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Update: I just got an email from the embassy in KL after 2 days and received the following message:
 

Quote

 

Dear Applicant,

The visa processing is 2 working days including submission day. 
Of course, all visa applicants need the appointment, kindly refer to the link below for visa application.
http://LNY.IO/RTEKL.

 

Best regards,
Visa Department, Consular Section
Royal Thai Embassy, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

 

So that concludes this thread. 

18 hours ago, BritTim said:

You need an appointment to apply for a visa, but that does not mean you need to be a month in Kuala Lumpur to get the visa. Once you submit the application, I believe the visa is placed in your passport and returned to you the following day in the afternoon.

 

I have seen no recent reports from those applying for tourist visas in KL. At last report, they were being strict in their requirements, and liable to deny an application for a tourist visa if you have spent long periods in Thailand as a tourist.

If the earliest available appointment for a visa in Kuala Lumpur is on June 2nd or 6th, and you are traveling to KL on June 10th, then you will need to wait about a month to get an appointment. The visa application process itself should take no more than 3-4 business days.

I'm aware that the Thai Embassies have implemented stricter rules, particularly regarding the proof of onward travel from Thailand. It is now required to present a complete itinerary, so for instance, if you are in Chiang Mai but flying out from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur; essentially, you must provide the flight ticket from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and then from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur. In the past, some individuals may have only shown a ticket for departure from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur as proof of exiting Thailand.

Edit: here are the requirements for a single entry TR Visa.

Hello,

I am writing to discuss my upcoming travel plans to Malaysia and my intention to obtain a Single entry visa from the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Upon visiting their website, I noticed that it is possible to book an appointment for the visa application process.

However, I encountered a challenge as they only offer 1 or 2 available dates per month. This discrepancy has raised concerns for me, as it seems unusual. I am curious to know if anyone has had a recent experience with visiting the embassy without a prior online appointment. I am interested in learning if it is possible to apply for a visa by simply dropping in at the embassy.

My plan is to travel to Malaysia for a week or less, and it would be ideal if I could complete the visa application during that time. However, if embassy visits are limited to only one or two dates a month, it would mean waiting an entire month in Malaysia for an appointment, which is impractical for my travel schedule.

I have attempted to contact the embassy through email and Facebook, but unfortunately, I have received generic template responses that do not address my specific questions.

If anyone has recently dealt with the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur and can provide insights or advice, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.
 

53 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Saying that you plan to work here and that you own a condo here would NOT work in your favor in case of being questioned when attempting a visa exempt entry. Visa exempts are for tourists who stay in hotels; they would probably tell you to get a Non-B visa first.

I don't see that as a problem, don't most foreigners own condos here who come with a visa-exempt? If that's the case, one doesn't need to brag about it and just show proof of accommodation, return ticket and 20k in cash. 

1 hour ago, justsomeguy23 said:

Thank you for the advice. I have not had any tourist visas (long term or Visa exempt) since probably 2012, and I onlt had a couple. Most of my other visas are either Non-imm b with work permits or education visas through a university (again I have the diploma and transcripts to prove it is legitimate.). I only had the one volunteer Visa from the agent for a few months between ending my studies and finding my next job during covid time. Unfortunately, I do not have time to waste in another country for a week, as i need to start my new job asap. I actually own a condo here and can prove residency because I have a yellow book (blue book but for foreigners) for my condo, and I will have at least 20k thb in cash no problem, with more in my thai bank account here if they ask to see it. Hopefully these things will be in my favor, but maybe flying is the better option for re-entry...thanks for your input.

I will be doing the same as you, and I also have a condo with all my stuff. I'll give u input if things went good, bad or really bad.

I am on the same situation as you. 

However, those agencies I have been in contact with (mainly from the north) suggested that I fly out & back into Thailand. This is because land border runs have become somewhat of an issue nowadays with hard questionings. 

Now, this doesn't mean you won't be allowed it. But you need to have a reason for being in Thailand entering as visa-exempt. Especially, if you have utilized every option for staying for a long time. In this case, you will increase your odds if you have a proof of stay (e.g. hotel booking), return ticket to your home country within 30 days , and most importantly at least 20,000 baht in cash. 

