Border Run - What locations are possible, and least hassle free ?

[allane]

I am currently on an Extension of a Non-Immigrant "B" visa for Retirement, expiring March 19, 2023.  Due to some negligence by myself and my bank, I won't be able to get a new Extension inside Thailand.  (To those who have read my concurrently running thread, I returned to Bangkok Immigration this morning and confirmed that.)

I was advised by an Immigration supervisor that I can exit to a neighboring country (without a Re-entry Permit, of course), return to Thailand visa exempt, then go to Immigration in Bangkok and obtain a Non-O visa, and later, switch that to a new Non-Immigrant "B", using the B 800,000, which will have been in a Thai bank account for about ten months at that time.

This will be my first border run since 2004, and my first ever one of this type.  Can I simply step out of Thailand, walk around the Immigration building, and walk back in ?  Or is there a requirement that I spend at least one night outside of Thailand ?  Depending on travel schedules and logistics, I think I might prefer to spend as little time outside of Thailand as possible, and keep the trip as short as possible.

Any other pitfalls that I need to be aware of ?

Edited February 27, 2023 by allane
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[FritsSikkink]

Fly to KL and come back the same day, did it with the same plane once.

[DrJack54]

From Bangkok one option is to fly to Udon Thani and border crossing at Nong Khai.

Reenter same day friendship bridge. 

 

[Don Chance]

Take the train to Cambodia,

https://www.thailandtrains.com/train-times-from-bangkok-to-aranyaprathet/

 

Should be enough time to come back,

https://www.thailandtrains.com/train-times-from-aranyaprathet-to-bangkok/

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Don Chance

[mokwit]

Use a visa run service to Cambodia - go in the morning, back in the afternoon.

 

[thaitom]

Did anyone notice that he says he is on a non-b extension for retirement and his goal will be to return on a visa exempt to a non-o to a non-b retirement.    ?  

[BritTim]

21 minutes ago, thaitom said:

Did anyone notice that he says he is on a non-b extension for retirement and his goal will be to return on a visa exempt to a non-o to a non-b retirement.    ?  

Yes. His post is extremely confusing. My assumptions: (i) he thinks a retirement extension must be associated with a Non B visa (perhaps, because he was once on a Non B visa before retiring); and (ii) he thinks the "conversion" to a Non O visa from his visa exempt entry must be followed by a further conversion to a Non B visa before he can do a retirement extension.

 

Right now, he is asking about how to do the border bounce to get a visa exempt entry. That does not require straightening out his understanding of visas and extensions, but he will hopefully have everything clarified in due time.

[allane]

I worked here for 15 years. For the last 11 years, I have been retired, using the B 800,000 money in the bank method.  I want to continue to do the same, but find myself unable to prove that I met the  "3 months after"  while I was still living in another province Feb. - May of 2022.

I don't care exactly what they call it.  I know I won't get a visa to do that, unless I return to my country (Canada), or "recycle" some of my B 800,000 through Canada.  Either of those seem expensive. So, I'm proposing to step out of Thailand into an adjacent country, and then returning ASAP.  

[DrJack54]

19 minutes ago, allane said:

I'm proposing to step out of Thailand into an adjacent country, and then returning ASAP.  

That will work no problem.

 

Being done all the time. The main reason being to kill off non O-A.

 

In some cases, including yours, it can be to stuff up with the money in bank requirements. 

 

As I posted in another of your threads you could have opted to use agent for this extension and simultaneously meeting financials for following extension and doing that yourself. 

[sandyf]

24 minutes ago, allane said:

 I know I won't get a visa to do that, unless I return to my country (Canada), or "recycle" some of my B 800,000 through Canada.

That is a misapprehension.

https://savannakhet.thaiembassy.org/th/publicservice/non-immigrant-visa-o-visa-retirement-in-thailand?page=5d84a44c15e39c26b400453e&menu=5d84a44c15e39c26b400453f

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

Yes. His post is extremely confusing. My assumptions: (i) he thinks a retirement extension must be associated with a Non B visa (perhaps, because he was once on a Non B visa before retiring); and (ii) he thinks the "conversion" to a Non O visa from his visa exempt entry must be followed by a further conversion to a Non B visa before he can do a retirement extension.

