Denied entry (TR) at Suvarnabhumi - no stamp - options?

[Dan5]

Just now, Dan5 said:

"In the morning I realize the dude is Lao Airlines ground employee, not an immigration officer. " Are you saying you were not detained by immigration, but an airline employee?? It seems that the answer to that question would mean a lot in determining your next move.

And if so, a more interesting and indeed bizarre story.

[freedomnow]

I find the 'take your g/f/future wife to your home country, you're not welcome here' awful.

 

That was an opportunity for a camera phone vid to let social media jump on pure IO xenophobia.

Or should have gotten this rough female  IOs ID and put in a formal complaint.

 

What happens if he refused to sign the bullshido paperwork ? Stuck in detention ?

 

Do Laos/Thailand land border crossings have this detention nonsense - or do they just bounce you back to Laos ?

I'm currently on tourist visas to actually see Laos on each new tourist visa run (about a week to 2 weeks in most instances touring Lao) so would like to know what can happen on a land border crossing potentially on a string of tourist visas/visa-exempt just under 1 year in a new passport...is this 270 days of tourist visas/visa-exempts causing an alert just here-say as I'll be going over 270 days of tourist visas/visa-exempts soon.

 

I guess having 20k in-hand, a flight out within 60 days, a travel itenerary for the 60-day period , accommodation booking/rental agreement information and proof of substantial funds coming in monthly from outside the country helps a person who is questioned ? Would they let you pull up your life savings abroad online etc ?

 

I plan on getting off tourist visas completely after this report later in the year, but don't want a forced repatriation to my country suddenly.

[JackThompson]

23 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

I find the 'take your g/f/future wife to your home country, you're not welcome here' awful.

Yes - as if that IO's opinion of "You are not wanted here" is somehow representative of the Thai people - many of whom depend on the OP's income to pay the bills every month.

 

23 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

What happens if he refused to sign the bullshido paperwork ? Stuck in detention ?

Do Laos/Thailand land border crossings have this detention nonsense - or do they just bounce you back to Laos ?

Another person was similarly refused (no 20K Baht) coming from Malaysia - refused to sign anything - was sent back, but his tourist-visa remained valid.  He later used it for entry at a land-border.

 

You would have your exit from Laos canceled if refused entry to Thailand, and your original permission-to-stay given on your initial entry would continue to run.  The same is true for Malaysia, and Cambodia.  Not sure how Myanmar works - but would assume similarly.

 

23 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

I'm currently on tourist visas to actually see Laos on each new tourist visa run (about a week to 2 weeks in most instances touring Lao) so would like to know what can happen on a land border crossing potentially on a string of tourist visas/visa-exempt just under 1 year in a new passport...is this 270 days of tourist visas/visa-exempts causing an alert just here-say as I'll be going over 270 days of tourist visas/visa-exempts soon.

 

I guess having 20k in-hand, a flight out within 60 days, a travel itenerary for the 60-day period , accommodation booking/rental agreement information and proof of substantial funds coming in monthly from outside the country helps a person who is questioned ? Would they let you pull up your life savings abroad online etc ?

 

I plan on getting off tourist visas completely after this report later in the year, but don't want a forced repatriation to my country suddenly.

The key on your planned re-entries is the 20K Baht cash-in-hand.  Proof of overseas income might be useful - or be ignored; I always carry it.  I also carry a copy of my condo-lease. 

In any case, if rejected, you would not be "force repatriated" to your country, 1/2 way across the planet (in my case), from a land-border.  In most cases, even the airport-IOs let you "go back" to the last country - though they could always insist on your passport-country if they felt like it.  Definitely not worth the risk of flying in, IMO.

[hawker9000]

4 hours ago, moe666 said:

He has been living in Thailand for 3 years he is not a tourist

And I wouldn't hang my hat on the idea that getting a new passport will paper over one's record of entries and resolve everything.  The OP is traveling with a pair of dice in his pocket...

Edited April 14, 2017 by hawker9000

[freedomnow]

6 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

And I wouldn't hang my hat on the idea that getting a new passport will paper over one's record of entries and resolve everything.  The OP is traveling with a pair of dice in his pocket...

He just needs to get on a non-tourista type visa after new passport and a few weeks break back home I'd guess.....

