acenase

Will there be a problem if you haven't applied for a new Passport yet and your new Visa is on the last empty page of your Passport and they have to find an empty spot on the middle pages to stamp your Entry/Exit stamp? Can they refuse entry and say not enough space in Passport? Or what if you just tell them that you are waiting for your new passport to arrive at the Embassy?

2 hours ago, smccolley said:

I just have to wonder why the OP doesn't get a visa that reflects his real status in Thailand. If you really want to be here, a valid long term visa is probably available. I get really tired of posters trying to "beat the system" when I, my friends, and many posters here on TV have lived in Thailand for decades without resorting to trickery or outright fraud to stay here.

what if i told you.... unless you are 50+ years for a retirement visa, going to school for an education visa, employed for work permit or married to thai... your only eligible for a Tourist Visa! I dont fit any of those requirements so as long as I can prove that I have money to support myself then I am eligible for a tourist visa

20 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

When you renew your PP in Thailand, they put a stamp in your new passport which reflects the last-stamp in your previous one.  So, if in Thailand on a Tourist Visa when you do the renewal, upon stamp-transfer they will put a stamp indicating a 60-day Tourist Visa was transferred.  The advantage to renewing your passport out of Thailand, is that this stamp would not be present, so consulates would have one less point of reference to previous Thai history to consider.

I have been debating if I should apply for a new PP in Thailand or back home in the US, but then I realized, I can't erase my history in the computer monitors so even if I wait so I avoid having that extra stamp by renewing my PP in Thailand, they will still know when I get to immigration of my history.

I keep reading about Vientiane only allowing 3-4 Tourist Visas before you get the red stamp.. but does that mean "back to back" or TOTAL in your passport? 

 would it make a difference if you have 2 TR Visas from Vientiane, then 1 in HK or Penang, then go back to Vientiane for 2 more compared to if you just did 4 straight runs to Vientiane for the TR Visa?

Since I havent been taken aside yet do you think maybe this next Visa run if I go by Air they might take me aside then just avoid air from then on? I stopped getting VE since my 7th when the IO told me about Tourist Visa, and thats all I have been getting since because it is more convenient to have 90 days total instead of 60.  i actually thought like many people before getting educated that the Visa Exempt stamp was a tourist visa before i learned about it.

I will be sure to have 20K baht just in case, but I am also debating if I should just change my plans and instead of going to HK, go back to vientiane for my 3rd TR Visa... But then this means 3 back to back TR Viss at Vientiane... so shouldn't I switch it up a bit? Instead of going for a 3rd Visa at Vientiane... Try HK and then that way after 90 days, i can go to vientiane, and they will see that I went to Hong Kong last and it wont seem like i just got 3 back to back visas at vientiane.

1 hour ago, cacahootie said:

Just to add to everyone else's comments here - I have had 7 visa exempt entries and am on my 2nd tourist visa.  I have gotten 3 extensions on VE entries, and I extended my first TV and will extend my current.  The primary "break point" for scrutiny is 6 visa exempt entries, particularly if you arrive by air.  I was asked a few questions on my 7th VE entry at BKK airport after a one day out & back

I'm starting to stress out when I do my next Visa Run to Hong Kong.

I counted how many Visa Exempts I have, and the total in my passport is 7 also.

The first 4 VE's I was only in Thailand for a few days, but that's when I realized I really liked it and wanted to come back.  When I came back on my 5th VE, thats when I rented a condo for 1 year but I wasnt educated yet and know about the Visas, so i just extended the 5th and 6th. Then i got questioned when i flew to kuala lumpar and back to Bangkok on the same day.  The IO looked at my exit stamp that said 20 Feb, and my entry stamp was the same day, and he just asked me if im working and I said No i have a thai girlfriend that Im staying with.  Then he just said next time get a tourist visa.

So since then, I have 2 back to back Visas from Vientiane Laos, and im currently about to get a 3rd Visa in Hong Kong because I am bored of going to Vientiane.  Should I be scared when I come back and they see that I have 7 VE stamps and on my 3rd TR Visa?

44 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I think you already know you can only apply for the METV in your home country. (There is a possible exception for a few nationalities that they may be able to apply in Australia, but that is uncertain.) If you try to apply for an METV in Laos or Hong Kong, they will simply change your application to an SETV and charge you the regular SETV price.

