2 hours ago, Enoon said:

I'd happily pay 10000 baht for a 179 day Snowbird Visa .......only one allowed per year.

Why not get a ME tourist visa  at around half the price (last time I checked)   would that not suffice, only one border bounce required 

16 hours ago, oldcpu said:

The Cambodians and Burmese take lower paying jobs that the Thais do not want to do.

 

So its not all so cut and dry.

No its not "all cut and dry" at all, The Cambodians and Burmese are not simply  taking the jobs that the Thais do not want to do,   They are however prepared to work  for  much less than the minimum  wage.   

These, typically semi skilled construction jobs, are not available to Thais anymore

Exactly the same thing happened in the UK with Polish and other east european construction workers despite it being illegal to pay them less

4 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Think what you want pal I really don't care,   

             Anybody ( like myself)  who was actually here in those days knows that it was not necessary to be  here to obtain a non o Non O  ME  as they were issued  in ones home country, neither was it necessary  to be above 50 years old to get a ME Non O ,  that age requirement only appeared about 12 or so years ago. 

 

Interesting. i flew to Singapore a few times.  The Thai embassy would not give me another ME Non O after the 3rd. As for not trying hard enough - when an immigration office says what they will and will not do, one has no more recourse with that embassy. 

 

4 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

             Thai tourist visas  (up to 3 entries were possible back then) , 

 

Yes, 3 x 6 months. After that, Singapore immigration - no more tourist visas.  They did not care as to how much money i could show them i had.  I asked if I could apply for another / other visas.  The Singapore embassy said no.   They actually stated i could go for the 30-day visa exempt. They made no mention of an ME Non-O visa.   I clearly had the money for it then (I almost had enough then to get an LTR - although such not offered for a quarter of a century later).

 

Recall this was 1998/99. It was no so easy to get visa information in those days, ESPECIALLY if the Embassy was not forth coming.

 

4 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

again  have never been issued  by immigration, they need to be applied for in one's own country,    You may well have "tried"  but obviously did not try hard enough

 

Well, in hindsight it worked out for the best. After the 3 back to back tourist visas followed by ~6-months of 30-day visa exempt, i left Thailand, returned to Canada, but landed a high paying job in Europe ... which after a couple of decades gave me an excellent pension, with subsidized health insurance, and further my Thai girlfriend (now my wife) followed me to Canada and then to Europe - and now thanks to that job, I have easily met the finances for an LTR visa.

 

But going back to 1999 - trust me, i tried pretty damn hard to stay longer before i ended up going back to North America country and then Europe

 

 

4 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Of course I can only comment on visas issued in the UK.  It may be different depending on which lesser country you unfortunately  originate from

 

 

Which lesser country?  Lesser?   Those words pretty much sum up your attitude.

.

16 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

I've heard that excuse in my country - and worked one of those jobs right up until the day I was replaced with a foreign worker for less than 1/2 of what we made (construction trades).   What this really means is, "We don't want to pay decent wages to Thais for the job, so we paid-off govt officials to let us hire foreigners, who will work for much less."  

 

In most businesses, the cost of goods/services at the retail-price level is not significantly affected by paying decent wages, even if 100% passed to the customer - but, skim that pay-difference off of 1000+ workers, and it makes a nice bonus for traitors.

 

Yes agree. 

 

However paying the Thai people, a proper salary, does not mean the rich and their companys will then take less profit. No, cynic that i am, i believe they will either charge more money, or they will move to a more lucrative business (for them) and simply not hire the Thais.

 

So to think the Vietnamese, Cambodia, Burmese are taking Thai jobs, is simply not so straight forward. The jobs in many respects will cease to exist if cheap employment can't be found.

 

 

56 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

Which lesser country?  Lesser? 

well from your post it would appear to have been Canada

Say what you like about "my attitude" in 30+ years I have never had any problem with immigration or with obtaining a visa . Yet you , even with all the money that you claim to have, appear to have had more issues than most wonder why that is .   Surely nothing to do with immigration officers being trained to recognise a wrong'un ?  

