wn78

There was nothing condescending in my reply, considering that you dismissed my previous question with a trivial unhelpful answer. Never mind, have a good day sir.

Yes obviously. You just show up to any Thai bank, hand them your foreign ATM card and they happily give you cash? More details would be appreciated, like what are the fees for that service compared to ATMs.

How does that work exactly, if you don't have a Thai bank account?

Yes, that's why I was hoping if there was another solution. It's really mind boggling why Line would not include the photos in the backup, even as an option. The equivalent backup function in WhatsApp does include the photos. Among all messaging apps, Line wants to makes things really difficult when changing phones.

Nope. Those instructions use Backup chat history - it does NOT backup photos.

So, apparently LINE chat history backup does not include photos and videos. I will be moving to a new phone soon (Android), how do I transfer all my LINE chats with photos to the new phone, and I don't mean going to each individual chat and saving each photo one by one.

Yes I understand there will be no mark in my passport if the e-visa is rejected. But the passport is of little concern, after all you can always replace it. The question is if a rejected visa could result in a red flag in your record in their immigration database....and then the flag pops up at the border next time you try to enter visa-exempt.... I guess no way to tell exactly how they have it setup, but it is a possibility.

An update - I checked the e-visa application, and they require to upload passport pages with the last 12 months of travel. So the embassy will see immediately how long you stayed in Thailand recently, and all the extension stamps are in the passport as well.

Are you referring to a warning that immigration could give me on the arrival, while still letting me in? So it sounds like applying for a visa has no additional risk, can only improve my chances. In an unlikely case the embassy rejects me for a TR visa (on the grounds of requesting too much time this year, I don't see any other reasons I can be denied for), I assume it's not a permanent flag, and I can apply again later, or even try my luck with exempt entry, is that correct?

... NO. Sorry I wasn't clear. I spent under 5 month total so far this year. 1 month exempt + 2 month + 2 month extensions, and left early. I want to enter one more time this year, and it's a completely reasonable expectation all things considered.

USA, sorry I forgot to mention that upfront.

That was my intention, but I got concerned reading a recent post of a failed visa application in a long stay situation. So just trying to get opinions on a possibility of being rejected for a visa, and if taking that risk is justified compared to the benefits the visa would give me at the border.... If the embassy people have the ability to check the recent stay history and extensions given by the immigration, then I have some risk of being rejected, otherwise I should definitely go for the visa.

Obviously if I qualified for any of those options, or was rich enough to drop $$$ for the elite visa, I would not be here posting this topic. I am not abusing the system with extra long stays or endless visa runs as many others do, but I'd like to be able stay a few months in a year when I can, and as a matter of fact the lengths of my stays are quite reasonable and within TR purposes. This topic is not about other visa options.

Sorry I cannot give a better advice, but can you quickly locate a visa agent and see them this afternoon? Maybe they could do something for you.....of course it will probably cost you dearly.

Trying to minimize the chances of getting rejected at re-entry, since there were some reports of rejected long-stayers. I just spent 5 months on Exempt + two 60d extensions, and now trying to go fly back to Suvarnabhumi in less than a month after departing. Seems like some people on this board advise against getting a TR visa and going visa-exempt as your best bet to get past the immigration. Does applying for a visa just creates an additional risk of being rejected by the embassy, and does not really improve the chances with the immigration at the border? - Do immigration officers make their own decision based on your stay history, or does having a TR visa improve your chances on arrival in any significant way? - Does applying for a TR in this situation create yet another risk of getting visa rejection by the embassy? Just reading this recent post on this. Do the embassy people actually look into your arrival/departure records to see your stay history as part of the visa approval, or is that history only used by the IOs on arrival?

I heard about the 180 days guideline, but having to wait 6 month to get the next visa, is that a thing?? How do people do visa runs if this is true?

Good to know. Makes me think, it's not the shower but the other floor drain that is more likely to dry out since it's rarely in use. Next time I encounter the smell, I'm going to use the bum gun to poor some water into it.

Thanks for that. But as I was afraid, it clearly states: You have completed the government isolation period where you are (minimum of 10 days). Meaning, if you do not report your sickness to the government and just self-isolate yourself, you will not meet the requirements....?? because there is no proof you were actually sick....

Some getting away, some forced into a field hospital. I have no first hand experience myself, but the experiences reported in the hospitalization topic I referenced make me believe the rules are fuzzy and you can be forced depending on the location, doctor's position, etc. Exactly. Not a proof at all.

Not really a DYI question, but I don't see any other place to post this. Visiting Thailand, some condo and hotel room I stayed at had sewer smell coming from the bathroom. It only happened in some rooms, and not the others. Sometimes the smell would come and go, and in a few rooms it was there all the time and so bad that I had to change the room. I've never noticed this problem in the US or Europe, only in Thailand. A quick Google search tells me how P-trap drains replaced S-traps decades ago in the West to eliminate the smell problem that was common with S-traps. Is Thailand still using S-traps, or is there another reason for this? I've noticed this problem in recently built hotels and condos, so it's not about old construction.

I have the same concerns as the OP. If I test positive with mild symptoms, I do not plan to seek medical assistance and will self-isolate instead. As discussed in the recent topic (https://aseannow.com/topic/1252242-can-they-force-me-into-hospital-if-i-test-positive/) the rules are still murky on the forced hospitalization. If the doctor decides my symptoms warrant so, I risk being sent to a hospitel and charged 150K baht, or sent to a government field hospital if I refuse to pay. I want neither of that. So the problem with self-isolation is that if I end up being one of those people who continue testing positive for weeks or months after recovery, I will not be able to travel. I like the idea of keeping the photos and positive tests as a proof, but will that be enough to get me off the hook when I test positive? Can they force me to self-isolate if I test positive despite having the evidence of a previous infection??

Yes I saw that, much appreciated @ubonjoe. I was just asking the OP here to share his latest experience on the ground, to make sure nothing has changed post-Covid on that procedure. I'm really trying to avoid getting a visa as I prefer the simplicity of exempt entry.

No cloth masks at all? Does it have to be a disposable surgical type of KN95 mask? That is useful, so you got approved with no issues having only a one-ways ticket? And neither the airline, not the immigration officers at arrival cared about it? I remember pre-Covid being asked to show a round trip ticket by the airline at check in and it took some convincing that I did not need it. I agree it's best to have a return ticket. Thanks again for the write up!

As others mentioned, may depend on the immigration office. I was never asked for it in the Bangkok Wattana office in the past. On this topic, could you please let us know how the extension request goes for you? There is a blurb on my embassy website here in the US about not being allowed to extend exempt entries, see below, however it was commented in another thread that it could be just the embassy being wrong about it...still I would like to know the latest experience on the ground.

Any new info if people have been able to actually extent exempt entries for another 30 days lately? As @ubonjoe stated, most likely this was just embassy being misinformed, but it would be nice to hear about the actual experience on the ground.