I am an American living in Taiwan. I own an apartment in Jomtien and have been coming to Thailand twice a year for the last 10 years. Never used anything but a stamp, never stayed more than a month at a time. Never had any trouble. This August I must travel to Laos partway through my stay to visit a friend. Not a visa run, not an overstay, just a simple visit. All I want to know is, am I going to be allowed to get back in to Thailand after I go to Laos? My return ticket to Taipei will leave from Suvarnabuhmi, and I don't want to miss the flight. The local Thailand representative office here in Taipei offers nothing but SINGLE ENTRY visas. I can not get a multiple entry visa without possibly flying to some third country before I head to Thailand. So just keep it simple and tell me, is that what I have to do? If I do come in on a stamp, will I get locked out? If I get a double entry visa in Manila or some place and I use it to come back from Laos, will I be able to get another such visa in January?

Nobody knows for sure exactly what's in the cards after August 12. You could get the single entry visa in Taipei and once here go to immigration and get a single entry reentry permit, cost 1000 baht. You will keep your permission to stay alive and when you return from your trip you use the reentry permit to re-enter.

When on a single-entry visa you can leave Thailand and return, provided that before leaving (even at the airport) you pay for a re-entry permit. In this case the "allowed until" date of the original entry will remain unchanged.

While dual, triple, entry visa will require that you leave, and then grant again further 60 or 90 days for each entry. For this reason these are more expensive.

All that being said is not assure that you will not be allowed to entry as visa exempt from Laos in August, especially by air. Also, you could get a a singe or dual-entry visa in Laos.

Edited July 3, 201412 yr by paz

You should not have a problem.

Either you get a re-entry permit or you simply go and come back for another visa exempt entry. With a ticket to show you will leave Thailand and do not intend to stay in Thailand for a long time it should not be a problem.

The crackdown is on people they suspect working in Thailand, staying a continously on visa exept entries. You do not fit that descrition.

I asked a similar question on behalf of some friends who come from the UK to Thailand every two years at the end of August for four weeks, getting visa exempt stamps on arrival. Then They go to Vientiane for two weeks to visit family in the middle of their holiday before returning to Thailand (getting another visa exempt stamp at Nong Khai) for about five days before flying back to the UK.

I asked if the new rules would affect them this year over getting back to back visa exempt stamps.

This is what Ubonjoe said in his reply:

The new rules will not affect them because they are doing what tourists do. The changes are for those that are doing back to back entries to stay here full time.

You will not have a problem.