Hello there,

thought I could sort this out by reading existing posts, but after reading other posts I am confused.

I am a 30 year old german. I have a 60 days Toursit Visa from Penang and extended it for 30 days. Extension is over soon and I have to leave Thailand. Before the Tourist Visa, I had an exempt visa from Aranyaprathet/Cambodia border. And before that I had another Tourist Visa with extension.

Now I would like to get another exempt visa stamp. Is that possible and according to the 90 days rule? Where are places, where they don't want to see onward flight tickets? I thought of going to Nong Khai. In Aranyaprathet last time I had to buy an onward air ticket and only then could leave the country to get the 30 days exempt visa stamp.

Thank you dear ThaiVisa.com community!

To date we have not had reports of that requirement being strictly enforced at any other land border. But it is a requirement so anyone could be asked at any time.

What about taking a trip to the other Cambodian checkpoint located at Ban Laem (aka Pong Nam Ron)? Can anyone advise Mangkud the names of current visa run operators that provide the ubiquitous ฿200 bus ticket option please?

Jack Golf 7am Bus

Border at Pong Nam Ron have been known to ask for onward flight tickets from those just wanting 30 day stamps

Buy a cheap Air Asia ticket for 500 baht if you're really worried.

Buy a cheap Air Asia ticket for 500 baht if you're really worried.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that option is available any more...since the ฿700 exit tax was included in the price of every outbound international air ticket.

What I've done recently is buy a train ticket to Butterworth and then afterwards get it refunded - nett cost 200b.

Mind you I haven't really tested it yet as I went through Ranong and they didn't ask to see anything.

Mind you I just knew if I didn't have the ticket , or 10,000b in my pocket , they would have.

Just back from a border run to Ranong. Extremely friendly and helpful immigrant staff (actually stood chatting to one official for 20 minutes outside). A good bet.

A wai, a smile and a good natured joke works wonders down there.

You really have to give credit where it is due. The Myanmar border checkpoints

are certainly looking more promising. It's a flat 500 baht fee, no corruption money,

they take your photo with a webcam and they don't ask for onward tickets. And I

have to say, the one time I went to Mae-sot the Burmese immigration guys were

really nice. Cambodia is unpleasant, Laos is expensive, if you don't mind travelling

a little farther, it can be a much more enjoyable experience.

Tak Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sot, Changwat Tak 0-5556-3000, 0-5556-3002-4

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Mae Sai Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sai, Changwat Chiang Rai 57130 0-5373-1008

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Ranong Checkpoint

Amphoe Muang, Changwat Ranong 85000 0-7782-1216

Jack Golf 7am Bus

tried to use their service last week, the bus didn't turn up.

Uh...they don't go every day to both destinations. If you where alone at the location you where either late or on a non-traveling day. (Always book in advance, they might wait a few minutes extra if you are late then...)

You really have to give credit where it is due. The Myanmar border checkpoints

are certainly looking more promising. It's a flat 500 baht fee, no corruption money,

they take your photo with a webcam and they don't ask for onward tickets. And I

have to say, the one time I went to Mae-sot the Burmese immigration guys were

really nice. Cambodia is unpleasant, Laos is expensive, if you don't mind travelling

a little farther, it can be a much more enjoyable experience.

they even take those pictures at land-border-checkpoints now ?

I thought still some of them are not computerized.

I heard Ban Laem is not computerized yet, and when I was in Nongkhai in Jan. 2006, I didnt see any computer as well, they just stamped me out and, after 4 days, stamped me IN again.

though, I had a non-immi-multiple Visa that time.....

what about Nakhon Panom or Satun - ferry to langkawi and Kuala Perlis. are they computerized now ?

from what I heard from others and from my own experience, the officers at non-computerized borders are much more relaxed and its mostly hassle-free.....

Siam2007, neighboring countries routinely require passport sized photographs

as part of their visa-on-arrival application. Burma just makes their own with a

web-cam so it's not necessary to supply them. It's interesting what you say

about the computers, I've also noticed that even when there is a PC terminal

on the immigration officer's desk at these checkpoints, often he won't use it.

Simply tearing off the arrival/departure card and I guess sometime later the

data processing is performed to update the system.

Thanks for the advice!

I came back yesterday from Aranyaprathet. I booked a flight (and didn't pay yet) to Singapore and printed out the emailed itinerary. Immigration staff was fine with this.

Just as an anecdote: I met an Englishman on the bus, who overstayed several days. He expected to pay a lot, but talking to the immigration officer he was able to wiggle out of it and didn't pay anything! I guess speaking Thai helped him a lot. I sat with him at the "Pay-the-fine desk" for almost 30 min and we had a nice conversation with the officer. We then had several beers on the Cambodian site, resisted all the "Bam Bam" offers and finally returned to Thailand.

I reckon next time I will give Myanmar border run a try. How long is a bus trip to there?

You really have to give credit where it is due. The Myanmar border checkpoints

are certainly looking more promising. It's a flat 500 baht fee, no corruption money,

they take your photo with a webcam and they don't ask for onward tickets. And I

have to say, the one time I went to Mae-sot the Burmese immigration guys were

really nice. Cambodia is unpleasant, Laos is expensive, if you don't mind travelling

a little farther, it can be a much more enjoyable experience.

Tak Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sot, Changwat Tak 0-5556-3000, 0-5556-3002-4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mae Sai Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sai, Changwat Chiang Rai 57130 0-5373-1008

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranong Checkpoint

Amphoe Muang, Changwat Ranong 85000 0-7782-1216

It's actually $10 so about 150 baht coruption money.