7 minutes ago, parafareno said:

so everybody that comes to thailand now on visa exempt gets only 7 days instead of 60??? are you kidding me? you must be joking dude...or is that when you do 60 + 30 days???

You have misunderstood the post. 

 

Here is post earlier from @Upnotover... 

"My understanding was/is that is the the extension of an second exempt entry that is limited to 7 days, so (60+30)+(60+7)." 

 

FWIW: that is my understanding also. 

There are options for 6 month stay already outlined in thread

1 hour ago, parafareno said:

so everybody that comes to thailand now on visa exempt gets only 7 days instead of 60??? are you kidding me? you must be joking dude...or is that when you do 60 + 30 days???

@xtrnuno41 is referring to an extension of the 60 day entry.

So , as we understand it at the moment,  entering VE via a land border,  you get 60 days , but no extension possible ? .

6 minutes ago, persimmon said:

So , as we understand it at the moment,  entering VE via a land border,  you get 60 days , but no extension possible ? .

There is contradictory information coming from various agents who are close to Immigration sources, but the majority and consensus of general opinion is that VE entries will be limited to 2 per calendar year, and you can obtain a 30 day extension to the first entry, but for a second entry a 30 day extension will be denied, but you'd receive a 7 day extension to leave the Country.

2 hours ago, Liquorice said:

There is contradictory information coming from various agents who are close to Immigration sources, but the majority and consensus of general opinion is that VE entries will be limited to 2 per calendar year, and you can obtain a 30 day extension to the first entry, but for a second entry a 30 day extension will be denied, but you'd receive a 7 day extension to leave the Country.

 

Interesting. I wonder how this relates to a METV e-visa ?  A retired friend (who typically visits Thailand every year for around 90-days from mid-Nov-to-early-February) very recently entered Thailand on a new METV.  He was recently stamped in for 60-days.  His flight out of Thailand is about 92 days later.  While he can likely get a 30-day extension on his METV permission to stay, that will only give him 90-days.  I suspect he may need to either :

 

(1) go for the 30-day extension on his 60-days, and then do a short 'visa run'  so to be back in Thailand to catch his flight on day-92,

 

or

 

(2) leave Thailand toward the end of his first 60-day permission to stay, stay out of the country for a few days, and then return to Thailand so to get another 60-day permission to stay on his METV so to catch his flight on day 92.

 

i am curious as to how METV may also be affected by the new policies (and maybe it will have no affect).  He has a Thai wife who accompany's him on his travels.

4 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

i am curious as to how METV may also be affected by the new policies (and maybe it will have no affect).  He has a Thai wife who accompany's him on his travels.

Thai wife irrelevant. 

As, for METV should be business as usual. 

Skip 30 day extension. 

Exit as you suggested and reenter

16 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

Experience in Thailand. From other forum, translated

 

This morning, November 20th, I went to immigration at Chiang Mai airport. A good friend, a Thai woman with a lot of experience, provided extensive assistance and listened carefully to the immigration staff.

It turns out that the new "policy" was implemented retroactively to November 1st. Anyone who entered on or after November 1st will receive an extension of up to 7 days.

My wife entered on October 29th and received a 30-day extension.

 

That's interesting!

 

@Tod Daniels have you seen the same reported from other immigration offices, or is that Nov 1st cut-off a Chiang Mai specific interpretation? You've posted a 7-day extension stamp before, but I don't know when they had entered. 

56 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Thai wife irrelevant. 

As, for METV should be business as usual. 

Skip 30 day extension. 

Exit as you suggested and reenter

 

Thanks. That reads to be a good approach. Exit Thailand for a few days after Christmas, ... then return for another 60-days on his METV.

 

If he already had a Thai bank account he could just apply for a 90-day Type-O at the local Thai immigration, but he does not have such.  

