I have been in Thailand for about 8 months and am returning home to SA for a month and then coming back to Thailand again. I have been on a tourist visa.

As SA is one of the countries that does not require a visa for Thailand 30 day stay, would I need to get a visa before my return as I have been here for a while already? Or is the the 30 days out of the country sufficient to entitle me to re-enter without a visa.

Can someone please help?

If you return wihtout a visa you will get indeed 30 days, but the airline might not let you board if you don't have a ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival. (Some well check very strictly, others will not check at all).

You do not need to be a minimum time outside of Thailand in order to get a new visa exempt entry.

If you return wihtout a visa you will get indeed 30 days, but the airline might not let you board if you don't have a ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival. (Some well check very strictly, others will not check at all).

You do not need to be a minimum time outside of Thailand in order to get a new visa exempt entry.

I enter Thailand every week on a visa exempt, so no problem.

As Mario said , you need a Visa or an onward flight ticket within 30 days.

You should get a tourist visa while you are home rather than doing border runs every 2 weeks.

You might even be able to get 3 entry visa that would give you almost 9 months without needing a new visa. By getting a 30 day extension of each entry you would only have to make border runs about every 90 days.

Thanks for the information all. I will in fact get my Non-B paperwork when I come back in May, but did forget about the proof of return flight to SA. I have no doubt they will require one.

Thanks again

Thanks for the information all. I will in fact get my Non-B paperwork when I come back in May, but did forget about the proof of return flight to SA. I have no doubt they will require one.

Thanks again

Why don't you get your non Imm B in SA and then you have no possible hassles at all, as regards needing a return flight

Wish I could do that, but I can only get the paperwork from the school in May when the new semester starts. Will have to do the Laos trip to get that sorted out.

Would you know if I can get an re-entry on my current tourist visa which expires in mid-May, when I am already back in Thailand?

A re-entry is available for any permitted to stay but not exactly sure what you are asking with current which expires in May as you have mentioned leaving and coming back in May and a tourist visa in use now would not be valid in May unless it was a new entry, in which case you do not use a re-entry permit.

I have a tourist visa with an extension to stay in Thailand until 16th May. I am going home for April, and will return in the beginning of May before the visa expires. So, I'm hoping that due to my visa still being valid until after my return date on 7th May, I can obtain a re-entry based on the fact that my visa has not yet expired.

If you enter with a Re Entry permit you will get a stamp until 16th May.

A new tourist visa will only cost the same amount as a re-entry permit and would allow 60 days plus extension after your return before you need to change to ED visa. That would be better then chancing a one week period several months in the future it would seem to me. You never know when emergencies or plane delays will effect timing.