Phillip9

1 hour ago, Captain Monday said:

No, but you fool yourself if they, the consular staff and Immigration officers of various countries are not trained to identify the meaning of red stamps and then fax it to someone who does "read Thai".  Yes FAX, as in "Japan

The stamp isn't even red.   I've been to more than 15 countries since I got my overstay stamp, including Japan.  No one even noticed the stamp, let alone faxed it somewhere.

31 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

How do you think  the embassies, consulates or airport immigration officers of other countries you may apply for visa to or visit will feel about your Thailand overstay stamp?

The overstay stamp is written entirely in Thai.  Do you think any of those immigration officers from other countries can read Thai, and will be able to decipher what a random stamp in your passport written in Thai means?

43 minutes ago, biggles45 said:

For future reference, the Thai consulate in Makati, Manila will issue Filipinas a 60 day tourist visa free of charge

Thanks for the information.  Do you know what documents they ask for?  Bank statement, employment proof, etc?

Phillipines does not need visa on arrival.  They are visa exempt.  Otherwise your plan is fine.  She can arrive visa exempt 30 days and extend that 30 days.  Then do a border bounce by land twice per year.

My gf is filipina and we have done that many times. 

Make sure she has an onward flight and 20,000 baht cash.  My gf is frequently asked for both when entering by land or air.

Last time I checked, filipinos can't get e-visas.

The property owner is required to file a TM30 any time a foreigner is staying at their property.  No exception for the METV.  In practice many condo owners renting on airbnb and similar sites never file TM30s, and many people are staying in these with few if any problems.

I have extended visa exempt entries many times in Phuket at the main office in Phuket town, and they never asked me for a TM30, and I am sure a TM30 was never filed for me.  I would recommend trying to extend without the TM30 a couple of weeks early, and then worrying about filing it if they ask for it.

Your best option is probably a tourist visa, which can be either single or multiple entry.  A tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days in Thailand, then you can extend that for another 30 days at an immigration office in Thailand.

If you kept your trip to 90 days or less, I would just get a single entry tourist visa and extend that in Thailand.

If you will stay longer than 90 days, I would get a multiple entry tourist visa, and then on or before 60 days make a short trip to a neighbouring country.  When you return to Thailand you will get another 60 days for a total of 120.  With this option you will also not have to visa an immigration office in Thailand which can be a nightmare.

1 hour ago, anotherfarangishere said:

BTW, do you need a TM30 to extend a tourist visa for 30 days?

It depends on the office where you get the extension.  Some will absolutely require a TM30, some will except a booking confirmation form a local hotel instead, and some won't ask for anything.

4 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

Interesting. I'm surprised that you got away with it because conventional wisdom says that you need to clear Immigration in the arrival country otherwise you'll be denied entry upon your return to Thailand. Or you won't get checked in in the first place.

 

I don't think it's something I'd be willing to chance but then again i don't have a pressing need to do same-day "out/ins".

I wouldn't chance this either.  I wouldn't do a same day bounce by air in the first place, but if I did, I would definitely enter the other country properly before attempting to return to Thailand.

3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Why not just go to immigration and obtain a 30 day extension to your visa exempt entry.

1900b 

By far the best advise on this thread.  There is absolutely no reason to fly to KL and back.  Plus you risk a hassle with Thai immigration when you return if you do a same day border bounce like that by air.   It's much better to stay a night or two outside the country before you return.

On 2/5/2024 at 9:13 PM, pantsonfire said:

What are the alternatives to a bus?

That bus is definitely your best option for getting from Vientiane to Udon Thani.  It's very cheap and comfortable.  All other public transportation options involve transfers and much more hassle.

8 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Is that important? I might be 10 months out of Thailand. Left this February, might come back around next November (I like good weather).

It is important because if you were outside of Thailand for a very short time (days or weeks), you would possibly have a problem when you returned.

After 10 months outside the country you will not have any problem returning to Thailand.

I doubt you will have any problem.  I've been in Thailand about 3x as many days as you have during the last couple of years, and I was here one full year during covid.  I have yet to have any problem entering visa exempt.  Although I do always wait a few months before entering by air.

My girlfriend (who is from the Phillipines) is usually asked to show an onward ticket when entering Thailand by land.  I'm American, and I've never been asked to show an onward ticket at a land border.  We both have a similar extensive history of visa exempt entries.  So it definitely depends on your passport.

In late December when we extended, if you were staying in a condo, BluePort required a TM30 copy.  If you were staying in a hotel, they accepted a copy of your hotel booking, and they wanted to see your room key card.

You could potentially book a night or two in a hotel the day you extend.  That's what we did.

On 2/8/2024 at 5:51 PM, Nick Carter icp said:

You can book into a hotel and get a TM30 from them 

Both times I've tried to get a TM30 from a hotel, the hotel refused to give it to me and repeatedly tried to tell me that it was not necessary to extend my permission to stay because they mistakenly thought immigration could actually access it themselves in their own database.

On 2/6/2024 at 6:20 PM, popel said:

still not sure about Chiang Mai per air or Vientiane per Land..

all day busy googling..

Entering Thailand by land from Vientiane is easy.  I just did it.  It's 2 or 3 hours by direct bus from Vientiane to Udon Thani in Thailand.  From Udon Thani there are cheap flights to Bangkok.  

39 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

its such a hassle using a refundable ticket , getting ur $$ back an than see they still charged u credit card fee
Prefer to just shell out $7 and be done with it

Have you ever actually tried it yourself?  Requesting a refund on all of the airlines I mentioned literally takes less time than writing this message-- Its about three taps on your phone.

None of those airlines I mentioned charge any credit card fee, and many give you the option to pay in your own currency, so you can even avoid any international fees your own credit card might charge.

11 hours ago, novacova said:

I’ve only ever flown on EVA, China Air(Taiwan carrier), China Southern, Singapore air and KAL at least 20 times, 4x on tourist on arrival, the other flights with non-o stamp, 2 of which were round trip tickets all from SEA, LAX & SFO. Never been asked for a return ticket and I don’t recall the check-in counter ever looking at any other page than the main id page of the passport. Just wondering what airline/airport are asking for these return/onward vouchers?

I fly out of SFO on EVA or Singapore 2-3 times per year.  I'm always travelling on a one way ticket, and I am always asked if I have a return ticket at check in.  Sometimes they will ask to see the ticket, but other times they will just ask me the date of the return flight.

1 hour ago, BethanySoto said:

I understand the situation can be a bit tricky, especially with the TM30 requirement. Staying at a hotel for a day before your visa extension could potentially work. It's essential to ensure that the hotel files your TM30 correctly, just like you mentioned during your previous stay.

Why are you posting to a 2 year old thread?????  Bizare

Earlier is definitely better.  I last extended there about 6 months ago.  We arrived at about 9am and it wasn't too bad.   Then it continued to get busier after we arrived.

If I remember correctly, they only accept applications in the morning.