A visa run is the practice of leaving Thailand briefly to reset your entry stamp or collect a new visa from a neighbouring country's Thai consulate. The most popular border crossing points are Poipet (Cambodia), Mae Sai (Myanmar), Padang Besar (Malaysia), and Savannakhet (Laos). Day-trip visa runs to Poipet from Bangkok cost around 1,200–1,800 THB on an organised bus and take the best part of a day. For a fresh tourist visa rather than just a border stamp, most travellers fly to Penang (Malaysia), Vientiane (Laos), or Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to visit the Thai consulate in person — a process that takes two to three days.
Thai immigration has tightened enforcement of repeated visa-exempt entries, and officers at land borders can and do refuse entry if they believe you are residing in Thailand on tourist stamps. The practical solution for long-term residents is to obtain a proper Non-Immigrant visa (Category O for retirement/family, or LTR for remote workers) rather than relying on rolling tourist visa exemptions. If you do run out of legal options and need a border run, bring evidence of onward travel, accommodation, and sufficient funds — 20,000 THB cash equivalent per person is the official requirement.
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