Yesterday I went to the Chiang Mai immigration office to extend my 60 day single entry tourist visa for another 30 days. When I presented my documentation at the counter, the official told me I could only get another 7 days.

About 10 days ago I went across the border at Mae Sai for a 3 hour shopping trip. It seems that whoever processed my re-entry voided my tourist visa and left me with a 14 day extension. At the time I explained that I had a tourist visa and that I only wanted a 'day pass' to go across the border so I could keep my visa intact but to no avail.

There must be hundreds of people every week on tourist visas who make a shopping trip like this and expect to keep their visa intact. I really don't understand why they would do this.

Now I have the joy of making a trip to Mae Sai every 14 days until my flight home. How can I make sure this doesn't happen in the future?

Don't leave Thailand without a re-entry permit if you intend to return and continue current stay.

I forgot to ask: Can I do my 14 day extension in my Mae Sai on the weekend?

I assume I have to go back across the border (even though I don't want to), pay the 500B fee for going to Myanmar and then pay whatever the fee is to come back into TL for another 14 days?

Yes and there is no fee to enter Thailand.

Always check and double check any ting you do about visas tourist or any other visa, speak to immigration office ( not at the border) before any trips out of thailand, every immigration officer does some thing different they have their own ideas about what is correct. talking from my own experiences.

Always check your passport when enetering

If you obtain a re-entry permit on a TR can you return after the visa's validity is expired?

So if visa expires Sept 30 (enter before)

You leave country Oct 20

Could you return Nov 5??

Return is based on last permitted to stay stamp - not on visa validity which is only for entry using the visa. So yes you could return on Nov 5 if your permitted to stay until stamp is later than that date. If you made your visa entry on Sep 29 you would have a permitted to stay until late November.

Thanks, that is a bit of arcane visa knowledge sure.

You can use a "VIP" pass into Burma that doesn't involve stamping your passport.

Just present your passport to Thai Immigration with 2 photocopies of the main page and 100B.

They keep your passport and you pick it up when you come back.

Further information can be found here: http://www.thaivisa....o/page__st__475

Hope this helps.

Regards

Will

No one is keeping my passport. Period.

No one is keeping my passport. Period.

Why, afraid they'll lose it or what?

No one is keeping my passport. Period.

I'd rather my passport was in the hands of Thai Immigration and not Burmese officials.

I've used the day pass method at Mae Sai without any problem. Only went one time and didn't really think it worth giving the Burmese 500 baht for a couple hour shopping trip. Next time, Hubby says he sit in one of the pretty restaurants in Thailand along the river, spend his 500 baht on beer and watch me shop across the border.

Return to Mae Sai and show them the mistake.

It happened to a friend in Swampyphum, he return and they were quite apologetic and sorted it out correctly.

He's Chinese though... so that could make a difference.

There was no mistake by immigration - he departed without a re-entry permit and with passport and returned for a 15 day visa exempt entry.

Return to Mae Sai and show them the mistake.

It happened to a friend in Swampyphum, he return and they were quite apologetic and sorted it out correctly.

He's Chinese though... so that could make a difference.

Why would that make any difference?

There was no mistake by immigration - he departed without a re-entry permit and with passport and returned for a 15 day visa exempt entry.

Yes, my mistake in reading what happened.

In my story they gave him the incorrect amount of days. 30 instead of 90.

Return to Mae Sai and show them the mistake.

It happened to a friend in Swampyphum, he return and they were quite apologetic and sorted it out correctly.

He's Chinese though... so that could make a difference.

Why would that make any difference?

Thai authoritarian culture.

^ Sounds like you've got it.

A few off topic and bickering posts have been removed from view. Please stay on topic and be civil.