Visa Options for longer term stay

[MisguidedPangolin]

Hi all,

 

I've been spending a lot of time in Thailand over the last few years, always on tourist visas. Probably averaging about 8-10 months in Thailand per year. Sometimes coming in on visa on arrival, sometimes getting a 2 month visa from the embassy in Laos or Australia. Sometimes I do the 30 day extension. I hold an Australian passport.

 

On my last arrival (by air to DMK from Hanoi, Vietnam without a prearranged visa) they pulled me into the office and asked me what I'm doing in Thailand, I basically said I love Thailand and enjoy travelling around here, they asked if I was working, I said no (which is all true) and after some deliberation they crossed off the 30 day stamp and gave me only 14 days. I asked what rules I was breaking, I said my understanding was that there was no limit on arrivals by air and two by land and I'd only done 1 by land this year. They couldn't give me any explanation of a rule I'd broken, just that I was spending too much time in Thailand. I said I wanted to follow the rules and asked them to explain what I was allowed to do so I didn't do the wrong thing in future, this seemed to completely confuse them. After a long wait they came back and said I could only spend a total of 180 days in Thailand per calendar year (not sure if that's a rule or they just made it up... I suspect the latter). By the by, I had astonishing rudeness and inexcusable behaviour from the embassy staff in Vientiane earlier this year, but did end up getting my visa and was allowed entry by land without a problem at the border.

 

So my question is what can I do now? I'd ideally like to keep spending about 10 months per year in Thailand, I don't really want to work, don't especially want to study (not that I mind the idea of doing classes but I don't want to be stuck to a schedule in terms of weekly classes and being restricted to not leaving the country until the course is over, for example I'd like to travel to Australia to have xmas and new year with friends and family). Getting married seems a bit too drastic for the sake of a visa. There's the elite visa but US$4k (I think that's the price) seems a bit much for what it is.

 

Are there flexible courses (the immigration staff suggested a Thai language course) without strict attendance requirements? Is there another visa option I could use?

 

Or, is this a case of 'probably best to give up and choose another country to be based in, at least you won't have to deal with rude immigration staff, ever-changing rules no one can explain, and instead have a country which says 'if you want to spend time here and spend your foreign money with us we're happy to welcome you''?

[Peter Denis]

I presume you are under 50 years of age.  When over 50 the solution would be simple > apply for a Non Imm O - retirement Visa.

When under 50 and visiting Thailand for long periods of time on VisaExempt ot TouristVisa's, unfortunately you fall in the 'suspect' category of not being a genuine tourist and possibly working in Thailand.

The unofficial guideline is that you are not considered a genuine tourist when you spend more than 180 days per year in Thailand.  So if your next trip to Thailand on VE or a Tourist Visa would bring you above that unofficial limit, chances are high that you will be denied entrance (especially with your history).

Thai Immigration do not seem to grasp the idea that you could be financially independant and spend considerable time in Thailand for leisure-purposes.  In your case, the Elite Visa is of course an option, but a very expensive one.

Edited December 5, 2019 by Peter Denis

[Sheryl]

If over 50 non O and extend in country for retirement. Yiu will be required to have money in a Thai bank and mery soecific financial requirements.

 

If under 50 your optipns are 

 

1. Elita visa

 

2. Limit your time here to 180 days. You may sometimes get away with more but thete is no guarantee and they do tend to flag people past 180 days.  A multi entry tourist visa might suit.

[berybert]

18 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

I presume you are under 50 years of age.  When over 50 the solution would be simple > apply for a Non Imm O - retirement Visa.

When under 50 and visiting Thailand for long periods of time on VisaExempt ot TouristVisa's, unfortunately you fall in the 'suspect' category of not being a genuine tourist and possibly working in Thailand.

The unofficial guideline is that you are not considered a genuine tourist when you spend more than 180 days per year in Thailand.  So if your next trip to Thailand on VE or a Tourist Visa would bring you above that unofficial limit, chances are high that you will be denied entrance (especially with your history).

Thai Immigration do not seem to grasp the idea that you could be financially independant and spend considerable time in Thailand for leisure-purposes.  In your case, the Elite Visa is of course an option, but a very expensive one.

They probably do understand that people have the money to enjoy living here without having to work. 

But they also have rules which stops people being allowed to do that.

