Border Run to Mae Sai (or elsewhere?) or extension at immigration?

[estefaniw]

I am currently on an extension of stay for teaching of a Non-B visa. This will expire on April 30 since I will not continue teaching where I am. I am probably going to want to stay in the country for another few days afterwards before heading back home to the US for a visit and then returning to Thailand (with a new Non-B visa) for my new job.

If possible, I'd rather avoid going in to Chiang Mai immigration again at O:Dark-thirty. I currently have notice of a 2 day overstay in 2012 (when I didn't realize that a 1 year visa didn't actually allow you to stay in the country for a year and missed a border run on my multientry visa) and a visa exempt entry in 2008, when I visited for 29 days. Can I get a visa exempt entry at Mae Sai? If so, will it be 7 days, 15 days or 30 days? If Mae Sai won't do it, would another port of entry be better?

I have also hear rumors that you automatically get an extra 7 days after the expiration of a 1 year teaching extension of stay, but I'm pretty sure that is BS.

Credible advice is welcome!

[ubonjoe]

You will get a 30 day visa exempt entry if you are from the US (G7 country rule) at Mae Sai.

[lordblackader]

I'd rather avoid going in to Chiang Mai immigration again at O:Dark-thirty

It might require an early start for extensions on some sort of visas (I don't know) but I can tell you over the last 2 years I've never had a long stay at CM immigration for an extension on a TR visa except the time I went super early...as suggested by others here at ThaiVisa.

Sure, people get there at 7am, get their pre-number before their next number, but Immigration does NOTHING until closer to 9am anyway.

Last two times I've turned up at 8:45...when they've already given out the final numbers. Last time late year, wait was 1 hr 45 mins, did it Friday before last, arriving the same time, took me EXACTLY 2 hrs on the dot, just enough time to walk down to Central Airport Plaza on opening for some shopping.

Unless it's tricky processing with certain sort of visas that may take an extra long time, I can't see why anyone recommends rocking up to CM immigration super early...besides the fact that they don't actually do much until 9am anyway.

[mikecat]

I was recently in the same situation as you, leaving the country on the last day of my non B extension at Mukdahan. They refused to let me out. They were saying I have to go to my local immigration and cancel the extension and get a seven day extension for which you pay 1900baht. I had a letter from the school saying that my contract had expired and that I was leaving the country to obtain a non O marriage and would cancel my existing visa at the border. This was enough to convince them to let me out. There were four other people in the office with the same problem, This is not bullshit. I have also heard of this happening at Nonkai.