Why are there complaints about the visa extension process in Thailand?

Why extend just do a border run

That OP is an idiot. He can't catch a hint? Immigration will come up with anything at this point to discourage DTV holders from extending. They prefer we exit and re-enter! Expect to see more SURPRISED PIKACHU posts from DTV holder wondering why it's so hard to extend. Meanwhile, some of us never bothered with that nonsense.

I’ve seen a lot of comments saying “They never said you could extend blah blah” It clearly states that you can extend another 180 days. That gives you a full year without leaving. You can file this extension 1 time PER ENTRY. So technically if Thailand followed their own DTV policies you should be able to extend and stay a year per entry before leaving the country and coming back.

I heard Hua Hin was to be the friendliest place to do this, seems things have changed there as well. I never heard about needing a “Thai Bank Account” in order to extend. Nowhere on their website does it say that so it seems that embassy or maybe Hua Hin in general doesn’t want tourists there and it’s there way of getting rid of people. Who knows.

If you don’t choose to extend in country, you have to leave twice a year (every 180 days) . Not once a year … And in some cases, it can even be 3 times a calendar year (if you do a border run on Jan 2, you have to leave again on day 182 early July then leave again on day 362 late December).

I kept telling people they don’t want you to do extensions and everyone screamed “I have the right !!! It said so!!”” No, you don’t. It’s a tourist visa and you’re meant to come and go. And now, they are going to make you do that.

I’m really puzzled by all of this: people can’t see or don’t want to see that DTV is getting more and more hurdles. And I like the classic comment “I entered 3 times with zero problem” … until they get pulled apart and get questioned in the backstage room on the 4th time …

No one is entitled to an extension.

A lot of snowflakes on Reddit.

What this story just say is that the immigration offces has their own interpretation and as usual it leads to inconsistancies between IO offices and even between immigration officers. Nothing new under the sun

Just fly into Cambodia or Vietnam for a day and come back lol 😂 or go to another immigration office.

Visa offices around the country typically interpret “rules” their way. The “official” rule is that you need 500k in a “bank account” for at least a month prior to applying for the extension. If Hua Hin is interpreting that as “in a Thai bank account” then so be it. There’s pretty much not a lot you could do about it.

Do what 90 or so % are doing and bounce rather than extending.

It’s every 180 days (without an extension) not once a year as you state.

I highly doubt any request to require a Thai bank account to extend a tourist visa actually happened. Just my 2 cents.

Goal posts haven’t moved . For ANY visa extension inside Thailand you MUST provide updated documents. Learn how to have a day or 2 out at immigration

I do not think the goalposts were moved. There were no goal posts. Immigration did not publish any guidance for extensions until almost 6 months after the visa was implemented. This was mentioned by the MFA in the FCCT interview ie Immigration were still working on guidelines. They can whinge about the actual goal posts but they have not moved

Many warm thanks for this very useful rant posted anonymously!