Trying to find out whats the best way forward:

I've been in thailand for 5 months (1 visa run with short overstay). Tried to open a company and get a wp but got scammed (hence the overstay).

im considering going for a few months to bali, applying there and coming back on DTV.

i have the money in the bank, but my income is very unstable as i do some group coaching twice a year and thats where most of my income comes from

i have my own company, could pay myself a salary

any advice or things i should read on? would be greatly appreciated. im a south american national but also have european passport if it makes any difference.

Visa Conundrum

Hi guys. I am having some difficulty obtaining current information. Visas and their procedures have changed and I find myself lost. My situation.

I am presently employed at a school in Roi Et. I will leave this school at the end of June and begin working at a school in Bangkok. Here is the information my new school has given me. I am unable to convince the new school of changes in their thinking.

1) I must be present in Roi Et to cancel my visa and work permit on June 30. It is impossible to quickly be in Bangkok on the same day to transfer my Non-B from one school to another (I have checked flights). The earliest I could arrive at Bangkok Immigration is 01 July. However, according to the new school, this would put me on a 1 day overstay. Bangkok immigration will refuse the transfer process if I am in an overstay situation. I can't use the 7 day visa extension option as Bangkok immigration will not process the visa transfer if my on on this 7 day extension. Is there a way around this problem?

2) I am investigating a Non-O marriage visa as I have been married with a Thai citizen for over 5 years. I do not have 400,000 Baht in the bank but my Thai salary is more than double the required 40,000 Baht. However I am finding mixed information about using my Thai salary. Some sources say that the 40,000 Baht must come from abroad. Some sources say Thai salary is OK, but I will need a letter from my embassy to verify my income. My embassy (U.S.A.) will not provide such a letter. Some sources say that isn't important and that 12 months of salary slips is sufficient (this I do have). The other issue is timing. I have two months before I will need everything processed. Additionally I have a work permit. Most websites indicate that I would need to cancel my current work permit when transferring from a non-B to a non-O. Does anyone have any suggestions about this option or any information that can clarify some of the questions I have posed?

I think this leaves two further options.

3) Get a Thai tourist visa from a Thai Embassy/Consulate in a neighboring country. I am having trouble finding updated information on this. Which is the best country (nearby) to do this? How does the e-visa system work? It used to be simple, but things seem much more complicated these days. If I need to do a tourist visa I would like to do it in the cheapest and most time-efficient manner. Any suggestions?

4) Get a Thai non-B from a Thai Embassy/Consulate in a neighboring country. My new employer is willing to provide the necessary documents for this. Again, if I go this route I would be looking for the most economical and efficient process. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you for any assistance and insight. Sorry for the long post.

Hello, I have 90d Non-O until 8. march and leaving Thailand 23. march and I'm wondering which options I have. I was on immigration and they said one year or 7 days extension. I can not provide documents for one year but not sure about 7 as I didn't ask because I need 15 days. I planed go do border bounce which is 7k and lost hard day or two so I'm now wondering about to do 7day extension and then pay for 8 days overstay on the airport which seems to be still less or equal to 7k with saved energy and time for border bounce. What do you think about that or do I have another options? Would it be ok in the Samui airport if I come with 8days ovestay?

Hello, my daughter is currently on a training scholarship at Thanyapura Sports Resort in Phuket. They originally had her enter Thailand on a non-ed immigrant visa (I think is what it was called). She had it extended and was in Phuket about a year and a half. She traveled to a competition in Europe in December and as the paperwork for her contract renewal was delayed, she ended up on overstay for a couple weeks; she paid the fee when she left. She now has a US passport - originally was on a Micronesian passport as she's dual citizen. Thanyapura had told her to go to Laos and apply for the DTV, which she did, but she was denied. They said the reason was lack of 500,000 in her account, though the training resort had provided a letter for her to confirm her financial support; the resort said that's all she needed, but apparently they were wrong. We are at a loss now as to what visa she should apply for. Her current contract is for a year. She is back in Micronesia and the e-visa site says US citizens applying in Micronesia must apply online through the Beijing embassy.

Any suggestions as to what visa she should apply for? Or should she just return on visa-exempt? Or is it a big risk of being denied entry because of the previous overstay (though on a different passport)?

Question.

I have a DTV visa valid until 2030. I entered Thailand in December 2024 on a 60 day tourist visa (my DTV had been applied for several weeks before, but not yet issued).

The 60 visa stamp in my passport expires soon, but the paper printout DTV is of course still valid.

I am due to fly out of Thailand in about 2 weeks time.

Do I need to do anything?

Will the expired visa in my passport cause an issue or will it be covered by my e-visa?

