borderrun at landborder with multiple non-o visa

[Mattd]

19 minutes ago, Thian said:

This is from our embassy, i don't understand which one you have.... i have the one for being married to a Thai and applied for a multiple of 5.

Actually you applied for and received a multiple entry non immigrant O visa, not a multiple of 5, this visa would allow as many or least number of entries as you desire within the validity period of the visa, it is not limited to only 5 entries, although I can see why you state 5 over the course of the year the visa is valid for, if not maximising the length of stay per entry.

[Thian]

2 hours ago, Mattd said:

Actually you applied for and received a multiple entry non immigrant O visa, not a multiple of 5, this visa would allow as many or least number of entries as you desire within the validity period of the visa, it is not limited to only 5 entries, although I can see why you state 5 over the course of the year the visa is valid for, if not maximising the length of stay per entry.

Oh that's also news for me, have never known that. I always plan it very carefully so i have max. staytime in Thailand. 

 

Holland has a new website now i noticed but the info there is still doesn't mention how many entries a multiple visa is. In the past we had single, double, triple and multiple which was 5 iirc.

 

It's good that i started this thread, i learned a lot.

 

I also read that there is a visa with which you can stay for 1 year, could i apply for that as well?

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, Thian said:

I also read that there is a visa with which you can stay for 1 year, could i apply for that as well?

If you are 50 or over you could apply for a OA long stay visa at the embassy in your home country.

You could also apply for a one year extension of stay based upon marriage at immigration and only need to do do 90 day reports to immigration. You would need 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months in your name only or proof of 40k baht income,

[Thian]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

If you are 50 or over you could apply for a OA long stay visa at the embassy in your home country.

You could also apply for a one year extension of stay based upon marriage at immigration and only need to do do 90 day reports to immigration. You would need 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months in your name only or proof of 40k baht income,

I'm not 50 yet so that option won't work.

 

The 40k baht income i can easy do. Also the 400k baht on a thai bankaccount i can do but i read here that i'm not allowed to ever book it back to European bank, is that right? And for the year after that i can just book it to my thai bankaccount 2 months before applying for the multiple visa and they will accept it?

 

I can also try my luck in Savanahket , it's weird that they have such different rules there. Also i don't understand why my wife can't be my guarantee, they only care for 400k baht all the time, well that is on my own bankaccount and my wife also has it on hers. But they won't accept it. Still need loads of paperwork for me to print out and bring to the Hague in Holland. When she comes to Holland i can be her guarantee so she doesn't need to show any funds.

 

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Thian said:

The 40k baht income i can easy do. Also the 400k baht on a thai bankaccount i can do but i read here that i'm not allowed to ever book it back to European bank, is that right? And for the year after that i can just book it to my thai bankaccount 2 months before applying for the multiple visa and they will accept it?

If you can get proof of 40k baht income from your embassy that will be accepted and would be the best way to do it.

You can send the money out of Thailand as long as you can prove that it was sent into the country or was  legally earned here. Not sure the cost of transferring would be less than what you gain by having it in a bank back home. You can have the 400k baht in fixed term account that pays more interest than a standard savings account.

You only have to have the 400k baht in the bank 2 months prior to the date apply for the extension and during the under consideration period (30 days) you will have after applying. 

[Nong Khai Man]

Don't Understand why he just did'nt do a border run from Nong Khai to Vientianne ??

[Thian]

2 hours ago, Nong Khai Man said:

Don't Understand why he just did'nt do a border run from Nong Khai to Vientianne ??

Because i don't even know if i need a visa for Laos but i just learned you can buy? one at arrival. Also i don't know what language they speak  and whatever can happen there..i don't know anything about Laos and i heard it's Thailand but 20 years back in time. I don't want to end up stuck in some village in Laos without cellphone, internet and issues like that. Even my thai wife won't go there.

 

 

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, Thian said:

Because i don't even know if i need a visa for Laos but i just learned you can buy? one at arrival. Also i don't know what language they speak  and whatever can happen there..i don't know anything about Laos and i heard it's Thailand but 20 years back in time. I don't want to end up stuck in some village in Laos without cellphone, internet and issues like that. Even my thai wife won't go there.

You can get a Laos visa at the border , they speak Laotian , most hotels have wi-fi and if you stand next to the river, you can use your Thai telephone to make calls .

  

[Thian]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you can get proof of 40k baht income from your embassy that will be accepted and would be the best way to do it.

You can send the money out of Thailand as long as you can prove that it was sent into the country or was  legally earned here. Not sure the cost of transferring would be less than what you gain by having it in a bank back home. You can have the 400k baht in fixed term account that pays more interest than a standard savings account.

You only have to have the 400k baht in the bank 2 months prior to the date apply for the extension and during the under consideration period (30 days) you will have after applying. 

Well that sounds good actually, in Holland i get no interest on savings...maybe 0.2% or so or even negativ interest, that was the plan i read.

 

I will ask the Thai banks how much interest i can get, maybe that makes it more interesting.

 

Thanks for all the info guys, i'll see what i do next...First fly return  to singapore tomorrow and some shopping there..

[Boycie]

On 29/11/2017 at 9:57 AM, Lazybones said:

I believe all Myanma crossings are the same. I go to Mae Sot. 500 bt and takes 15mins including the walk across the bridge. I did read that the crossing at 3 Pagoda Pass out past Kanchanaburi is also now open for border crossings. This would more convenient to Bangkok. Laos crossings are1400bt (1200) for Aussies) and you get a Laos visa which takes up a whole page in your passport. 

