I know that there is a limitation on how long a foreigner can stay in Thailand, but I do not know the details. We are only tourists. We do not "live" there nor do we want to overstay our official visa. We also do not want to extend visas.

We like Thailand. I am a US citizen (American passport) and my friend is a Chinese citizen (Chinese passport). I have several 30 day visas to Thailand that I got on arrival at the airport. I never get a visa before I travel to Thailand. I live in China. Since I do not get any visas before I travel to Thailand I thus depend exclusively on the 30 day visa I get at immigration in Bangkok at the airport. I think I have over 90 days of "visas" this year (Cumulative. 30 days at a time). There is a month or two between visits.

I have three questions.

1. Can I get more one month "visas" when I arrive? Have I passed the yearly limit? What is the yearly limit? I have heard that people make visa runs to Cambodia to renew their visa for another month, but the Thai government has put a stop to this "abuse" by limiting the total number of days per year you can stay in Thailand or a number of days you must be out of the Thailand. Is this
>>continuous<< days or
>>cumulative<< days? If so, mine is not continuous.

I am asking as I want to again spend a month in North Thailand and I depend on a 30 day stamp when I arrive. If I will be stopped, my plans will go out the window. It would be a disaster if the immigration person said "Sorry. I cannot give you any visa".

2. My friend is a Chinese citizen with a Chinese passport. If we fly to Thailand for 30 days, he will obtain a single entry Thai visa for 30 days in Beijing before he travels. If we then go to India and leave bags in Bangkok, can he re-enter Thailand on a "two week visa on arrival" to get the bags? He has the same limitation as I have above. In other words, he will have no Thai visa, and must rely completely on the "visa on arrival". It would be a disaster if we could not get our bags.

3. If I (US Citizen) have used up all my "days" in Thailand, can I still get a "visa on arrival" in Thailand for 14 days? Again, if I have used up all my "days".

I guess I really don't understand the new visa rules. I am not living in Thailand, but go frequently. For example, although I live in Beijing, I will go to Thailand in November to give a lecture. It would truly be a disaster if I was not given a visa. It would also be a problem if this short visit pushed me over the limit.

Are the new rules
>continuous< days or
>cumulative<? How many days? If I am getting close to the limit, how can I avoid it by having the days between visits lengthen or other? Is there a time between visits that is OK?

Like many tourists, I tend to go when the rains are less and it is not too hot. Winter. So if I go to Thailand a month in August, in China in September, back in Thailand in October, and in the US in November, and back in Thailand in December, does that cumulative 90 days in Thailand bar me from entering Thailand again for a 12 month period? So that I cannot enter Thailand until December of the following year.
Is there a number of days you have to stay outside of Thailand to have things "reset" So you have no limitation?

Essentially I don't want myself (US citizen) or my friend (Chinese Citizen) from having airport immigration problems. I have flexibility, I just want to avoid being barred entry for me or my friend. I can change dates, wait the needed time and do anything. I enjoy travelling, and can easily go to Laos for a month if it produces the needed time for reentry to Thailand. We both have 90 days cumulative in Thailand in 2008 with a month or two between visits. Can we go again? Are there limits now or in the future? If there are limits now, can we still get the 2 week "visa on arrival" to get our bags?

In short, how can we continue to freely come and go to Thailand as tourists, me with an American passport and my friend with a Chinese passport?

The real problem is that Thailand is a real nice place to go to India, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and so on. Fly or boat. One comes frequently to make these connections. One stays longer too.

I know that the Thai visa rules may be a bit complicated to explain and/or understand, but I think you should get the most qualified information at the Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs website at the link below.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand

US Citizen:

What you get at the border is not a visa, but a visa exempt entry into Thailand. You can get these for maximum 90 days per every 180 days or 1/2 year (I am not sure which of the 2). After that you will have to get a visa, obtainable at a consulate/embassy outside of Thailand.

I don't know the rules for Chinese citizens.