JerryAndMiel

We have a CitiBank ATM card and a non-CitiBank ATM card (Wells Fargo), and discovered that using our non-CitiBank ATM card at the CitiBank ATMs at Asoke is a better deal. CitiBank charges a variable premium over the exchange rate, amounting to 1.8% if you use a CitiBank ATM card. However, when we used our Wells Fargo card, CitiBank gave us the exact exchange rate, and Wells Fargo will only charge us $5 for the transaction, amounting to 1%.

CitiBank sent a notice recently to say they will not charge any fees for using their ATM cards anywhere. However, that "anywhere" certainly doesn't include ATMs in foreign countries, even ATMs at "CitiBanks".

To answer my own question, since we have traveled again to Thailand this year: My Pakistani friend was able to get a 60-day entry permit when he arrived with a Tourist Visa. However, when we went to apply for a 30-day extension, they would only give him a 7-day extension, quoting their "rules" for certain nationalities. Nationals of Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka, Togo and Uganda may only extend for seven days. Of course, that caused havoc with our hotel and airline schedules, not to mention it costs THB 1900 for the 7-day extension. You would think that the visa department would love to have tourists stay, spending money in Thailand and helping the economy recover.

Thanks, Mario! He should be OK then, since he will be returning to his home country after visiting Thailand.

He should be fine, as immigration now only requires that the passport is valid for the duration of his stay.

But he might have a problem if he want to go to another coutnry besides his homecountry after leaving Thailand.

My friend will be able to get a 60-day tourist visa since his passport will have 7 months before it expires at the time of his entry to Thailand. However, when he goes to get a 30-day extension, will he be able to, since his passport at that time will only have 5 months left? Do they check this or care about it, since it was ok when he entered?

For example, entry into Thailand on 16 Dec 2011 with 7 months left on passport; attempt to get a 30-day extension just prior to 14 Feb 2012, with 5 months left on passport.

What is meant by "a double entry visa is a more cost-effective solution...because it is cheaper to get than a triple entry visa." ?? Isn't the cost of a tourist visa the same no matter how many entries? All I see on the fee structure is one price for a Tourist Visa.

Hi Guys,

Thank you for the responses.

Please correct me if i am wrong with the following example. Sorry, i need example to understand better, and i cant afford to make mistake on this visa thing.

EXAMPLE:

Enter before: 16 Feb 2012

Date of Issue: 15 Nov 2011

1st 60-day : Admitted 16 Nov 2011 until 15 Jan 2012

Before 15 Jan 2012, go for 30- day extention, 1900 Baht.

13 Feb 2012 leaves BKK, enter again to obtain the 2nd 60-day (until 12 Apr 2012)

before 12 Apr 2012, go for 30-day extention, 1900 baht.

10 May 2012 leaves BKK, enter again to obtain the 3rd 60-day (until 9 July 2012)

before 9 July 2012, go for 30-day extention, 1900 baht.

Before 8 Aug 2012 leaves BKK to submit a new Visa Application.

Kindly please correct me if I am wrong. Your enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

--------------

bluetuna

Using your example.

What you are missing is that ALL THREE entries must be completed by that use before date.

In your example: 16 Feb 2012

After 16 Feb 2012 any unused entrys are no longer valid. They are forfited if unused after that date.

So one way you could use that visa would be:

Enter 16 Nov 2011 and get entry stamp until 15 Jan 2012

13 Jan 2012 exit Thailand and renter. Now you get another 60 day stamp until until 12 Apr 2012.

That's two entries and after 16 Feb 2012 your visa is invalid. So you lose your 3rd entry.

But that 2nd entry stamp means it is still legal for you to remain in Thailand until 12 Apr 2012.

A triple entry tourist visa is really intended for someone who plans to come to Thailand(first entry), stay a month, take a trip to another country for a week. Then return for another month (2nd entry) before taking another week long trip to another country...and when that person re-emters Thailand just before that use before date...that's the 3rd entry.

But if all you want is to maximise your time in Thailand, a double entry visa is a more cost-effective solution...because it is cheaper to get than a triple entry visa.

But if what you want to do is be a tourist traveling around Southeast Asia with Thailand as your home base a triple entry visa can be used for three entrys and exits.

But you have to plan your dates for those entrys carefully to get all of them before that use before date.

