Is crossing the border at Nong Khai for a 60-day visa exempt the best option for me?

7 years in Thailand and your asking about visas

Your terminology is very incorrect. It is possible that arrived on a retirement visa (maybe) but you could not have had it for four years. If you had a retirement visa, it ran out after one year. Maybe you then obtained extension of stay based on being over 50 for the next three years. Then you possibly had extensions of stay based on being married to a Thai person for the next three years. The Visa exempt entry is for tourists coming to Thailand. I can see (and so will the Immigration officer) that by your 7 plus years of living in Thailand that you cannot claim to be a tourist, therefore I would expect that if you attempt a visa exempt entry, that the Immigration officer would rightly deny you entry into Thailand. If you want to come to Thailand you need a long term visa appropriate to your reason for stay.

Just wanted to say, doing it on your own, be prepared for a knock back these days. I have a similar visa history as you, went out into Malaysia (ok different location I know) but on return they said no! They saw I was married my visa history and immediately said no....... until I paid 2000baht. Then I got welcomed.

Nong Khai - Vientiane is still known to be one of the easier border points and still possible to bounce out and in within the same day.

For the fastest and easiest option, use a border bounce agency to take you to the border and back so you can get it all done in the same day.

If you want to do it yourself, you will have to spend 2 nights in Laos as the Thai side will not let you leave and return in the same day if you are entering with visa exempt. Only using an agency to grease the wheels will that be possible.