Seriously... all this time I've been stressing out over opting to try for a METV on my next visa run and I can't even apply for it after all. I can only apply for that when i go back to my own country. 

But in order to get an education visa I would need to be enrolled in school and having then sponsor me. I'm not currently enrolled in a school. I have been getting single entry tourist visa from vientiane. how much would the cheapest way to go the E-Visa route and paying for school? It may be a bit out of my budget.  I saw that I could get a 1 Year stay if I sign up for Muay Thai class but the package for that to give me TR Visa a 1 year extension would be 38,000 Baht which includes 1 year extension but 72 x 2 hour Muay thai classes

Since there is a chance you can lose the remainder of the $200 when applying for a METV and just get issued a SETV, wouldn't it be more convenient to just pay $40 for the SETV (unless you can provide all documentation) and when you leave every 90 days, you can just use that extra $160 you save and apply for a new SETV with no problems?

If you plan to not go in/out of Thailand, then I say apply for the SETV for $40, and then after 90 days use the extra $160 you save to get another TR Visa in Laos, Malaysia or Hong Kong.  If they do ask for Bank statements for a SETV, you only need to show 25,000 Baht. Compared to a METV, you need to show 230,000 Baht (Huge difference), and a letter from employer and all that extra stuff (At least for the Embassy in Washington DC that i saw the list of requirements) 

Since I dont have $7,000 in my bank would it be pointless to try to apply for a METV? I saw on the Washington DC requirement list you need to have this,.  I've been getting SETV from Laos with no problem.

Am I able to apply for a METV in Laos or Hong Kong? because I also read that I can only apply for the METV in my Home country? is this true? so I cant apply for it in Laos or Hk? If I can apply for it there do they require Bank statements? I dont want to risk applying and being denied for the METV and getting a SETV anyways but then I would have paid $200 when it would be $40. 

How about going to Hong Kong or Penang for a Visa run this time?

I've also done back to back Visa runs to Vientiane and I can say that looking back Im not gonna go there again.  First time I flew to Udon Thani, then took the bus to Thai border then to Khai, then another bus to Vientiane then a Tuk tuk to my hotel, had to spend 3 days there just for the Visa. 2nd time I just took a plane from Don Mueng to Vientiane but still dreaded being there just to apply for Visa since theres really nothing else to do there and I didn't like having to negotiate tuk tuk drivers all the time. 

19 hours ago, darrendsd said:

You are totally wrong, having a visa DOES NOT guarantee entry into Thailand 

 

I have just seen the post above which confirms this

ONLY IF you DON'T have 20K in funds, you wont gain entry with a valid/un-used Visa.  

Or if you say something suspicious that makes them think you're illegally working. 

It is highly unlikey you will get denied entry otherwise. Stop trying to scare people. More times than not if they question you they will ask to provide them 20K in funds and/or a ticket out of Thailand and note that in your Passport. and there should be no problem at all.

Show me a time someone has ever been denied entry with an un-used, Valid Visa  and 20K in funds, and return ticket. If you get denied like that it is called CORRUPTION. Period.

16 hours ago, darrendsd said:

Completely incorrect, having a valid visa does not guarantee entry

Yes it does guarantee entry. It is the Thai consulars job to decide if they will issue the Visa or not. If they issue the Visa it means you shouldn't have a problem.

If you are denied by IO, then that is called Corruption. 

The most they will ask you is to show proof of cash and flight ticket, which anyone should be able to provide. If you can't provide 20k in funds anyways, thats a big red flag and you shouldn't be traveling to Thailand with such limited amount of money anyways and deserve to be turned away.

6 minutes ago, jamieoutlook said:

Thank you for your contribution, but all i really want to know is as i asked;ie

Next time i go to Vientiane and get a TV and at the border the IO decides that i am not wanted here any more, does he just, there and then  refuse my entry or does he give this red stamp i hear about and lets me stay for the duration of my visa and then i must go back to my old home country?

 

If you have an unused TV in your passport then you are already accepted to go back, because if they deny you, they would deny your application at Thai consular. If Immigration officer sees the valid Visa in your passport then you will gain entry.

Whats the way to live here if not with a Tourist Visa?  Not eligible for retirement, marriage or work permit.  I got laid off from my job in the US and have thousands of dollars saved up and instead of traveling to many differenr countries I realized I can live comfortably by renting a condo and only paying $3,000-$4,000 for the whole YEAR. That's comparing to what I'm used to paying for rent in US which was $1,500 per MONTH. 