Well, their exact words were

"You would need to either extend

your passport validity or apply for an new passport as it is correct that the

passport needs to be valid 6 months after date of return."

I actually think the person doesn't know what they're talking about, since you can't "extend your passport validity"!!! As far as I know, anyway.

I think they meant your passport must be valid for 6 months when you leave FOR Thailand.

My passport expires 1 month after I plan to leave Thailand. The Thai embassy in South Africa said that in order to get a Thai visa, my passport must be valid for 6 months after the date I will leave Thailand! I have never heard of such a thing. The only requirement I have ever read says that when you apply, your passport must be valid for 6 months, which mine is. I think they are mistaken, and I think I will apply anyway and see what happens. Or, does anyone have any good advice? I think all these visa departments make up their own rules just to pass the time and make it difficult for everyone.

I'm asking this for a Pakistani friend who wants to come to Thailand. But he does not know how long he can stay. The Thai Foreign Ministry on their website page http://www.mfa.go.th...482.php?id=2489 says the following under Tourist Visa:

5. PERIOD OF STAY

Upon arrival, travellers with this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days or 60 days.

Nationals of countries which are on Thailand's Tourist Visa Exemption list or have bilateral agreements on visa exemption with Thailand will be permitted to stay for a period of not exceeding 60 days. Nationals from other countries who hold a tourist visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days.

I know Pakistan is not on the Tourist Visa Exemption list, so does that mean he can only stay 30 days? In the past, he has been granted a 60-day length of stay, but now have they changed the rules? Also, when he was last there, they would only give him a 7-day extension.

Does anyone have any recent experience of getting a 60-day length of stay from a country not on the Visa Exemption list?

Can you explain your "90 visa with no limits"? Is this a tourist visa with 30 day extension? I assume you'd have to leave the country at 90 days and apply again, say from Laos? Maybe I'm missing what's new?

From what I understood:

Only land crossings WITHOUT a prior visa will now get you 15 days. If you arrive via the air to an airport you still get your 30 days.

On the plus side, you can now obtain a 90 visa, with no limits. Meaning you can get as many 90 visas you want. You wont have to be out of the country for 6 months before the next visa. I guess they just want you to get a regular visa.

As for the hotel booking, I think that is pretty simple. Put down any guest house you normally stay in, or if you have residency your address, or friends address.

Please correct me if I'm wrong!!!

My friend was only given a transit visa (instead of a free tourist visa) by a disagreeable immigration clerk in Karachi. But from all I'd read, it would be ok because he should be able to get a 30-day visa extension once he was in Bangkok. He got 30 days when he entered at the airport, so we planned to get 30 more days via extension. Beware this is NOT the case. After making the long journey to the Government Center, they told him he could only get a 7-day extension for a transit visa. Maybe this is a new rule? I did a lot research and did not see this information anywhere. So, now he's stuck with having to pay a penalty to change his airline ticket and can't stay as long as he wanted to. So now he had to pay 835 baht for the transit visa (the tourist visa is free until 31 Mar 2011), and then he had to pay 1900 baht for a 7 day extension, and pay to change his air ticket. What a bummer!

I guess I'm not understanding what multiple entries means. I thought it meant that during my 60-day stay, I could leave and return to Thailand multiple times without paying another visa fee. I'm a USA citizen and know I can get a visa-upon-arrival, but I want to stay for 60 days without the hassle of extending a 30-day visa that they would give me at the airport.

With the Thai tourist visa being free until 31 Mar 2011, is it ok to ask for multiple entries? Last time, I wish I had asked for 2 entries for convenience. Now, since there is no fee, is it ok to ask for 3 or 4, or would they look down on that? I don't want to jinx my application.

It seems each Thai embassy or consulate web site in a country has its own forms. In South Africa I just downloaded their general visa application form and am going to use it to apply for a 60-day tourist visa. I have a friend in Pakistan and the form there is quite different. You should be able to find a form. If you can't let me know what country, and I can search for it (I'm pretty good at digging out forms on the Internet.) --Jerry

My partner and I will be in Bangkok in February 2011 and are looking for someone to perform a commitment ceremony. This has no official or legal implications in Thailand, does it? That's fine as we just want pictures and a recorded statement of some kind, confirming our commitment. We plan to use this to document our commitment to immigration officials in South Africa. Being same-sex couples in South Africa is legal, but they're suspicious unless you can supply some kind of proof.