For months we've been preoccupied with an unresolved problem over sale of some land, which has delayed my marriage extension. Temporary fixes meant 2 land visa-exempts last year, the second finishes mid-March as I did a 60-day extension to visit Thai family (btw: no hassle at all at upcountry IO).

I should be sorted by mid-year to go back to the marriage extension routine, but I'll need one more “border run” to tide me over.

Has the fuss died down or will I face likely trouble over one more visa-exempt run if I come back by air? The “rule” seemed to be 2 entries per year, but are IOs holding to that in general?

Does a couple of days out of Thailand suffice? Would I need onward air tickets and billions of dollars in bank to get back in? Is it better (ie safer) to enter at (eg) CNX than Bangkok?

I know fine well there are no hard-and-fast answers, but what's the mood over at Immigration?

Nobody knows for sure,you can't be certain until you try it . Staying out of the country for a few days and Getting a SETV should be OK.

5 hours ago, isaanistical said:

For months we've been preoccupied with an unresolved problem over sale of some land, which has delayed my marriage extension.

Why did it delay applying for extension.

If I reading correctly you stated two visa exempt entries + 60 extension to visit wife?

Surely not.

Again what stopped you from obtaining 12 month extension based on marriage.

Please don't use sale of land as reason

8 hours ago, isaanistical said:

For months we've been preoccupied with an unresolved problem over sale of some land, which has delayed my marriage extension. Temporary fixes meant 2 land visa-exempts last year, the second finishes mid-March as I did a 60-day extension to visit Thai family (btw: no hassle at all at upcountry IO).

I should be sorted by mid-year to go back to the marriage extension routine, but I'll need one more “border run” to tide me over.

Has the fuss died down or will I face likely trouble over one more visa-exempt run if I come back by air? The “rule” seemed to be 2 entries per year, but are IOs holding to that in general?

Does a couple of days out of Thailand suffice? Would I need onward air tickets and billions of dollars in bank to get back in? Is it better (ie safer) to enter at (eg) CNX than Bangkok?

I know fine well there are no hard-and-fast answers, but what's the mood over at Immigration?

Still daily/weekly reports of people being pulled up and denied. And now they're talking about reducing visa exempt to 30 days. I wouldn't expect things to change any time soon.

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Why did it delay applying for extension.

If I reading correctly you stated two visa exempt entries + 60 extension to visit wife?

Surely not.

Again what stopped you from obtaining 12 month extension based on marriage.

Please don't use sale of land as reason

Sorry, but the land issue led to us not having B400K available, hence the interruption to normal service!

2 VE entries, both via land, and currently a single 60-day extension. I would have got a further 30 days but screwed up because I failed to note your own observation that one must do the 30 first before asking for the 60.

Rather than spending a month or two outside TH, I am exploring whether to risk one more in-out on the 60-day jobbie before the expected reduction come August. By then I'll be able to show 400K again.

10 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

Still daily/weekly reports of people being pulled up and denied.

Are these primarily at SVB/DMK, or everywhere? (I am asking because I don't see these reports, not because I don't believe they exist)

No matter what your reason it's for milking visa exempt entries you're going to be hard pressed getting out and back in by land or air with that entry/stay history ☹️

You're about as far from a real tourist as you can throw a stick 😮

I'd say contact a "safe entry" company and fly out and back thru Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi. They guarantee you can get back in..

5 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

No matter what your reason it's for milking visa exempt entries you're going to be hard pressed getting out and back in by land or air with that entry/stay history ☹️

You're about as far from a real tourist as you can throw a stick 😮

I'd say contact a "safe entry" company and fly out and back thru Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi. They guarantee you can get back in..

You don't exactly surprise me! Are you confirming that the "2 VEs per calendar year" didn't get off the ground?

Also, not something I'd want to argue with an IO at DMK, but I am not even trying to pass myself off as a "tourist". Surely "visa-exempt" does not have a "purpose of visit"? That's the "exempt" bit, so someone might legitimately enter "visit family", "business trip" or a thousand other purposes (for a 60-day entry) if asked, not just "tourism". Unless in Thai it says something different......

44 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

I am not even trying to pass myself off as a "tourist"

comin' in visa exempt IS for tourism..

I got no dog in this fight but I get messages from people many times a week who are stuck at the airport being denied entry because they thought they could get "just one more" visa exempt entry until they got their act together for one long term visa or another . ..