 

 

On 11/15/2025 at 1:20 AM, gk10012001 said:

as for the 60 in + 30, leave for short time then return and do 60 + 30 again, hasn't there already been strict scrutiny , even not allowed to do more than 180 days in country from means such as this?  I hear that was sometimes hit or miss and refusal to enter varied from entry points.  Many posts about those experiences on this website.

 

In my opinion strict scrutiny since late 2019...

1 hour ago, oldcpu said:

So to think the Vietnamese, Cambodia, Burmese are taking Thai jobs, is simply not so straight forward. The jobs in many respects will cease to exist if cheap employment can't be found.

 

As long as there are jobs in construction, security, hospitality, restaurants, etc., no problem. Most Thais consider themselves 'above' such jobs... 

27 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

well from your post it would appear to have been Canada

Say what you like about "my attitude" in 30+ years I have never had any problem with immigration or with obtaining a visa . Yet you , even with all the money that you claim to have, appear to have had more issues than most wonder why that is .   Surely nothing to do with immigration officers being trained to recognise a wrong'un ?  

 

No. They simply didn't care.  Their policy - 3 back to back tourist visas.  No more visa.   I was told at the time that they could not grant me another visa (so that I had two years of visas) as that it could qualify me closer for residency status (which I did not want) and they did not want to be the embassy to partially open that door.

 

And yes  - I do say that about your attitude. Lesser country ... your words -   again - that says it again your attitude. 

14 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

As long as there are jobs in construction, security, hospitality, restaurants, etc., no problem. Most Thais consider themselves 'above' such jobs... 

 

Agree there is some truth to that - but not everyone else on this forum will agree with you.

20 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

In my opinion strict scrutiny since late 2019...

looks like they have you sussed then 

And bizarrely a torn or damaged passport should be no problem if visiting the UK where the current trend is to throw them along with any other ID ito the sea

Passports optional for the "quality visitors" it seems

5 hours ago, Upnotover said:

Agreed.  I was here for several years under 50 on a non-O from the UK, Hull consulate, those were the good days.  As I recall the only requirement was to know a Thai person, no proof just a name and number, which they didn't call.

How could anybody down vote the above comment ?  There  are some sad individuals on this forum

 

6 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Why?  there was no need for it back then,    People could pretty much come and go as they pleased with no hassle at all

Again ,my self this time,  downvoted presumably by the same individual,   Does anybody think Thai immigration might be monitoring this thread, who else would down vote two comments of this nature?  Maybe my stalker is back

19 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

How could anybody down vote the above comment ?  There  are some sad individuals on this forum

It's weird.  A factual account of what actually happened.  Probably believes England "morally" won the last test match.

2 hours ago, oldcpu said:

 

No. They simply didn't care.  Their policy - 3 back to back tourist visas.  No more visa.   I was told at the time that they could not grant me another visa (so that I had two years of visas) as that it could qualify me closer for residency status (which I did not want) and they did not want to be the embassy to partially open that door.

 

And yes  - I do say that about your attitude. Lesser country ... your words -   again - that says it again your attitude. 

I always thought the process of getting permanent residency  was a little more involved than simply getting back to back visas,  there has been a thread running for years on this forum about somebody's "journey" down that road, what on earth must they be talking about for all this time?

             Anyway, whatever the procedure  they clearly didn't want you even applying , whether that was based on nationality  or personality or maybe a bit of both is between you and them 

41 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

I always thought the process of getting permanent residency  was a little more involved than simply getting back to back visas,  there has been a thread running for years on this forum about somebody's "journey" down that road, what on earth must they be talking about for all this time?