They could change the rules and allow everyone in for as long as they want, which wouldn't go down very well with many expats or Thais. Or they could introduce a visa which allows people with plenty of money to purchase and they can then come and go as they wish. 

I am not sure but maybe they already have such a visa. 

Trouble is loads of people who claim to be well off and have no need to work are unwilling to pay for the visa that would allow them easy access because they don't want to waste the money. 

So let everyone in or have rules. What would you choose ?

[MisguidedPangolin]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated. Yes, I'm under 50.

 

Is the 180 days per calendar year or within any 365 day period, or being an unofficial rule is it basically up to the vague, whimsical discretion of whoever is processing you at the border? If it's per calendar year, well, it's December so that gives me some time to work something out. If not, I guess I'm going to have to work something out quickly or leave.

 

Not really too fussed in debating the wisdom or lack thereof in regard to why they have the rules they do and how they enforce them. It's an interesting topic but I just need to know what to do.

 

If it comes down to it I actually might consider working or studying for 6 months or so, although realistically that would probably wear thin and I'd end up skipping over to somewhere happy for me to just spend money there and thank or ignore me for it. If I was to go for either a work or study visa, what would be the easiest (least hours required and most flexibility offered) way to do that? I'd certainly be happy enough to work a day or two per week if it was possible to do that little and satisfy the visa requirement.

 

I'll head into the immigration department tomorrow and see if they can offer any advice or clarity on what I'm allowed to do.

[DrJack54]

OP, curious about your post. You seem to be well aware of options yet ask for advice. I'm amazed you have done "last few years.....8-10 months" and have got away with it. 

Your last section is your option. Spend lot more time outside of Los. You can obtain 3 month multiple to Vietnam. Just one example also 90 day visa exempt Japan

Ed visa buys you time that's all and you discounted that. Along with elite visa.

Next you might mention that your 50+ but don't like retirement option.

Edit. OP, I posted same time as you so non o not an option.

Just to add....your comment about visit imm office for clarification would in the main be wasted of time. Your border entry will be fine also you get 2 more 2020. Imm office has zip to do with passport control at airports

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by DrJack54

[MisguidedPangolin]

If I considered myself well aware of all options I wouldn't be asking for advice. Maybe there's something I don't know about, maybe there's something I haven't thought of, and as I said, I'm not sure about the terms of work and study visas so I have specified things I don't know which I'd like to. If someone said 'you can do courses in 3 month units and you get 5 month study visas when you do them' I'd be happy to hear it. As it is, I have no idea what's involved. That's why I'm asking here and going to immigration tomorrow to hopefully get answers.

 

At this point I've only just had the news sprung on me, so and education visa buying me some time might do the trick. What's wrong with that? I was hoping for a better option but if not I may go for it.

 

I'm aware of other countries I can go to, there's a whole world to choose from including my home country which I don't need a visa for. I was asking about my options for being able to spend time in Thailand. I'm not sure how you think anything you've said is in any way helpful, but thanks all the same.

 

Immigration office may have zip to do with passport control at airports, although passport control at the airport suggested I go there to get clarification. It may end up being a waste of time, but hey, it certainly won't be any worse than your input.

[Caldera]

They seem to be softening at DMK, interesting.

[DrJack54]

28 minutes ago, MisguidedPangolin said:

If I considered myself well aware of all options I wouldn't be asking for advice. Maybe there's something I don't know about, maybe there's something I haven't thought of, and as I said, I'm not sure about the terms of work and study visas so I have specified things I don't know which I'd like to. If someone said 'you can do courses in 3 month units and you get 5 month study visas when you do them' I'd be happy to hear it. As it is, I have no idea what's involved. That's why I'm asking here and going to immigration tomorrow to hopefully get answers.

 

At this point I've only just had the news sprung on me, so and education visa buying me some time might do the trick. What's wrong with that? I was hoping for a better option but if not I may go for it.

 

I'm aware of other countries I can go to, there's a whole world to choose from including my home country which I don't need a visa for. I was asking about my options for being able to spend time in Thailand. I'm not sure how you think anything you've said is in any way helpful, but thanks all the same.

 

Immigration office may have zip to do with passport control at airports, although passport control at the airport suggested I go there to get clarification. It may end up being a waste of time, but hey, it certainly won't be any worse than your input.

Report back on your trip to imm office, esp if it's CW zoo. 