 

Right now, he is asking about how to do the border bounce to get a visa exempt entry. That does not require straightening out his understanding of visas and extensions, but he will hopefully have everything clarified in due time.

He had a problem with immigration to get a normal extension because they asked questions about an account he had closed and couldn't get historic information on that one. So they said best to start from scratch.

[Faltu]

7 hours ago, Don Chance said:

Take the train to Cambodia,

https://www.thailandtrains.com/train-times-from-bangkok-to-aranyaprathet/

OMG train. How long is the travel time?

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, Faltu said:

OMG train. How long is the travel time?

Usually, a little under six hours. It is often pretty dusty too. For those seeking a visa exempt entry, the Aranyaprathet/Poipet crossing is not an advisable solution. However, those who want to risk it should look into the casino buses which take around three hours. These are more expensive than the train which is ridiculously cheap, but comfortable and still inexpensive.

[allane]

16 hours ago, BritTim said:

Yes. His post is extremely confusing. My assumptions: (i) he thinks a retirement extension must be associated with a Non B visa (perhaps, because he was once on a Non B visa before retiring); and (ii) he thinks the "conversion" to a Non O visa from his visa exempt entry must be followed by a further conversion to a Non B visa before he can do a retirement extension.

 

Right now, he is asking about how to do the border bounce to get a visa exempt entry. That does not require straightening out his understanding of visas and extensions, but he will hopefully have everything clarified in due time.

I am not a newcomer; it might be said that my problem is the opposite. For 11 years I have been living here on annual Extensions of Stay - Retirement, all using the B 800,000 money in the bank method.  And despite having moved to three different provinces since obtaining the first one, I never had  trouble extending.

Yesterday, I returned to see the same Immigration supervisor who had refused my application last week. I asked him specifically about the possibility of getting a Non-O visa.  My Thai is better than his English; the conversation was 90% in Thai.  He said "OK, you go to Lao or Cambodia".  I asked if Malaysia was a possibility, and he said yes.  He looked again at my bankbook, and said in English "Your money good, you go Section C for Non-O", gesturing to the corner of the office where Section C is. After leaving him, I went to Section C hoping to speak to a supervisor.  There was no one at the desk.  Having received assurance from one supervisor, and Upon Joe here. I left.

As I said in my other thread, I haven't had to make a border run since 2004.  If I am using incorrect terminology here, please correct me.  

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, allane said:

I am not a newcomer; it might be said that my problem is the opposite. For 11 years I have been living here on annual Extensions of Stay - Retirement, all using the B 800,000 money in the bank method.  And despite having moved to three different provinces since obtaining the first one, I never had  trouble extending.

Yesterday, I returned to see the same Immigration supervisor who had refused my application last week. I asked him specifically about the possibility of getting a Non-O visa.  My Thai is better than his English; the conversation was 90% in Thai.  He said "OK, you go to Lao or Cambodia".  I asked if Malaysia was a possibility, and he said yes.  He looked again at my bankbook, and said in English "Your money good, you go Section C for Non-O", gesturing to the corner of the office where Section C is. After leaving him, I went to Section C hoping to speak to a supervisor.  There was no one at the desk.  Having received assurance from one supervisor, and Upon Joe here. I left.

As I said in my other thread, I haven't had to make a border run since 2004.  If I am using incorrect terminology here, please correct me.  

After returning with a visa exempt entry, as you have been advised, you should go to Immigration and request a "conversion" to a Non O visa (which will come with an initial 90-day permission to stay dating from when the visa is approved) with the intention of later using one-year retirement extensions. This application is made using a TM-87 form together with proof of 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account that has either been continuously in the account for months or was transferred from abroad (in the latter case, no seasoning is needed). Towards the end of the initial 90-day permission to stay from the visa, you apply for retirement extensions in the normal way (for the first extension, your 800,000 baht only need to have been seasoned for two months).

[allane]

Thank you.  Is there a required minimum of days remaining on the 90 day Non-O Visa, at the time he application for Extension is made ?

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, allane said:

Thank you.  Is there a required minimum of days remaining on the 90 day Non-O Visa, at the time he application for Extension is made ?

No

Best to do it at least 2 weeks early.

[allane]

Thank you both.