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I am going to visit Thailand as a tourist. I arrive on August 19 in Bangkok, and leave on September 20, which makes my trip last for 32 days. I am leaving at 02:05 am, though, so I could check-in at the airport before noon on the 19th, making my time in Thailand 31 days.

From information I've found, a tourist Visa on Arrival may be obtained for a maximum of 30 days, when coming by plane, which applies to me. I also heard about the possibility to extend this visa, at the Bangkok Immigration Centre, for another 7 days, which would be sufficient for me.

Will I be able to get a Visa on Arrival at the airport, if my returning tickets are later than 30 days from arrival? If so, how much does it cost to extend this visa for another 7 days, or at least 1-2 days? Is overstaying 1 day and paying a fee an option?

If I will not be able to get VoA at the airport, would it be okay if I bought tickets to another country (for example, tickets to Laos on 2 September, spend a week or two there, and then go back to Thailand to catch my flight on 20 Sept? This way I would be in Thailand twice, each time for two weeks, and I could get two visas. Is it legal?

My nationality is Polish.

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Poland is on the list of visa exemption countries, so you get a 30 day entry stamp when you arrive, Visa on Arrival is not available for your nationality.

You will need to show POOT (proof of onward travel) when you board your flight from home to Thailand. And POOT needs to be an airline ticket out of Thailand before your 30 days ends. So your idea of booking a flight to a neighboring country is a good idea (plus you get to experience another culture).

You will get another 30 day entry stamp when you return so will covered for your full time.

The other option is to get a 60 day Tourist Visa before leaving home if you want to hang in Thailand only.

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    Add: you may extend the 30 day visa exempt entry for 1900 baht at any local immigration office (for another 30 days). POOT can be scheduled during extension period. Or if you want extra insurance, use FlyOnwards.com.
    – Jon Grah
    Aug 17, 2017 at 5:08
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I am a U.S. citizen, so your experience may be different.

I have overstayed twice. Once was for two days, and once was for two weeks. When I was exiting through passport control during the two day overstay the immigration officer stamped me out without a word. When leaving after the two week overstay, I had to pay a couple hundred Baht fine before being stamped out. The fine was 15 years ago, so prices/policies may have changed.

I have also visited Thailand with an itinerary that indicated a longer than 30 day stay. I was stamped in with no problem or question about the timing or length of my stay, nor did I have to show proof of onward travel. I made a trip to Cambodia during the trip and hence was not subject to the 30 day limit.

One thing to be aware of: If you cross in Laos via land (not flying), then when you return to Thailand you are only allowed to stay for 15 days; too many people were doing visa runs for the Thai gubmint's liking, so they reduced the "return" visa to 15 days.

tl;dr: I am not sure how Polish citizens are treated, but you may well have no problem at all getting the visa on arrival.

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    Your information is out of date & inaccurate. 1) The fine for overstays is 500 baht per day (maximum of 20,000 baht), In addition long overstays are subject to bans from the country of 1 to 5 years. Overstays are no longer ignored. 2) Most major airlines flying to Thailand WILL check for POOT, the exception being intra-Asia carriers which tend to be lax. 3) The 30/15 rule was changed a while back, everyone from Visa Exemption countries gets 30 days by land or air, but are limited to two land entries per year, 4) VOAs are not available to citizens of visa exemption countries.
    – user13044
    Aug 17, 2017 at 0:54

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