 

[steven100]

On 13/04/2017 at 3:05 PM, stoicccc said:

-I've been in Thailand for 3-4 years 36-yrs old Finnish guy, first on ED-visa, then TRs and visa exempts mixed, mostly TRs from Laos with 2-3 visa exempts in between.

I stopped reading after  "  -I've been in Thailand for 3-4 years 36-yrs old Finnish guy, first on ED-visa, " ......  

 

maybe cambodia will be ok ...

[Dan5]

1 minute ago, steven100 said:

I stopped reading after  "  -I've been in Thailand for 3-4 years 36-yrs old Finnish guy, first on ED-visa, " ......  

 

maybe cambodia will be ok ...

You've got a point there.

[MartinBKK]

10 minutes ago, Dan5 said:

You've got a point there.

I fail to see it

[JackThompson]

20 minutes ago, steven100 said:

I stopped reading after  "  -I've been in Thailand for 3-4 years 36-yrs old Finnish guy, first on ED-visa, " ......  

 

maybe cambodia will be ok ...

Agreed that Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and others would welcome his foreign-sourced capital.  That said, many continue to stay in Thailand on Tourist Visas much longer than the OP. 

 

Staggering the entries more, etc could work, but he's getting married, which will solve the "permission of stay" problem (though could create new ones :-0 - just kidding OP - best of luck with your new family.)
 

33 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

And I wouldn't hang my hat on the idea that getting a new passport will paper over one's record of entries and resolve everything.  The OP is traveling with a pair of dice in his pocket...

Yes, a new passport would help - note how the IO was going through it all "tsk tsk" - and had an ED Visa in it, which is the Worst Red Flag.  He might have been OK with a new passport -  probably just "stamp / stamp / next..." at the desk - certainly with the 20K Baht Cash + a clean passport.

 

Edit:  To anyone with a used ED visa in your passport - my advice is to get a new passport from your embassy ASAP if you plan to travel to or stay in Thailand.

Edited April 14, 2017 by JackThompson

[freedomnow]

3 hours ago, JackThompson said:

You would have your exit from Laos canceled if refused entry to Thailand, and your original permission-to-stay given on your initial entry would continue to run. 

Right, just to clarify above. If I had a 30-day Laos tourist visa and had only used 10 days and got bounced back from Thai side...the 20 remaining days on the Laos tourist visa would still be valid ? I always thought you'd need to buy a fresh 30 days in Laos again...

Edited April 14, 2017 by freedomnow

[JackThompson]

3 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Right, just to clarify above. If I had a 30-day Laos tourist visa and had only used 10 days and got bounced back from Thai side...the 20 remaining days on the Laos tourist visa would still be valid ? I always thought you'd need to buy a fresh 30 days in Laos again...

I do not think so, because you don't have an "exit" from another country, you never "really left" Laos.  Air vs Land might differ in how it is handled, but it would seem that the OP re-entered without a new visa (pls correct me if wrong).  I would not be surprised if some sort of "fee" was requested in some cases.

[jerojero]

Where does a tourist visit or multiple visits end and living fulltime in the Kingdom begin (using temporary stay tourist visas)? Many countries including Thailand don't allow the latter. Seems past practice of lax enforcement of this is fading In Thailand. 'We don't want you here?' Indeed as an fake tourist you are not wanted, despite having money or gf or any other personal reason. You can visit but cannot live full time...same as a hundred other countries. This clamp down has been happening for several years now.

 

 

[edwardandtubs]

On 13/04/2017 at 3:38 PM, stoicccc said:

I decided to book the Finnair flight to Helsinki tomorrow morning and roll with it. Stay back home for a while, get a fresh passport, new TR visa and come to Thailand again and get married finally, should have done a while ago already. Hopefully that'll work out. 

While you're away why not re-evaluate you life, look for a nice Finnish girl and realise that staying in Thailand in not the only path to happiness. 

[JayBird]

21 minutes ago, jerojero said:

Where does a tourist visit or multiple visits end and living fulltime in the Kingdom begin (using temporary stay tourist visas)? Many countries including Thailand don't allow the latter. Seems past practice of lax enforcement of this is fading In Thailand. 'We don't want you here?' Indeed as an fake tourist you are not wanted, despite having money or gf or any other personal reason. You can visit but cannot live full time...same as a hundred other countries. This clamp down has been happening for several years now.

 

 

Someone using multiple back-to-back tourist visas to stay may technically be classified as a 'tourist', but I do not believe that is the 'Spirit of the law' (or the original intent of the tourist visas).  More than likely this is a 'loophole' that has never been fully closed.