It's December if you have not used your 2 exempt border entries per calendar year you can. Then 2020 you obtain 2 more and extend each one.

Love the quote "Ed visa might buy me some time". Priceless

[mockingbird]

OP, If you're not willing to pay for an Elite visa, then your best option is to alternate with another country in the region.

3 months in/3 months out, and you shouldn't have any issues.

 

If you're adamant on spending your time in Thailand, then an education visa would buy you some more time, but then you're back to square 1.

Another option would be to use multi entry tourist visa's obtained from your home country, but you'd have to avoid all airport entries into Thailand. (even then, there is no guarantees)

 

... or else marry a local.

[MisguidedPangolin]

59 minutes ago, Caldera said:

They seem to be softening at DMK, interesting.

What makes you say they're softening? This is the airport where they pulled me into the office, made me wait around, and gave me only two weeks rather than 30 days.

[MisguidedPangolin]

49 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Report back on your trip to imm office, esp if it's CW zoo. 

It's December if you have not used your 2 exempt border entries per calendar year you can. Then 2020 you obtain 2 more and extend each one.

Love the quote "Ed visa might buy me some time". Priceless

 

I'm not sure what CW zoo means.

 

I don't think the land border entries thing is relevant. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume that if I was to leave Thailand right now and come back by land next week (I've only entered by land once this calendar year) they'd either not let me in or give me only a short stay. I doubt the situation would change much on January 1, but I'm not sure, perhaps their unofficial 180 day rule would reset. Either way, the number of land entries isn't my issue. Perfectly happy to take planes rather than buses if it makes any difference, but it doesn't seem to.

 

[Caldera]

2 minutes ago, MisguidedPangolin said:

What makes you say they're softening? This is the airport where they pulled me into the office, made me wait around, and gave me only two weeks rather than 30 days.

That they didn't deny you entry outright made me say that, and I was only half joking. Letting you in, albeit for a shorter-than-usual time, is a more measured response in comparison.

 

While I'm not a fan of their unofficial rules (at all), I'm all for giving people fair warning instead of just sending them back for no good reason whatsoever, causing a lot more hassle than granting at least a short stay.

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, MisguidedPangolin said:

 

I'm not sure what CW zoo means.

 

I don't think the land border entries thing is relevant. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume that if I was to leave Thailand right now and come back by land next week (I've only entered by land once this calendar year) they'd either not let me in or give me only a short stay. I doubt the situation would change much on January 1, but I'm not sure, perhaps their unofficial 180 day rule would reset. Either way, the number of land entries isn't my issue. Perfectly happy to take planes rather than buses if it makes any difference, but it doesn't seem to.

 

You won't have issues at border to enter visa exempt. Each entry can be extended by 30 days and imm office. Your concerns re 180 day unwritten rule is applied at some airports.

If need fly in eg from Vietnam then fly to CNX and avoid DM.

Your at the edge. Use border crossings. Fly to udon Thani chill at day/night bar area for a night. Ain't difficult.

PS CW zoo refers to imm office bkk. You won't get advice there how to avoid generous stay rules there.

Edited December 5, 2019 by DrJack54

[MisguidedPangolin]

51 minutes ago, mockingbird said:

OP, If you're not willing to pay for an Elite visa, then your best option is to alternate with another country in the region.

3 months in/3 months out, and you shouldn't have any issues.

 

If you're adamant on spending your time in Thailand, then an education visa would buy you some more time, but then you're back to square 1.

Another option would be to use multi entry tourist visa's obtained from your home country, but you'd have to avoid all airport entries into Thailand. (even then, there is no guarantees)

 

... or else marry a local.

 

3 months in 3 months out doesn't really work for me. I know that's an option, but not one which interests me. I'd get a job or choose another country before doing that.

 

Yes, I realise that an education visa is just a short term solution, but it might give me enough time to work out something more suitable, whether that's sorting out work or settling on another country or whatever else I might want to do. They hadn't given me any warning and just suddenly told me I wasn't able to keep using the visas as I had, I was planning on spending this month in Thailand, but my plans have suddenly had to change.

