What are the current rules and concerns regarding visa exempt entries and extensions in Thailand?

ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS:

REPEATED VISA EXEMPT ENTRIES & EXTENSIONS ON V/E ENTRIES

I think it's time that we address "the elephant in the room" and that's this 'new rule' about only 2 visa exempt entries per calendar year; the one where they are saying the first entry can get a 30 day extension, any entries after that can get a 7 day extension and if you entered by land on a visa exempt entry you can't get any extension.

Plain and simple there is NO OFFICIAL RULE about this. :O There is no Royal Police Order stating it, nothing has been published in the royal gazette, in short there is abso-tively, posi-lutely nothing out there that makes these "new rules" official..

However that doesn't stop immigration officers at the borders and at immigration offices from enforcing them.. :O We are seeing more and more that people are being denied exiting the country by land (if they're going to just bounce out/back even if they stay out a couple days)

and

we are seeing more and more immigration offices telling people they can get only a 7 day extension on their current visa exempt entry (if they've had other v/e entries this year w/30 day extensions).

There are also reports of immigration offices denying an extension because the visa/exempt entry was made by a land crossing.

SO while there is no official rule, we sure are seeing those "not real rules" being enforced, (albeit haphazardly) at immigration offices and entry points around the country.. In fact Several Immigration offices have made up their own notice and posted it. At least they mentioned that the 2 v/e per year is CALENDAR year and it will 'reset' Jan 1st 2026 :)

We are also seeing a LOT more people pulled aside when flying in free stamp (visa exempt) especially with previous visa exempt entries and not that much time out of the country between them.

My advice if you're "living here" on free back-2-back visa exempt stamps w/30 day extensions STOP doing it :O because you're going to get pulled aside and denied entry sooner rather than later. (and no I don't care if you've been doing it since the rule went from 30 to 60 days back in July 2024, times are different now and you will get caught out on it)

Now they are NOT targeting "real tourists", <- people who come here couple times a year free stamp, tour around then go back to where they came from, then later in the year come back again. The sad thing is it is up to the immigration officer you're standing in front of at passport control to decide what a "real tourist" means :/

Your best bet if you're coming in free stamp, is to have proof of onward travel within the 60 days you'll get stamped in for. Because if the immigration officer is gonna hassle you about anything it will be for proof of onward travel :)

Here is the Public Relation Department of Thailand's "official" press release;

[[[members only])

And here are some graphics that are making their way around the inter-web.. You can see one is specifically from Samui, the rest I dunno, I just pulled the images when I saw them

Wish I had more concrete information for you people, I really do. As of now this is about it