There's no need for me to work in Thailand because I have more than enough money to live comfortably for more than a year without doing work. I plan to travel to many different provinces throughout Thailand with my home base being Bangkok.  The only thing I have to worry about is getting a new Visa every 3 months, which is the reason for the back to back Visas.  So why would this be wrong for me to do based on my circumstance? If I am doing it, there must be no problem with being a Tourist and having a place to stay in Bangkok for as long as I would like since I can afford it without needing work.

33 minutes ago, Happy Grumpy said:

 

Not if he is using Tourist visas to live here.

 

The clue is in the name of the visa -  Tourist - and that he is 'living' here. 

What if someone got laid off from work and has all this money to travel but instead of traveling to different places around the world, decides to rent a condo for a year and stay in Thailand? You can still live in Thailand and still be a Tourist. The rules are that you have to leave every 3 months with no employment. 

I have been doing back to back Tourist visas and multiple Visa exempts before I even started applying for a Visa and the only thing they questioned me was "Are you working here?" if you aren't doing anything illegal then there's no problem.  It's not tricking the system, because I am not eligible for a Non Immigrant Visa because I do not work in Thailand. So I would still apply for a Tourist Visa and follow the rules. The system is there for a reason. And as long as people are leaving after 90 days, not working and applying for a new Tourist Visa to continue their stay, there shouldn't be any problems.  theres no rules saying that you can only be considered a tourist in Thailand for a certain amount of months.

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

It seems you are getting it from the US embassy.

They do not punch holes in it or cancel it until you get your new passport. But if you choose to have it mailed to you they will keep your old passport and mail it to you with the new one. It only takes about 2 weeks (10 days is the average)  to get the new passport.

Info is here: https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

You can also apply by mail now but you have to send your old one to them and they mail both passports back to you.

If I choose to have it mailed to me, then they will hold my current passport and mail both of it together... but at this point, would I still be able to get any entry/exit stamps in the old passport or it will be cancelled already and I will just use the new passport for stamps and visas?

my situation is that I dont really need to get a new passport at this time, and wanted to apply for one in about 3 months because i still have spaces for stamps in my current book that I want to fill up to trips to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan next month. I just have a one last full page available my Thai Visa that I will apply next month.  And I also do not plan to travel to any country that require a full page for Visa anytime soon after that like Laos, and by the time I need to get a fresh Thai visa, is when I plan on ordering the new passport for my first entry. 

12 hours ago, Kristofferson said:

 

 

Just out of curiosity why do think a tourist visa would be better than just going for another 90 days visa exempt? I thought officially you can fly in and out unlimited times.

You get more time with a Tourist visa

Tourist Visa is 60 days plus 30 day extension (90 days).  

Visa Exempt stamp is 30 days plus additional 30 day extension (60 days)

Does anyone know at which point do they punch holes and cancel your passport? The day you apply for a new passport at the Embassy? Because I read that they will mail the new passport to you, so you keep your old passport and when you get the new passport, would you still be able to use the old passport for small stamps like Malaysia. etc. but use the new pages in the new passport for full paged Visas like when entering Laos?

If your last full page was used for a new Visa, can they still stamp your enter/exit entry on previous pages?? I have a lot of empty box spaces for stamps in the beginning pages of my Passport but all my full pages are used up, and my last page has my new Thai visa.  

When i re-enter Thailand will they get mad if they cannot stamp my entry stamp on the same page facing the Visa?  Also what about the Immigration 30 say extension stamp, can that be on a different page as the entry stamp and Visa? although that is a much bigger stamp than the entry stamp, I still found a page that it would fit on but i am worried because it wont be on the same page as the enter stamp. 

Yes when I went to Immigration for a 30 day extension on my Tourist Visa, the officer told me I can have 7 more days... but i didnt know the specifics and just thought it would be for a cheaper price, not having to pay the same 1900 Baht for just 7 more days. In that case, its much more valuable to just use that cash for a fresh new visa with 60 days.

Thanks, that's some valuable information there.

I didn't even think about Myannmar, but do I still need to buy a Myanmar Visa when I arrive there? Or I simply just get stamped out at Thai border and then simply turn around and re-enter when I get to Myannmar border? Or would I actually have to enter Myannmar first and exit back to Thai border. The reason I ask this is because I have a US passport and I still need to purchase a Visa to enter Myannmar, so I was wondering if I still have to do that or not.  For example, Laos visa takes up an entire page in a passport, so with a METV, once you get stamped out at Thai border, do you actually have to enter another country and purchase their visa in your passport?