 

I'm a bit puzzled about your next suggestion. A multiple entry tourist visa obtained from my home country would be great if I could get one. I'm not sure what the options are of it the 180 day unofficial rule would apply. I am very puzzled about you saying I would have to avoid airport entries (I'd have thought that would be better than entering by land), and of course I couldn't enter by land from Australia, but hey, if I could get that visa in Australia then fly to Malaysia or something then come by land I'd be happy enough, strange as it would be. Are they more willing to give longer term multiple entry tourist visas than 60 day single entry visas?

 

Thanks for your post.

[MisguidedPangolin]

4 minutes ago, Caldera said:

That they didn't deny you entry outright made me say that, and I was only half joking. Letting you in, albeit for a shorter-than-usual time, is a more measured response in comparison.

 

While I'm not a fan of their unofficial rules (at all), I'm all for giving people fair warning instead of just sending them back for no good reason whatsoever, causing a lot more hassle than granting at least a short stay.

 

Oh, absolutely, it was much better to let me in for two weeks rather than send me back (which would legally require sending me back to Vietnam, which I wouldn't have had a visa for and would have been a big hassle for everyone involved, not just myself. To do that would just be insane, though hey, sometimes people do ridiculous things. It's annoying that they couldn't give me a clear answer about when I'm allowed back though. I'm going to follow the rules if they make them clear, but without clarity I'm not really sure what I can do.

[MisguidedPangolin]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You won't have issues at border to enter visa exempt. Each entry can be extended by 30 days and imm office. Your concerns re 180 day unwritten rule is applied at some airports.

If need fly in eg from Vietnam then fly to CNX and avoid DM.

Your at the edge. Use border crossings. Fly to udon Thani chill at day/night bar area for a night. Ain't difficult.

PS CW zoo refers to imm office bkk. You won't get advice there how to avoid generous stay rules there.

 

Interesting you say that, the only other time I've had issues entering Thailand was coming back over the friendship bridge from Vientiane. That was about 3 years ago. A lot has changed since then. I had to ...'discuss' the situation with them and eventually they seemed to just let me in because sending me back to Laos seemed too difficult for them (I said I didn't think Laos would let me straight back in, which seemed to sway them). They told me to get a visa next time, and since then every time I went from Laos to Thailand I've gone to get a visa from the embassy.

 

I didn't know the larger airports tended to be more strict. So I might do better flying into Pattaya etc?

 

I was thinking about extending my current visa but since they weren't happy about me coming in at all this time and only gave me 2 weeks instead of 30 days I figured it would either get knocked back or look a bit bad/cheeky and make it difficult to enter next time.

 

But anyway, it sounds like you're saying as long as I enter by land I shouldn't have trouble doing it twice per year and I'll be able to extend each of those? That would be great, it would give me a total of four months (which inlcuding time out of Thailand at about 20-30 days at a time would give me a fair bit longer) and that would give me enough time to either sort out work or something, or to give up on Thailand and find an alternative. I get the impression that I may not do too well at a land border without a visa though (or even with one!). In the office at DMK they reminded me multiple times that having a visa in advance doesn't guarantee entry into Thailand and they pointed to a poster on the wall which said this.

 

It would be great if this country could decide on some rules, make them known, and stick to them.

[gk10002000]

7 hours ago, MisguidedPangolin said:

After a long wait they came back and said I could only spend a total of 180 days in Thailand per calendar year

My guess is they are alluding to you getting two 60 day SETVs, then extending each by 30 days which will give you a total of 90 + 90 or 180 days.  They could also be referring to you getting a METV which is good for basically 6 months.

[gk10002000]

6 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

I presume you are under 50 years of age.  When over 50 the solution would be simple > apply for a Non Imm O - retirement Visa.

When under 50 and visiting Thailand for long periods of time on VisaExempt ot TouristVisa's, unfortunately you fall in the 'suspect' category of not being a genuine tourist and possibly working in Thailand.

The unofficial guideline is that you are not considered a genuine tourist when you spend more than 180 days per year in Thailand.  So if your next trip to Thailand on VE or a Tourist Visa would bring you above that unofficial limit, chances are high that you will be denied entrance (especially with your history).

Thai Immigration do not seem to grasp the idea that you could be financially independant and spend considerable time in Thailand for leisure-purposes.  In your case, the Elite Visa is of course an option, but a very expensive one.

yes.  I am financially independent and I could easily afford to spend lots of time in and out or just in Thailand.  Just as in years past, people would take long breaks from work for various reasons, write a book, take sabbaticals, simply travel and do anything but work, etc.  But Thai mentality and policies are challenging to accommodate things like that

[SpanishExpat]

I would suggest a METV and avoid BKK/DMK . You will have your 8months/year in LOS with it and also unlimited land border crossings. 

