Please would this plan work to stay 4 months in Thailand?

[khman]

Hi

I am in Thailand since 15 days. Without visa. I would like to stay a total of 4 months.

Can I go and hopefully get a tourist visa at Kuala Lampur, is that easy?

Then I can have 60 days more and extend 30?

Thank you for your help.

[sanemax]

What is your nationality ?

[ubonjoe]

I assume you are on a 30 day visa exempt entry. You could get a 30 day extension of if that is what you have.

Recent reports of KL being easier for getting tourist visa than before. Click on the link for tourist visa here to download the checklist for for them there, http://www.thaiembassy.org/kualalumpur/th/services/72043-ตรวจลงตรา-|-Visa.html  and there is more usefull info on the page.

You will get a 60 day entry from the visa that can be extended for 30 days.

 

[elviajero]

KL is maybe not the best choice. You can get a Tourist Visa there, but they are very strict on their requirements, and they don't seem to like issuing visas to people to extend stays for tourism. You'd be better off applying in Penang, Malaysia or Vientiane, Laos.

 

Yes a Tourist visa gives an initial 60 days that can be extended by 30 days for 1,900 baht.

[saakura]

Sorry to interrupt. If i am understanding this correctly, it is possible for say, a UK national, to enter on a 30 day visa exempt which can then be extended (internally, without leaving Thailand) by 30 days. He can then hop across to Penang, get a SETV, and enter again, but this time, for 60 days. Which can then be extended internally by another 30 days. Giving him a stay of 4 months. After this, can he can hop the border again for another SETV ? I understand that only border crossing by flight is permitted for such a scenario?

[khman]

Thanks much for your replies.

I am european.

Hmm, really, KL less nice than others? There are probably shops there that facilitate all?
I really need not to struggle, I have a wife and a young baby to take care.

Thanks again friends.

[JackThompson]

55 minutes ago, saakura said:

Sorry to interrupt. If i am understanding this correctly, it is possible for say, a UK national, to enter on a 30 day visa exempt which can then be extended (internally, without leaving Thailand) by 30 days. He can then hop across to Penang, get a SETV, and enter again, but this time, for 60 days. Which can then be extended internally by another 30 days. Giving him a stay of 4 months. After this, can he can hop the border again for another SETV ? I understand that only border crossing by flight is permitted for such a scenario?

All correct except the "only... by flight".  There is no such restriction with the scenario you described.  There is a restriction of 2 visa-exempt entries by-land per calendar year, but this does not include entries with valid visas (as would be the case returning from Penang).

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, khman said:

Thanks much for your replies.

I am european.

Hmm, really, KL less nice than others? There are probably shops there that facilitate all?
I really need not to struggle, I have a wife and a young baby to take care.

Thanks again friends.

You're on your own if applying in KL, however, there are agents in Penang that can help with your application.

 

If your wife/child are Thai you could get a non-immigrant visa.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

All correct except the "only... by flight".  There is no such restriction with the scenario you described.  There is a restriction of 2 visa-exempt entries by-land per calendar year, but this does not include entries with valid visas (as would be the case returning from Penang).

Hope you don't mind me adding except Poipet.

[steve187]

 2 x visa exempt with 30 day extension will give you 120 days which is almost 4 months

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

All correct except the "only... by flight".  There is no such restriction with the scenario you described.  There is a restriction of 2 visa-exempt entries by-land per calendar year, but this does not include entries with valid visas (as would be the case returning from Penang).

Hope you don't mind me adding except Poipet.

Good point - as that crossing's IOs statments, are one origin of the myth.

[jackdd]

I always wonder why you guys want make it so complicated and suggest getting a tourist visa

Just extend your visa exemption by 30 days at any embassy. Then after a total of 60 days you make a visa run to any other country (does not matter which it is and if you fly or take a bus) and come back to get another visa exempt and extend it, then you have 120 days in total. If you need something like 122 days just stay in the country that you make the visa run to for 2 days before you come back to Thailand.

[JackThompson]

31 minutes ago, jackdd said:

I always wonder why you guys want make it so complicated and suggest getting a tourist visa

Just extend your visa exemption by 30 days at any embassy. Then after a total of 60 days you make a visa run to any other country (does not matter which it is and if you fly or take a bus) and come back to get another visa exempt and extend it, then you have 120 days in total. If you need something like 122 days just stay in the country that you make the visa run to for 2 days before you come back to Thailand.

Note, the 30-day extensions are done at the local "immigration office" in Thailand (not embassy).  

 

If only coming to Thailand occasionally, the two visa-exempt method would probably work without trouble upon entry.  But if he is down-South, there are reports you must stay out a night, before coming back ("no u-turns") from at least some Malaysian crossing-points.  And if staying out a night, or even a couple days (the case of over 120 days before return-flight), the visa might be less hassle - depending on which border/location is used for the exit. 

