Is the new 60-day visa exemption in Thailand truly unlimited for land border runs?

@Maxim **********

thank you

@Jamie *****

My definition of a formal visa is a non-immigrant visa.

For example, a Business Approved (B-A) visa is a multiple entry visa with a one-year validity that grants me a one-year (364 days) period of permission to stay. At the end of the visa validity, I can generate a second year with just one border run to Vientiane. While there, I might have spend 300,000K at the lovely La Terrasse French café and enjoy three Lao beer towers.

In contrast, if I wanted to stay the same two years using 60-day visa exemption stamps, it would require a total of 8 border runs and 8 extensions at immigration, resulting in 16 interactions with immigration. How ridiculous is that! Talk about multiple points of failure. I will let you do the calculation of how stupid it would be to stay two years utilizing the previous 30 day visa exemptions program.

Do things properly, who would want a entry stamp of 60 days when you can have 364 days.

@Jamie *****

60 day Visa Exempt is not a Visa at all, that's why the word "Exempt" is there... it's just a stamp in the passport

@Terary *********

I, on the other hand, and the admin of another English-speaking visa advice group, are of the opinion that you shouldn't believe everything and should wait and see whether more reports of this kind come in.

It's true - there have been no other such statements so far.

Tod Daniels (a great guy, the visa guru of the advice groups!)

came to the conclusion a week ago that since July 15th you can make UNLIMITED 60-day visa-exempt entries via a land border. The limit of crossing a land border twice per calendar year has been dropped, he writes

unfortunately, he is basing his argument on ONE single report, as well as the passport and the story of a Filipino who was stamped in at Nong Khai

this Filipino had already overstayed three times (!!) and had already made THREE 30-day visa-free entries since the beginning of the year!

and then the guy claims that after a 60-day visa-exempt stay permit was stamped into his passport, he asked the official how many times he could re-enter from there on

and the official answered him: "unlimited!"

I don't believe a word of this story

because - who is so stupid as to point out to the official at the border with such a stupid question that he might have made a mistake?

He would have expect that the border official will take a closer look at his passport and possibly revoke the stamp!

Do you understand?

that's why I don't believe this story

and Tod Daniels may have fallen for this story

And what else can you say about the little phrase "unlimited visa-free travel"?

The phrase "unlimited visa-free travel by air" has already suggested something that didn't actually exist

In the past, at a certain point, let’s say, the third consecutive attempt at visa-free travel, you would be taken aside at all airports (and at land borders!) and questioned about your true intentions.

And you would be warned that this would be the last time you would be allowed to enter without a suitable visa for a specific purpose.

So, please, why would it have been changed to "unlimited visa-free travel for 60 days for the rest of your Life" as of July 15th?

Based on just ONE report from a Filipino traveler about his experiences at a land border to Laos?

Why should one now start to believe that the phrase "unlimited" actually means unlimited entries by air and land?

Each entry is still granted at the discretion of the immigration officer at the border.

If an immigration officer decides that you have used visa-free entry often enough in a row and have "abused" it for a long-term stay, you can flush the next "unlimited" entry down the toilet

@Maxim **********

and Tod Daniels stressed especially, that over the past years, he has not received one single report of a refusal at HKT Phuket airport. You can take HKT from your warning list

@Maxim **********

and I say, it can happen at ANY of Thailand's borders. It happened in the past, and it will continue so

@Graham *****

and that is the issue with all visas it seems

Also if you stay more than 180 days you become liable for income tax as a Resident in Thailand

@Maxim **********

Sir where can i get the exit and entry stamps? Can I do it on Nong Khai or do I have to go further to khamsavath? I'm planning to ride the train 133 from bangkok to vientiane

@Maxim **********

where can I read more info on the + 60 days based on marriage? I’m married and my wife is a teacher. We relied on her work visa being able to cover my stay as well. But her school is refusing to send necessary paperwork so that I can get my long term visa in conjunction with hers. The

School flat out said they won’t help us with this. So I’m scrambling trying to figure out my best course of action. I might be able to pull off the DTV, but I’m looking at all options.

@Maxim **********

Lucky your Immigration Office gives both the 30 + 60 extention on each entry. Many only give the 60 days if you have Thai dependant relatives