 

If you have long-term plans and no gf, EV is the only real option (though as I am still young myself, I understand if someone doesn’t want to plan for 20yrs in advance)

However..do yourself a favor and DO  NOT extend and stick the normal duration of the visa.

 

 

 

Ps. ....of course there is no 180 days rule . It’s totally made up by them and the maYbe wished they had clear rules like in Europe, Australia etc. I was/am in the same situation like you...so don’t expect any constructive help from IO‘s. I explained them my situation and their answer kept being „you come to often“ or „get a business visa“ (which is the prove they don’t even Listen, as I can’t get or need a business visa in LOS as landlord in Europe)

Edited December 5, 2019 by SpanishExpat

[DrJack54]

28 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

My guess is they are alluding to you getting two 60 day SETVs, then extending each by 30 days which will give you a total of 90 + 90 or 180 days.  They could also be referring to you getting a METV which is good for basically 6 months.

That's a poor guess. It relates to a total amount of days. Granted it's not a "law" rather a guideline some passport control have come up with. Applies to any type of entry. Perhaps apart from visa exempt border entries

[kingofthemountain]

4 hours ago, MisguidedPangolin said:

Is the 180 days per calendar year or within any 365 day period, or being an unofficial rule is it basically up to the vague, whimsical discretion of whoever is processing you at the border? If it's per calendar year, well, it's December so that gives me some time to work something out. If not, I guess I'm going to have to work something out quickly or leave.

AFAIK the 180 days rule is not per calendar, there is not a reset to zero the 1 january.

If your passport is full of entry\exit stamps, at your next entry they count the number

of days you have stayed in Thailand from now to the 365 days before, even if it's on 2

differents years, and if is over 180 you are screwed.

It was the experience i have had some years ago (I was under 50) at

Suvarhanbumi airport. (By chance i had ''only'' 170 days so i have been admitted in)

[SpanishExpat]

6 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

AFAIK the 180 days rule is not per calendar, there is not a reset to zero the 1 january.

If your passport is full of entry\exit stamps, at your next entry they count the number

of days you have stayed in Thailand from now to the 365 days before, even if it's on 2

differents years, and if is over 180 you are screwed.

It was the experience i have had some years ago (I was under 50) at

Suvarhanbumi airport. (By chance i had ''only'' 170 days so i have been admitted in)

And that exactly shows what Clowns they are and that the rule is just applied according to mood/bad luck/ entry point...whatever. 180 rules written by law normally reset to 0 after a calendar year. 

Edited December 5, 2019 by SpanishExpat

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Oh so superior. Does your country welcome Thai wishing to take a sabbatical. Kanker

  Who do you think you  are starting to name call?  My statements about the 180 days are factually correct.  Now whether the Thai man was trying state a 180 day rule or whether they were trying to help the man out is open to conjecture.  But you keep your negatives to yourself

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Oh so superior. Does your country welcome Thai wishing to take a sabbatical. Kanker

Possibly yes.  That would be a very valid reason to list on their USA Visa application.

[Scott]

Post reported and removed.  

 

[Peter Denis]

Some questions re 180 day unofficial guideline

• Some posters seem to suggest that this 180 day unofficial guideline is only used at the main entry airports (BKK / DMK). Is that correct?  I assumed it was also applied at land-borders and other Airports, but that these were more relaxed and that you might not encounter scrutiny there.
• I always understood that the 180 days were not per calendar year, but when they are looking for a reason to deny you that IO checks your history going back 365 days.  But do they also take into consideration the time you will be spending on entry in Thailand?  I guess not, but would be good to know.
• When you are on an METV in Thailand the Visa is valid for 6 months and you can squeeze 9 months out of it when timed right.  But you need to exit Thailand after 2 months (or 3 months when you extended in country).  Can you get into trouble when on your subsequent entries you have passed the 180 days unofficial guideline.  I guess not, but once again knowing is better than guessing.

[MisguidedPangolin]

4 hours ago, lkv said:

You must also be wondering, like myself, why people bite into this type of threads, where you can smell trolling from distance.

 

Naivety perhaps.

