@John *********

what doesn’t fit with the rest of my story?

I’ve heard There are agents that can even convert the visas exemption to a 90 day non-o for you. Without leaving the country. For a fee, of course.

I just did a 90 day non-O plus one year Visa extension. I used my own funds and used an agent. The total cost was ฿24,500. It’s all rumor, but I didn’t feel comfortable using the agents money For the bank balance. I heard immigration is not looking the other way at that sort of thing as much now.

Anyway, as I’m sure you know you have to leave the country to apply for the 90 day non-O. Even if you do it online. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay out of the country until it gets approved. If you come back in on a Visa exemption you’ll just have to leave again and come back again when the non-o gets approved. I was coming from my home country, but Mine took so long to get approved That’s what I did.

@Jay ******

how much cash are you supposed to have with you? 

I came in on a non-o visa at the end of last month. Nobody asked me for travel plans or to show cash.

You can use the Wise card at ATMs but I think if you withdraw more than $200 US per month, wise starts adding fees and they can be pretty high. If you’re already in Thailand, it might not be possible to get another card but for future trips, a Schwab account card reimburses ATM fees and charges no fees for international purchases and withdrawals.

Always let your bank do the conversion. The ATM conversion rate is not good in the difference can be significant.

@James ********

thanks! I’ve never been to Laos. I’m excited.

It’s working out fine actually. I was going to take a trip to Vietnam anyway and now I’ve been invited to Laos.

I don’t know what the holdup was. I showed proof of funds and then they wanted to see proof of income, which I submitted pretty much right away. And then I don’t know what happened, but they did eventually approve it.

@James ********

AI is not the final authority, but this is what it says:

AI Overview

+2

The 90-day period for a Thai visa starts on the day of entry into the country, not the day of approval. You must enter Thailand within the visa's validity period (usually 90 days from the issue date for a single-entry visa), and your 90-day period of stay begins on the day you enter.

Day of Entry: The 90-day count starts once you are physically in Thailand.

Day of Approval: The date the visa is approved or issued is not when your 90-day stay begins. This date is a deadline for you to enter the country.