@Elías *******

Taipei is a walk-in consulate. They will switch to e-visas soon.

@John *********

Even via the e-visa system? That's strange. I thought the idea was that they stopped seeing people in person once that system goes into effect.

@Namtan ***************

What does that have to do with anything? I don't think the Thai consulate is interested in an applicant's race. Nowadays, in countries such as Malaysia, everything is dealt with online.

@Sefton *******

How did you manage to open an account on a DTV? Nearly everyone is saying it's difficult.

Not that I need to, I already have 2 Thai bank accounts and I don't need any more. Just wondering why your experience is supposedly the opposite of everyone else's.

Indeed, defintely no need for an agent for the DTV.

@Dennis ***********

Yes, same. Approved the same day in the afternoon.

@Wesley *******

No, they just look at your arms, legs etc. It's a very quick process.

I recommend going to a pop up clinic next to a DLT. You may very well be the only person there, so there's little to no waiting. They basically do nothing else but issue such certificates. Probably 50-100 Baht.

@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.