 

Penang is so easy - just drop off passport to agent, pay for whatever 'extras' are needed by the consulate (hotel-booking, etc - which they will set-up for you), and pick it back up a day or 2 later (depending on what time you drop it off).  That's less hassle than time at immigration for an extension, possibly getting hassled for a TM-30 (depending on which office), etc.  Penang is also nice place to spend a couple days, so adds a plus to the overall travel plan.

[BritTim]

11 hours ago, khman said:

Thanks much for your replies.

I am european.

Hmm, really, KL less nice than others? There are probably shops there that facilitate all?
I really need not to struggle, I have a wife and a young baby to take care.

Thanks again friends.

On a point of information, 'European' is not (yet) a nationality (even if your country is part of the EU).

 

We are reluctant to say too much about Kuala Lumpur here as for several years it was a truly terrible place to apply for visas. Although recent reports indicate that they are not as unfriendly as previously, we really do not know enough about their visa issuing policies to recommend it. They may be quite OK. However, unlike in Penang, you cannot use an agent to apply for a visa in KL.

[khman]

Thanks much for your help. I will go Penang and take an agent, easier. Thanks again.

To answer others :

 

my wife is farang too

5 months ago I already had a 30 days extension after a 30 days exemption, so I guess I can only make 1 more in the following months.

[khman]

Friends, I forgot, if I want to stay longer than than 4 months, can I make a METV? Is it same than tourist visa, quite some odds at Penang, and hard to say in KL?
Thank you for your help

[JackThompson]

5 minutes ago, khman said:

Friends, I forgot, if I want to stay longer than than 4 months, can I make a METV? Is it same than tourist visa, quite some odds at Penang, and hard to say in KL?
Thank you for your help

Generally, you can only get an METV in your passport-country or country of legal-residence.  If you get one before coming, you get 60-days permitted-stay upon each entry, and the visa is useable for entry until it's "enter before" date, which is 6-months from Date of Issuance (not date of first-use).

 

Note that there are more requirements to qualify for receipt of an METV, than for SETVs (single-entry tourist-visas).

[khman]

Very sorry I add this one... as said 5 months ago I got 30 days extend at local immigration, after entering with exemption visa. If now I go, and get again, 30 days extension, can I still, after those 30 days, go abroad and apply for a tourist visa? I guess then I cannot extend 30 days anymore but ok...

Thank you for your help!

[JackThompson]

28 minutes ago, khman said:

5 months ago I already had a 30 days extension after a 30 days exemption, so I guess I can only make 1 more in the following months.

If you entered visa-exempt via a land-border, you can make only one more land-border visa-exempt entry in the same calendar-year.  If your previous visa-exempt entry was by air, this does not add to the count.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, khman said:

Friends, I forgot, if I want to stay longer than than 4 months, can I make a METV? Is it same than tourist visa, quite some odds at Penang, and hard to say in KL?
Thank you for your help

The METV is a multiple entry tourist visa that is valid for 6 month from the date of issue.

It can only be applied for in your home country or country of legal residence.

[BritTim]

59 minutes ago, khman said:

Very sorry I add this one... as said 5 months ago I got 30 days extend at local immigration, after entering with exemption visa. If now I go, and get again, 30 days extension, can I still, after those 30 days, go abroad and apply for a tourist visa? I guess then I cannot extend 30 days anymore but ok...

Thank you for your help!

You can get one 30-day extension per entry either with a tourist visa or visa exempt. This means that you can stay a total of 60 days if you originally entered visa exempt, and a total of 90 days (60+30) if you entered with a tourist visa.

[khman]

22 hours ago, BritTim said:

You can get one 30-day extension per entry either with a tourist visa or visa exempt. This means that you can stay a total of 60 days if you originally entered visa exempt, and a total of 90 days (60+30) if you entered with a tourist visa.

Thank you all for replies. BritTim, what I mean in this case situation will be the following in 6 months from now :

 

I will have extended by 30 days 2 exemption visa, 2 times, 6 months ago and 1 month ago. Each time I entered by flight.

 

Then can I still go abroad and make a 2 months tourist visa?

 

Thank you for your help!

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, khman said:

Thank you all for replies. BritTim, what I mean in this case situation will be the following in 6 months from now :

 

I will have extended by 30 days 2 exemption visa, 2 times, 6 months ago and 1 month ago. Each time I entered by flight.

 

Then can I still go abroad and make a 2 months tourist visa?

 

Thank you for your help!

At most locations, you should be able to get a single entry tourist visa without difficulty.