BritTim

As long as you have never had the 60-day extension to visit Thai spouse/child before, since your entry into Thailand, what you propose is allowed. Note that an entry using a reentry permit does not entitle you to the 60-day extension, only the initial entry before you had any extensions.

It is irrelevant whether arriving by air or by land. The question is whether Immigration at that entry point wants to invent a rule that a multiple Non O is only for visits to Thailand, and not to spend long periods in the country. Fortunately, unlike with tourist visas where several airports also already reserve the right to abrogate the visas, Non O visas seem to be honoured everywhere except Poipet. I fear that the practice may spread in the future. Once the principle is established that Immigration can refuse to accept one type of visa when they feel like it, extending that practice to other kinds of visa becomes quite likely. I can foresee a time when Immigration will only accept long stay visas (Elite, O-A, O-X) with other types of visas only honoured for periodic short visits. Immigration endorsed extensions may be insisted upon for other classes of visitors.

I think he was validly (but harshly) denied under Section 12.1. The numeral is not a 9, but the Thai numeral for one. Immigration has the discretion to deny visa exempt entry as a means of staying long periods in Thailand, and seem to have somewhat abused that discretion here. Interesting that this happened at Sadao which has been problematic in the past, but seemed better in the last couple of years. Hopefully, this was just a blip.

Do not try for a visa exempt entry by air. At most land crossings, you will be OK. I am assuming that you do not plan to return to Thailand for quite a while after your last visa exempt entry in January. Otherwise, you need to be planning your entry strategies more carefully.

Trat is pretty much on the way to the main pier for Koh Chang. It is possible to reach some of the other islands from Khlong Yai, but services are infrequent.

If you were recently blacklisted, it is very unlikely anyone can help you (at least without paying huge bribes). If you have Thai kids, a good lawyer might be able to get the blacklisting cancelled after two years on humanitarian grounds. That will depend on the reason for the blacklisting.

If your plan is to spend a lot of time in Thailand, stop using those land based visa exempt entries except in an emergency. As it becomes harder and harder to enter Thailand in other ways, these land based entries become your insurance policy. Incidentally, having been in Thailand as a tourist since September almost certainly means you will not get a tourist visa in Savannakhet, and might not in Vientiane (though you have a better chance there).

"Emergency passport" and "emergency travel document" basically mean the same thing. Some countries will only issue one to return you your home country. Where your embassy is more flexible, they typically are only valid for a few countries that you can demonstrate an urgent need to visit. Contact the embassy, describing your situation and plans. They usually have some discretion, but will not want to give you an emergency passport with any more flexibility than absolutely necessary as it is not subject to the normal security safeguards you get with a full passport. Thailand will accept an emergency passport/travel document, provided it states that it is valid to use in Thailand.

If you are staying in a regular hotel, you do not need to worry about this. If you are staying in an apartment/condo or private house, the TM30 will likely be needed. This is a notification by the "possessor" of the property that a foreign person has arrived in the property. It is supposed to be filed by the owner/lessor/renter within 24 hours of your arrival. If they do not do it, Immigration will likely refuse to provide you with any service (including an extension) until you arrange for the possessor to do his duty, including payment of a fine for the delayed notification of somewhere between 800 and 2,000 baht. If you think this system is absurd, you are not alone.

Penang has long been a favoured consulate for a Non B visa. As far as I know, it is still good for a single entry Non B with the correct documentation. You can enter Malaysia visa free, and will just get the regular Malaysian entry and exit stamps. According to recent reports, Hong Kong which puts no stamps at all in your passport, is no longer an option for Thai visas.

I believe you can still apply at the honorary consulates without a confirmed flight, but the "e-visa" system (used to apply through the London embassy) requires you to have one.

You will need to pass through immigration before connecting to a domestic flight. If connecting to an international flight, you may or may not need to clear immigration depending on the airport and airline.

My previous experiences at Maesot have always been extremely positive. I would be surprised if you have a problem. Just be polite, clean and neatly dressed.

I believe he has successfully done so, but it has become challenging to achieve, needing to be very careful where you get visas, and where you enter Thailand. Also, I can see it becoming infeasible in the future.

That depends on the entry point into Thailand that you use. Most land crossings and some airports are still not enforcing unofficial rules limiting your time in Thailand on tourist entries.

I would suggest at least talking to Ramkhamhaeng University Instutute of Languages. Thai for foreigners is included in their offerings, and I believe the price is reasonable.

I am not sure of the exact distance or driving time with your own car, but Ban Laem is not far as the crow flies. By public transport, it is probably a tricky journey.

To be precise, there was for a time a rule restricting visa exempt entries only to 90 days in a six month period. There has never been a publicly announced limit on entries using visas.

You would probably be able to use visa exempt entries, but a single entry tourist visa (at least) would not hurt.

I do not think you should risk flying into Thailand for a visa exemption with your history. If you will be returning before the end of 2019, you could consider blowing your last visa exempt entry by land for 2019 by returning overland from Myanmar. There are overnight VIP buses from Yangon to Myawaddy where you cross into Thailand at Maesot. If you will fly in, get a visa.

Vientiane has become strict about issuing tourist visas to those with prior tourist entries to Thailand, especially if they are recent. If you have spent the bulk of the last six months in Thailand, and your passport reveals this, I would discourage you from even trying in Vientiane. In Savannakhet, they are even stricter in case you are wondering.

At CNX, Immigration seems to scrupulously follow the letter and spirit of the law and associated police orders. Entering at CNX with a visa has historically been safe. However, they can and do exercise their right to deny visa exempt entry if they deem you are using visa exempts to stay long periods in Thailand. Your history of entries is unclear, but do not rely on being able to enter visa exempt by air anywhere. It is my impression (based on little evidence) that U-Tapao might be the least risky airport to ask for a visa exempt entry with a dodgy history of tourist visits. That would imply flying via Kuala Lumpur, I think. Without getting a new passport, it is unclear whether you would be able to get a tourist visa outside of your home country. Maybe, you would be lucky in Yangon, especially if you have never had a visa from there. Good luck! I always advise people to husband those land based visa exempt entries, and only use them in an emergency. Your experience shows why this is the case.

Unfortunately, your re-entry permit has a misleading name. A "re-entry visa" is not really a visa. It is a protection of an existing permission to stay. Usually, in has the clearer name "re-entry permit". That stamp is different from the re-entry permit I have usually seen. Sadly, your permission to stay will expire (and your re-entry permit will be useless) when your employment ceases.

If that is the case, please post scans of your visa and most recent entry stamp (hiding personally identifiable information). You cannot have a multiple entry Non O which only allows 90 days on each entry. I fear that instead you have an extension of stay from an immigration office within Thailand, together with a reentry permit. This totally changes your situation as the extension of stay most certainly is tied to your employment.

Why? If my employer doesn't care and if Imm and Labor are separate then there is no reason. Because the current stamp is in error. You should only have been admitted for 90 days. If you stay until December 31, you will be on a 16-day overstay. Immigration will not take responsibility for the incorrect stamp. You will be fined 8,000 baht and the overstay may create problems in the future.