bjhabal

Just make sure that you have return ticket out of Thailand.

My friend (Canadian) just came back with a single entry tourist visa, however he had to call me from Taiwan to buy air ticket for him and fax a copy, as they insist of seeing a ticket, and fortunately they accepted the copy.

Good luck

Bishop

The last time I got a visa from Singapore,was about 2 years ago, and they did not ask me any question; however things can change rapidly, and no body can predict.

Please post you experience upon return, as I am planing to go there early next month.

Thanks.

Bishop

Just tell the guy who is receiving your application that you want double entries zand he will write it down on your application, do not worry about that.

Bishop

You can get the visa from any Thai embassy or consulate, and it is free which means it cost nothing. Furthermore you can get as many visas as you wish, so every time you finish the visa, you can go and get new one, however you cannot have a double entry visa even if you want to pay for it.

Bishop

First question:Your passport has to have at least 6 months' till the expiry date, so if you are getting a new passport then you have no problem.

Second question: You can enter Thailand for 30 days without any visa, and just jump to the nearest border and get another 3o days. You can do that 3 times during a six month period, then after that you will need a visa.

But to save you the hassle of the border run and the headache with the immigration officers; Just apply for a single entry or (double if they would give you) tourist visa and you will be granted a 60 days to stay for each upon arrival to Thailand, which can be extended for another 30 days at any immigration office in Thailand.

Third question: Well, is this a question to ask. In Thailand no body drink water, otherwise they die.

Good luck

Actually 6 month is not 180 days at all. the year is either 365 or 366 days, which means 6 month is 183 or 182.5 days. It is just approximately; be easy on me lite beer same as your nick name; I really appreciate your hard working and wish you a wonderful life.

Bishop

I think the confusion about the 180 days, you mentioned above came from the idea of a 3 times entering Thailand without a visa.

The rule is that you can enter Thailand without visa more than three times provided that the total number of the days you stay are not exceeding 90 days in a period of 6 month (180 days). I hope that it is clear for you now.

Bishop

Thank you guys for backing me up, however I can assure you that I don't post as many replies as others do for one reason, which is to make sure that my reply is almost correct and reflect my own or family member real experience. I don't post information obtained from other people, not because I don't trust them, but simply because they can do that themselves. However if they don't, then there are always good guys like you and the super moderators who can do the job perfectly.

Have a wonderful day

Bishop

Well, the 90 days for visa exempt rule apply to every body including Singaporean.

My wife is Singaporean and the rule apply on her too.

Asianbravo is not stating correctly his situation, and he can't be in Thailand for 150 days without a visa. I think there is some information are missing here.

Asianbravo, if you are not too clever and you don't wan to go to the border and refused entry as you said, then the only way to help you is that you open your passport and write down the dates of every entry and exit during the past year, and state if it was with or without a visa.

For example:

Enter Exit Status

14.03.08 12.04.08 without visa

23.04.08 21.06.08 visa

And so on.

Have a nice day

Bishop

I understood that you are Singaporean and not a Hong Kong national, therefore you can get in to Thailand without a visa (visa exempt) as many time as you wish provided that the total days stayed in Thailand do not exceed 90 days during a period of 6 months (180 days) starting from the first entry stamp in your passport.

If you have already completed your 90 days stay during the past 6 months (check the date of your first entry without a visa in your passport and calculate 6 months) then go to any Thai embassy or consulate in the region (Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, etc.) and apply for a tourist visa. It is free for Singaporean and will permit you to stay for 60 days in Thailand extendable for another 30 days with a fee of 1900 baht at the emigration office.

Bishop

Single entry tourist visa is valid for 3 month and you can stay for up to 60 days.

Double, triple or what ever the number in a tourist visa is valid for only 3 month too, and you can stay for up to 60 days in each entry.

However, logically you can't stay for more than approximately 5 month with a tourist visa, provided that you have it with 3 entries. The trick is that you use the first entry for only one month (30 days) then you exit and enter to stay for 58 days or at least one to two days before the visa expired (Use before this date.....) and lastly you enter and stay for another 60 days.

Bishop

The visa to Lao is differ from one nationality to another, the highest beeing for Canadian.

And yes you can go to Chachoangsao junction and get a bus or train from there.

Good luck

Bishop

One correction to Maestro reply.

As a Singaporean your tourist visa to Thailand is free, however they will not grant you double entries. You can apply to as many visas as you wish, but it will always be a single entry for 60 days.