So you can try to justify it how ever you want to, but face it, you have an extensive entry/stay history, w/extensions and in the eyes of immigrations you shouldn't be here free stamp (for that length of time) IF you have other visa options available (marriage, retirement, etc)

I would bet dollars to durian you try to fly yourself out/back you'll get pulled aside, questioned and most likely denied entry and shipped back to where you just flew in from on your dime.

You wanna come in on visa exempt entry by air use a safe entry company so you're sure you'll get in 🙂
OR
go to a nearby thai consulate and apply for the 90 day Non-O visa online thru the embassy there by showing proof of funds in your country (doesn't need to be a thai account) unless you can't show proof of funds in your bank in your country either 😐

You can contact these two safe entry companies
Thai Visa Service
https://thaivisaservice.com/
OR
Thai Visa Centre
https://tvc.co.th/

Both of them do safe entry at Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi

not trying to bust your balls with my comments,

I'm just telling you how passport control is gonna look at it after you've been here as long as you have free stamp AND believe it or not that 60 day visit thai family extension doesn't help you in the least (in their eyes)

Best of luck with it, safe entry is the way to go if you wanna get out/back and a guaranteed new 60 day entry stamp. PLUS both those companies can guarantee you can get a 30 day extension on a 60 day entry too

7 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

not trying to bust your balls with my comments,

None taken! You tell me what I expected anyway.

7 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

comin' in visa exempt IS for tourism..

de facto, it seems so - but only because that's how an individual IO would want to interpret it, not because it's law.

That's why I am intrigued by the apparent "2 VEs per year" allowance, because I had 2 last year and now I would like one this year, so in a sense it ought to be ok. Been here long enough to know these inconsistencies though.......

26 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

That's why I am intrigued by the apparent "2 VEs per year" allowance, because I had 2 last year and now I would like one this year, so in a sense it ought to be ok.

You seem to be under the impression that this is an allowance or a right. In fact you actually use the word "allowance"! It is not. It is a maximum. It is not an allowance.

If you can show me a current Thai government source stating it is an allowance, I would be very happy to admit I was wrong. I can read Thai so any language would be fine. (You won't find one.)

On 2/19/2026 at 7:58 AM, Briggsy said:

You seem to be under the impression that this is an allowance or a right. In fact you actually use the word "allowance"! It is not. It is a maximum. It is not an allowance.

If you can show me a current Thai government source stating it is an allowance, I would be very happy to admit I was wrong. I can read Thai so any language would be fine. (You won't find one.)

No. I know I have seen stuff referring to punters being permitted 2VEs in a calendar year, but not since it was first mooted (if you'll allow the expression) late last year. Perhaps "granted" might be a better word than allowed. But I was only using "allowance" as my own term. In the past 50 years I've crossed enough borders to know no entry in the world is a "right".

(NB: If something is allowed, it is an allowance)

On 2/18/2026 at 7:43 AM, Tod Daniels said:

not trying to bust your balls with my comments,

I'm just telling you how passport control is gonna look at it after you've been here as long as you have free stamp AND believe it or not that 60 day visit thai family extension doesn't help you in the least (in their eyes)

Best of luck with it, safe entry is the way to go if you wanna get out/back and a guaranteed new 60 day entry stamp. PLUS both those companies can guarantee you can get a 30 day extension on a 60 day entry too

sorry, deleted

It would appear it has not "calmed down" at least at the Nong Khai border. 😦

They are still telling people (who have lengthy visa exempt entry/stay history) they can stamp out but can't get back in by land and will have to go to Vientiane and fly back to Thailand. ☹️

Talked to two people today, one who decided not to stamp out, and one in Vientiane who's going to fly back in with a "safe entry" provider, so he's sure he can get back in at the airport.

just look at the updated page of www.thaivisaservice.com, plenty of choices to stay and if in doubt contact them to arrange a Safe Entry.

On 2/25/2026 at 8:02 PM, visarunner said:

just look at the updated page of www.thaivisaservice.com, plenty of choices to stay and if in doubt contact them to arrange a Safe Entry.

this and several other agent options.

Having been talking to some of them, I pass on an observation from one, that is probably well worth noting. The instinct is to take such advice with a pinch of salt, but in this case it makes sense.

"If you want to do the border run (eg to Laos), do it, by all means with us or with another agent, but do NOT do it alone. Unaccompanied, the officials at borders will allow you out but not back and make it all a big problem."