@Shan *******

Perhaps the Line thing is something new - I haven't seen that before. When my friends and I did it, it was a very simple "come back in two weeks", and then putting the stamps in the passport only took 5-10 minutes when we returned. If they said "before 8 May", though, I'm guessing that really means "on 9 May", since 8 May is a Sunday, and there have been so many recent holidays. Good luck!

@Shan *******

The face time with the officer is well under 15 minutes - similar to an extension of stay (though for some reason the officers in the Non-O section are a lot jollier). After that, they put a stamp on your receipt telling you to come back in two weeks to get the actual visa, which is just a formality - I've never heard of anyone approved at the first stage who didn't actually get the visa when they came back.

BTW, they do not hold on to your passport during that two-week period, and they don't put any "under consideration" stamp in the passport either.

I did my non-O at CW about two years ago. At that time, the receipt requirement wasn't on their info sheet, but when I went in for the application the officer told me - to my surprise - that I needed to show the receipts, even though I had my lease and a letter from the landlord, and was using the same address I had been using on all immigration forms for my previous OA extensions. She was kind enough to let me scan and email the receipts (I had them at home), and the visa was ready when I returned after the waiting period.

As to why they ask for receipts, it makes no sense to me, either. The officer's explanation was that "it shows you're not actually living in Pattaya instead of Bangkok" - because apparently a lease is easy to forge, but rent receipts aren't...? 🤷

For that matter, I don't understand why a lease is required, either, as there's no rule against spending your retirement moving around between hotels (or friends' sofas), but it's their game, and they get to make the rules.

@Bob ******

The Regional Federal Benefits Unit covering Thailand is located at the US Embassy in Manila.

From their website: "Unless otherwise stated in the sections related to your destination or point of transit, THAI follows just the regulations put in place by the countries it operates to."

Finnair often has the cheapest extra baggage rates.

@Mike **********

Very true, and unfortunately most websites aren't up to date :/

@Mike **********

Very few airlines require a PCR test unless one is required by the destination or transit country (which it often is these days). The only frequently used carrier I'm aware of that insists on PCR tests for all passengers no matter what is Etihad, though I'm sure there are others out there.

@Brandon ***********

A mistake by Thailand Pass would absolutely not be the airline's responsibility (just as it wouldn't be their responsibility if an immigration officer at a port of entry determined that a visa had been issued in error).

The problem is that Thailand announced with great fanfare that holders of Thailand Pass QR codes would only need the code and the PCR test result for entry, but failed to have IATA update the Timatic database to reflect that. So you now have airline personnel being told by their computer that they have to check the same documents for Thailand Pass as they did for COE, even though that isn't the policy of the Thai government at all. The issue has been pointed out again and again since TP began on November 1, and Thailand hasn't even commented, let alone done anything about it.

@John *******

Immigration virtually never asks to see an onward ticket - normally only if they're suspicious of you for some other reason - but it's quite common for your airline to request it upon check-in, since it is technically a requirement when entering under a visa exemption.