How often are you allowed tourist visa for Thailand?

[Hiro357]

Hi, 

Sorry if this has been asked before. I'm currently in Thailand on a tourist visa that I assume allows me to stay for 60 days. If I can't finish my business within that period. Am I allowed to apply for another tourist visa to enter Thailand again after I get home? If yes, do I have to wait for a period of time before I could enter Thailand again?

 

Lastly, what's the limit for numbers of tourist visas one could apply in say, a year? And how long does one need to wait between each intervals?

 

Thanks.

[BritTim]

You can extend your current stay from 60 days to 90 days on payment of 1,900 baht at an immigration office inside Thailand.

 

There is no limit in Thai law to the number of tourist visas you can receive. In many cases, you can receive unlimited tourist visas from your home country. There tend to be limits to the number that will be issued at Thai consulates in countries near Thailand, and some countries further afield will also apply limits. I have no knowledge of the policies of the Thai embassy in Japan.

 

In addition to the regular (single entry) tourist visa, it is also possible to apply for a multiple entry tourist visa which allows entering Thailand (receiving 60-day entries) for six months from the date it is issued. You can only get this in your home country, and the conditions for receiving it are much more stringent than for the regular tourist visa.

 

If you wish, rather than returning to Japan, you can visit Vientiane Laos to get a fresh single entry tourist visa.

[Hiro357]

16 minutes ago, BritTim said:

You can extend your current stay from 60 days to 90 days on payment of 1,900 baht at an immigration office inside Thailand.

 

There is no limit in Thai law to the number of tourist visas you can receive. In many cases, you can receive unlimited tourist visas from your home country. There tend to be limits to the number that will be issued at Thai consulates in countries near Thailand, and some countries further afield will also apply limits. I have no knowledge of the policies of the Thai embassy in Japan.

 

In addition to the regular (single entry) tourist visa, it is also possible to apply for a multiple entry tourist visa which allows entering Thailand (receiving 60-day entries) for six months from the date it is issued. You can only get this in your home country, and the conditions for receiving it are much more stringent than for the regular tourist visa.

 

If you wish, rather than returning to Japan, you can visit Vientiane Laos to get a fresh single entry tourist visa.

Thank you so much. Would this also work for a friend of mine, a Japanese girl who has stayed here for the majority of her last few years, but is now on a tourist visa?

Also if I return home before my visa expires then within the same month applie for another one, would it be a problem?

And what countries apart from Laos could I enter to refresh my Thai visa if it comes down to that?

 

Thanks again.

[BritTim]

4 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

Thank you so much. Would this also work for a friend of mine, a Japanese girl who has stayed here for the majority of her last few years, but is now on a tourist visa?

Also if I return home before my visa expires then within the same month applie for another one, would it be a problem?

And what countries apart from Laos could I enter to refresh my Thai visa if it comes down to that?

 

Thanks again.

As I posted before, I do not know the rules that are applied at the Thai embassy in Japan. In most countries they do not seem to limit issuing of tourist visas to nationals of the country where you are applying, but there are exceptions (for instance, France). Perhaps, someone familiar with the rules in Japan will give us the benefit of their knowledge.

 

Apart from Laos, good places to apply are Hong Kong, Vietnam (HCMC and Hanoi) and Yangon Myanmar. Other locations are also possible, but may incur complications that do not apply in the countries I mention.

[seancbk]

12 hours ago, BritTim said:

You can extend your current stay from 60 days to 90 days on payment of 1,900 baht at an immigration office inside Thailand.

 

There is no limit in Thai law to the number of tourist visas you can receive. In many cases, you can receive unlimited tourist visas from your home country. There tend to be limits to the number that will be issued at Thai consulates in countries near Thailand, and some countries further afield will also apply limits. I have no knowledge of the policies of the Thai embassy in Japan.

 

In addition to the regular (single entry) tourist visa, it is also possible to apply for a multiple entry tourist visa which allows entering Thailand (receiving 60-day entries) for six months from the date it is issued. You can only get this in your home country, and the conditions for receiving it are much more stringent than for the regular tourist visa.

 

If you wish, rather than returning to Japan, you can visit Vientiane Laos to get a fresh single entry tourist visa.

 

Nice to see someone replying with facts rather than comments like "you can't stay on tourist visas"

 

[portroyal]

You are on a tourist visa but need to stay to « finish your business »  ???

[notmyself]

2 minutes ago, portroyal said:

You are on a tourist visa but need to stay to « finish your business »  ???

 

It this context it means 'doing something' which could be shopping for example. 

[Autonuaq]

Tourist visa is for no work and just spent money.

 

Your story gives the impression that you are here doing other things.

For that they have other visas.

  

[Gloucester]

I plan to return to Thailand next year/2018.

 

According to The Immigration chap...i can also apply outside Thailand for this year/2017; he mentioned/triggered the 180 days unwritten rule. 

 

For my multiple visits this year; 2016 was ok.

 

Easier to follow the spirit behind the rule rather than inconvenience others/myself.

