of what is going on and the warning i got last time, i still genuinely think going a 4th time would not clobber me, but i am none the less concerned.

and as far as how you are suppose to "act" are they looking for someone who fits the bill of "affluent tourist with money to throw away and leave" or something, what is considered the ideal foreigner nowadays?

Thank you.

Ok that was what i needed to here, im staying put until i can get the tourist visa.

Thank you.

@BritTim

at the rate things are going the soonest i could get a tourist visa would be on monday assuming i pass on friday.

so i have two real options

if i try to fly back seeking exemptions, i would likely go to donmuang. i can easily prove my back history, house book, daughters birth certificate, notification of address, drivers license, all with the same address. im not concerned about being chewed on by the immigration officers, rather being outright denied due to legal reasoning, if no legal reason exists to block me then ill figure out the rest.

the other option is i wait for a couple days and get the tourist visa.

i can wait and if i do i will get it but it could be a very long wait.

i do want to get back home asap, but if their is an inherent risk that goes beyond the people im interacting (which i consider a non risk so long as they are reasonable) then ill wait for a tourist visa, but if their is a safe way to go back through plane in the next few days then ill do as directed.

also on the overland entry, my exemptions are used up for border crossing, is their some other method of overland entry im not aware of?

thank you.

@BritTim

do you think it would be ok today or the next few days? i can show them my house book, birth certificate, id cards, lots of goodies justifying my situation, its one thing to be a packer, its a whole other to have had a house here for 10+ years.

and if donmuang is considered strict, where would you advise? i could book a flight to phuket easily, maybe chang mai, but would be open to any route that would return me quickly to my family.

Thank you.

i have just learned about the 2 visas at border, and 6 visas over air so in light of this let me explain my situation.

have a dependent child in thailand and lived there for more than a decade, over the past year i have gone twice to kanchanaburi for a border run and once to koala lumpur. i am currently in koala lumpur trying to do a tourist visa, this will be my fourth and last trip to thailand before jan 1 2020.

what i need to know is can i go straight to the airport, without having the tourist visa, and get a visa at the airport so i can return home to see my family or do i have to get the tourist visa at the embassy before returning?

i was told i should get a tourist visa before at the airport but in light of all the contradictory information, i would be willing to fly back right now if i am allowed to do so.

im not worried about being chewed on or interrogated by the airport, i have all the documentation to show i have a family here and can easily support them, but im just trying to figure out if their is any legal justification in a hard rule, rather than the personal preference of the officer, which would prefent me from returning home tonight.

Thank you once again. here is hoping immigration standardizes soon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Thailand#Visa_exemption_for_normal_passports

https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/new-visa-rules.php

@ubonjoe

ok i have been given a flood of contradictory information.

when i was at don muang last i was told i had to apply for a tourist visa before returning, having done 2 border runs before. either the officer at the airport was not giving me accurate information or im currently unaware of some law.

can a us citizen in koala lumpur right now fly over to bangkok and get a 30 day exemption visa even if they have traveled out and back three times during the prior year, through both land and air, assuming nothing else is effecting the outcome (like being blanklisted)?

i have been in thailand more than a decade, have a dependent daughter in thailand and have not caused any trouble so their is no reason, outside of the legal framework, for me to be refused, i just want to figure out how to get through the airport and go back home.

Thank you.

I have a question about the following article.

https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/new-visa-rules.php

according to this border visa runs are limited to 2 going forward but it sounds like visa runs through the airport have now been increased to 6.

Quote

this change only applies to visitors who have not obtained a visa beforehand, and are entering from the border by land. Those who arrive at the airport without a prior visa will continue to receive a 30-day stamp up to 6 times per calendar year.