 

What on Earth about this seems like trolling? Someone politely asking for help about Thai visas on a forum called Thai Visa in what I assume is a relatively common scenario (a foreigner wanting to spend longer in Thailand and looking for available options - whether they just love the place and want to travel or find a girlfriend and want to spend as much time as possible with her or whatever else, I'm sure my situation is not unique). I politely thanked anyone willing to offer potentially useful advice. Yay, what a wonderful troll this was, I was rolling around laughing. You got me.

 

I see other people getting snarky with each other too. Lighten up, guys.

 

Thanks again to those who tried to help. It seems I've perhaps received about as much help as I can expect. I'll be heading into immigration shortly, but in case anyone would be willing to offer anything useful on how easy it is to get an education visa, terms etc, or the least work I can do to get a work visa and what's realistically involved, I'd be grateful.

[MisguidedPangolin]

2 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Some questions re 180 day unofficial guideline

• Some posters seem to suggest that this 180 day unofficial guideline is only used at the main entry airports (BKK / DMK). Is that correct?  I assumed it was also applied at land-borders and other Airports, but that these were more relaxed and that you might not encounter scrutiny there.
• I always understood that the 180 days were not per calendar year, but when they are looking for a reason to deny you that IO checks your history going back 365 days.  But do they also take into consideration the time you will be spending on entry in Thailand?  I guess not, but would be good to know.
• When you are on an METV in Thailand the Visa is valid for 6 months and you can squeeze 9 months out of it when timed right.  But you need to exit Thailand after 2 months (or 3 months when you extended in country).  Can you get into trouble when on your subsequent entries you have passed the 180 days unofficial guideline.  I guess not, but once again knowing is better than guessing.

 

When I was getting grilled at the airport they printed out my entire history of coming to Thailand (I first came about five years ago) and specifically referenced things from long ago, including a time I did a same day visa run (about 4 years ago I flew to Malaysia and came back the same day, I'd forgotten about it, the guy was talking about it as though it was recent and it seemed a big deal to him. It's the only time I've done a same say visa run and one of only two times I've ever been away for under 2 weeks, he made a big deal about both). I've flown with and without prearranged visas into BKK and DMK many times over the last few years with well over 180 days in Thailand over the previous 365 days. This is the first time they've said anything about it.

[MisguidedPangolin]

In case anyone is wondering, the trip to the immigration department went as follows.

 

I can stay until December 24, they cancelled the cancelled stamp put in my passport after it was initially stamped. If I wanted to pay the 1,900 baht they would have happily extended until late January. I'd already told friends I'd be heading to Australia for xmas and given my recent experience coming in I figured I wouldn't push it, so didn't extend.

 

All the staff I spoke to (3 of them) at immigration were surprisingly polite, friendly and eager to help as best they could. Very different from the last time I went in a few months ago, when two different staff members yelled at me (literally raising their voice angrily) because I was wearing shorts and others gave me nasty glares. The previous time I went in was over a year ago, plenty of people were wearing shorts, some in singlets, many in flip flops, no one seemed to care then. Actually, no one cared about the people in flip flops, singlets etc today either. From what I gather/guess, someone worked out that getting angry at people wearing shorts who are *on holiday* in a *tropical country* touted as a *fun and relaxing destination* wanting to extend their visa so they could *stay longer and spend more money in the country* was a stupid idea likely to be correlated with the *drop in tourism relative to expected figures actually being experienced at the time* and they sent a memo around.

 

None of them (and they went around asking the other staff) knew anything about a 180 day rule, official or otherwise and thought it was strange thing for me to be concerned about. They'd literally never heard a thing about it and seemed completely genuine. They assured me that as long as I left Thailand for more than 1 day at a time I could come back as many times as I wanted, with or without a visa in advance. They were happy to assure me there is no reason I couldn't spend about 360 days per year in Thailand on tourist visas/extensions (30/60/90 days at a time with one day in between each) as long as I'm not working or studying (in which case I can get a study or work visa). Needless to say, I am completely unconvinced that border staff would be as eager to be so nice. They did say that border staff may question me again, but if I wasn't working or studying and politely answered any questions, I would surely be let in. I'm completely unconvinced, but reporting what I was told.

 

Any helpful or potentially helpful comments (or polite criticism) would be greatly appreciated, but if anyone want to squabble further or accuse me of being a troll please do so in another thread.