@Royce ***********************

Get married, even if it's not a good reason to do so. It's the only way for you to stay long term in Thailand atm if you are not over 50 (retirement). I've been with my Thai GF for 6 years, we will get married soon. There was a time where you could get education visa and not go to class, but it haven't been possible for maybe 2 years (immigration will properly test you Thai skill every 3 months). Months ago they also discontinued volunteer visa with agent, so if you want one you need to volunteer for real. So any long term visa right now except marriage mean that you need to give a lot of your time for a foundation or at school.

@Miguel ************

Do not listen to Bobby, he does not speak from experience. To answer your question, all sort of visas obtained with agent (volunteer, education visa, marriage, etc), are legit. The stamps are all done the same way if you had not use an agent. BUT... right now volunteer and education visa are NOT available with an agent. If an agent offer you such visas it's a scam. Marriage visa is the only visa one that agent can do atm (if you don't meet the 400k requirement, if you do, do it yourself).

@Paul ****

Volunteer visa with agent has been discontinued months ago, same with ed visa, the only available long term visa with agent atm is marriage visa (if you cant meet the 400k bath requirement, you use an agent). Also, there is no such thing as a "visa shop". A proper agent has an office that you can go in and visit, and will make your visa extremely fast after they receive your passport. "Delayed", even by a week, is also a red sign.

@Bobby *******

Two things are factually incorrect about your post. 1) The cost for a volunteer visa with an agent was never 50k+, it was always around 35k baht. 2) The visas obtained with an agent is not bogus, it's legit, but ofc it's true that plenty of agents are fake and will steal your money. As for right now, the only long term visa available with an agent is marriage visa. Volunteer and Ed visa is not available with agent atm. If someone offer one, it's fake 100%.

@Michael *******

Agent don't give volunteer visa atm, it's being discontinued for months, so if people get offered one from agent it's 100% fake agent.

It works just like I said above, you skip the day 5 test. Nobody is going to hunt you down and you will pay a small fine upon leaving. This is Thailand... laws are applied contextually and money is the motor that drives everything.

The day 5 test many dont do it and just pay a small fine at airport, its no big deal.

@Paul ********

Oh wow, thank you! This was my worry. I live 7 hours from Bangkok and need to go to my Canadian embassy for "Affidavit Freedom to Marry" paper. It need to be in person they told me. I want to stay there only 1 day and give the Affidavit for translation and certified to someone like "Siam Legal" to act as third party and then they mail me everything back at my house. Is that what you did?

@David **********

Did you had to stay in Bangkok the whole 5 days or can Siam Legal then send back the legalized document to you via mail? I live 7 hours from Bangkok and would like to stay there only the one day needed to go to my Canadian embassy for the "Affidavit Freedom to Marry" paper. Thank!

@Len *****

Sadly, the Canadian embassy told me via email that I need to be there in person to give a "sword statement on affidavit". I would love to do the rest of the process in Khon Kaen. I hope they have the "Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs" there.