             Anyway, whatever the procedure  they clearly didn't want you even applying , whether that was based on nationality  or personality or maybe a bit of both is between you and them 

 

The way it worked in Singapore then was inside the Thai Embassy ,  there was a waiting area (with a limited number of chairs), where one filled in a form as to the Visa one wants, and a sort of window where one passed their documents, and then one would wait for the result . There was NO type-O on the form that I recollect.  One would then be called up and given one's passport with the visa, or told, application rejected. No discussion.  The person at the counter clearly was not the decision maker (as they never left the counter window).   I recall asking, can I not speak to someone or apply for another visa.  Answer "No".  And I recall not being the only person getting a 'no' answer.  I asked can I instead apply for a different visa? I was told 'no'.   There was no mention of type-O. I was told by the person at the counter, simply go 'visa exempt'.   That was the extent of the conversion ... ie none ... and none allowed.  I also note the embassy was a zoo with many applying for Thailand visas, and people loud and complaining when rejected.  My being polite and well dressed made no difference. Clearly embassy staff was stressed. Of course, back then, it was possible to do 30-day visa exempt every month , month after month.  But doing that constantly becomes tiring.  ... I believe it was only around year 2000 or so (maybe a bit later) that Thailand again started cracking down on those doing Visa exempt time after time.   

 

So for me, subsequently, after many visa runs (one every 30-days) I decided :  enough was enough, and I left Thailand (ie moved out of Thailand).  That, in hindsight, leaving Thailand then was a smart move for me, as when I returned to Thailand 20-years later to live,  things were much more clear as to options. While i had enough money in 1999 to retire, when I returned in 2016 I was substantially better off financially (and also by 2016 married to my Thai girlfriend).  It has all worked out reasonably well and much easier for me today. .

 

I believe that today, with AseanNow its much easier for one to learn their visa options.  I think AseanNow was only just created around that time (year 1998/99 timeframe) and I was not aware of it then.  I never learned about it until after year 2000, and by then my life took a different (and as it turned a better) path.

 

IMHO its much easier today to learn one's options re staying in Thailand, than it was in those days over 25 years ago.

 

Sometime fate smiles, and when I ended up leaving Thailand in 1999, fate smiled on me. 

14 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Why not get a ME tourist visa  at around half the price (last time I checked)   would that not suffice, only one border bounce required 

I did several years of METVs and I constantly got " u go out and in  alot, U should get a retirement visa"

I have even been told ..."U should go to Florida because they have nice beaches" This was on entry at BKK after being away for 6 months. The IMO asked why I come so much. I sed I like to ride my bicycle and go to the beach, The woman IMO sed she had visited Florida and it has nice beaches. then she says I should go there , Florida ! I bit my tongue but couldnt let that ridiculous suggestion go sooo I say but I spend many thousands of $$ here. She says we dont care how much U spend ... Indeed!

at that point I am fuming inside and was almost to the point of saying just let me get my bag and I'll go immediately to Vietnam. Anyways she stamped me in. 

In my opinion in an ideal world she should of sed when I presented my passport  Yingdi K Michael welcome back !

I have a question . Maybe it is answered before but i did not find it yet .

I travel 3 times per year 1 month at a time , it is about evenly spread over the year (so 1 month Thailand , 3months home) . This are 3 times visa exempt . The 3 times visa exempt is how far i read a problem . However it is very clear that there are several months when i am not there , i am not doing border run . The stamps since last few years are not exit stamps anymore , i expect they see it on their computer screen when i am entering , when i checked out of the country . 

Should i need a ME visa ? I am not the target they go for , imho , but the visa exempt number is there ....

7 minutes ago, sezze said:

I have a question . Maybe it is answered before but i did not find it yet .

I travel 3 times per year 1 month at a time , it is about evenly spread over the year (so 1 month Thailand , 3months home) . This are 3 times visa exempt . The 3 times visa exempt is how far i read a problem . However it is very clear that there are several months when i am not there , i am not doing border run . The stamps since last few years are not exit stamps anymore , i expect they see it on their computer screen when i am entering , when i checked out of the country . 