My wife tried to apply for double entries from several embassies and consulate and was willing to pay for it, but the answers was always No.

Sorry for that

Bishop

Though there is no night clubs or bars, you still can have beer in some Chinese restaurants, particularly those inside small streets, such as the one beside Kencana Lodge.

Good luck

Bishop

If your multiple exit and re-entries fall on the duration of the visa period (3 month) then you could apply for more than 2 entries and pay an extra thousand baht for each.

It is equal to the exit and re-entry fee, but will save you the time and efforts to go to the immigration and apply for the exit and re-entry.

Bishop

Definitely it is not possible, and the reason was very clear through "digitalchromakey" answer.

Arriving Sungai Kolok at 11:25am, walking to the boarder, stamping out, then walking across the bridge to the Malaysian border and stamping in will take a minimum of one hour if you are really lucky and not much people are queuing with you, then waiting for the bus 29 which is an hourly bus then arriving to Kota Bahru will add at least another 2 hours, plus one hour time different means you would probably be arriving to the embassy at around 4 to 5 o’clock, whereby even if they would accept your afternoon application they will be unfortunately closed.

Depending on your visa situation, my advise to you is either you do a border run or extend your current visa to buy some times then reschedule your trip to Kota Bahru.

If this not possible then try to change the return date to Thursday by doing the following:

1 - When you arrive to Hatyai the train will stop for at least 15 minutes, rush to the counter and try to change your reservation at Hatyai (as sometimes people change or cancel there reservations too) and you could be lucky to find a sit and pay the 50 B fine.

2- Back from Hatyai there are many trains and not only two, so try to find a later scheduled train and make one way reservation from Hatyai to Bangkok on Thursday, then buy one way third class ticket from Sungai Kolok, which usually is available.

In my last trip it happened to me and the first and second classes where full, so I bought a ticket to Bangkok on the third class and managed to buy another one on the first class in Hatyai.

Best of luck

Bishop

Every one of us has benefited one way or another from some of Lopburi3 statements and/or advices, he had his signature in every useful topic and was the most trusted informer for many members in this forum; however, the gentleman needs a break, and I hope that it is just a break,and not a breakup.

Meanwhile we have already missed Lopburi3, I have no doubt that many others here have contributed to this forum as much as Lopburi3 has done, and for example, Maesto along with many others have done the job perfectly and deserve our thanks and appreciation too.

Good luck guys and many thanks to you all.

Bishop

The six month period start from the date stamped on your passport when you enter with visa exempt.

Bishop

This topic was discussed here before, and I have given all the information regard it, but it seems to me that people on this forum (specially those senior fellows) either they never read or simply just forget very fast.

It all depend on what kind of trip you are looking for?

--If it is just to obtain a tourist visa, then there is no doubt Kota Bharu is the best place -according to my experience-, I have applied for a double entry tourist visa in less than 5 minutes and got my passport back in the next working day in less than 2, and surly this was the fastest visa I have ever got from a Thai consulate.

The reason in part falls on some negative posting about the place, so that many people have avoid it and made the consulate looks like a ghost house, no one is applying, and only one staff is serving.

(Note: for other type of visas I have no experience there)

--If your trip for both visa and plesear, then it depend on what kind of pleasure you are looking for? I have menetioned in this forum before that Kota Bharu is the richest city in Malysia and they do not need nor encourage tourist to visit. The people there are very conservative and religious, which means no women, no alcohol, no red light disticts (bars, nigtht clubs or pubs), however they are not racist or rude to foreigners. Apart from that they have the most beatifull, clean and breathtaking under water beaches in several islands just few miles away on the ocean.

-- Accomodation wise: Kota Bharu is the cheapest in Malaysia, there are many fifty to sixty Ringet (B.500-600) range, very clean hotels with movie channels on tvs. Four and five stars hotels are 50% cheaper than any where else in Malaysia.

--Food and beverage: there are all kind of foods served in restaurants including Chinese, Indian and American, however there are only one restaurant for each Mcdonalds, KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut, all of them located in the city center, arround the bus stations, fresh market, supermarkets, night market and most of the hotels. (No wonder, Kota Bharu is too small to accomodate more than one of each).

Security: Kota Bharu is the safest place on the region, crimes are almost zero, and what is the south of Thailand is facing has nothing to do with Kota Bharu.