Thanks in advance

Hi guys, Looking for advice regarding visa extensions for children under 14. I am currently on a 60 day visa upon arrival and need to extend for another 30 days. My children have one overstay stamp in their passports but weren't fined or not let in or out from our last visit, we plan to keep coming to Thailand over the next few years and don't want to cause any problems in the future but also don't want to pay if not necessary. Thanks for all your replies :)

Question, for many years i been on the non B then covid close the business and changed to non O based on my kid.

However now i am trying to obtaint he non b again. located on Koh samui. they dont let me change from non o kid based to non b. so made me fly out and back in (singapore) to enter on a tourist to be able to apply for non b withouth leaving. however on the day of signature they found a overstay of a signle day. and didnt want to sign. pushing me to go on visa run again to get a new tourist on a blanco page in my passport but i refused to participate in another formula 1 mini van to malay.

im looking to fly out to vientiane, but unfortunatly they booked up with apointments till july. Is there any other embassy's you recommened if you got all your papers in order. ( the company inviation, the education certficate the w32 etc etc)

ah and the internet says that you could walk into a imigration changing to non b but ofcourse in reality it not work or are there any places in bangkok that could do this ?

Look forward to your replies

On a HAPPY NOTE. 😁

WE ALL RECEIVED THANKS today..

with an Update..

For the helpful advice received today from our Members and Moderators.

Many forum members were following the post.

...of the forum member who earlier today POSTED he was on overstay 14 days.... ASKED for HELP.

...he followed all of our Advice...

...went to his Thai Immigration office today...

...was granted the 30 days extension of stay that he should have obtained 14 days ago.

Paid the 500 Thai baht daily fine and STAMPED IN for 30 days from his ORIGINAL ENDING DATE..

Thankfully, the young man can now enjoy the remaining time in Thailand and return home as planned.

Moral of the story...

Pay Attention to your STAMPED in ending date received on arrival. And go your local Thai Immigration office to get your 30 day extension of stay on time... NOT on OVERSTAY.

Comments Closed.

We see a number of posts from people that have applied for a visa from an embassy in their home country but have not received it by the time their flight is booked for. (France and Germany are you listening?). Because they come from a country that allows a visa exempt entry they wing their way to Thailand and then get a free 30 day visa exempt entry stamp.

A few days later the visa they applied for appears in their email. Now they have a valid visa for X number of days and want to know what to do to get the X number of days they’ve been granted. They’re already in Thailand. So they head to an immigration office and say they want their visa activated to give them their X number of days.

It doesn’t work that way. The visa they have gives them the right to stay in Thailand for X number of days from entry. They have to leave Thailand and re-enter to activate the visa.

Depending on the visa they have and the number of days they are looking to stay in Thailand for it may be beneficial to extend the 30 days they got on entry at an immigration office and then leave and re-enter to activate the issued visa, or just leave within the 30 days and re-enter to activate it. There is nothing they can do within Thailand to “switch over” to that visa. They need to leave and then come back.

If you are issued an evisa from an eligible country print it out and hand it to the immigration officer when you enter Thailand. Although the fact that you have an evisa is visible to the officer on their immigration system they may miss that and not realise you have one and stamp you in visa exempt regardless that you have a valid visa.

And ALWAYS check the stamp the officer has given you at the entry desk. Humans make mistakes. I see numerous cases where people have come to immigration and said that they were stamped incorrectly on entry and are now on overstay. The onus is on you to check.

l entered Thailand in March 2020 on 30 day entry (not a visa) from Malaysia.

Then due to covid l got the usual extensions due as were available.

Following that l was unable to leave due to a criminal court case, which was continuously postponed due to covid, until l was eventually acquitted in July 2023.

l currently have no visa and only have a signed document from the court, that l was unable to leave due to the court case.

From what l understand, this means l have been overstaying probably since around December or January 2020/2021 which is the last time l was at an immigration office. At that point l was simply told by the immigration officer to simply comeback when the court case had been completed. Well as mentioned l was acquitted but with little help or l assume the wrong advice from my lawyer at the time, l am obviously now overstaying and wonder if l have any options than simply paying a fine or if l will be arrested if l either go to immigration myself or if l try to leave via flight. l have no wish to remain in Thailand, nor do l have wish to return and just wish to leave as painlessly as possible even if it means a fine and blacklisting or both. l would like to avoid being sent to lDC or having to get involved with the courts again.

Do l have any options that do not require atleast a trip to lDC?

Before anyone makes snide remarks: Yes l am aware that l screwed up and no matter what bad advice l was given it is my own responsibility.