hi folks - seem to be finding a lot of contradictory info. Please can you clarify? Just finishing 30 day tourist visa. I also came a month ago and had another tourist visa then but it was not an extension as I flew in both times.

1. Can i extend by 30 days at Bangkok or Chaing Mai immigration? Which is better? Or is it 10 days?

2. If you're 1 day late can you still extend it by 30 days?

3. Is a border run to Burma only for 15 more days or 30?

4. I'm coming up from Phuket to Chaing Mai. Is there a convenient border run on route??

Sorry for all the questions and many many thanks!

1. No - you do not appear to have a tourist visa to extend - you seem to have a 30 day visa exempt entry and attempt to extend will not get more than 7 days.

2. Normally yes if you actually had a tourist visa.

3. All visa exempt for most countries is 15 days by land and 30 days by air arrival.

4. At each end there are locations into Burma but trip will be well inland.

If you have 30 days, it is not a real tourist visa but a visa exempt entry you get at the airport. A real tourist visa from a Thai consulate can be extended by 30 days, a visa exempt entry from the airport cannot be extended.

If you do a border run, you get a new 1 days if you return by land and a 30 days if you return by air.

It is possible to get a real toruist visa in Laos.

You can only get a 7 day extension of 30 day visa exempt entry (it is not a tourist visa).

A border crossing will only give 15 days. Thirty days is by air only.

Their are no border crossing that are convenient on the normal public transport route from Phuket to Chiang Mai. A side trip to Ranong or Mai Sot might be possible.

From Chiang Mai you could go Mai Sai for a border crossing.

How long do you plan on staying in Thailand. Doing border runs are not the best option for a long stay.

You should get a tourist visa. You can get a 2 entry in Vientiane Laos that would give you almost 6 months by getting 30 day extensions of each 60 day entry.

Thanks guys that's great. Think I'm just gonna get an overnight train to Laos and then come back into Thailand from there later... Appreciate the help!