 

Given the tightening by banks for new accounts, it don't know if it is still possible to open a bank account on an METV.  Still I believe that he is staying in Pattaya area, and if i am correct, then one thought I had is that there is no shortage of agents there who may able to help him open up a Thai bank account (assuming, of course, that 'door' (for opening a new bank account on an METV)) has also not been closed too like that on 'visa exempt'.

31 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

Given the tightening by banks for new accounts, it don't know if it is still possible to open a bank account on an METV.  Still I believe that he is staying in Pattaya area, and if i am correct, then one thought I had is that there is no shortage of agents there who may able to help him open up a Thai bank account (assuming, of course, that 'door' (for opening a new bank account on an METV)) has also not been closed too like that on 'visa exempt

He wouldn't be able to open a Thai bank account with a tourist visa (currently) 

Also may/will find agent only obtains the Thai bank account if he also used their services for Non O + extension. 

He could at some point obtain a Non O eVisa out side of Thailand and obtain a bank account with that status. 

 

52 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

He wouldn't be able to open a Thai bank account with a tourist visa (currently) 

Also may/will find agent only obtains the Thai bank account if he also used their services for Non O + extension. 

He could at some point obtain a Non O eVisa out side of Thailand and obtain a bank account with that status. 

 

 

Thanks.  after some surfing ... everything I read 100% confirmed your comment/suggestion. 

 

He is a 'snowbird', every year visiting Thailand during a few cold Canadian winter months as a tourist to escape the Canadian cold (and visiting his wife's Thai family with her).  I wish he had opened an account a few years ago (when I suggested it to him back then) but given back then was much easier to enter and re-exit Thailand , he could not see the point of opening a Thai bank account  (followed by getting a type-O in Thailand to get a longer permission to stay).   I think he may now regret not opening an account then when it was easier.

 

I don't believe Canada (his home country) offers type-O visas (but only offers OA and also OX (?) (typo ? ) ), so in the future, if nothing changes, he may simply need to do a 'visa' run in the middle of his METV to a neigbhouring country for each 'snowbird' visit to Thailand (and then as you noted prior, only then re-enter on his METV).   For this travel, he could select a city he has not visited very much yet (such as HCMC or Hanoi where he has yet to visit) and explore that city for a few days before returning to Thailand. But at age-71, he is not getting any younger, and like some of us (such as myself) this travel is not getting any easier.

 

10 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

Thanks.  after some surfing ... everything I read 100% confirmed your comment/suggestion. 

 

He is a 'snowbird', every year visiting Thailand during a few cold Canadian winter months as a tourist to escape the Canadian cold (and visiting his wife's Thai family with her).  I wish he had opened an account a few years ago (when I suggested it to him back then) but given back then was much easier to enter and re-exit Thailand , he could not see the point of opening a Thai bank account  (followed by getting a type-O in Thailand to get a longer permission to stay).   I think he may now regret not opening an account then when it was easier.

 

I don't believe Canada (his home country) offers type-O visas (but only offers OA and also OX (?) (typo ? ) ), so in the future, if nothing changes, he may simply need to do a 'visa' run in the middle of his METV to a neigbhouring country for each 'snowbird' visit to Thailand (and then as you noted prior, only then re-enter on his METV).   For this travel, he could select a city he has not visited very much yet (such as HCMC or Hanoi where he has yet to visit) and explore that city for a few days before returning to Thailand. But at age-71, he is not getting any younger, and like some of us (such as myself) this travel is not getting any easier.

 

EVERY Thai embassy/consulate offers the non-O visa.  The e-visa system is standardizes across all embassies.

10 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

I don't believe Canada (his home country) offers type-O visas (but only offers OA and also OX (?) (typo ? )

I'm almost certain that he could obtain a Non O eVisa in Canada. 

Worth noting that Canadian embassy in Thailand no longer provides "income letter" 

10 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 For this travel, he could select a city he has not visited very much yet (such as HCMC or Hanoi where he has yet to visit) and explore that city for a few days before returning to Thailand.

Im typing this from Saigon. 