[ripley]

You get 30 days at airport immigration, right?

So can you extend this to 60-90 days in a similar fashion from Thai Immigration for a modest fee?

[ubonjoe]

36 minutes ago, ripley said:

You get 30 days at airport immigration, right?

So can you extend this to 60-90 days in a similar fashion from Thai Immigration for a modest fee?

You can only get a 30 day extension of a 30 day visa exempt entry.

Same for the 60 day entry from a tourist visa.

[Aditi Sharma]

15 hours ago, Hiro357 said:

And what countries apart from Laos could I enter to refresh my Thai visa if it comes down to that?

You could go to Penang in Malaysia, you could hop into Burma on the east Mae Sot I believe to be the most popular exit-entry point, enter Cambodia for whatever it is worth. Beware of malaria, dengue. 

[Hiro357]

8 minutes ago, Aditi Sharma said:

You could go to Penang in Malaysia, you could hop into Burma on the east Mae Sot I believe to be the most popular exit-entry point, enter Cambodia for whatever it is worth. Beware of malaria, dengue. 

Thank you. Malaysia seems a safer location than the other countries mentioned. What about Indonesia?

[natway09]

There is no definitive answer to your question as after say 4 entries in 6 months they may start to ask questions on arrival as to your situation in regards to "employment " 

[Aditi Sharma]

12 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

What about Indonesia?

What about it? Food sucks. And no change. And the permanent bias against the white skin. Even in my case. And my room service call in Jakarta was answered without talking, geddit? 

And I just looked at the map, they are certainly not represented in the neighbourhood of the Kingdom, Hirosan. 

[Hiro357]

5 minutes ago, natway09 said:

There is no definitive answer to your question as after say 4 entries in 6 months they may start to ask questions on arrival as to your situation in regards to "employment " 

I see. And how would one answer such questions to successfully enter?

[Hiro357]

4 minutes ago, Aditi Sharma said:

What about it? Food sucks. And no change. And the permanent bias against the white skin. Even in my case. And my room service call in Jakarta was answered without talking, geddit? 

And I just looked at the map, they are certainly not represented in the neighbourhood of the Kingdom, Hirosan. 

Sorry I meant to ask if Indonesia's a county I could enter to renew my tourist visa, as I have friends in that country.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

Sorry I meant to ask if Indonesia's a county I could enter to renew my tourist visa, as I have friends in that country.

You could get a tourist visa at the embassy in Jakarta or the honorary consulate in Bali.

The want to see tickets to here and out again and proof of accommodations. Also financial proof.

[Nemesis7]

As many tin s you want as there is no set numbers mentioned anywhere as long as you don’t break the overstaying law. I visit Thailand as often as 6/7 times a year each time for a week or so . 

[Aditi Sharma]

12 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

Sorry I meant to ask if Indonesia's a county I could enter to renew my tourist visa, as I have friends in that country.

Sir, I was thinking talking about Indonesia on the lines of a border-run. I just learned that it was called "shortout" in India. I dont think you will be able to visit Indonesia expressly in order to renew your visa. 

I think  natway09 was suggesting that you could be potentially harassed by immigration if you visited more than 4 times in 6 months. Depending upon the time of the day or night, either of you is going to find it hard going. But my question is are immigration officials penalized for NOT harassing such visitors?

[Hiro357]

7 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You could get a tourist visa at the embassy in Jakarta or the honorary consulate in Bali.

The want to see tickets to here and out again and proof of accommodations. Also financial proof.

Could you tell me more details about the finacial proof pls?

[Hiro357]

5 minutes ago, Aditi Sharma said:

Sir, I was thinking about Indonesia on the lines of a border-run. I just learned that it was called "shortout" in India. I dont think you will be able to visit Indonesia expressly in order to renew your visa. 

I think  natway09 was suggesting that you could be potentially harassed by immigration if you visited more than 4 times in 6 months. Depending upon the time of the day or night, either of you is going to find it hard going. But my question is are immigration officials penalized for NOT harassing such visitors?

No, I'm not going to come here that frequently. I just wish to go home before my tourist visa runs out. Then apply for another one within few weeks or a month.

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, Hiro357 said:

Could you tell me more details about the finacial proof pls?

From embassy website. http://www.thaiembassy.org/jakarta/en/services/64469-Tourist-visa.html

Quote

 Single-Entry Tourist Visa:  Bank Statement showing at least IDR 8,000,000 per person and IDR 16,000,000 per family (equivalent to USD 700 per person and USD 1,400 per family)

 

[Aditi Sharma]

If you apply for a tourist visa to the Royal Thai consulate in Penang, I see they dont ask for a bank statement. They just ask you to have 20k in Thai baht, 40k per family. Guess you have to show funds that can buy that Thai exchange in your bank account, I get it :-))

[Aditi Sharma]

11 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

No, I'm not going to come here that frequently. I just wish to go home before my tourist visa runs out. Then apply for another one within few weeks or a month.

