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Should I extend my tourist visa or activate my Non-O visa in Thailand?

Mar 2, 2025
8 days ago
Fin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Slightly niche issueโ€ฆ I applied for a 90 day Non-O EVisa before travelling to Thailand with my wife however the application didnโ€™t process fast enough before our flight to Thailand.

The officer let me in on a 60 day exemption in order to change my visa once I receive confirmation of my Non-O. Work schedule and unforeseen medical issues meant I was unable to go and submit this change. I now have 1 week left on my 60 day exemption.

Am I better off extending my tourist visa for 30 days at Lak Si division 1 or going through the lengthy day long process of going to the government building and claiming the last 30 days of my Non-O?

Also something to note, I did not receive a TM-30 when entering which I know Lak Si will be strict on.

If I get my landlord to submit the TM-30 on my behalf, would they put the date of entry to the country or the start of my lease last year?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user is facing a decision on whether to extend their 60-day visa exemption for an additional 30 days at Lak Si or to leave Thailand to activate their approved Non-O visa. They have concerns regarding the TM-30 registration, as they did not receive one upon entry. Comments suggest that it's not possible to claim the last 30 days of the Non-O visa while in Thailand; that visa must be activated by exiting and re-entering the country. Moreover, it's noted that the documentation for TM-30 can be flexible, emphasizing the importance of having it filed correctly once they return on the Non-O visa.
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Ryan ********
When you re-enter on your NON-O the first thing is to go to Bangkok Bank and open an account immediately. You should not need an agent.
Claude **********
fwiw as a landlord you only have 24h to file a TM30 so your TM30 will start yesterday or today
Willem ****
Your landlord can put in any date. There is no check for a previous tm30. Only the last one counts.
Willem ****
Claude Vedovini

Yes. Eventhough he actually checked in way before. No problem
Claude **********
@Willem ***
this is incorrect, as a landlord you can only file a TM30 with a checkin date that is day of or the previous day
Willem ****
@Claude *********
So he can file just today eventhough you checked in 2 weeks ago.
Claude **********
@Willem ***
he can file today but the checkin date on the TM30 will be today or yesterday
Tod *********
๐—”๐—น๐˜€๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ, ๐—œ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐— -๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—œ ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐—ธ ๐—ฆ๐—ถ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป.

Wouldn't worry about the TM30 until you BOUNCE OUT/BACK to activate that Non-O visa entry. Then once you're back in on the new 90 day stamp have the land lord file the TM30

You definitely will need it along with the other documentation to get the year extension of stay at Chaengwattana after that 90 day stamp runs down
Tod *********
๐—”๐—บ ๐—œ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ณ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—บ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฎ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐—ธ ๐—ฆ๐—ถ

NO you're better off PRINTING out that PDF that they emailed you (which is your visa) then bouncing out and back to activate it

๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ด๐˜๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜ ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ก๐—ผ๐—ป-๐—ข?

There is no lengthy day to claim anything on that Non-O, you cannot USE an eVisa inside the country if you didn't enter on it. It's worthless until you exit/re-enter on that visa <- when as I said in my previous comment you'll get a 90 day entry stamp
Fin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
thanks so much for the detailed response! So just to confirm, this pdf with qr code e-visa is what I need to print off?

I could fly to another country close to Thailand, stamp into that country and get on the next flight back to Bangkok. Then show this pdf and stamp back in for 90 days?
Brandon ************
@Fin *********
exactly that
Fin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank you so much for your advice! Really appreciate what you do here with the group.
Tod *********
If you wanted to you could even take the 30 day extension on this current visa exempt entry you have now

There's no issue with that either, you would do that at IT Square Laksi Plaza

You would most likely need a current TM30 to do it, but you could if you wanted to for 1900 baht

That would buy you some time to plan your bounce out/back ๐Ÿ™‚

Just so you're clear; as long as you bounce out/back on or by the 14th of April you will be able to get in for 90 days on that Non-O eVisa you have
Fin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
in this scenario would my landlord have to fill in my TM30 now from when I arrived on the tourist stamp or from when I actually started living here last year?
John **********
@Fin *********
he files it the day he files it. You can't backdate it
Tod *********
@Fin *********
he can't file it for any date in the past, if he was filing one it'd be for the day he filed it, it wouldn't make a difference getting the 30 day extension as you just need a current TM30
Fin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
ok excellent. So thanks to your advice Iโ€™ll extend my tourist stamp for now, I can then go to the UK for work beginning of April and fly back before the 14th to activate this visa.
Tod *********
@Fin *********
sounds like a plan..

you will be fine as long as you enter on or before the date that Non-O visa expires
Tod *********
you can indeed (y)

you can enter the country right up until the 14th of April <- the day that visa itself expires and you will get stamped in for 90 days when you do

That PDF print out IS your Non-O visa ๐Ÿ™‚
Lloyd ********
Easy answer, there is no "claiming" the last 30 days of your Non-O , you would have to leave and re-enter the country to activate the visa, it can't be done in country. So easiest is the 30 day extension to your 60 day visa exempt.
Tod *********
Not a niche question or issue at all

You're FAR from the first person who applied for a thai visa thru the eVisa online portal too close to your travel date to thailand and not have it approved before you came here ๐Ÿ˜•

You got in on a 60 day visa exempt entry, NOW if the eVisa is approved you would have gotten an email with the visa PDF file in it.

That Non-O visa is VALID for 3 months <- meaning you have 3 months from the date it's issued to enter thailand on it and get stamped in for 90 days

You cannot activate that visa inside the country, so if you have it approved, print it out, then either use a service to take you to the border, stamp out of thailand on the 60 day visa exempt you're here on, stamp in and out of another country and then hand the PDF of the Non-O visa with your passport to the officer when you stamp back in and you will get stamped in for 90 days

OR

You could fly out and back to activate too. Any way you want to do it you have to exit/re-enter ON that visa to use it

AND

You get 90 days from the date you ENTER the country so you haven't burned any time up on that Non-O entry yet
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