 

On 29/11/2017 at 10:07 AM, BritTim said:

For those in Bangkok, the most convenient border crossing with Myanmar for those wanting a new entry on a multiple entry Non O is Ban Phu Nam Ron. Sangkhlaburi Three Pagoda Pass) is quite a long way from Bangkok.

 

Just a note for anyone reading this thread and thinking of going to Three Pagodas Pass, this check point is not open to foreigners. Thai and Burmese only.

[EcigAmateur]

To start, asking or even listening to a Thai wife opinion is VERY VERY funny and it says a lot about the OP.

Then, of course you can do a border run to Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar.

 

Edited November 30, 2017 by EcigAmateur

[jimster]

On 11/29/2017 at 7:30 AM, Thian said:

I did the group visarun to cambodia once, bus from BKK...we had to wait in no-mans land for an hour before going back into thailand. During waiting many kids came to annoy us and there was a large taxfree shop with extreme cheap brand-products.

 

I didn't have to do anything with the immigration, the driver did it for us. But i forgot where we went, they picked the best border for that.

 

And in Myanmar i also crossed once myself, but i had to leave the passport at the immigration while in Myanmar, got it back when i returned into thailand. On the market some vendors and beggars followed me nonstop.

 

I don't like to haggle with authorities, Singapore would never do such thing that's why i like to go there. But Kuala Lumpur internation airport is also great, not the other airport in KL.

 

• That's why i prefer to fly but didn't know december is so expensive. Well that won't happen again next year. Next visarun will be a holiday with my wife, feels great to be out of Thailand for a while.

If I were you I would find the idea of doing a single day return by air too stressful not to mention too expensive. I hate flying as it is (maybe you don't, each to their own) not to mention all the annoying security crap, which is getting worse all the time, now they have those stupid body scanners at Suvarnabhumi, all economy passengers have to pass through them. Only business and first class passengers still get the option of passing through a normal metal detector, but eventually even these passengers may be left with only a body scanner.

 

Also, Singapore immigration is quite strict and they have been known to question travelers. Rarely happens to westerners, but could if you pass through there often. One time I was mistakenly pulled aside and asked to see another officer. Said officer never said a word to me and I couldn't figure out why I was even pulled aside - perhaps the first officer's computer wasn't working properly but I could have sworn they wanted to interrogate me, despite my trips to Singapore rarely being more than 3-4 days (only once have I stayed there for 7 days in a row, though I did make two day trips to Johor Bahru during that time). That was back in 2009 and I've been back to Singapore a number of times since, usually for only 1 or 2 nights.

 

Land border crossings from Thailand to neighboring countries are usually easygoing. I would recommend any border with Laos, especially one of the 4 bridge crossings as they are modern, have bus services across the bridge, there are no scams on either side of the border, no touts on either side of the border either (they aren't allowed to access the customs areas) and very clean. Also, no reports of problems at Thai immigration. The Lao visa on arrival fee varies from US$20 (for Chinese nationals) to US$42 for Canadians while most others pay US$30 or US$35; a few nationalities are exempt (Swiss, Russians, Luxembourg, Japanese, South Koreans) in addition to ASEAN nationals. Better to pay in USD than in Baht or Kip, which will be more expensive.

 

The Cambodian borders are fine too in my experience, even Aranyaprathet/Poipet, but there are some reports of that crossing not being the best for re-entry so perhaps avoid it as Jack Thompson has suggested. The disadvantages to the Cambodian crossings is that they are dirty, full of touts and beggars (especially at Poipet) and lots of scams. Overcharging on the visa on the Cambodian side is common. If you don't like too much stress, stick with the Lao borders. Another option is taking one of the through buses between Thailand and Cambodia, either Siem Reap-Bangkok or Phnom Penh-Bangkok although they both pass through Aranyaprathet. However, it's unlikely a bus passenger would be hassled as they are looked after by the staff who need to make sure their passengers re-board the same bus after passing through immigration. And since you have a non-O multi you should be fine. Obviously if you take a direct bus, you aren't going to be doing a day return - this option is only possible if you stay a night or two in Cambodia.

 

Myanmar, especially Mae Sot or Mae Sai are easygoing. You pay US$10 or 500 Baht for a day pass into Myanmar. If you want to spend a few days checking out the country, get an e-visa (no visa sticker is placed in your passport).

[jimster]

On 11/30/2017 at 6:33 PM, Boycie said:

 

 

Just a note for anyone reading this thread and thinking of going to Three Pagodas Pass, this check point is not open to foreigners. Thai and Burmese only.

Correct. There has been talk of opening the Three Pagodas Pass as the next international point of entry, but it hasn't happened yet. Even for Thais and Burmese, the Three Pagodas Pass port of entry only allows day entry for a maximum distance of 12km inside Myanmar (for Thai nationals), while Myanmar nationals are restricted to Three Pagodas Pass township and mainly come to the Thai side to trade their wares or work at clothing factories in town. Up until 2007, foreigners were permitted to enter Myanmar there on day trips, but for some reason this privilege has never been allowed again. In 2011 and 2012 I illegally crossed to the Burmese side there where I was invited to some local's home on 4 occasions, but that is probably not a good idea for anyone else to repeat.