It seems the immigration are able to see how many times you have visited in 6 months or a year even as you might get a new passport that shows no visits. And when your visits have been of the order of as Nat would agree 4 times in 6 months, they begin to get suspicious and will naturally ask questions before stamping you out. There is that distinct possibility, you see. 

[JackThompson]

4 hours ago, Hiro357 said:

4 hours ago, natway09 said:

There is no definitive answer to your question as after say 4 entries in 6 months they may start to ask questions on arrival as to your situation in regards to "employment " 

I see. And how would one answer such questions to successfully enter?

In all cases, have the complete address where you will stay in Thailand.

 

Regarding entry With a valid Tourist Visa issued from a Consulate (under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs):

If using points-of-entry that follow the law, you may be asked to show 20K Baht worth of cash or traveler's checks, and will be admitted.

 

If using points-of-entry that make up rules that do not exist (such as 180 days/yr), including many airports and the Poipet/Aranyaprathet crossing, then you may have problems.  If you decide to risk this, you may wish to bring along considerable proof that you are independently wealthy, and hence have zero need to work, in addition to the 20K worth of cash and your address.

 

Regarding entry using the Visa-Exempt scheme - issued at the discretion of the Immigration Officer processing your entry:

Land-borders tend to just check if you already have 2 entries this calendar year, but some may request seeing 10K Baht worth of cash or traveler's checks and proof of a flight-out in 30-days.  Avoid Poipet/Aranyaprathet, as they are known to be unfriendly to longer-staying and/or frequent visitors.

 

Airports do not have the 2x/calendar-year limit, and it is a roll of the dice if you have any longer-stay history in the country.   Again, have 10K Baht worth of cash or traveler's checks and proof of a flight-out in 30-days - and ideally proof you have plenty of money/income from outside Thailand, to minimize the chance of being denied-entry.

[lkv]

4 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Airports do not have the 2x/calendar-year limit, and it is a roll of the dice if you have any longer-stay history in the country.

I don't believe from my own experience and others I have read about(with the exception of some that I believe to be dummy reports), that it's a roll of the dice for holders of a valid tourist visa issued by an Embassy / Consulate.

 

My stay history is quite long in the last few years.

 

 

[JackThompson]

37 minutes ago, lkv said:

5 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Airports do not have the 2x/calendar-year limit, and it is a roll of the dice if you have any longer-stay history in the country.

I don't believe from my own experience and others I have read about(with the exception of some that I believe to be dummy reports), that it's a roll of the dice for holders of a valid tourist visa issued by an Embassy / Consulate.

 

My stay history is quite long in the last few years.

That "roll of the dice" quote is from the section of my post regarding the visa-exempt option (after others brought up the use of 30-day visa-exempt entries).  These are not recommended, IMO, for those with a longer-stay history. 

 

The section of my post prior to that is regarding Tourist Visas, where I say "may have problems," depending on history, because we have reports of irregularities including rejections (only one who had the 20K Baht), a forced throwaway-ticket purchase, etc.

[GOLDBUGGY]

On ‎10‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 11:04 AM, Gloucester said:

I plan to return to Thailand next year/2018.

 

According to The Immigration chap...i can also apply outside Thailand for this year/2017; he mentioned/triggered the 180 days unwritten rule. 

 

For my multiple visits this year; 2016 was ok.

 

Easier to follow the spirit behind the rule rather than inconvenience others/myself.

Well actually the 180 Days is not an "unwritten rule". It applies to Residency.

 

If you Reside in Thailand for 180 Days or more, you are considered a Resident of Thailand for Income Tax purposes, and would be subject to pay full Income Taxes on all money earned in, but also out of, Thailand. I know many will disagree with this statement but all I can say is look it up yourself.

 

So it stands to reason that you cannot be a Resident of a country by only holding a Tourist Visa. Perhaps why you were told about the 180 Day Rule to begin with.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, GOLDBUGGY said:

Well actually the 180 Days is not an "unwritten rule". It applies to Residency.

 

If you Reside in Thailand for 180 Days or more, you are considered a Resident of Thailand for Income Tax purposes, and would be subject to pay full Income Taxes on all money earned in, but also out of, Thailand. I know many will disagree with this statement but all I can say is look it up yourself.

 

So it stands to reason that you cannot be a Resident of a country by only holding a Tourist Visa. Perhaps why you were told about the 180 Day Rule to begin with.

There is no linkage between residency for tax purposes and the category(ies) of visa you used to enter Thailand during the year.

 

If considered resident in Thailand for tax purposes, you are liable for tax on worldwide income, but only if the money is brought into Thailand in the year it is earned.

 

The 180-day "rule" has been widely cited. I actually think immigration likely receives an alert when you enter Thailand having been in the country for more than 180 days on tourist entries (similar to the alert for 6+ visa exempt entries). However, many, many people spend more than 180 days a year in Thailand on tourist entries with only a handful ever denied entry (usually when trying to enter visa exempt and suspected of illegal working).