To be honest, covid extensions are all warranted because they didn't want everyone to leave, and everyone couldn't leave. So if you have had covid extensions on your passport, you shouldn't worry. The same goes with ED Visas or any other Non-immigrant Visa because these are legit purposes for staying long-term in Thailand. 

The problem comes if you come and stay on multiple tourist visas on a continued basis, and border runs for that matter. This is where you will be most likely by hard-questioned and worst case denied. The odds are in your favor if you follow the above guidelines, and haven't had an issued tourist visa since pre-2020.

For now, you should avoid land border runs (as I have contacted to agencies who have stated this) and better fly out and in. Tip: don't act like your are doing a border run, try staying in a foreign country for 1-2 weeks so you seem off the radar a bit.

Good luck.

14 hours ago, mockingbird said:

When I said Chiang Mai was known for honouring visa's I was referring to tourist and METV visa's. (Non Immigrant visa's are what they want you to have if living in Thailand)

 

Interesting what you were told about the Laos borders. There is no doubt that the noose is tightening at all borders when it comes to long stayers deemed not to be on the correct visa.

 

FYI Phuket airport is very unfriendly towards long stayers. Many reports pre Covid of people having issues there. Surat Thani would be a far better bet.

Yeah, if you don't believe me. Send an email to a few agencies operating in the north and they will tell you border runs to Laos have become a mess, and they will recommend you to fly out/in instead. 

So far I haven't heard people being denied entry to Chiang Mai, even if you have had a history of tourist visas. They will question you, but most likely you'll be allowed in.

Bangkok is a large city, so they aren't competing for tourists compared to other places such as Surat Thani, Phuket and Chiang Mai. It makes sense to avoid Bangkok for that matter as Immigration offices tend to have different policies, even though they operate under the same structure. 

On 1/12/2023 at 4:54 PM, mockingbird said:

Chiang Mai is known for being less hassle than the BKK airports, and are known to honour visa's. Your problem is that you're coming in visa exempt. Pre covid there were reports on here of long stayers being questioned at CW when arriving visa exempt, and now another report on this thread.. (I don't recall any reports of denial of entry from there though)

 

Personally, if I was in your position I'd spend a coupe of months in Malaysia. It's the spending almost no time outside of Thailand that's the problem.

You've been almost 2 years in Thailand without leaving, so that puts a huge cross on your back when trying a quick bounce back in.

 

If you're adamant on coming back now, a Laos border crossing would be your safest bet.

I would say it's a bit difference if you have a Non-immigrant visa compared to relying solidly on Tourist visas, Covid extensions and Visa-exempts. If there's a purpose behind your stay, I think it's legit but I get your point 100%.

I have talked to visa agencies and they have recently said that people in that situation have had issues with border runs to Laos, and strongly advised against it. They did however recommend flying out/in instead. 

So the best bet is to get back in to Thailand with Proof of accommodation, 20,000 baht in cash and a fly-out ticket from Thailand within a month. Since there have been reported issues with Chiang Mai and BKK. I might consider flying to Surat Thani or Phuket instead.

6 minutes ago, at15 said:

Im just a tourist. I went to KL for 2 weeks, tried to fly back into CM direct for a visa exempt entry. They were upset with me and wanted to send me back to KL or my home country. They took me to a back room, and i had to explain everything. What saved me is i showed them a flight ticket to Korea and 30,000 baht cash in my wallet. If i didnt have this no way they would have let me in.

You were briefed, that's normal. Good that you had a flight ticket onward and cash in hand. I would also show accommodation for the sake of it.  

What did you have inside your passport? I'm on a non-immigrant visa, and have only utilized covid extension 2 times prior. I'm thinking of a 1 week trip to KL and back to BKK.

Sometimes, they do brief people on purpose because there are new staff at the I.M. that need to learn the process, especially now that the country has opened up.

All else, if you were solidly on multiple covid-extensions, and getting in and out, they just want to tell inform you to stop and get a normal long-term visa instead. 

1 minute ago, at15 said:

its over man, CM blew me up. they are all strict now.

Really? 
What happened, and whats your situation.

I'm thinking perhaps avoiding flying to Bangkok, and choose either Surat Thani or Chiang Mai Airports to increase my odds of being allowed in. Any idea how restrictive they are in Bangkok compared to other places? 

48 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Not to sure about some of your opening post.

You haven't been trapped here.

Airports opened several months ago along with land borders. 

