Phillip9

Good question. I doubt it.

A residence certificate doesn't allow you to stay in the country longer--it's not what you want. It is need for things like opening a bank account, getting a drivers license or registering a vehicle......

I think more likely this route appeals to those who have plenty of money, but don't want to or know how to jump through all the other hoops required.

You should be realistic and understand that her chances of getting a tourist visa are very low. When a foreigner is married to an American and applies for a tourist visa, it is assumed that they plan to stay permanently in the US with their partner, and they are just trying to avoid the multi year, multi thousand dollar process of getting the correct visa. She will need to provide some near proof that she will return to Thailand to have any chance at getting a tourist visa. She will need to have something like aging parents or children in Thailand that she absolutely needs to return to and take care of.

You can sign up for coverage the minute you land and declare yourself a US resident. You will be covered immediately after you signup. There is no need for any travel insurance.

Even more genius. That trip is several thousand miles, crosses through several countries, and would take a few days to complete. Seems unlikely any single bus makes that trip.

Great idea genius, except Thais aren't visa exempt for Mexico either........

Wrong country.

You seriously think that leaving 3 days earlier is going to make a difference? 😂

If you think by not paying 100 baht, you are going to change anything, you are crazy. Your principles have no impact on anything except your own stress level.

If you are leaving the country every 6 months, and never visiting immigration, I don't know why you would bother filing a 90 a day report. Very unlikely not doing it would ever cause a problem, and the worst case scenario is a 4000 baht fine. Why bother doing it?

I think whether or not the io asks to see your onward ticket depends on if your passport is from a first world country or not. The io usually asks my gf who is from the Philippines for her onward ticket. We are always traveling on one way tickets, so that probably has something to do with it, but we have identical travel history to Thailand, and with my American passport I am not asked for it.

Keep in mind that is with the currrent strict requirements to visas. I'm sure if they issued visas to unemployed single women like the OP's friend, the percentage that didn't leave would be much higher.

You said previously it was your friend's partner and she had only been to 4 countries..... This guy is just another troll making stuff up. This thread should be closed.

The agent gave her some great advice--to keep him completely out of the process. She may not have gotten the visa if she mentioned him (especially if he is American).

The US starts by assuming that you will stay in the US permanently, and it's up to you to prove otherwise by showing strong ties to your home country. An unmarried British partner doesn't help with that. The US does not consider defacto relationships when issuing visas. The British partner and his assets are at best meaningless to her visa application. As a single woman she will need to qualify for the visa on her own.

It's not just me. Everyone else who replied here is trying to explain the same thing to you.

Trust me, I most certainly do. If she had kids in Thailand, aging parents to care for in Thailand, a Thai husband working in Thailand, a job of her own in Thailand that she needed to return to, any of that would be stronger ties--by strong ties they mean some reason that she must return to Thailand. A partner from the UK with all his money in the UK is the opposite of strong ties the Thailand.

If you think she couldn't have stronger ties, you are really not understanding what that means.

I wouldn't have mentioned her partners bank balance. That doesn't help show ties to Thailand. It just makes it look like they could afford to stay and live in the US together.

I've spent 5 - 6 months in Thailand every year for many, many years using only visa exempts. The only exception is a whole year I was here during covid. I entered Thailand again about a month ago with no issues after a few months away.

Not completely useless. If one is flying into Thailand's BKK airports, and staying in Thailand most of the time, one is less-likely to be denied-entry with a Tourist-Visa I said nearly useless, not completely useless. The OP is not staying in Thailand most of the time or anything remotely close to that, so it is useless for him.

But the OP didn't ask about a 9 month stay. He's doing short trips to Thailand without much time in the country. I've never seen any reports here from anyone who had problems doing visa exempt entries with that travel pattern. Immigration is mainly concerned about total too much time in Thailand.

That's because the METV is nearly useless now that visa exempts are 60 days, and I'm sure almost nobody else is bothering to apply for them.

The first thing to understand is that the fact she is married to you does not help her chances of getting a tourist visa. It actually makes it significantly less likely she will get the visa. They want to see she has strong connections to Thailand and no reason to stay in the US. For spouses of US citizens they will assume she will stay in the US permanently with you unless proven otherwise. The fact that she has land and a job helps. During her interview, make sure she emphasizes that and any other reasons she needs to return Thailand.