 

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you were meant to do it.

 

Also, just because you wish to be a tourist in one country 100% of the year, does not mean the country has to accommodate that wish.

 

Technically, you are a non-immigrant alien, and quite possibly a non-immigrant resident alien (due to being here more than 180 days/year which usually results in a classification of residency and tax obligations).  One's status has nothing to do with whether or not they work.

 

He could also be classified as a 'retiree' (if he's not working) but they don't offer visas for retirees.  So I guess another classification would be: Unwanted mis-classified long-stay alien.

 

Irregard, he should definitely consider a more appropriate classification (Thailand Elite, Business, Marriage, etc.) if he wishes to avoid future angst.  Also, TE may be cheaper than marriage in the long run :)

[JackThompson]

55 minutes ago, jerojero said:

Where does a tourist visit or multiple visits end and living fulltime in the Kingdom begin (using temporary stay tourist visas)? Many countries including Thailand don't allow the latter. Seems past practice of lax enforcement of this is fading In Thailand. 'We don't want you here?' Indeed as an fake tourist you are not wanted, despite having money or gf or any other personal reason. You can visit but cannot live full time...same as a hundred other countries. This clamp down has been happening for several years now.

You are describing countries with high standards of living, which need to keep out the Billions who want to live and work there to raise their own standard of living (displacing the local people from their careers by so doing).  The list would also some insanely xenophobic nations such as Bhutan. 

Contrast to Vietnam, Cambodia, The Philippines, India, all of Latin America, and other countries who all find that foreigners spending foreign-capital into their poorer nations is a Net Benefit, to be encouraged - not discouraged.

 

Tourism is not a time-limited activity, per Thai law / immigration statues and declarations.   The belief that Tourism is time-limited per Thai-law/rule is a "fake" theory.  The "clamp down" was for visa-exempts, then extended to ED visas, as a means of creating a kickback/bribe scheme (not to stop fake-students, who continue by paying kickbacks, which the "real" students also pay).  Only recently, people with valid Tourist Visas seem to be targeted, but (so far) only those caught on the technicality of not having "paper money" as if the year were 1970 and people did not have access to ATM machines.

 

Clearly, the Thais who benefit from the OPs spending DO want him here - as likely does his fiance. 

 

56 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

While you're away why not re-evaluate you life, look for a nice Finnish girl and realise that staying in Thailand in not the only path to happiness. 

I don't know any Finnish gals - they may be swell.  But I do know the general attitudes of Western women vs those of SE Asia - no comparison.  Wise decision choosing a Thai wife, IMO - someone who will enjoy caring for your with a smile, harbor no resentment of you for your gender, and lack many other deliberately-inculcated (in schools and universities) relationship-souring attitudes, prevalent among many in the West, resulting in broken families to create "state-raised" children with minimal exposure to the mores and morals of traditional families.  Read B.F. Skinner’s "Walden Two" if you think this is a conspiracy "theory."

[dbrenn]

The OP should just get a Thailand Elite visa. His problem would be solved and he could come and go as he pleased with no hassle. 

[stoicccc]

22 hours ago, Khun Robert said:

So you think a new passport will solve all the problems.

It used to do the trick years ago, now even in Thailand, country

in development, they using the same thing as you: a Computer.

Your new passport could be linked with your old one, like the Netherlands

Government does to make it easy for Immigration Officers worldwide.

But when Immigration use the scan your name, birthday and

nationality will give a match with an old passport and all your entries in Thailand.

 

I'm not sure if the computer triggered the IOs interest in me, or the fact that he started flipping through my passport. Once I got taken to the couches, they certainly pulled a record of my travel history then went beyond the issuance of my current passport which was June 2014. They had entries from 2013 in that paper, didn't see my passport number anywhere there, just my name.

 

20 hours ago, Dan5 said:

"In the morning I realize the dude is Lao Airlines ground employee, not an immigration officer. " Are you saying you were not detained by immigration, but an airline employee?? It seems that the answer to that question would mean a lot in determining your next move.

