Been 76 times in Thailand.Never ever get any questions about my arrival in Bangkok.Mostly of the times with a seaman ticket that my company booked.But normally 6 weeks on/off in Thailand.Anyway i see two times foreigners get handcuffed after the officer noticed other officers.I guess they had a warrant for their arrest.I also seen some get rejected visa on arrival for reasons i don't know.Keeping our visas straight after the law is the best solution at every time.

6 hours ago, BillyBobzTeeth said:

Went to the Wang Prachan border this week near Malaysia.

Things went smoothly; I was out and back in the same day and got another 60-day exempt—my eighth one since my Non-O visa expired.

Paid 2,000 baht fee at the Thai immigration window before getting my exit stamp. The nice lady there told me I could do one more this year, but that might change after the elections in February.

One more in the whole of 2026? That doesn't sound good.

2 hours ago, Geoff914 said:

One more in the whole of 2026? That doesn't sound good.

Basically a return to the old rule that only allowed two land border visa exempt entries per calendar year. The same has been reported by visa run companies that use a border crossing with Laos.

9 hours ago, BillyBobzTeeth said:

Went to the Wang Prachan border this week near Malaysia.

Things went smoothly; I was out and back in the same day and got another 60-day exempt—my eighth one since my Non-O visa expired.

Paid 2,000 baht fee at the Thai immigration window before getting my exit stamp. The nice lady there told me I could do one more this year, but that might change after the elections in February.

2000 Baht for a VE??

Was that a bribe?

2 hours ago, thecyclist said:

2000 Baht for a VE??

Was that a bribe?

Standard procedure for same-day bounce at some of the southern borders. Think of it as an "expedite fee" so you don't have to stay a couple days in Malaysia.

Spend your money in Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines or anyplace in Asia instead. You'll be better treated for sure compared to Thailand.

18 hours ago, persimmon said:

Never heard of this before- is it a special service at that particular border crossing?

There are a couple southern border crossings with Malaysia that will charge foreigner 2000baht, give them a laminated card when they cross to let the Malay side know they're just bouncing out/back. It's coordinated between the Thai/Malay border guards :)

Hi friends

I came back to Thailand in December intending to stay 90 days (60+30) and a really grumpy old IO gave me a warning and stated that I must get a visa next time due to me having too many visa waivers.

I visit Thailand as genuine tourists with my Thai wife from where we reside (UK) normally one time every year. But I didn't come in 2024, my wife came alone.

In recent years I've used visa waivers instead of visas as visas weren't necessary.

Question is, why should I be forced to get a visa when the system allows tourists to take a 60 day waver and extend by 30 days.

I've only extended once and that was two years ago. Didn't come in 2024.?

Maybe somebody has an answer as I was planning to extend this year and don't want problems in Hua Hin?

19 minutes ago, oldsod said:

Hi friends

I came back to Thailand in December intending to stay 90 days (60+30) and a really grumpy old IO gave me a warning and stated that I must get a visa next time due to me having too many visa waivers.

I visit Thailand as genuine tourists with my Thai wife from where we reside (UK) normally one time every year. But I didn't come in 2024, my wife came alone.

In recent years I've used visa waivers instead of visas as visas weren't necessary.

Question is, why should I be forced to get a visa when the system allows tourists to take a 60 day waver and extend by 30 days.

I've only extended once and that was two years ago. Didn't come in 2024.?

Maybe somebody has an answer as I was planning to extend this year and don't want problems in Hua Hin?

Can't imagine why you'd have any problem extending, nor any problem if you return again at the end of the year. Ignore grumpy IO's and carry on regardless.

14 hours ago, Upnotover said:

Can't imagine why you'd have any problem extending, nor any problem if you return again at the end of the year. Ignore grumpy IO's and carry on regardless.

It seems some Immigration Officers get off on throwing their weight about. For some reason some UK Immigration officers like to ask UK passport holders how long the intend to stay in the UK. I can only assume it is to provoke some sort of response and start an argument.

20 minutes ago, Geoff914 said:

For some reason some UK Immigration officers like to ask UK passport holders how long the intend to stay in the UK. I can only assume it is to provoke some sort of response and start an argument.

Its been 2 decades since I lived in Canada (country where i was born). Often, when i show up at Canadian immigration, with my passport, the Canadian IO says to me: "Welcome back, ... do you plan to stay long this time? " .... Which I don't mind, as the 'tone' is typically very polite. ... I will often smile and reply with something like " only xxx-weeks, giving me enough time to take in a few hockey games while I am here, ... " . That occasionally gets a smile in return.

Most (not all) of my experience (that is less pleasant) when entering a country, with a government employee trying to provoke some sort of response is over 2 decades ago with Canadian customs. But that's off topic and I won't go into that here.

2 hours ago, Geoff914 said:

For some reason some UK Immigration officers like to ask UK passport holders how long the intend to stay in the UK. I can only assume it is to provoke some sort of response and start an argument.

That wasn't a standard routine question to be expected but still deserved a polite answer.

54 minutes ago, Maestro said:

That wasn't a standard routine question to be expected but still deserved a polite answer.

I can only think of one answer, how long are you permitted to stay? A bit of a dumb question to a UK passport holder though.

On 1/9/2026 at 8:05 AM, oldsod said:

Hi friends

I came back to Thailand in December intending to stay 90 days (60+30) and a really grumpy old IO gave me a warning and stated that I must get a visa next time due to me having too many visa waivers.

I visit Thailand as genuine tourists with my Thai wife from where we reside (UK) normally one time every year. But I didn't come in 2024, my wife came alone.

In recent years I've used visa waivers instead of visas as visas weren't necessary.

Question is, why should I be forced to get a visa when the system allows tourists to take a 60 day waver and extend by 30 days.

I've only extended once and that was two years ago. Didn't come in 2024.?

Maybe somebody has an answer as I was planning to extend this year and don't want problems in Hua Hin?

With regard to the grumpy IO, were you entering alongside your wife? Some couples use the Thai entry desks with the foreigner tagging along with their Thai partners, or they offer this information if asked. If he was aware that you have a Thai spouse, that may have triggered his unnecessary demand. The only other way I think he would be aware that you are married is if you previously had an extension based on marriage with a used re-entry permit, as that would show in the database.

Also, you say you never visited in 2024 but also say you used visa-exempt entry in "recent years." Did you visit earlier in 2025 before your December visit?

Either way, as others have advised, you shouldn't expect any issues getting an extension at Hua Hin immigration.

Comparison of the last couple of visa-exempt entries using safe entry.

Nov 2025: Early afternoon arrival, about 4 other farangs at the meeting point. Met and processed in a couple of minutes tops.

Jan 2026: Mid-morning arrival, about half a dozen groups of Chinese, totalling maybe 30 to 40 individuals, and only one farang at the same meeting point. Eventually met and processed after the other groups were cleared, about 20 minutes tops.