Has anyone had experience with a Chiang Mai visa run for a border bounce?

As an additional data point on the new limitations on visa exempt entries, here’s my Thailand entry / exit history for 2025 (USA passport). I entered again yesterday afternoon on a visa exempt basis and had no issues or questions.

Sept. 29 enter Thailand at BKK visa exempt. Leave Thailand on Oct. 17 and fly to Vietnam. (19 days)

Nov. 17 enter Thailand at BKK visa exempt. Leave December 13 and fly to Bangladesh. (27 days)

Dec. 24 enter Thailand at BKK visa exempt.

Obviously, this is a pattern for a genuine tourist rather than someone trying to live here on a visa exempt basis. No problem at all on the third entry.

Just arrived at Suvarnabhumi - short lines through immigration. I had a couple of short one week stays in 2025 and then one visa exempt 60 + 30 stay. IO asked to see proof of my flight out before the end of this 60 day visa-exempt visit. Provided and sent on my merry way.

Looking for some advice on the Visa free possibility of extension.

Australian passport holder landing in Thailand for the first time, expecting to receive 60 day stamp.

Is it possible to pay for extension at immigration without doing border run?

Thank you in advance. 🙏

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

Metv applied pending aproval uploaded additinal documents ... fly 15th ... but im thinking thjs may not come back and i lose flight applied from london ten days ago additional dicuments loaded 2 days after ?

Hello everyone, We were unaware that today was a holiday, so we did not extend our 60-day visa which runs out this Sunday. Aside from leaving Thailand for a few days, is it possible to address this on Monday, a day after our visa expires? Thank you,

I was in Thailand in January and July this year. I didn't do the extension and flew back to the UK before the 60 days on both occasions. I am planning to fly back to Thailand end of the month and planning to stay for less than 8 weeks. Will this be OK or is it best to get a tourist visa?

Hi all need a bit of advice please

I was in Thailand in April and had a 30 day extension on visa and I'm back in Thailand can I get another 30 day extension with it been in the same year ? Thanks

Ok sorry to ask but I’m someone who lives in phillippines that comes to Thailand for a week every couple of months (Canada passport). I saw now it’s only 2 visa exempt entries a year? How does this apply to me does it mean these week trips to Thailand are over or I need a visa?