mark333

A guy told me that he had paid a Khmer guy $10 to "help with paperwork" at the border and this guy talked to the Thai officers and everything went smoothly for him. I don't suppose it's necessary to use such a service and it might just be a waste of money. But does anyone recommend doing this at the Cambodia border? Maybe it does help?

I see. Thank you for that information. I will avoid Poipet.

Thanks. I may well try it this week. But I'm getting a little worried about the small chance of getting turned away. But apparently they can turn you away even if you have a visa, so perhaps I'll just give it a go!

Thanks. Maybe next time I'll use a border run company, even though I'm quite happy to spend a couple of weeks travelling elsewhere, which should actually show I'm more of a tourist. Since I'm in Cambodia now, are there any agents here I can talk to? I guess otherwise I'll head to the border of getting a visa only slightly improves my odds. But since my passport is running out of pages, I really need to get into Thailand so I can apply for a new one. And I'd rather not fill up more pages with visas. Thanks again.

Thanks, CK. It's going to be a bit difficult to get the visa as I have left Phnom Penh and was going to make my way to a land border. The three working days required would also be a problem. It does seem like the safest option. Someone else recommended me trying the land border. Does anyone else have an opinion? I will sort out long term visa options soon, but I need to be a tourist for a while longer.

What about if I came into the country twice in a row already on a 30 day exemption and now want to get in on the new 60 day exemption? I've spent 10 days or so out of the country each time. I think the consensus seems to be that I'll probably be able to get in, and that land borders are actually easier at the moment, but should I go out of my way to apply for an actual visa just in case?

Thank you, DrJack. I guess the simplest thing since I'm in Kampot now would be too go to the Koh Kong border. I guess they won't check for an onward ticket there? I can always buy one on the spot if required.

Thanks. So a land border like Koh Kong would be simpler now than flying into Bangkok? They used to say that land border crossings were limited but any number by air was probably OK. Has this situation now reversed?

I've spent the last two years mostly in Thailand using tourist visas and visa exemptions. Last time the IO at Don Meiang asked me for an onward ticket. I said I didn't have one but I could buy one of necessary. He referred me to his superior and I was let in after a chat. I will be 50 soon, so he suggested going for a retirement visa, but I will need to be a tourist for a bit longer before changing visa type. I'm in Cambodia now but I'll head back to Thailand soon. Every time I leave the country I leave for around 10-20 days, but they still see it as doing a border run and living as a tourist in Thailand. I believe they will let me in again, but should I apply for a tourist visa? There doesn't seem to be much point since the visa exemption gives the same length of stay. Should I buy an onward ticket just in case they ask? Is it actually better to do a land border run now? I was under the impression that they were stricter on land crossings. One more thing: I'll need to get a new passport because my old one is running out of pages, so I could really do with 60 days in Thailand too take care of that. Thank you.

I'm 49, turning 50 this year. So I'll probably do the retirement visa option at some point. It's just that I actually like travelling and it's convenient to be using tourist visas/exemptions until I get my act together to apply for a retirement visa. On this particular trip I am using a 30-day visa exemption, not a tourist visa. I read in another thread that I'm supposed to go to IT Square Laksi. Is it possible to do it in either place, or do I need to go to one particular place?

1) I've just moved to BKK and am renting a townhouse as a tourist. The landlord submitted the TM30 online and sent me a screenshot. What exactly should I print to take to immigration? I see on the screenshot there is an option to download an excel file. Or do I just print the screenshot? Do they sometimes ask for other documents? I think in Pattaya they wanted the owner's ID and house registration. 2) On this trip I am using visa exemption. Am I supposed to go to IT Laksi rather than CW, or are both OK? 3) When I came into Don Meuang this time, they gave me quite a grilling about all my tourist visas & exemptions, since I have been using these visas for two years. They said I should change my visa if I want to "live" in Thailand rather than doing "border runs". However, my "border runs" tend to be quite long 10-20 day trips to nearby countries and I've always flown rather than crossing a land border. Are they getting stricter on long-term tourists? I plan to apply for a proper tourist visa next time and I will soon be eligible for a retirement visa, but I actually have some things to do in other countries, so being a tourist for a bit longer would be useful for me. Thank you.