 

the reason i ask is that i just went to koala lumpur yesterday and am going through the motions to apply for a visa at the embassy, having had 2 prior border run visas and one visa flying back and forth to koala lumpur. during the prior trip through don muang i was told i had to get a tourist visa but based on this article it sounds like i could just fly straight back right now, despite what i was told 2 months ago.

obviously thai immigration is still trying to reshuffle its own house and get everything cleaned up, but for the rest of us, can anyone shed some light on this and does this mean that so long as you are traveling through the airport you are allowed a minimum or 6 months to stay in thailand, not taking into consideration extensions paid for at immigration?

thank you.

Hello,

been having to make border runs to kanchanaburi for the past couple months due to work and i have officially used up all the exemptions i have.

i have lived here for more than a decade and have a daughter, which does allow me to double any extension but when i leave in the coming week, if my work has not finished my nono or nonb visa, i need to weight the options so i can return home to my family.

if you have been leaving and returning via exemptions, can you go to the thai embassy and request a tourist visa? i was told this was viable at don muang airport when i flew in last but given the recent legal situation that is all up in the air if it would be allowed.

assuming that all the exemption visas for a year have been used, but you have an extensive documented history in the country, can prove you are employed, and are just waiting for the paperwork to finish, what options are there to return home quickly rather than having to wait (knowing that when the non visa paperwork is finished it will require another fly out to process.

would applying for a tourist visa work? and if not what alternative might i have between now and jan 1 2020 when the counter resets?

thank you.

Hello

I have been on two visa runs to kanchanaburi so far this year and am not sure if im allowed to go on a third or what options are available to me.

i am working here, well more than a decades worth of visas to prove that, and have a child with thai citizenship. i did not have any kind of stamp saying i cannot do a visa run again, currently am just waiting for my paperwork to finish where i work, and both border visas i had extended.

is it possible to do a border run? would a round trip flight out of the country be possible? i would be inclined towards the later (taking a round trip flight out of the country) to get a tourist visa but given that some people are refused entry what would be the most viable way to make sure i can return home to my family with as much time as possible to stay with them until the paperwork is sorted?

can anyone help advise me on this or point me in the direction of someone who could?

thank you

@JackThompson

my situation is a bit more complicated, so shout if i miss something.

i have been on a non-o for years, recently i made a visa run to kanchanaburi and got only a 30-day, not a 60-day. i never requested an extension during those 30-days because i was shortly after switched to a non-b.

from what i currently am able to comprehend, if i make a roundtrip flight out of the country i can come back with a 60-days, but tourist visas arnt always granted at the border while they seem to be normal at the airports.

i am currently on a non-b tied to a work contract, the visa lasts until the day the contract ends and was for about 7-ish months.

i will have to go to the work dept and then to immigration straight after, at which point i am told ill have 24 hours to leave. can i, the moment everything is revoked at immigration, immediately then request an extension based on my child?

having an extra 60 days to get everything sorted paperwork wise for the new job would resolve many problems.

thank you.

the work permit was issued on a non b visa.

so being a parent of a thai is not enough you also have to be married.

and im not concerned about multiple rentry non-o, single entry is perfectly ok.

__________

also should be mentioned i am changing jobs soon, thus the concern about the non-b expiring because im given 24 hours after going to immigration to report.

Greetings,

long time lurker, first time poster and hoping to figure out what my options are visa wise.

I have a child with a thai woman, married when born, and due to not having enough money in the bank have had to recently switch from a non-o to a non-b, I have lived in thailand for well more than a decade now and with the recent changes im unsure of how to correctly address my situation and return to a non-o.

Recently I was informed that if you make a visa run to savannakhet you can get a 1 year non-o visa as long as you have all the documentation in order to show that you have a thai child (original birth certificates, ID cards, marriage license, house book exc), but you are not required to show a given amount inside of a bank account.

My intent is not to break any laws, i am just confused about how to go through the correct process given the recent changes in the law, and i am working in the country but given the restrictions on a non-b visa i would really prefer to return to a non-o.

What precise documentation is needed to apply for a non-o at savannakhet and, if the option is available, does anyone know of any transport or guides who can assist with the visa run and the document processing?

Thank you for your time.