VISA CHANGES For people entering Thailand by land

We went by plane with Air India today 16.01.2011 from Kochi via Mumbay, India to Bangkok, Thailand and we did not have to show any return ticket. We did what bangkokshock suggested in the blog http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1989696&start=15 but we never had to show the printout. We used the Flight number on the Immigration card but no one checked our print out nor asked for a ticket to fly out.

Thanks Captain_Bob. That's what I needed to hear:-)

I'm doing an overland trip around SE Asia flying both in and out of Bangkok. I've been reading around on the visa situation and I am really quite confused. This is what I've grasped, can someone tell me if I've got it right?

Download and fill out a tourist visa application form (which will give me 60 days in Thailand).
Pay £28 when I get to thailand.
On the way back around I turn up at a border and get 15 days for £??

I hate sounding stupid but someone please ease my confused mind.

You may be able to get free tourist visa from Thai consulate , you don't have to pay anything on arrival . If you do border run to get more time you don't pay anything for the stamp you get.

abquiche, what passport do you hold? British?
Normally when you fly in, you get a 30 day stamp which is free. You just fill out the immigration form which is given to you on the plane.

If you enter by land, you get 15 days, which is also free.

Download and fill out a tourist visa application form (which will give me 60 days in Thailand).

No, you either get a tourist visa in advance at a Thai consulate in the UK or get a visa-exempt entry free of charge on arrival. (depends on how long you intend to stay).

Pay £28 when I get to thailand.

No payment on arrival required for UK citizens (and most other western countires).

On the way back around I turn up at a border and get 15 days for £??

If entering Thailand by land border without a visa you can get a 15-day visa exemption for free.

Read here for the more complete info:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1969547

Thank very much guys! Turns out I was mixing up the protocol for a regular tourist visa with that if an extended tourist/business visa. Nothing to worry about now, thanks again!

if you enter using Sadao border to Thailand, you MUST show the officer your tourist visa, if not they wont even look for it and just give you the usual 15 day visa on entry
this happened to my my wife and son who had year visas, but they ignored them all and stamped us in on entry visas. We later noticed and had to travel back to the border to get it corrected.
They said i should inform travelers of this, and that they must point to the visa when they show their passports to the immigration officer.

Thats a good point , howver even if border staff overlook your visas and just give you the 15 day stamp , you are still entitled to stay the full length of the visa . I once got only got the entry stamp and on leaving the country showed the airport immigration that I had the correct visa and that it was a mistake of the border staff and they fixed it up.

quote - "the usual 15 day visa on entry" , but again thats not a visa.

Hello, I am in need of a little bit of advise. I am a UK citizen and I am currently backpacking in New Zealand where I will be until next month. I am then planning to travel to Singapore and travel up through Malaysia and then into Thailand. When I fly into Singapore I won't be able to prove onward travel from Singapore but I will have a flight out of Bangkok to London. Would this be enough proof to prove I am leaving Singapore? The same goes for when I arrive in Malaysia..
I plan to travel by train up to Thailand stopping off along the way. Also, will i need to book visas in advance or will I be able to pick them up at the borders of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand?

Cheers for your help.