FAQ - Thailand - Visa

I keep reading that you can't stay over 90 days in the six month period, but there is a way around this if you're inside Thailand and you're not in your home country. I've been living in Thailand for about ten months now and I have a friend who has stayed for almost two years now. He's managed to stay here for that time with no business visa, retirement visa or anything but the two standard tourist visas. Here's how you do it:

1) Use the 30 day visa on arrivals (three of them) by doing border runs to either Burma, Cambodia or Malaysia. That'll bring you to your 90 days limit and you won't be able to get any more visas on arrival for another three months.
2) Fly out to either Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh or Vientiane and go to the Thai Embassy there to get your 60 day tourist visa (maybe Kunming too but I'm not sure if there's a Thai embassy there). You can then extend this within Thailand for a further 30 days at local immigration. The visa takes three or four days to process outside Thailand.
3) Restart the whole process over again since your 6 months will have been used up.

And there you go, you should all be able to spend as long as you want in Thailand using this method and working with the two Visas. My friend hasn't had any trouble with immigration coming and going but I still guess that depends on whether the immigration officer at the checkpoint has had a bad day or not.

Good luck! Or as the Thai's say 'Chok dee!'

Hello. I am traveling from London to Bangkok on the 3rd of March till the 3rd of June, 92 days in all. I am enquiring about obtaining a visa that will cover me for my entire stay in Thailand. I will however be leaving the country to visit Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos at some point in the trip but my main stay will be in Thailand. Could someone please recommend a visa to buy as it seems the max. (normal) visa only covers an individual for 90 days maximum.
Should I pay X amount for a visa here. Or just fly out there without a visa and pick one up when I arrive?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Quoting tcantwell

Hello. I am traveling from London to Bangkok on the 3rd of March till the 3rd of June, 92 days in all. I am enquiring about obtaining a visa that will cover me for my entire stay in Thailand. I will however be leaving the country to visit Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos at some point in the trip but my main stay will be in Thailand. Could someone please recommend a visa to buy as it seems the max. (normal) visa only covers an individual for 90 days maximum.
Should I pay X amount for a visa here. Or just fly out there without a visa and pick one up when I arrive?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

You'll probably be in Thailand for less than 90 days (assuming you're going to be in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos for more than two days) so the regular 30 day visas on arrival should be fine for you. If you're going to spend 60 days in Thailand and then leave just buy the 60 day tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Britain.

Easy

Just bought the 60 day tourist visa, was definately the best option! Thankyou very much algore! haha can't wait to go!

OK, I totally get the Visa requirements!! Were going to be flying to Bangkok, stay a while, go to Cambodia, come back,do Laos, come back etc (90 days in a 6month period, that bit I get!) the bit I'm not too sure about is the onward travel bit. Were flying to bangkok from London and that is all we have planned travel wise! We plan ont aking as it comes but I dont really want to get into any trouble when we arrive in the country with no evidence of onward travel. The first idea was just to book a return flight for 6or so months after we fly in so it looks like were leaving and then just not use it but this is quite an expensive option! We just dont want to limit ourselves to plans, what if we dont like somewhere and want to move on or what if we want to extend our stay? any help would be appreciated!

whoops sorry should have posted here

here is my problem!

This is the plan

I fly into Kuala Lumpur on the 10th of June ?

Then I fly to Bali on 12th June

Back to KL by plane on the 1st July

Then it gets more complicated..

My first entry to Thailand is on 17th July - we then get a flight up to BKK from Hat Yai to meet our friends.

20th July we take a flight to Hanoi - our stay in Vietnam is 9 days so I think we are going to get a prearranged visa before we leave home.

Then we fly back to Bangkok on 28th July. This is our second entry.

We will get the overnight bus from Bangkok to Laos (visa at the border) and stay there a week or so before re-entering Thailand into Chiang Mai - around 2nd August.

Then we stay in Thailand on the islands hopefully until the first week of September before travelling back down to KL for our flight home on 8th September..

Do I need to prearrange a visa?...

Hien (I was going to send you a PM but I can't? Can you have a look at it for me please)
Anyway mate... About the Thai Visa, I am from the UK and believe I can enter Thailand for 90 days in a 6 month period (say 20 days in Jan, 20 days in Feb and 20 days in March) Is this ok? So long as I had proof of funds and onward travel.
Also could I have 30 days in Jan (border run) 30 days in Feb (border run) and then 30 days in March?
Also again... When does the 6 month period start and finish?? Aniversary of your first entry or second or last?

If I went to Thailand in January, March and May for a week at a time when would I next be able to enter the country?

Why can't it be like Hongkong (*BANG*) 180 day stamp when you arrive at the airport. (Don't worry I already know the answer to that one)!
Paul.

Quoting Paul3879

Hien (I was going to send you a PM but I can't? Can you have a look at it for me please)

Was there any error when you tried to send me a PM?

Anyway mate... About the Thai Visa, I am from the UK and believe I can enter Thailand for 90 days in a 6 month period (say 20 days in Jan, 20 days in Feb and 20 days in March) Is this ok? So long as I had proof of funds and onward travel.
Also could I have 30 days in Jan (border run) 30 days in Feb (border run) and then 30 days in March?
Also again... When does the 6 month period start and finish?? Aniversary of your first entry or second or last?

The Thai Immigration never mentioned that on their website. But for the EU Schengen Visa, this is the rule:

Quoting Danish Immigration Service

The six-month period is calculated from the date of 'first entry' into the Schengen region, i.e., the date on which you first entered the region, or the date of any other subsequent entry into the Schengen region which takes place after the expiration of a six-month period.

Source: http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/visa/how_long.htm

If I went to Thailand in January, March and May for a week at a time when would I next be able to enter the country?

Your stay is only 21 days in total. You can still enter at any time after that.

Why can't it be like Hongkong (*BANG*) 180 day stamp when you arrive at the airport. (Don't worry I already know the answer to that one)!
Paul.

Blame it on your ancestors for not colonising Thailand as well back then!

Quoting cerulean

My first entry to Thailand is on 17th July - we then get a flight up to BKK from Hat Yai to meet our friends.

20th July we take a flight to Hanoi - our stay in Vietnam is 9 days so I think we are going to get a prearranged visa before we leave home.

First entry: 4 days (17, 18, 19, 20 July)

Then we fly back to Bangkok on 28th July. This is our second entry.

We will get the overnight bus from Bangkok to Laos (visa at the border) and stay there a week or so before re-entering Thailand into Chiang Mai - around 2nd August.

Second entry: 1 day (28 July)

Then we stay in Thailand on the islands hopefully until the first week of September before travelling back down to KL for our flight home on 8th September..

Do I need to prearrange a visa?...

Third entry: 38 days (2 August - 8 September)

With the third entry alone, you need a Tourist visa. The 60-day tourist visa does not count into the 90-day / 180-day rule.

Anyway, you mentioned in a post in another thread that: "there is a very big chance i will not take that flight and stay longer in thailand as it is ramadan in malaysia." What's wrong with Ramadhan? It's only a time when the Muslims in Malaysia fast. It starts from 1 September and lasts for about 29-30 days. If your main concern is food, I can assure you that there's no problem with that. Muslims consist of only 60% of the population. The non-Muslims (mainly ethnic Chinese and Indians) still need to eat. Restaurants will still be open. Plenty of places to eat in cities and towns. Though you might have some difficulties getting food if you are in a small town or village on the east coast with majority Muslims. But if that plact is a tourist area, then no worries.