Should i need a ME visa ? I am not the target they go for , imho , but the visa exempt number is there ....

 

You should be ok as you always leave before your visa-exempt entry expires and don't extend it while in-country. Make sure you have an onward or return travel booking, but don't be surprised if they ask you about your overall intent, history, etc..

 

From what's been reported recently, HKT immigration are presenting themselves as being harder to satisfy but I imagine it's going to be a bit harder across the board, unless one has a visa.

2 hours ago, sezze said:

Should i need a ME visa ? I am not the target they go for , imho , but the visa exempt number is there ....

METV is  not best fit for you.. The travel (visits) to Thailand using visa exempt is zero issues. 

Continue as you have been doing in the past. 

On 11/18/2025 at 2:56 PM, Tod Daniels said:

Finally got an image of that 7 day extension you get when you've already had a visa exempt entry with a 30 day extension and are on a second visa exempt entry 

It is NOT an "application for extension not approved" stamp that gives you a week to get outta Dodge 😮 

It's actually a regular "extension of stay permitted until" stamp that is just issued for a week 😛 

Here's one from IT Square Laksi Plaza from yesterday 

 

So, not only will you have just 6 days, or so, to book a flight out, but the stamps will also take up 2/3 of one passport page... 😆

On 11/24/2025 at 4:13 PM, Bday Prang said:

Why not get a ME tourist visa  at around half the price (last time I checked)   would that not suffice, only one border bounce required 

 

I used to get METVs when they were originally introduced and before they made them more complex.

 

10000 baht would be peanuts to avoid the pantomime of METV fake itinerary and the faff of still having to get two extensions and one bounce (which also bump up the overall cost) in order to stay 179 days.

 

My OP was not a plea for helpful suggestions.......it was "fantasy visa" time.

 

 

On 11/15/2025 at 1:54 AM, gk10012001 said:

 

It would be a shame if they do away with the 60 day visa exempt + 30 day extension options.  To me that type of visa is a boost to tourism.  It is a long flight to get to Thailand for many people and those with the flexibility and ability to tour for 90 days sounds great.  I know I was going to do exactly that, but instead opted to get the 90 day Non Imm O visa up front as I am considering longer stays and possible retirement and its associated extensions so I going to scope things out, open a bank account, etc.  Laying groundwork  for my possible future there

That is not typical tourism, most tourist come for days or a couple of weeks at most

45 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

That is not typical tourism, most tourist come for days or a couple of weeks at most

 

So what? The real distinction is if someone travels for leisure (= a bona fide tourist) or uses tourist entries for illegal work or activities.

 

Some people can afford to be real tourists for a long time, others (most) can't. As those tourists who commit to a long stay are often repeat visitors, such as snowbirds, stopping them from spending long periods of time in Thailand wouldn't be a clever move.

Just now, Caldera said:

 

So what? The real distinction is if someone travels for leisure (= a bona fide tourist) or uses tourist entries for illegal work or activities.

 

Some people can afford to be real tourists for a long time, others (most) can't. As those tourists who commit to a long stay are often repeat visitors, such as snowbirds, stopping them from spending long periods of time in Thailand wouldn't be a clever move.

If you want and can afford spending long times in another country, get an appropriate visa.

Just copying my post from another thread because I am stressed

What makes someone a visa runner? I mean I’ve entered Thailand many times visa exempt for a holiday, a couple of times this year actually, but I’ve always flown home to Australia in between. I’ve never left Thailand to reset via visa exempt status.

 

The last time I came back to Thailand was on a non-o marriage visa, our daughter was recently born and there were complications so I wasn’t able to extend for a year because I had to spend over 400,000 baht to save my daughters life. So I was planning to leave and go to Phu Quoc for a couple of days and then come back to Bangkok visa exempt to be with my wife and daughter for 60 days before applying for a one year non-O.