Went like this:

1. went to the first IO
2. got taken to another IO, possible of higher rank. He wasn't taking passengers, just sitting there in one of the booths AFAIK.
3. got taken to the couches by this IO, who started questioning me about everything possible. Was there for about 2 hours getting ear-beatings from a lot of people, sympathy from some IOs. Here they told me I won't be allowed in.
4. got taken to the bunker downstairs, another immigration post for further paperwork. No more questioning here, just an ear-beating and basically refusals to answer my questions. No one was helpful trying to help me resolve this situation in the future. People here were not wearing the formal IO clothing.
5. a guy shows up, starts doing some paperwork, asks me to sign the detention room paper and starts escorting me there. He says that I didn't get in because of the money. I ask to see my passport, no stamp. I ask him 4-6 times that if I have money tomorrow when I enter, will I be allowed back in? He says yes.
6. I go to the detention room, book my flight for the morning, let the guys at the desk know my flight time and they say ok. 

7. In the morning a different guy picks me up, I notice he's a Lao Airlines employee. I'm taken to the gate via an ATM where I get like 25k baht and head to the gate. 
8. At the gate I see the guy who escorted me to the detention room earlier, I approach him and ask him "Are you sure I can get it now that I have the cash (and an outbound flight ticket)"? He says "Yes you can try." Until this point I felt that I could get in but now realize that the dude is not an immigration agent.

9. Then enter Laos, talk to the Lao Immigration lady in the back room, get passport back etc...get back to BKK, see the guy who escorted me in the morning to the gate and he says the "You cannot go to Thailand, go to transit"

and now I'm home in Finland.

 

 

18 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Agreed that Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and others would welcome his foreign-sourced capital.  That said, many continue to stay in Thailand on Tourist Visas much longer than the OP. 

 

Staggering the entries more, etc could work, but he's getting married, which will solve the "permission of stay" problem (though could create new ones :-0 - just kidding OP - best of luck with your new family.)
 

Yes, a new passport would help - note how the IO was going through it all "tsk tsk" - and had an ED Visa in it, which is the Worst Red Flag.  He might have been OK with a new passport -  probably just "stamp / stamp / next..." at the desk - certainly with the 20K Baht Cash + a clean passport.

 

Edit:  To anyone with a used ED visa in your passport - my advice is to get a new passport from your embassy ASAP if you plan to travel to or stay in Thailand.

 

If I had to guess I think it was the ED-visa that got the first IOs attention but not 100% sure about that at all. I wonder if my PP was already flagged somehow when it was scanned?

 

I just hope I will get in the country with the new PP,  new TR visa from Finland Thai Embassy, 20k cash, flight out and hotel reservation...and get married, as has been the plan for a while now.

[stoicccc]

16 hours ago, freedomnow said:

Right, just to clarify above. If I had a 30-day Laos tourist visa and had only used 10 days and got bounced back from Thai side...the 20 remaining days on the Laos tourist visa would still be valid ? I always thought you'd need to buy a fresh 30 days in Laos again...

When I fly back to Lao, they did cancel the last exit stamp and the "USED" stamp on the visa. Had I tried Nong Khai border, I would have been stamped out again and if denied entry to Thailand again, it probably would have been a tricky situation unless they just allow me to get a new visa to Lao. But no idea, since I didn't try. 

[stoicccc]

21 hours ago, freedomnow said:

I find the 'take your g/f/future wife to your home country, you're not welcome here' awful.

 

That was an opportunity for a camera phone vid to let social media jump on pure IO xenophobia.

Or should have gotten this rough female  IOs ID and put in a formal complaint.

 

It almost felt that they tried to get me angry and to piss me off, it seemed a bit unreal the things they were saying. 

Edited April 15, 2017 by stoicccc

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, stoicccc said:

I just hope I will get in the country with the new PP,  new TR visa from Finland Thai Embassy, 20k cash, flight out and hotel reservation...and get married, as has been the plan for a while now.

Thanks for the very complete report.  Yes, they can pull up your whole history, though this is not shown on the initial screen by the first IO you deal with. 

 

It is so sick and twisted that you were taken by an ATM, where you had the money, but they refused your entry and did not let you go to an ATM to prove you had the money.  Airport Immigration is like living through a freaking Kafka novel.

 

I would suggest flying to Penang via KL, then train into Thailand.  I would not try to enter by Air, because who knows what they put in the computer in your file.  Everything else in your plan sounds good.  As soon as you are married, you can go to Savanahket, Laos, and get a 1-year Multi-Entry Non-O based on marriage.  After that, just use friendly land-borders.  See this thread where a fellow with a marriage-visa was hassled at the airport (airport = trap):

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978488-being-denied-entry-with-marriage-visa

 

[IMA_FARANG]

Many Thai consulates are requiring a pre booked exit ticket from Thailand before they  will issue a 60 day tourist visa.

Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is one of them.

There are signs in Penang Malaysia that warn backpackers that they may be required to show the sum of 20,000 baht per person when crossing the Thai land border with Malaysia.

I have seen them myself.

 

[stoicccc]

6 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Thanks for the very complete report.  Yes, they can pull up your whole history, though this is not shown on the initial screen by the first IO you deal with. 

 

It is so sick and twisted that you were taken by an ATM, where you had the money, but they refused your entry and did not let you go to an ATM to prove you had the money.  Airport Immigration is like living through a freaking Kafka novel.

 

I would suggest flying to Penang via KL, then train into Thailand.  I would not try to enter by Air, because who knows what they put in the computer in your file.  Everything else in your plan sounds good.  As soon as you are married, you can go to Savanahket, Laos, and get a 1-year Multi-Entry Non-O based on marriage.  After that, just use friendly land-borders.  See this thread where a fellow with a marriage-visa was hassled at the airport (airport = trap):

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978488-being-denied-entry-with-marriage-visa

 

thanks for the help buddy.

 

I'm a bit confused about the NON-O visas based on marriage.

 

It seems to me that there are 2 options when it comes to a marriage visa:

 

1) Obtain a NON-O marriage visa from Savannakhet/Finland with multiple entries, and then I  just leave the country every 90 days for 12 months, and go to apply for a visa again? (or possibly for an extension at some point?)

2) Obtain a NON-O marriage visa from Savannakhet/Finland for 90 days, go to an immigration office in Thailand, apply for a 12 month extension with the requirements fulfilled and no need to leave the country as I can apply for another extension in 12 months?

 

Are these 2 alternative options for a marriage visa? Please correct me where I'm wrong.

 

Million thanks for all the comments, both negative and positive. I'm learning a lot here.

[tomwct]

Time to go home and work! I suggest getting a visa for your GF to join you in Finland. It's very cold there and you'll need someone to keep you warm in bed. Good Luck & visit us in Thailand sometime in the future.

[JackThompson]

27 minutes ago, stoicccc said:

thanks for the help buddy.

 

I'm a bit confused about the NON-O visas based on marriage.

 

It seems to me that there are 2 options when it comes to a marriage visa:

 

1) Obtain a NON-O marriage visa from Savannakhet/Finland with multiple entries, and then I  just leave the country every 90 days for 12 months, and go to apply for a visa again? (or possibly for an extension at some point?)

2) Obtain a NON-O marriage visa from Savannakhet/Finland for 90 days, go to an immigration office in Thailand, apply for a 12 month extension with the requirements fulfilled and no need to leave the country as I can apply for another extension in 12 months?

 

Are these 2 alternative options for a marriage visa? Please correct me where I'm wrong.

 

Million thanks for all the comments, both negative and positive. I'm learning a lot here.

Yes - exactly those 2 options.  But you cannot get this now in your home-country, because you are not married yet.  The reason Savanahket is recommended, is that they do not require financial-proof for the 1-Year Multiple Entry Non-O based on marriage. 

 

If you can transfer 400K Baht into a Thai bank account, or prove an income of 40K Baht / mo, plus jump through several more hoops (show pictures, get declarations from neighbors that you live together, etc), you can apply for a 1-year extension from your local immigration office.  The enforced requirements vary by the office.  Note that if you wish to leave and return to Thailand during this extension period, you need to purchase a re-entry permit, or your extension is voided on exit.

 

Also, when applying for the 1-year extension, you first need to be on a Non-O entry.  Some offices can do conversions from Tourist entries to a 90-day Non-O, but most can not.  This is another reason for going to Laos - even if just to get the initial 90-Day Non-O based on marriage, which you then extend for a year by showing financial proof.

 

Which way you go depends, to a great extent, on how "friendly" your local immigration office is.  If they are happy you are there supporting your wife, go for the 1-year extension.  If they act like you are an "unwanted" farang - go for the 1-year Multi-Entry and avoid them entirely.  Someone who deals with your office may be able to chime-in and give you a heads-up on their attitudes - which vary wildly from office to office, and checkpoint to checkpoint.

[thaitero]

Many Finnish with thai wifes do annual visits to homeland. No financial proof  needed for the 1-Year Multiple Entry Non-O based on marriage there either.