Worth noting he is visa exempt to Vietnam and it's a wonderful place. 

Certainly an option to exit Thailand to to enable next 60 day stamp. 

Just my opinion, at 71 possibly the METV is best fit. 

Usually would suggest Non O + extensions if ongoing visits were planned. 

37 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I'm almost certain that he could obtain a Non O eVisa in Canada. 

 

 

@BrandonJT and DrJack54.   You are right. I'm bad.

 

I went to the Thai embassy in Canada site:
https://ottawa.thaiembassy.org/en/page/types-of-visas-periods-of-stay-and-fees
and i confess, I did not see the Type-O visa.

 

But if I had paid closer attention, I would have spotted the "an.." after "EX" in "Non-immigrant Visa Categories "F, B, IM, IB, ED, M, R, RS, EX, an.." and then clicked on the "Read more" and then I would have spotted the "Type-O".  ... But I rushed my surf/check. I missed it, and jumped to the wrong assessment. < sigh > 

 

Clearly, as you note, Type-O is available from Canada:

https://ottawa.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/non-immigrant-visa-categories-f-b-im-ib-ed-m-r-rs-ex-and-o

 

where under type-O for purpose of visit it has " ... other activities (Category "O") as follows: to stay with the family, "   That (besides avoiding the Canadian cold) is exactly what he and his Thai wife are doing (in part)

 

That Type-O would have given him 3 months.

 

I am going to suggest this for him to consider this for his next (year 2026/27) visit.  He could get 3-months and then get an extension on his permission to stay if he wants to stay more than 90-days, and not need to leave Thailand his entire stay.

 

I should have considered recommending this to him BEFORE he applied for his METV many months ago.  I am a bit annoyed with myself.
 

On 11/25/2025 at 9:41 AM, jippytum said:

Obtain the correct visa and you are welcome to stay longer

Tolerated.

16 hours ago, oldcpu said:

I am going to suggest this for him to consider this for his next (year 2026/27) visit.  He could get 3-months and then get an extension on his permission to stay if he wants to stay more than 90-days, and not need to leave Thailand his entire stay.

That would be good option. 

Non O eVisa obtain in Canada. 

90 day stamp on entry. 

+ prior to expiry of 90 stamp obtain a 60 day extension "to visit wife" 

Provides 5 month stay. 

My first post in this attached thread has links to other threads outlining requirements for the 60 day extension 

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1355517-visit-thai-family-60-day-extension/

 

It certainly is possible...................................................... get a visa!

Another experience of going to Thailand.

You really should wonder about going. They are nuts.

Again from other forum and translated with google

 

I left for Thailand on Tuesday, November 25th, to spend the winter there, as I do every year. Unfortunately, I was stopped at immigration in Suvarnabhumi and held at the airport for the rest of the day. I was stuck in the basement with forty others for over three hours, while some had been there much longer.

These were people of different nationalities with one problem. We had already been in Thailand earlier in the year for sixty days or longer. My plan was to stay for two months, then do a visa run, and then stay for another two months. A total of one hundred and twenty days. That's how I've done it for the past three years, and it always went smoothly.

I wasn't allowed to travel on to Vietnam. I had to return to the Netherlands alone. And I know I'll never go to Thailand for the winter again. The women in the group panicked, started crying and screaming. There was no water, and it was sweltering.

As soon as I walked into an office, I was looked at as if I had committed a crime. Nothing was said or explained. After about four hours, a woman approached me and asked if I would sign a form to be deported. I did, because, like everyone else, I was fed up. The way we were treated was shameful. I overheard an officer talking to a young Israeli girl. She was treated like a dog, even though she just wanted to get back to her family in Thailand.

I was taken to the transit section with a babysitter, apparently because they were afraid I would run away, but they still had my passport. Once there, my only option was an expensive transit hotel. Lots of noise and five hundred baht an hour.

Is there a specific reason why the OP must stay in Thailand?  (He mentioned perhaps going to the Philippines for 6 months).