 

I can’t justify spending so much money to go back to Australia for a short period when I have a newborn.Will they see me as someone doing a border run if I do this and not allow me back in to be with my family? I am so stressed.

 

I went to Chaeng Wattana to get a 60 day extension. My wife couldn’t come because of our newborn and there was already complications with her lungs when she was born so we don’t want to expose her to hundreds of people for hours in immigration. The immigration officer I spoke to was extremely rude and despite me having literally every document I could bring she wouldn’t look at any of them because my wife wasn’t with me. I explained the baby and she was just like “too bad”. I was told by a visa company I should be fine to go there without my wife if its just for the 60 day extension but I guess not. So now I am stressed about if I will be classed as doing a visa run and not allowed in.

2 hours ago, PoxyDogs said:

Just copying my post from another thread because I am stressed

What makes someone a visa runner? I mean I’ve entered Thailand many times visa exempt for a holiday, a couple of times this year actually, but I’ve always flown home to Australia in between. I’ve never left Thailand to reset via visa exempt status.

 

The last time I came back to Thailand was on a non-o marriage visa, our daughter was recently born and there were complications so I wasn’t able to extend for a year because I had to spend over 400,000 baht to save my daughters life. So I was planning to leave and go to Phu Quoc for a couple of days and then come back to Bangkok visa exempt to be with my wife and daughter for 60 days before applying for a one year non-O.

 

I can’t justify spending so much money to go back to Australia for a short period when I have a newborn.Will they see me as someone doing a border run if I do this and not allow me back in to be with my family? I am so stressed.

 

I went to Chaeng Wattana to get a 60 day extension. My wife couldn’t come because of our newborn and there was already complications with her lungs when she was born so we don’t want to expose her to hundreds of people for hours in immigration. The immigration officer I spoke to was extremely rude and despite me having literally every document I could bring she wouldn’t look at any of them because my wife wasn’t with me. I explained the baby and she was just like “too bad”. I was told by a visa company I should be fine to go there without my wife if its just for the 60 day extension but I guess not. So now I am stressed about if I will be classed as doing a visa run and not allowed in.

 

Go to Vietnam.  Apply for a single entry tourist visa.

2 hours ago, PoxyDogs said:

I can’t justify spending so much money to go back to Australia for a short period when I have a newborn.Will they see me as someone doing a border run if I do this and not allow me back in to be with my family?

Fact is they will see you as someone that has options given previous Non O marriage. 

I understand the cash crisis re medical however that will be ongoing. 

You could obtain a Non O eVisa in nearby country. 

Turn around process hopefully max 5 days. 

Threads on this. 

 

You seem expect concessions due to having Thai family. 

That won't be forthcoming. 

 

2 hours ago, PoxyDogs said:

My wife couldn’t come because of our newborn and there was already complications with her lungs when she was born so we don’t want to expose her to hundreds of people for hours in immigration.

Why can't a member of family or neighbour care for the baby just while your wife attends Immigration with you for the 60 day extension?

On 11/15/2025 at 1:54 AM, gk10012001 said:

 

It would be a shame if they do away with the 60 day visa exempt + 30 day extension options.  To me that type of visa is a boost to tourism.  It is a long flight to get to Thailand for many people and those with the flexibility and ability to tour for 90 days sounds great.  I know I was going to do exactly that, but instead opted to get the 90 day Non Imm O visa up front as I am considering longer stays and possible retirement and its associated extensions so I going to scope things out, open a bank account, etc.  Laying groundwork  for my possible future there

can still be done on tourist visa +30

On 11/24/2025 at 7:05 PM, Bday Prang said:

And bizarrely a torn or damaged passport should be no problem if visiting the UK where the current trend is to throw them along with any other ID ito the sea

Passports optional for the "quality visitors" it seems

 

What trend? None that I have noticed in my four trips to/from the UK so far this year.

 

There's more people entering and exiting the UK legally every day using their passports, than those that appear to 'float your boat'.