@Boaz ****

On a DTV? Poipet is a bit dodgy, but one guy on here stated he was denied re-entry on the Thai side on a DTV despite being in Cambodia and Vietnam for 3 weeks.

Avoid that border for re-entry to Thailand. For departure, no issues at all.

The only possible exception is if you're driving a vehicle and YOU must be the driver, since passengers have to stamp in, in the dreaded arrivals hall in Aranyaprathet.

Poipet on the Cambodian side is no issue but the Thai side often does deny entry randomly. Only the vehicle entry point is relatively OK but to be absolutely safe, re-enter elsewhere, there are 6 other international border crossings.

The other requirements such as a ticket out of the country and/or lodging are not as important as the Baht in cash. I talked my way out of it (I did have almost 20K in cash to pay for my expenses in Myanmar, which is basically cash only) and I was surprised they would ask a marriage visa holder for this. Finally they stopped and again, it was asked for upon exit. Upon re-entry, no issues as I was already vetted.

@Tod ********

They ask because they need to ensure you can come back and they know you're trapped there. I was there last year. They ask when you leave. They even hassle you if you present a Myanmar visa and explain you're going to the islands for several days.

@Tod ********

It depends what you want to do. It is necessary to get out on the islands. Not necessary for a quick turnaround in Kawthaung, which is what 99% of farang do.

@Tod ********

Yes that's what I said. You can only stay in Kawthaung and surrounds. Even some of the islands require a visa, whereas Thais can use border passes even for the islands.

Ranong immigration will probably ask you for Baht in order to be allowed to leave; although since it sounds like you're using a visa service, they might be willing to "overlook" this.

Maybe because you have 4 children and are all on a DTV. Might seem a bit odd for such a large family to be on a DTV.

I tried on a marriage visa and it was surprisingly accepted. It's hard to say...just keep trying on any visa until they say no. You've got nothing to lose.

From my own experience and what I've been told, it's up to the customs officer to determine whether you're a resident or not. They're not going to take your visa into account, like they used to. The form does not specify anything other than "residency", which is loosely defined.

Since the DTV is new, you can probably get a tax refund on it especially if you've only spent a short time in Thailand so far. Whether this holds true in 18 months time if you've spent 99% of that time in Thailand, remains to be seen.