raz0r21

60 day tourist visa + 30 day extension + 2 border runs to cambodia with 30 day extensions . Well, technically you "leave" Thailand, but not really tho....

I think you can stay up to a year or so, but the next calendar year will give you problems at the airport for sure. It is better to stay 6-7 months without leaving the country, and have some months in between the trips.

Hey OP, They do this sometimes when they notice you are eligible for a retirement visa. They would prefer you switch to that instead of using tourist visas. I know it sounds weird, but yeah. It is what it is.

Thanks for the report. Really helpful. I had an idea of applying from KL some time in the future, but after reading that ... no chance. It is very frustrating that it has come to this. Most tourist visa applications only need a screenshot of your bank and thats that. In Sweden (where I apply from aswell), they even removed this requirement completely a few months ago.

I know its not supposed to be like this, but it is. Just FYI (I am sure there are many I have missed): Thai embassy/consulates in Vietnam: overly complicated visa applications. Started with this policy around 2019 afaik. Poipet border in Cambodia: avoid at all cost. Many horror stories in this forum about this border crossing. Ban Laem border in Cambodia: still ok, but only with VISA run company (as far as I know). Thai embassy/Friendship bridge border in Laos: Mostly ok. Chiang Mai airport (CNX): ok. Bangkok airport (DMK): avoid if you have a long history of tourist stamps. Bangkok airport (BKK): avoid if you have a long history of tourist stamps.

I would say its 50/50. There is a sign and an example of a TM30 copy at the check in desk, where you get your queue number for immigration in Lak Si IT Square. So better have it than not have it tbh. And like I wrote earlier, one guy sitting next to me with the other IO officer was getting a lot of trouble because he did not have a TM30. He had to exit the room as they would not do his extension without it.

I just went there to extend last week, and they didnt want to see my tm30. The document checking staff didnt want to see it, even if I showed it to them. The same thing happened in the IO office, she just gave it back to me. I dont know what to make of this, especially since they were really giving some people a hard time about TM30 right next to me. My address is in Wutthakat and i stay in a normal condo. So I dont know whats going on. You may or may not be asked for a TM30 is my answer OP. But I dont know why some are asked and some are not.

In his case he just wants to get his belongings and go back to Europe (as far as I know). So in that situation I think I would roll the dice too. OP I suggest you get a single entry visa from Vietnam and cross through Laos by land or fly in to Chiang Mai. Its gonna be a bit of a mission but the success rate will be higher than just trying with a new exempt entry.

Its not always that black and white, especially since the rules in Thailand are not black and white. But in the case of OP, he should have prepared better since he has been here so long and knows the lay of the land.

I´m seeing a pattern here. The IO probably wants OP to come in with Non O because of his age. The same thing happened in another thread just recently. Even though its not a rule, I think they are using this as common practice now and turning away people who are eligible for retirement visas. I am just speculating, but this is what it looks like.

What I think is happening here is that the IO wants the OP to switch to a Non-O based on his/her age. It´s a bit of a weird way to do it but, thats probably the case. Just as an example how rules differ from officer to officer....I just extended my visa exempt with 30 days in Lak Si and the guy sitting next to me was getting grilled and scolded because he didnt have a TM30. "You stay in Thailand long time already!" etc etc. The IO that was handling my passport however, didnt even want to look at my TM30 when I presented it. I dont know what to make of this really.

I have a really hard time believing this. Did you spend any time outside of Thailand? Anyway, if its true you have been very lucky. Impressive.

Hey OP, just a suggestion for a long stay: You get a higher chance of success by using visa service companies for your border runs and tourist visa applications in neighboring countries (usually Laos/Cambodia). The reason for this is that you don´t get questioned as much by immigration officials if you are part of a visa run group. However nothing is ever guaranteed, but I would always choose a visa run company instead of trying to do it myself - especially if I got many stamps and a long history. I have used www.thaivisaservice.com many times without any issues. But there are others too. Good luck! Just a small update as well, last time I did a border run to Cambodia they didnt put the whole page visa in my passport for Cambodia, and only used small stamps. That was a positive surprise.

I know this might sound silly but try to scope out the most relaxed looking IO in the booth at the airport. But yeah, you should get a SETV at least to even attempt an entry. If you are 100 % sure you want to come back so soon, prepare yourself with all the required documents as stated in this thread, and also bring something that shows income from abroad, especially since they dont want you working here illegally.

Hello, There should be no issues at all. You have spent 5 months out of Thailand which most definitely eliminates the "working in thailand without a visa" questioning. If you want to be safe, apply for a single entry tourist visa online (SETV). It is a quick process and very cheap to get, and it also helps with immigration since it is considered "stronger" than a visa exempt. I stayed 8 months last trip using 1 SETV + 2 visa exempt + 3 extensions. Stayed in Sweden for 5 months after that, got back in October with a SETV. Just stamped through without a word. Good luck and enjoy Thailand!

Thats crazy, took me 2 hours to get mine from Sweden.

How long you can stay is a guessing game to be honest, and it depends completely on what immigration officer you run into. However, be prepared for questioning some time around the 10-12 month mark at the latest. If you want to stay 6 months out of a year its usually not a problem as long as you can show the usual: ticket out of Thailand, 20k baht in cash, hotel booking, and a bank statement or document that convinces the IO that your income is coming from another country than Thailand. If you want to stay a longer time, you can minimize the risk of questioning with land borders that are friendly (Friendship bridge in Laos for example), or visa run agents (like www.thaivisaservice.com). Also, there is a multiple entry visa for up to 9 months or so.

Hey, By air there is no official limit, by land its 2 times per year.

and to reply to your question, sorry... there is no rule about how long you can do it - but after 10 to 12 months you will almost certainly run into questioning. It has happened to many of who have come to stay for a full year. Around the 10 month mark one of my friends was told in Don Mueang to get a tourist visa in his home country instead, as it would be the "last time" he could come in with a tourist visa from a neighbouring country. He switched over to a ED visa after that.

Yes, Laos has higher success rate. You can use a visa service aswell to get a even higher chance of success. My suggestion is to use www.thaivisaservice.com. Have been with them many times, never any issues.

Hello, You can enter "Passport Number" in the booking system, and leave ID Card number blank. Please note that Ho Chi Minh is no longer a "friendly" embassy, and the requirements are much more strict compared to Laos.

At least 1 month. They want to see that you dont live in Thailand on a tourist visa, or work without a permit. If you are worried, prepare evidence of your income from another country. Even with long stays out of Thailand you can still get questioned tho. With your history I would bring every single document possible. Flight out, 20k baht cash, income statement, bank statement, travel plan, paid hotel booking, etc etc.

In another thread OP wrote that he has stayed 10 months out of 12 in total, which is usually the time Immigration will start to tell you to have another visa. No time out of the country is frowned upon in my experience, and i strongly suggest you dont play with fire. Get another type of visa, stay out of the country for at least a month, or prepare to roll the dice.

Yeah, it would be better for everyone if there was more clear rules. But TIT , this is thailand. Just have to go with it

which rules are being broken specifically?