Rant alert….

I love all the questions about "how many times can I enter visa exempt".

They're almost always followed by comments of "I did three this year" or "I did 10 so far and have no issues - so you'll be fine".

No one can answer this question with any authority. That's because there is no rule. There is no limit. It is completely up to the discretion of the immigration officer you hand your passport to on arrival.

The guys that had no issue were probably dealing with Sheila. She's happy in her life and likes to think foreigners are good for the economy.

Those that have issues are the ones that hand it to Brian. He's having a bad hair day and about to get his car repossessed. He's apt to take out his depression on foreigners that try to enter his country twice in a calendar year. For no other reason than he's having a bad hair day.

Obviously those two scenarios are made up by me, but that's the type of issues you could encounter at an immigration counter where you have no idea whether you're dealing with Sheila or Brian (and I'm not trying to be sexist in any way here - make up your own names or genders).

No one can answer this type of question. One person could have got in 23 times this year with no issue, but someone else could be questioned or even denied on their second attempt. The latter is probably far fetched but in theory it could happen. We don't know and we can't say, because it's at the discretion of the individual officer.

Hi all! I've been in Thailand for 8 months on a tourist visa + multiple COVID extensions, and I'd like to go to Laos to apply for a new tourist visa at the Thai embassy and then come back a few days later. I'm concerned about the possibility of being turned away at the border when I try to come back in because I've already been here awhile. Therefore, my question is this:

Does anyone know if the Friendship Bridge border crossing (north of Udon Thani and Nong Khai) is known for being particularly strict or lenient about this stuff? Anyone else who has stayed a long time have recent experiences of being allowed back in (or not) at that crossing? Thank you :)

Just came back from laos on a multiple entry oa and they stamped me for a year without asking insurance certificate wich i did not have, lucky me, thanks Tod for thé advices.

Some Information on Padang Besar Border Crossing.

I have for many years been regularly crssing the Thai-Malaysian border. In the good old days one didnt even need a passport. However the crossing has become stricter and stricter as time goes on to almost being unbearable.

Today I returned to Thailand on a PE (Thai Elite) visa. The immigration still demanded to see 10,000 Baht in cash. Last year on an OA extension with a multiple re-entry permit I was also asked to show 10,000. A crossing before that the IO refused to accept my re-entry permit claiming it had expired.

Today I saw a foreign passport holder (i.e.), non Thai or Malaysian refused entry. The IO are going by the book in Padang Besar and looking actively for reasons to refuse entry. All foreign passport holders must go to a special room with a high ranking officer to go through immigration and they are being interviewed.

My advice would be to avoid Padang Besar crossing and opt for Wang Kelian in Satun which is must easier. Im not sure of the situation in Sadao (Dannok) at the momth.

Hope this is of some assistance.