 

Why not live just over the Mekong in Laos.  At the OP's age he could get an annual 'retirement' visa for about $450 through an agent and no money in the bank needed. If he stayed in Vientiane then even his Thai mobile SIMs would continue to work (if he is within say 2km of the river).

On 11/20/2025 at 4:10 PM, scubascuba3 said:

 about 30k first 15 months then 15k a year 

 

I was quoted 50k by an agent for the first 15 months. I asked why the price had shot up and was told it was because of the crackdown on visa exempt entries. In other words: GREED!

17 minutes ago, TDCNINJA said:

 

I was quoted 50k by an agent for the first 15 months. I asked why the price had shot up and was told it was because of the crackdown on visa exempt entries. In other words: GREED!

That's capitalism for you!

33 minutes ago, TDCNINJA said:

I was quoted 50k by an agent for the first 15 months. I asked why the price had shot up and was told it was because of the crackdown on visa exempt entries. In other words: GREED!

 

Actually the banking issues had already driven up the price months before the visa exempt crackdown started.

 

If you enter visa exempt and don't have a Thai bank account yet, or not with a suitable bank, getting you your initial Non-O visa locally (which requires a Thai bank account) is a lot more difficult nowadays. Those agents that can still help with this do charge a lot more for the first 15 months than they did before the banking mess started. 

1 hour ago, TDCNINJA said:

 

I was quoted 50k by an agent for the first 15 months. I asked why the price had shot up and was told it was because of the crackdown on visa exempt entries. In other words: GREED!

If someone quotes the wrong price then keep looking

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

That's capitalism for you!

That's corruption for you.

On 11/26/2025 at 2:47 PM, BrandonJT said:

EVERY Thai embassy/consulate offers the non-O visa.  The e-visa system is standardizes across all embassies.

 

So, can one easily apply, say, in Singapore?

3 hours ago, Caldera said:

Those agents that can still help with this do charge a lot more for the first 15 months than they did before the banking mess started. 

 

One possible problem I could think of, is, that one cannot extend every time by 30 days anymore, in order to give agents more time to convert a VFE...

On 11/29/2025 at 9:31 PM, simon43 said:

Why not live just over the Mekong in Laos.  At the OP's age he could get an annual 'retirement' visa for about $450 through an agent and no money in the bank needed.

 

Agent in Vientiane?? Any recommendations (by PM, perhaps)? Would I need the money in the bank?

On 11/20/2025 at 9:08 PM, parafareno said:

i am just 50 but i dont want to put 8000000 bht in my bank account

 

so, in fact, you could stay here for longer than 6 months, but you choose to ignore that opportunity?! 🤣. basically, you've been playing the system and got caught out. kudos to immigration in my opinion.

 

get the visa appropriate for your visit, it's what the vast majority of us do, it's not rocket science.

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

One possible problem I could think of, is, that one cannot extend every time by 30 days anymore, in order to give agents more time to convert a VFE...

 

That's true, you do need to make sure to get the process started soon enough after entering.

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

One possible problem I could think of, is, that one cannot extend every time by 30 days anymore, in order to give agents more time to convert a VFE...

Better option is to enter Thailand with a Non O. 

That provides a 90 day stamp. 

Open bank account with the Non O and then either transfer 800k and season for two months to obtain 12 month extensions ongoing. OR

Use an agent for the financials. 

Cost much less if you obtain the Non O. 

 

3 hours ago, it is what it is said:

 

so, in fact, you could stay here for longer than 6 months, but you choose to ignore that opportunity?! 🤣. basically, you've been playing the system and got caught out. kudos to immigration in my opinion.

 

get the visa appropriate for your visit, it's what the vast majority of us do, it's not rocket science.

 

 

Whilst I agree, it is the Thai authorities that created this 'loophole' in the system, you cannot blame individuals for taking advantage of that

 

Equally, it is no use those individuals now crying "foul" just because the rules are being more strictly applied..