US citizen… is visa on arrival still a thing?

Thanks for all good advice previously

Any one of us tourists experienced any denial of entry when arriving from Phom Penh by air. South Africa passport and this will be my 4 th entry in 12 months , but only ever stayed between 10 and 20 days

Not sure if a METV would help .....

Appreciate any current experience

Thanks

I have a few questions and would like to hear from people who have recent experience, because the political situation in Thailand is unstable and there have been some changes to visa regulations.

1. I’ve heard that visa extensions at Immigration can now only be extended for 7 days instead of 30 days. Is this true?

2. If applying for a tourist visa in Laos, is it still possible to get a 3-month visa?

3. What is the current situation regarding student (ED) visas? Has anyone been rejected recently?

Thanks in advance 🙏🏼

Update, I was given 7 days extension, attempts to get 30 days was denied. Officer did not ask any questions nor ask for additional documents.

Hi, I applied for visa exemption extension online via VFA. This is my third visit to Bangkok Thailand this year.

1st visit - early jan 2 weeks or so.

2nd visit - mid July to October 60+30 days extension (I consumed roughly 78 days)

Between my 2nd and 3rd visit I went back to my home city Hanoi for 5 days

3rd visit mid October to present with online extension appointment in person on Monday 15th Dec, the day my visa exemption ends.

What's are the odds the IO will give me

30 days?

7 days?

0?

Thank you

Hello,

In the Past I’ve visited Thailand several times without overstaying or doing visa runs.

Recent history:

• Stayed 3 weeks december 2024, went vietnam for a week in January and cameback in Thailand January for a week.

• Returned Thailand in November for 1 week, then spent 1 week in Vietnam

• Came back to Thailand, was asked a few questions but got stamped

• Left a few days for a family event and will return 6 days later

→ Total: 3 entries in 2025, all on visa exemption.

Am I fine as long as I have an onward ticket, hotel booking, and cash?

Also, is the “VIP fast track” people talk about (paying someone to get stamped with no questions) legit?

Just wanna say my experience to get a tourist visa in Vietnam. It took 4 working days applying from HCMC embassy. They asked me why I applied for a tourist visa and I said because last time I entered IO told me to apply for one. I used an outbound cheap ticket from Krabi to Kuala Lumpur.

Now my question is: I have spent 52 days in the beginning of the year in Visa visa extemp, came back home 6 months and 67 from October in Thailand for a total of 119 days on 2025.

At the moment I'm in Vietnam and I would like to back for New year in Thailand. My idea was to travelling to laos because I wanna visit there first and enter by land from nong khai or could be that a problem and better fly to bkk airport and use a safe entry? Or atill better to wait january to come back?

Thank you guys

Has anyone with multiple citizenships tried to use different passports for exemption? Or they have a way of tracking it?

I’ve got tickets booked to arrive in Thailand next week. This will be my fourth visit for the year. Others being in March, June and October. Each visit, I stay for 3 weeks. Genuine tourist. Have return flight back to Australia paid for. Accomodation booked. Enough cash to pass the 20,000 baht test. Have I got anything to be concerned about? As in, entry refusal?

Just some info for others worried about entering.

I've spent the last 3 years on/off in Thailand on tourist visa, visa exemption, and a 1yr student visa.

I recently left for 9 months and did a world travel trip.

Yesterday I crossed via land at the Padang Besar border with Malaysia.

No issues at all, despite the many Thai stamps in my passport.

No questions, no proof, nothing.

Just a photo, fingerprints and a slightly grumpy officer, and I was stamped in for 60 days 👍

Arrived in Bangkok 11 December

This is not something I dreamed up.

Previous retirement visa but COVID and a death in the family screwed that up. So in

November 2024 Visa exempt with 30 day extention. Left the country for a week and back from Vientiane to get another Visa exempt and left before the 60 days in April 2025. That entry did raise a few eyebrows and required input of a senior IO but nothing was said. That was the only visa run done.

For the record, no over stays or any other issues in 35 odd years. A clean slate as far as I am aware.

On arrival got taken out the queue to the immigration office. Had to fill out a Passenger Information Form and was told I needed a Wife visa. The IO supervisor, firm but polite, wanted to see Baht 20,000 CASH, marriage certificate 35 years married to a Thai, wife ID card and a ticket out of Thailand. I had a genuine reservation to Ho Chi Ming city, thought that might be helpful.

I was given a 60 day visa exempt and TOLD in no uncertain terms to get the correct visa. I doubt if a 30 day extension will be given

On a side note there was another Brit who seemed to have been stopped for visa "irregularities" and told to return to the UK. When he asked if he could buy a ticket to Loas he was told no, go back to the UK.

There were at least 6 others in the office, the one where seniors over 70 can fast track, being interviewed.

So there will be two types people that will read this.

1. Those who think this will not happen to them and continue to think visa exempt is the way to long term stays. Your entitlement will be your undoing.

2. Those that will take on my experience and be prepared. I honestly believed that the ticket to Vietnam saved me from being sent back to the UK.

So why did not get the correct visa before coming. I have been trying to get funds out of a fund run by STM Malta, useless company, for 4 months. They keep changing the goal posts.

Far too many posts thinking this is a joke it is not. Long term stays require a visa.