@Danny **********

- Tourist visas are only available outside of Thailand, but as I said they are no guarantee of entry and not always simple to get these days.

Visa exempt entry with no visa is currently 45 days, extendable once each entry.

You can enter by land twice in a year.

@Danny **********

- It does not have to be confusing.

For each entry as a tourist you can extend once (30 days).

As your time spent in Thailand is building up it is unwise to fly in. Having a visa is not a magic wand. Better to do a land border entry next time.

For clarity they won't be "attaching a work permit" at all. That is a subsequent step (through the labor office) once you have the Non-B, and THEN you can legally work.

@Darren ******

- Plus a new entry date and new stamp would make the original paperwork inaccurate. Not a good idea to have contradicting dates on the docs.

All airlines go by today's rules as in force today. This was the same all through the frequent covid changes Obvious reason being that governments can backtrack.

It might really be appreciated by many if you can report back on what happens on arrival in Bangkok, step-by-step. Thanks in advance!

@Tod ********

- And "confirmed lodging" may mean fully paid up in advance with receipt in hand.

Tourist visas in neighbouring countries is getting harder to get. Check the specific local requirements extremely carefully. In any case, a tourist visa is not a magic wand for entry. The denied entry is in the system.

A visa is not a silver bullet. You're not going to checkmate then into letting you in if they have a problem with your history. Meeting all the requirements is all you can do.

Update.. Yesterday I had screenshots of everything EXCEPT the "saved" (submitted and accepted) page that

@Tod ********

mentions. They never told me. I will take my crystal ball in future.

I accosted the hotel owner early and he redid it online and I photographed it. It's his first TM30....!(?)

I respect people doing things by the book but I am dismayed by this run-around. MTT looked at me as if I was making it up, they said it was totally unnecessary me being there. They could do things by the book AND let the rest of us know what's going on. Ends rant :-D

AND thanks a million for your help and support. Lessons learned :-)