Lastly I am planing to go there again by the end of this year, and I assure you that I will post my new experience upon my return (if this ever happened).

Until then good luck to everybodt wants to try first.

Bishop

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Thats for another type of visa

Thanks. and: "proposed address in thailand", is it enough if i just write "Bangkok" if I not yet book any place to stay?

I used to put down some hotel, such as the Golden Palace on Soi 1 Sukumvit, but now that I'm on a retirement extension I put down the home address.

Reckon any hotel would be fine.

Mac

If you have a real address in Bangkok, then write it down, if not then just write down any hotel name in Bangkok and the address if possible, otherwise, the hotel name followed by Bangkok as the address, would be sufficient enough.

Good luck

Bishop

They have answered your questions correctly, I usually state my house address in every government form, including tourist visa application form, extending visa form, entering without a visa form, exit and reentry application form and so on...

Condos ,apartments and/or houses are not deferent from a hotel rooms, as it can be rented in a daily,weakly, monthly or yearly basis.

Do not worry.

Bishop

Actually It takes about 22 hours from Bangkok to Butterworth, however it is not the option of taking a train or taking a flight,as if you are in hurry or on a business trip, then of course, flying is faster and could be cheaper too considering the time consuming.

But it is not the money issue what determines the kind of transportation we choose (though for some it is), what is more suitable for us (not necessarly more comfortable) is the main factor.

As a retired airline executive, it is much cheaper for me to take a flight, where I can board any of half od "IATA" airlines for free and/or pay as little as 10% of the normal fair to board the other; but spending half of my life on the air for business trips, made me sick and tired of getting to the airports, wait for flights and spend hours in a little box called an airplain, where my movement is very limited, probably only to the WC.

some says it is only 2 hours flight, but to tell you the truth, it is not. You have to start few hours before departure to arrive to the airport, do the immigration check, security check, wait for your flight, fly, then when you arrive to your destination, do the immigration check, custom check and drive to the city? add all that and it will end up to be many hours of stress and not really only 2.

Some people suggested that most of the train trip will be on the dark? well, that is not completely correct. The train depart at 2.45 pm, which gives you about four hours of sightseeing, then when it gets dark, you can have your dinner, do some chatting with other people, read, write or just simply walk arround untill the bed time. You will be arriving Hatyay arround 7 or 8 am, and it is already a daylight, then you have one hour in the Thai side to see the counteryside, and the rest of the trip to see the Malaysian countryside, and I think 8-10 hours of seeing the countryside is more than enough unless I am wrong.

This is not a significant addition to the reply, but I hope that it will clear a bit some of the issues.

Wish you all a nice day.

Bishop

Do exactly what fred2007 told you, it is fun and nice trip.

Though the first class gives you more privacy, however it is much more boring and the only one window you have will make it more difficult to see the outside.

Second class is more comfortable, and you might meet a lot of foreigners traveling with you, just go around and find some, believe me I made many friends from a train trips.

Under your seat there is a folded table,take it out and place it in front of you, and you will feel like you are in a restaurant, you can use it to work with your book note or for writing or reading a news paper.

Bring your food and drink, as it is much more expensive on the train, however you can order your food and drinks from the waiters and made them come to your sit or you can walk to the restaurant and eat there.

Try to book a sit between numbers 13 to 26 for not be near the doors, as it is less noisy and nearer to the electricity outlet in case you are using a computer or you wand to charge your mobile phone.

The train will stop about 20 minute in Hatyay to split the Hatyay cars and only 2-3 cars will continue to Butterworth.

One our from Hatyay is the border at Bender Besar where the train will stop for about 2 hours for immigration and custom check. Bring your luggage down with you on the way going as the Malaysian want to check your luggage, however you do not have to do so when coming back as the Thai will not check your luggage. The procedure will take less than 15 miutes, however the train have to stop longer for the arrival of the Malaysian train from the other side as there is only one track to continue. You can waste sometimes in the cafeteria on the top roof of the immigration.

The remaining of the jorney is 3 hours and you will be in butterworth.

Get off the train and walk through to behind the station's lobby straight to the ferry, which will take you to Penang.

If you need to change some money first for the ferry fee, then do it at the border and not in the Butterwoth station, the rate there is better.

Hve a nice trip and good luck.

Bishop

You are right Ray, but you forget to add " and attacking each other before they even start to do that".

Bishop

They did the first test trip successfully two weeks ago, but they did not say when it will start.

Bishop.