[edwardandtubs]

All this talk of airports being traps is worrying me. I'm a long stayer in Thailand but mostly with a non-b and work permit. However, I've been on 2 tourist visas and one visa exempt for the past 6 months. My plan is to fly to HCMC for my next tourist visa. Is that a risk or do  I have a while yet before I get flagged?

[stoicccc]

34 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Yes - exactly those 2 options.  But you cannot get this now in your home-country, because you are not married yet.  The reason Savanahket is recommended, is that they do not require financial-proof for the 1-Year Multiple Entry Non-O based on marriage. 

 

If you can transfer 400K Baht into a Thai bank account, or prove an income of 40K Baht / mo, plus jump through several more hoops (show pictures, get declarations from neighbors that you live together, etc), you can apply for a 1-year extension from your local immigration office.  The enforced requirements vary by the office.  Note that if you wish to leave and return to Thailand during this extension period, you need to purchase a re-entry permit, or your extension is voided on exit.

 

Also, when applying for the 1-year extension, you first need to be on a Non-O entry.  Some offices can do conversions from Tourist entries to a 90-day Non-O, but most can not.  This is another reason for going to Laos - even if just to get the initial 90-Day Non-O based on marriage, which you then extend for a year by showing financial proof.

 

Which way you go depends, to a great extent, on how "friendly" your local immigration office is.  If they are happy you are there supporting your wife, go for the 1-year extension.  If they act like you are an "unwanted" farang - go for the 1-year Multi-Entry and avoid them entirely.  Someone who deals with your office may be able to chime-in and give you a heads-up on their attitudes - which vary wildly from office to office, and checkpoint to checkpoint.

 

19 minutes ago, thaitero said:

Many Finnish with thai wifes do annual visits to homeland. No financial proof  needed for the 1-Year Multiple Entry Non-O based on marriage there either.

Once again, many thanks :) 

 

Will I get hassled for 20k, tickets etc with the option  1)  (below) at the immigration or is that a problem related to TR only?

 

1) Obtain a NON-O marriage visa from Savannakhet/Finland with multiple entries, and then I  just leave the country every 90 days for 12 months, and go to apply for a visa again? (or possibly for an extension at some point?)

 

I will very likely go through the hoops with the 400k and the pictures but just wanna make sure I understand the other option clearly as well.

[ChakaKhan]

On 4/13/2017 at 9:41 PM, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

"if you have Thai GF and you love her, take her to your home country and stay there, you are not wanted here" from another elderly female officer

 

 

This immigration lady should be reported to the TAT, the immigration department of Thailand are scaring tourists away from Thailand now.

AGREED--would LOVE to see her face if i had to go back and identify here..name n shame her..

and then be headed back home before she comes after u!..Such a welcoming thai woman --ugh

 

My response to her-WHY would i want to TAKE my GF AWAY from such a WONDERFUL place..

[JackThompson]

7 minutes ago, stoicccc said:

Once again, many thanks :) 

Will I get hassled for 20k, tickets etc with the option  1)  (below) at the immigration or is that a problem related to TR only?

1) Obtain a NON-O marriage visa from Savannakhet/Finland with multiple entries, and then I  just leave the country every 90 days for 12 months, and go to apply for a visa again? (or possibly for an extension at some point?)

I will very likely go through the hoops with the 400k and the pictures but just wanna make sure I understand the other option clearly as well.

You should have 20K Baht upon entry with a Non-O - same as a TR.  This is the case with a re-entry on a Non-O extension - same as a Multi-Entry Non-O.  Bottom line, every time you enter Thailand they can ask to see the money. 

 

But, based on reports, the extent and frequency of being hassled is greatly reduced on a Non-O vs a TR.  Most people on those visas are never questioned.  Just put 20K Baht in travelers checks, keep it with you, and you are set.  If they get lost or stolen, the money is refunded - you only lose the fee to purchase them. 

Edited April 15, 2017 by JackThompson

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

You should have 20K Baht upon entry with a Non-O - same as a TR.  This is the case with a re-entry on a Non-O extension - same as a Multi-Entry Non-O.  Bottom line, every time you enter Thailand they can ask to see the money. 

 

The 20k baht should never be asked for when entering on re-entry permit issued for an extension of stay based upon marriage. The 20k baht requirement really only applies to visa and visa exempt entries.