If you're a tourist, get a tourist visa from your Thai consulate at home for 60-90 days travel.
Not rocket science!!
I'm not stupid, and I hate to make this lengthy but I've found several comments here outright offensive and ill considered.
My plans changed. I had accomodated for my plans changing but not with 15 day visas in conjunction with PAD occupation causing airline booking havoc. My original trip was for three weeks and my return flight was during the PAD occupation. I decided to extend my trip because my work at home had been delayed. Unfortunately, because of the occupation, the flights were jammed and the earliest flight I could get was 6 weeks later, much longer than I wanted, but after deliberating decided to go for it. I was unaware of the change to 15 days or I would have just left. As it was I wanted to go to Vietnam so I thought that would fix the problem but not going into detail, that didn't work out. Now I'm in a trap and that my friends is what I think the point is. I would love to fly home and I can't. In response to the '"crackdown" I don't work here, though I used to, and with a proper Visa the first time, and second time not so much. Everyone is I'm sure aware of how difficult those are to obtain so making that slightly easier might help people feeling like they needed to use dodgey services or do runs. Good for you if you happen to work at a company which can dole this out for you. Just because you run a company that requires more western employees than the one or two you are alotted, or as an independant basing yourself out of Thailand, doesn't mean that the company is not beneficial to the economy, its Thai employees, services used etc but that is another topic.
The point is, this isn't about a crackdown, consider the timing. This is about extortion. Now is not the time to do this I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation and tourism is down. They're not getting rid of the riff raff, they can't afford to do that, they're just squeezing more juice out, buses, trains, fees, hotels, generating extra money, trying to recoup money, biting the hand that feeds you.
This has been a MASSIVE inconvenience to me and cost me loads of money. I am now in Cambodia for a couple of weeks on principle so I don't have to do a third visa run just to make it to my flight out where I would have happily been spending my money in Thailand otherwise. At least I'm aware of how I'm getting fleeced here.
I did not complain about the inconveniences caused by PAD. More than one 20 min taxi ride made to be an hour and a half to 2 hours due to blocked roads and traffic lanes. I was not nervous or afraid, and laugh like you will, there are people that were. I was not even that put out by the fact that the whole thing made it so booked up that changing my ticket meant 6 extra weeks as opposed to the two or three that were my intention. I was not put out to hear that overstay had gone up to 500 baht, but, when you throw that last down to 15 days bit in, that's like spitting on me when I'm down.
Get real, this is a terrible move, and if nothing else, it's terrible timing. Extorting more out of your few is not the way to go, stimulating more tourists to come through the gate is. I've come to Thailand many times, but I think I will have a hard time returning unless I'm offered a ring first if you catch my drift.
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
30-days Border Runs Now Only 15 Days
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
If you're a tourist, get a tourist visa from your Thai consulate at home for 60-90 days travel.
Not rocket science!!
I'm not stupid, and I hate to make this lengthy but I've found several comments here outright offensive and ill considered.
My plans changed. I had accomodated for my plans changing but not with 15 day visas in conjunction with PAD occupation causing airline booking havoc. My original trip was for three weeks and my return flight was during the PAD occupation. I decided to extend my trip because my work at home had been delayed. Unfortunately, because of the occupation, the flights were jammed and the earliest flight I could get was 6 weeks later, much longer than I wanted, but after deliberating decided to go for it. I was unaware of the change to 15 days or I would have just left. As it was I wanted to go to Vietnam so I thought that would fix the problem but not going into detail, that didn't work out. Now I'm in a trap and that my friends is what I think the point is. I would love to fly home and I can't. In response to the '"crackdown" I don't work here, though I used to, and with a proper Visa the first time, and second time not so much. Everyone is I'm sure aware of how difficult those are to obtain so making that slightly easier might help people feeling like they needed to use dodgey services or do runs. Good for you if you happen to work at a company which can dole this out for you. Just because you run a company that requires more western employees than the one or two you are alotted, or as an independant basing yourself out of Thailand, doesn't mean that the company is not beneficial to the economy, its Thai employees, services used etc but that is another topic.
The point is, this isn't about a crackdown, consider the timing. This is about extortion. Now is not the time to do this I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation and tourism is down. They're not getting rid of the riff raff, they can't afford to do that, they're just squeezing more juice out, buses, trains, fees, hotels, generating extra money, trying to recoup money, biting the hand that feeds you.
This has been a MASSIVE inconvenience to me and cost me loads of money. I am now in Cambodia for a couple of weeks on principle so I don't have to do a third visa run just to make it to my flight out where I would have happily been spending my money in Thailand otherwise. At least I'm aware of how I'm getting fleeced here.
I did not complain about the inconveniences caused by PAD. More than one 20 min taxi ride made to be an hour and a half to 2 hours due to blocked roads and traffic lanes. I was not nervous or afraid, and laugh like you will, there are people that were. I was not even that put out by the fact that the whole thing made it so booked up that changing my ticket meant 6 extra weeks as opposed to the two or three that were my intention. I was not put out to hear that overstay had gone up to 500 baht, but, when you throw that last down to 15 days bit in, that's like spitting on me when I'm down.
Get real, this is a terrible move, and if nothing else, it's terrible timing. Extorting more out of your few is not the way to go, stimulating more tourists to come through the gate is. I've come to Thailand many times, but I think I will have a hard time returning unless I'm offered a ring first if you catch my drift.