@Ivan **********

Definitely not. Traffic police have no connection to immigration. They don't have the power to check for 90 day reports. Also, traffic police aren't supposed to be immigration wardens, they're supposed to ensure you aren't breaking traffic laws.

I do realize there are certain checks in border towns such as Mae Sot, which are performed by the police and which have nothing to do with driving. In those cases, they may ask for your passport but all they're checking is to ensure you're inside the country legally.

Now I'm not saying - deliberately flout the law. What I'm saying is, Thailand does not yet appear to have the mechanisms to link immigration databases in-country with those at the borders, as they perform different functions.

At this stage, immigration at airports and land borders are not involved in things like checking for 90 day reports and definitely not for TM30s.

@Wesley *******

I thought they checked you for syphillus. That's what they did when i last got my health check for a driver's license renewal. Just a visual/verbal confirmation did the trick.

Anonymous participant I doubt they'd be able to issue a re-entry permit in such a short period of time. Even at Mae Hong Son, with only one other person in there, it took them close to an hour.

Overall, immigration isn't a pleasant process.

I don't mind interacting with immigration at border checkpoints though.

You can get anyone from an officer who doesn't talk to you, but is fast and efficient to a chatty officer who wants to know about your travels and answers all your questions and even invites you for dinner at the end of the day.

@Luit ****************

Normally Thais don't speak other languages (particularly diplomatic staff who get rotated to a different post every few years).

So, it would be a case of any local staff who are stationed there but I would generally not recommend submitting documents in any languages other than Thai or English.

Where I applied, I spoke with the locally engaged staff in Chinese (their native language) but even though I presented documents in Chinese (which they could understand) this was not permitted, so I had those documents translated ahead of time (I communicated with the consulate prior to my arrival).

Thais who live or work abroad almost always speak English (as opposed to those who live here and have never been abroad).

Sometimes, documents presented in Thailand for official purposes need to be in Thai only but for foreigners and extensions at immigration offices inside the country, English is accepted as well.

Anonymous participant There you go, just do a border run. You know already that IF an extension is needed, you'll need to present documents in Thai or English plus whatever else they're asking for.

If they require all the same documents as for the initial visa application, then a border run might be a lot easier.

Anonymous participant You bring along the translations.

For re-entry, obviously there is no document check. I just did a re-entry myself.

It's only for extensions of stay that a document check might be performed.

@Luit ****************

Well yes, car parking at immigration offices anywhere in the country (except for tiny little offices such as Mae Hong Son) can be a pain. However, at most offices, even the smaller ones, it can still take around an hour or longer to accomplish a simple task like applying for a re-entry permit even if no other people are waiting. I've had plenty of personal experience in this arena, helping my colleagues from Europe and China. Even Nakorn Sawan, Mae Sot and Mae Hong Son (although Mae Sot shouldn't be underestimated as they can get very busy).

Mae Sai was super busy and took more than 2.5 hours.

Anonymous participant I had documents in the local language of the country I was applying but they aren't accepted. They want Thai or English only.

Again, let's see how you go presenting your German documents to immigration in Thailand, should you be requiring an extension.

They'll laugh in your face and tell you to get them translated.

Anonymous participant My DTV was approved without incident but I knew how to follow the rules and common sense should tell you that when dealing with Thai officialdom, you present documents in Thai or English.

Do you speak German with Thais in Thailand? Come on now.

@Luit ****************

I've not seen one consulate accepting languages other than Thai or English though. I looked long and hard and couldn't find one, but I didn't make a big deal about it. I got my documents in French and Chinese, translated into English.