edwardandtubs

Never lost a single baht? Are you paying in baht and if so how do you avoid the usual foreign currency loading fee of 2.75%? Or is your bank account USD? I appreciate you sharing this and it looks like a good option but for me I would lose with both the initial charge and the refund so would end up paying about 5% on a $120 ticket. That's good at less than 200 baht and less than the cost of these dodgy onward flight websites.

Or half that if you have a tourist visa. However, I've learned that being stopped at the airport is no big deal as long as you have a ticket back to your home country, hotel bookings, the required cash and an explanation of how you're going to spend your time as a tourist in Thailand. I was in the waiting area for about an hour and saw lots of people had been pulled aside but they were all allowed in once they had spoken to the officer and produced the required documents.

Is there something you're not telling us?

OP is worrying about nothing. There's no way this landlord can sue you for rent beyond the date you move out. That's just not the way it's done in Thailand. You forfeit your deposit and that's it. If anything, the courts would say there was no second contract and that the arrangement you currently have is just a rolling monthly contract that legally follows the end of your original 12 month tenancy. In that situation, if you give one month's written notice you should get your deposit back. But as neither party is likely to pursue this in court, the sensible thing to do is just move out at the end of the rental month and let the landlord keep the deposit.

The fast track wouldn't be the ones to deny entry. What happens at the airport is the IO sends a message to his senior who comes and collects you and takes you away to a corner where you fill in a form and speak to the IO in charge. This is just as likely to happen in the fast track and yes this has been reported on this forum. The chances of actually being denied entry are miniscule either way.

However the small print states: "We understand that sometimes plans change. We do not charge a cancel or change fee. When the airline charges such fees in accordance with its own policies, the cost will be passed on to you." So it the ticket itself has cancellation fees you'll still end up paying.

Oh I see there are tickets from Bangkok that give you 24 hours free cancellation if you click through even if cancellation fees apply to the ticket.

I don't see any direct flights from Bangkok to KL that have no cancellation fees on expedia.com. I see one from Phuket to KL with Malaysia Airlines which is " Refundable Less any non-refundable fees" so that's a bit of a risk.

I'm certainly going to go and try his beef wellington. I've seen how he cooks it on YouTube and it looks absolutely delicious.

At Heathrow flying Thai Airways to Bangkok without a visa it was self-check-in at a machine but then you have to drop off your bags with a staffed conveyor belt. She did ask me about the one-way ticket but wasn't that interested and didn't ask to see onward travel.

To be fair to the evisa team, the email did arrive just before I landed so they got it processed in time. Unfortunately, I didn't check my email until after I'd made the visa exempt attempt.

Well I got through but they pulled me aside and it's not just a 10 minute interview. You have to wait for an hour for your turn and produce all the requirements like cash and a ticket back to your home country. Onward ticket to Penang wouldn't have sufficed for me but luckily as I was waiting I got an email with my evisa! Yes, on a Sunday! So it all worked out ok by luck but I definitely wouldn't recommend the visa exempt via airport route for anyone with a history.

Will an Air Asia flight to Penang suffice for onward flight confirmation?

It seems nowaday they're questioning people rather than asking to see documents and cash so the indemnity form sounds like a good idea if offered.

Thank you! How about my chances of getting in visa exempt without hassle at BKK airport? I've been out of Thailand for just over three months after a 9 month stay. Before that I was out of Thailand for 9 months after staying September 2019 to January 2022 on an METV + covid extensions. Lots of history before that too. Would it be ok to book a flight from BKK to Penang 60 days from my entry to Thailand or would it have to be 30 to satisfy the onward flight requirement?

Have you heard any reports on how easy the Istanbul consulate is for non-Turkish citizens (UK) to get an SETV? I've decided to stopover there on my way back to Thailand and I suspect it may be quicker to get the visa from there. If I did and came in on that visa, would I then be able to use the evisa at a later date (before expiry of course)?

Thank you, that's very helpful. As the document check is complete, hopefully I'll get mine early next week.

Not complaining at all, just asking for recent experiences.

Last year I got my evisa via London in three days. This year I applied on Sunday and it went from document check to pending approval yesterday. I was supposed to fly out tonight so have a couple of questions: 1) How much longer am I likely to have to wait? 2) Will they approve the visa even though I've missed the flight time in the document I sent? Luckily it was a flexible ticket but they don't know that.

One odd new requirement for an SETV is on the official website: 8. A confirmation letter from employer, School, Self-assessment, Pension statement. https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/tourist-single-entry-visa I'm sure certain unscrupulous individuals would just write the letter themselves but is it really necessary just for an SETV?

That's what I was thinking. It would be good if we did get that choice because submitting the application and then taking the bus to Vang Vieng for a few days relaxation would be a good option.

That's exactly what I did so maybe things haven't changed that much. Back then I stayed in Haad Yao which was pretty deserted in the low season with many resorts closed. Many owners were happy to offer good monthly prices to walk-ins.

About ten years I ago I stayed in Koh Phnagan for a few months around May-July. I rented a bungalow with a separate kitchen up a hill with stunning sea views for about 10,000 baht a month. What kind of price would I be looking at these days for something similar for around this time of year?

You can do it if you have the necessary documents. You must go to your local immigration office. Ignore "consultants" and just focus on what the immigration office itself says: https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?p=15375

The whole evisa system is a disaster waiting to happen. Thai websites are constantly being hacked yet they expect you to upload all the documents any scammer or identity fraudster would need. I'm sure all the documents of anyone who has used it are for sale on the dark web. I'm glad I redacted the account numbers in the documents I sent. The big question is, what to do if you currently live in the UK and need to apply for a tourist visa? Visa exempt is not a good option due to my history.