@Raoul ******

If I’m thinking about it correctly (it’s late and I’m bad at math) then it might actually be cheaper to go with STV.

Visa exemption scheme was free upfront, but each extension after the 45 days costs at least $67 (not actually sure how much it costs for 60 days, but I’m assuming it’s more than the 30 days). So for 90 days (the first 15 of the 45 I’m not counting cuz quarantine) costs at least $134. The STV should be good for 90 days (last I checked) and costs around $65. Keep in mind this for US citizens, not sure about other countries. Also I’m not sure how much it would cost to renew a STV once in Thailand.

I didn’t have time to wait for the embassy to process and mail back my passport and stuff, so that was a deciding factor for me. As far as I can tell, depending on how long someone wants to stay, the price difference isn’t terribly significant, especially after spending so much on a quarantine hotel.

Hope that made sense! 😅

@Ryan *******

correct. And it’s also possible they will extend the extensions like they’ve done before. I’ve heard many people talk about how they were afraid of the extensions ending by a certain date so paid for a volunteer visa only to have the gov extend visas again. No sure fire way of knowing until it happens. All good info for the OP. 🙂

@Ryan *******

possible. I just went to the immigration office the other day for my 30 day extension and was told I could come back at the end of March for a 60 day. It may depend on when OP arrives, but it’s hard to know for sure about anything until you’re at immigration.

Kayla, you can only apply for a STV while still in the US, not after coming to Thailand. If you choose to go that route then yes, you’ll need to send in all your stuff to get the visa. If you choose to come in with the visa exemption scheme then you’ll have the 45 days and you can also get a 30 and then 60 day extension at the local immigration office in Thailand starting for around $67. I went with the visa exemption, so I can’t say how quickly or easy it is to get an STV. 🙂

Thank you all for your help with this! I just returned from the immigration office in Krabi and was easily able to get a month extension for 2000 baht. They confirmed I can return for a 60 day extension next, so I’m going to see how far I can go with this method and then see what my options are from there. Thanks again!