That is: where can I go in the north of Thailand to do a hop?  Get a 30 day stamp?

 

It looks like Myanmar (Mai sae) is absolutely closed now.  Any news on that issue?  

 

 I heard that a town near Mai sae would still give a 30 day stamp. I couldn't find anyplace to do a hop, so just  booked to go to VTN for a new single entry. Flying to the south of Th or going to Malasia seems real expensive, time consuming...

 

And where can i go (also in the north) to go buy a new Thai tourist visa?

 

Thank you.  

You can get an AirAsia flight from CNX to KUL for 1,000bht each way if you book in advance.

Double that if you leave it to the last moment.

 

Similar prices from BKK to SGN, 1,000bht each way.

Hi, thanks, I got the information that KL wasn't ok any more.  But it is?  That's good.

 

So I did some research. Looks like I have 1-2 more Vientiane visa runs, maybe one Savanakhet run, and one Kuala Lumpur run. Or two? Penang looks like a lot of trouble. (I have this allergy situation. Buses bring about big problems. But losing my 'home' might bring more...)  Any guidance re: Mae Sai?  

 

And do you know other places in Myanmar to get 30 day stamps and/or places to get a new visa? 

Edited August 9, 20169 yr by cubism001
clarity

• The nearest place to go for a new tourist visa is Vientiane, Laos.
• You won't get an out/in visa exempt entry at any of the northern Thai/Myanmar crossings. The best option is Chiang Khong on the Thai/Laos border. You'll get 30 days if from a G7 country or 15 from others. 
• If doing a land border hop (Chiang Khong) it's best to go a day or so before your permission to stay expires just in case they don't allow the border hop.

Just to clarify the point on Kuala Lumpur: it may be OK for an in/out for a visa exempt entry (though the airport in Chiang Mai is tougher on people staying long periods in Thailand than the Bangkok airports) but you are unlikely to be able to get an SETV in Kuala Lumpur.

 

As a general rule, in/out border hops for a visa exempt entry are now risky everywhere (whether by land or air) especially if you have several previous visa exempt entries.

 

For SETVs, I see these as your options:

• Vientiane until you have done three (possibly four) visas there. It is possible that you might be able to get more using an agent.
• Savannakhet for probably several (until rules change) though I have never been able to establish if Vientiane and Savannakhet take notice of visas issued by the other.
• Penang and Kota Bharu Malaysia (but not Kuala Lumpur) for most likely two or three visas. This is not as expensive as you might think if you book combined hotel and flight deals in advance through Expedia, especially as there are no Malaysia visa costs.
• Hong Kong for at least one based on recent reports.
• Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for one each, but you will need onward flight out of Thailand within 60 days of entry.
• Phnom Penh, probably for a couple if using an agent.

This is a substantial list, but do not rely on all the applications going smoothly. Further, if staying here continually on tourist visas, expect unwelcome attention from immigration officials on entry at some point.

 

For the time being, residing here on tourist visas may still be possible. However, there is no question that this is increasingly frowned upon, and anyone doing it needs a backup plan.

Hi, thanks.

 

The plan I use has been to have SETV's & not do border hops.  I feel like 'real' visas would go down better than stamps, if things got questioned. I got a new passport, though I know the full record is easy for IO's to see.

 

I'm doing revisions/rewrites now for a publisher before they print my book. I just need a few more months of Ch Mai .  It's hard to do these little writing things in, say, India.  The longer I have, the more work I can do.