Phillip9

No need for an SRRV if they are married. In Phillipines, if you are married to a filipina, you automatically get one year permission to stay each time you enter the country. Just leave the country once per year, and there is no need to ever do anything else immigration related.

If it's your first time in Laos, I would definitely recommend Luang Prabang instead of Vientiane. It's much more interesting.

I will agree with that recommendation. There is also a new, very comfortable, Chinese built high speed train from Luang Prabang to Vientiane that takes about 2 hours. So for anyone with an extensive history in Thailand who prefers to enter by land, it's very easy to fly to Luang Prabang and then cross back into Thailand by Land over the friendship bridge near Vientiane.

Your second post used very uncommon abbreviations. I've read thousands of posts here, and I still can't figure out what you meant by "IMM / DOE"

With your history, I definitely wouldn't try to enter visa exempt by air without spending significant time outside of Thailand. You would very like face serious questioning when you arrived. You can enter visa exempt by land twice per year. Land entries are usually hassle free, and I would use those.

My overstay was a mistake I made during covid times. I thought I could get another extension, but was refused and had stupidly waited to the last minute to get the extension. I left as soon as I possibly could which took some time in those days because I had to arrange a covid test first. I would agree overstay is generally a bad idea, but there is no possible way any immigration officer from another country will ever decipher that Thai overstay stamp.

The stamp isn't even red. I've been to more than 15 countries since I got my overstay stamp, including Japan. No one even noticed the stamp, let alone faxed it somewhere.

The overstay stamp is written entirely in Thai. Do you think any of those immigration officers from other countries can read Thai, and will be able to decipher what a random stamp in your passport written in Thai means?

Thanks for the information. Do you know what documents they ask for? Bank statement, employment proof, etc?

Phillipines does not need visa on arrival. They are visa exempt. Otherwise your plan is fine. She can arrive visa exempt 30 days and extend that 30 days. Then do a border bounce by land twice per year. My gf is filipina and we have done that many times. Make sure she has an onward flight and 20,000 baht cash. My gf is frequently asked for both when entering by land or air. Last time I checked, filipinos can't get e-visas.

That BS questioning is not unique to Europeans. I'm American and I get it too when I enter my own country.

You were in Thailand 5 months, and then tried to enter visa exempt by air without significant time out of the country. That's the problem. If you have spent more than 3 of the last 6 months in Thailand, and you want more time, always enter by land. You are very lucky they let you in. Stop whining and be thankful.

The property owner is required to file a TM30 any time a foreigner is staying at their property. No exception for the METV. In practice many condo owners renting on airbnb and similar sites never file TM30s, and many people are staying in these with few if any problems. I have extended visa exempt entries many times in Phuket at the main office in Phuket town, and they never asked me for a TM30, and I am sure a TM30 was never filed for me. I would recommend trying to extend without the TM30 a couple of weeks early, and then worrying about filing it if they ask for it.

He shouldn't have any problem with that plan as long as he hasn't spent a lot more time in Thailand recently than you mentioned. He will get another 30 days and that can be extended 30. There is some form you have to fill out online before entering Singapore, but it's quick and easy.

Your best option is probably a tourist visa, which can be either single or multiple entry. A tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days in Thailand, then you can extend that for another 30 days at an immigration office in Thailand. If you kept your trip to 90 days or less, I would just get a single entry tourist visa and extend that in Thailand. If you will stay longer than 90 days, I would get a multiple entry tourist visa, and then on or before 60 days make a short trip to a neighbouring country. When you return to Thailand you will get another 60 days for a total of 120. With this option you will also not have to visa an immigration office in Thailand which can be a nightmare.

It depends on the office where you get the extension. Some will absolutely require a TM30, some will except a booking confirmation form a local hotel instead, and some won't ask for anything.

99 out of 100 people in this situation would just pay their US taxes and forget about taxes in Thailand. There is no way for Thailand to know what his US based income is. He is not allowed to work in Thailand with a retirement visa, so he needs to be able to say he is not working while in Thailand or find a different visa. If he is not actively working while in Thailand, and his business is based in the US, the US has first claim on taxes anyway.

I wouldn't chance this either. I wouldn't do a same day bounce by air in the first place, but if I did, I would definitely enter the other country properly before attempting to return to Thailand.

By far the best advise on this thread. There is absolutely no reason to fly to KL and back. Plus you risk a hassle with Thai immigration when you return if you do a same day border bounce like that by air. It's much better to stay a night or two outside the country before you return.

That bus is definitely your best option for getting from Vientiane to Udon Thani. It's very cheap and comfortable. All other public transportation options involve transfers and much more hassle.

It is important because if you were outside of Thailand for a very short time (days or weeks), you would possibly have a problem when you returned. After 10 months outside the country you will not have any problem returning to Thailand.

I doubt you will have any problem. I've been in Thailand about 3x as many days as you have during the last couple of years, and I was here one full year during covid. I have yet to have any problem entering visa exempt. Although I do always wait a few months before entering by air.

My girlfriend (who is from the Phillipines) is usually asked to show an onward ticket when entering Thailand by land. I'm American, and I've never been asked to show an onward ticket at a land border. We both have a similar extensive history of visa exempt entries. So it definitely depends on your passport.

In late December when we extended, if you were staying in a condo, BluePort required a TM30 copy. If you were staying in a hotel, they accepted a copy of your hotel booking, and they wanted to see your room key card. You could potentially book a night or two in a hotel the day you extend. That's what we did.

Both times I've tried to get a TM30 from a hotel, the hotel refused to give it to me and repeatedly tried to tell me that it was not necessary to extend my permission to stay because they mistakenly thought immigration could actually access it themselves in their own database.