August 2, 2018
6 years ago
Urgent advice needed
So here's my situation, Pattaya based. Arrived into Thailand 5 months ago, 30 day visa on arrival. Extended it for a further 30 days, then did a few trips to Cambodia every month and most recently went to Laos and got a 60 day tourist visa which is now due to expire on the 5th of this month. I fully intend on staying in Thailand for at least another year, if not longer; having spoken with a School here that most people recommend for an education visa they tell me 14 days (30 recommended) is needed to fully process the application which clearly I don't have.
I could easily just fly out again and come back, but I'm very worried about the amount of stamps I have already. the last time I came back from Laos the immigration officer pressed me about why I stay so long time in Thailand without a long term visa, I'm afraid if I do it again I will have problems :/
Trying to recall conversations I've had with mutual friends here I seem to remember someone saying, if you come back via bus/minivan there's a way in which you can avoid being grilled by immigration officers, is there any truth in this? Is it a case of a little extra baht is paid when coming back over the border and no questions are asked? This will be the last time I need to make the trip in such a risky way so I need to ensure I'm able to get back , soon as I am I will start the education visa process. I fully intend on attending all classes, if I'm gonna be living here learning the language will be useful
TLDR : Answer Summary
The user, based in Pattaya, has faced challenges with their visa situation, having initially entered Thailand on a 30-day visa on arrival, then extended for 30 more days, and most recently obtained a 60-day tourist visa which is about to expire. They express concern about returning to Thailand after multiple visa runs, fearing scrutiny from immigration due to the number of stamps in their passport. Commenters suggest applying for a 30-day extension on the current tourist visa at immigration for 1900 baht, as well as paying a deposit at a school to obtain paperwork for the education visa. Overall, a solution is presented where the user can extend their current visa and avoids additional trips that could lead to problems at the border.