No overstays doesn't mean anything. 

Also you have a Malaysian pp? 

Fit (in their mind) someone working in Thailand as you have not exited since 2020.

A week out of Thailand in Malaysia in my mind would be minimum.

 

You mention live mainly CM.

Thinking border run to Laos better option than re-entering Thailand visa exempt via air. 

I'm open to all possibilities. I don't have a Malaysian passport, i'm from northern Europe. But yeah, I could stay in Malaysia longer if necessary "to stay out of the system" for a while. I could do a few weeks.

Gosh I hate these minivan border runs, and Laos seem far from Chiang Mai. I read on a visa agent website that they wouldn't recommend doing border run to Myanmar if I have been staying in Thailand for 1 year or longer. 

2 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

No, they stamp 45 days on arrival before March 31st.

Sorry, I meant Malaysia.

9 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

How long do you plan to stay in Malaysia?

1 week, maybe I should stay longer? After all, they stamp 90 days on arrival, right?

Perhaps a good way to stay off the radar for a while, but I really don't want to miss Songkran.

Hello,

I have an ed-visa expiring in April, and I want to make a 1 week roundtrip flight to Malaysia before the 45 day visa-exempt wavies on March 31, 2023.

Preferably I want fly to Bangkok from KL, because I want to visit my Embassy while I'm there. I mainly stay in Chiang Mai however, so it's not a must. My little concern is: the passport has a "few" stamps on it. Namely, 1 METV, 2 covid-extensions and 2 ed-visas.

With that said, haven't been outside Thailand since Feb 2020, because of covid. I don't have any overstays or whatsoever, no rules broken.

Should I be reconsider this roundtrip, or will I most likely be welcomed in?

Thanks.

Does anyone know a good place to leave a bike for 1 week nearby nathon seatran pier?

10 minutes ago, BritTim said:

If you entered on a tourist visa or visa exempt, you are eligible for a 30-day extension. Whether you will actually receive it seems to depend on the immigration office where you are applying. The timing of your application does not matter, and if the extension is granted, it will expire October 26. Many offices will refuse to provide the normal 30-day extension while on amnesty and will insist that you can only get a 30-day extension with an embassy letter.

 

The situation has become even more confusing with reports on a new stamp, available at some offices under some circumstances, that converts your amnesty extension into a real stamp in your passport confirmed a permission to stay until September 26. This stamp seems mostly to be intended as the precursor to a "conversion visa" for those intending to stay in Thailand as retirees or to stay with their Thai spouses.

 

What is your long term plan? Unless you intend to return to your home country in October, you should be looking further ahead than just the 30-day extension.

 

My advice is to immediately determine your local immigration office's policy. Do not wait until many of your options (even using agents) are no longer available because you waited too long.

I entered with a METV. 

I'm in the process of getting an ED Visa and my documents are already submitted to MOD. However, I'm not sure if time is on my side, hence the need for 30 day extension. I will be checking with IO. 

I have to bring this up again.

I'm on amnesty until Sept 26th and I haven't done any extensions yet. Can I apply for an extension and receive 30 days until Oct 26? When is the best time to do so?

@ubonjoe

On 4/16/2020 at 7:31 AM, ubonjoe said:

Not nit picking. He has a valid point. Not everybody would understand what a POS is.

How much harder is it write "permission of stay".

 

Now back on topic.

To the OP you do qualify under the ministerial order. You do not need to apply for an extension now. You could use it when the emergency decrees ends instead of leaving the country.

Does this mean that my admission has been extended until 23 May 2020, or is it based on the last date of the decree which is 30 April 2020 until 30 May 2020? 

Hello,

I visited my nearest immigration office and was told that my entry wasn't eligible for automatic extension according to the amnesty rules from March 26th. 

My passport has a METV that was valid until 25 feb 2020. I did a border run on 24 feb 2020 and received a new entry that's valid until 23 April 2020.

Since my VISA expired on February 25th the immigration in Surat Thani stated that the automatic extension did not apply to me. I find it strange, because my tourist stamp is admitted until 23rd of April. They moved on to say that I had to extend it myself and pay the normal fee, but I didn't do it yet because the lady I was talking to seemed confused when she looked at the expiry of my METV, and the new entry I received. 

Could they be mistaken or am I fully excluded from the automatic extension?