Hi!

I am volunteering in an NGO in thailand and got a 3 month single entry visa on my mexican passport. I want to travel in and out Thailand so I was thinking to leave Thailand the first time using my mexican passport and then re-enter with my french passport where I can get a 30 days tourist entry on arrival with no need of applying for a visa. Is it ok to swap passports?

You can do a passport swap if flying out and back by air but not by land. At border crossings they check for the entry/departure stamps for the other country when you enter Thailand.

Thank you. And when immigration officer ask if I have been in Thailand before, I mention I entered as a Mexican and show my previous visa?

Is it not the rule that volunteer work in Thailand - even for NGO - needs a work permit and I guess you have it? Then it is probably bound to the Mexican Visa? This would mean that as soon as you leave Thailand the first time, the Mexican Visa would be expired (it's a single entry you said) and thus, when you enter with your French passport, you would not be able to work anymore on a tourist Visa.

You say yes and you will not need to show anything. Chances are they will already know that from their computer records.

Is it not the rule that volunteer work in Thailand - even for NGO - needs a work permit and I guess you have it? Then it is probably bound to the Mexican Visa? This would mean that as soon as you leave Thailand the first time, the Mexican Visa would be expired (it's a single entry you said) and thus, when you enter with your French passport, you would not be able to work anymore on a tourist Visa.

I have the 3 month visa but it is not considered a work permit. Do you know if I can volunteer with a tourist visa?

Is it not the rule that volunteer work in Thailand - even for NGO - needs a work permit and I guess you have it? Then it is probably bound to the Mexican Visa? This would mean that as soon as you leave Thailand the first time, the Mexican Visa would be expired (it's a single entry you said) and thus, when you enter with your French passport, you would not be able to work anymore on a tourist Visa.

I have the 3 month visa but it is not considered a work permit. Do you know if I can volunteer with a tourist visa?

From all I read on ThaiVisa - like here a thread about volunteer "Visa" - it seems that you need a non-imm Visa (A should be enough) and then you need to apply for a Workpermit with the contract from the Thai based NGO you will be working for. On a tourist Visa, you can not apply for a Workpermit, no matter what kind of Visa it is. I guess Ubonjoe is able to confirm that?

Is it not the rule that volunteer work in Thailand - even for NGO - needs a work permit and I guess you have it? Then it is probably bound to the Mexican Visa? This would mean that as soon as you leave Thailand the first time, the Mexican Visa would be expired (it's a single entry you said) and thus, when you enter with your French passport, you would not be able to work anymore on a tourist Visa.

I have the 3 month visa but it is not considered a work permit. Do you know if I can volunteer with a tourist visa?

You need a work permit for any work. If you had a work permit you could get an extension for stay at immigration for volunteering.

You cannot do volunteer work with a tourist visa.

With paperwork from the organization working with you could probably get another non-o visa a a nearby embassy or consulate.

You say yes and you will not need to show anything. Chances are they will already know that from their computer records.

I have switched between my 3 passports (I have 3 nationalities) when coming into Thailand many times and have never been questioned about this. I believe they may be able to link all passports, but not sure if it shows up automatically or they have to do a search first. As you say, if asked just confirm the presence of a second nationality, but in general nobody asks and in over 100 entries to Thailand over the years on 3 different nationalities, my experience should be a good guide.

The only time when I definitely can't switch passports is when traveling overland or if I have an existing Thai visa of some type in my passport, whose privileges I would lose if I switched to a different passport in the meantime. For example, whether it's a non-B, extension for work (based on a non- or a double entry tourist visa, I would have to use the same passport for re-entering the country. However, should my work end and I want to re-enter Thailand as a visa exempt entrant, or if I'm to obtain a new visa of any type at a consulate or embassy outside the country, I can do so on any one of the passports I choose.