2 hours ago, darrendsd said:

If you are weighing up the costs of a SETV to a METV then you are forgetting the extra costs of getting a SETV 

 

Travel costs, Hotel, Visa fees to enter the country you are applying from

 

All this can easily add another 5k to the cost of getting a SETV

 

For example if I use ThaiVisaService to get a SETV in Laos the whole trip costs around 5600 Baht (including SETV cost) On top of that I live in Hua Hin so have to pay travel costs to join the trip in BKK and then have to pay to get back to HH, the trip arrives back in BKK after midnight so I have to get a taxi back

 

All in all the trip will cost me around 8000 Baht,

 I'm trying to weigh in the costs and convenience factors.  The 3 months goes by so quickly that I thought I could stay for 6 months without leaving.  But even with a METV I still have to pay for travel costs to leave BKK after 90 days, not before 6 months. 

I'm currently in Bangkok and the past 6 months I've already done two Visa runs from BKK to Vientiene, Laos and only getting the SETV, which my trip cost with hostel run me only about 3,000฿, plus the SETV cost of 1,000฿. Now my Visa is just about to expire and I am planning to do another Visa run and thinking should I opt for the METV and spend 5,000฿? The total for 90 days will cost me 6,900฿ after extension compared to 2,900฿ for a SETV.  Not including trip costs because I have to spend that anyways.

For me, I think that it I have to do a border run anyways for both after 90 days, wouldn't the SETV be more convenient for me, since I have to pay for a trip and Laos Visa to leave BKK after 90 days no matter which Visa I have.... so if I have to go to another country anyways, isn't it just the matter of convenience, if I would rather stay for 2 days and go to the local Thai consular, compared to if I have a METV, I would just leave and come back in the same day? What other factors should I think about?

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

Your understanding of the METV is correct. The advantage of an METV is flexibility. You can just do a border bounce anywhere at any time to get a new entry. A trip outside Thailand does not need to consider the practicalities of applying for a visa. To get a fresh SETV you need to go only to locations outside Thailand with a friendly consulate, must go on days the consulate is open, and need to stay long enough to complete the visa application process.

I think for someone who isnt planning on traveling and staying in Thailand, the SETV is more convenient but the only downside is that you need to give an extra day to wait and pick up your Passport. Considering the cost of the METV being 5000 Baht compared to 1000 Baht for the SETV, plus the additional 1900 Baht for the standard 30 day extension, the 4,000 extra Baht can be used for a fresh Visa with just the inconvenience of waiting in a bordering country for 1-2 extra days instead of crossing the border/re-enter on the same day. 

I thought that when I saw "Validity 6 Months" for the METV, it meant you didn't have to do a border run for 6 months, which I thought was very convenient but if you still have to leave after 3 months, I think the SETV would suit me better since I will be staying just in Thailand and after 90 days, I will need to just get a fresh new Visa. 

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You will get 7 days to leave the country after apply for an extension, pay the 1900 baht fee and they deny the application.

Oh okay, so you still have to pay the 1900 Baht and that is only for only an additional 7 days... Thats what I was confused about

My TR Visa is about to expire and I just want to know what the cheapest and quickest way I can get a new TR Visa besides going to Vientiene again.  I've already went there twice, and the Laos Visa takes up the full page in my passport.  I only have 1 last page left reserved for my new TR visa.  I am thinking about border runs with Bus but also thinking about going to Hong Kong because they won't stamp my passport, and if I leave on Monday, I will go to Embassy on Tuesday, Pick up on Wednesday and fly back to Bangkok that night so 3 day trip, but cost for everything there is a lot more expensive (Food and hotel). What are my other options? 

If I apply for METV which is Valid for 6 months... does that mean i can stay in Thailand for 6 months without having to leave and re enter? I thought I saw that the METV is valid for 6 months, but you still have to stamp out and leave before the 60 days or 90 days if you pay 1900 baht for the extension but you just dont have to re apply for a Visa, so then when you re enter, you get another 90 days, but then you still have tk leave and then re apply for a new Visa since the 6 months would now be over. So wouldnt it be the same if you got the cheaper SETV and extended it for a total of 90 days?