I am a 49 year old US citizen with  3 tourist visas in my passport this year. This is a relatively new passport with a METV carried over.   Two from Phnom Phen and the most recent single entry  from Vientiane.

 

. I need one more coming this Sept before I turn 50. All three have been extended 30 days. Do you think I can get one more in Vientiane with the proper paperwork? I can provide them with everything mentioned on this forum

if they ask.

Vientiane will only refuse you if one of your TR Visas has an extra-stamp on it saying something like, "This person travels to Thailand frequently on Tourist Visas..."   If you don't have that extra-stamp on any of your existing Visas, you should be fine. 

 

When/if you get one of those extra-stamps on a Visa, you will need to get a new passport in order to obtain visas in Vientiane, and some other consulates.

OP you will have no issues 

Smooth sailing

The OP turns 50 later this year. Then hasn't he been eligible for the retirement visa since January 2017?

(or retirement extension, whatever it's called.)

Do or don't immigration officials consider it by calendar year instead of birthday? Enlighten me please.

Dear all, I have a related question.  I was here until the end of March on an METV, I then left for a week and came back on my last visa for the METV for 2 weeks.  Then I left for 6 weeks and came back for 2 weeks on a visa exemption.  Left again for 6 weeks and returned on 7 July, again with an visa exemption.  So when the 30-day extension of the latest visa exemption expires on 4 September, I will need to stay here until the end of October before I leave again for a couple of months for work.  As so far the visa exemptions were not back-to-back is it possible for me to do a quick in and out somewhere and get one more visa exemption (cause I only need 60 days before I leave again for a while), or is it too risky and I should get an actually TV from somewhere?  I haven't booked my ticket yet for travel in late October but I have easily enough money to show and IO.  Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated!

25 minutes ago, chippendale said:

The OP turns 50 later this year. Then hasn't he been eligible for the retirement visa since January 2017?

(or retirement extension, whatever it's called.)

Do or don't immigration officials consider it by calendar year instead of birthday? Enlighten me please.

It is done by the date of birth.

20 minutes ago, stephen tracy said:

Dear all, I have a related question.  I was here until the end of March on an METV, I then left for a week and came back on my last visa for the METV for 2 weeks.  Then I left for 6 weeks and came back for 2 weeks on a visa exemption.  Left again for 6 weeks and returned on 7 July, again with an visa exemption.  So when the 30-day extension of the latest visa exemption expires on 4 September, I will need to stay here until the end of October before I leave again for a couple of months for work.  As so far the visa exemptions were not back-to-back is it possible for me to do a quick in and out somewhere and get one more visa exemption (cause I only need 60 days before I leave again for a while), or is it too risky and I should get an actually TV from somewhere?  I haven't booked my ticket yet for travel in late October but I have easily enough money to show and IO.  Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated!

Given your "out of country" breaks, it should not be an issue to get one more visa-exempt - even via airports, though those have become generally less-friendly, recently. 

 

Have 10K Baht worth of cash or travelers checks PLUS evidence of where you will be staying (rental-contract or hotel-booking) PLUS printed-proof of your ticket out to show the IO in case this is requested (I would buy a cheap throw-away ticket, if you don't want to book the 'real' ticket, yet).  These are written-requirements for obtaining visa-exempt entries, though not always requested.

 

If you haven't done any land-border visa-exempts this calendar-year, one of those at a friendly land-border would have the lowest chance of hassles when coming back into Thailand.  Even if denied entry at a land-border, at least you would not be stuck in detention, and could spend your time in a country which doesn't mind you spending your money there.  Laos-border checkpoints are friendly, as are most Cambodian ones, excepting Poipet/Aranyaprathet (avoid). 

1 minute ago, JackThompson said:

Given your "out of country" breaks, it should not be an issue to get one more visa-exempt - even via airports, though those have become generally less-friendly, recently. 

 

Have 10K Baht worth of cash or travelers checks PLUS evidence of where you will be staying (rental-contract or hotel-booking) PLUS printed-proof of your ticket out to show the IO in case this is requested (I would buy a cheap throw-away ticket, if you don't want to book the 'real' ticket, yet).  These are written-requirements for obtaining visa-exempt entries, though not always requested.

 

If you haven't done any land-border visa-exempts this calendar-year, one of those at a friendly land-border would have the lowest chance of hassles when coming back into Thailand.  Even if denied entry at a land-border, at least you would not be stuck in detention, and could spend your time in a country which doesn't mind you spending your money there.  Laos-border checkpoints are friendly, as are most Cambodian ones, excepting Poipet/Aranyaprathet (avoid). 

Perfect, thanks VERY much Jack Thompson!

Don't know why but I read the title to this thread as "Three STD's so far this year, need 4th in Vientiane, possible?" Sure is buddy!  Good luck with your STV.