Is It Possible To Stay In Thailand For 120 Days On A Tourist Visa?

[nickmondo]

Opinions please. 

At the moment, I am here on a Retirement Visa, got my 800k in the bank, so no problems with extension every year.

However, I now want to split my time in Europe and Thailand, basically, on a 8 month EU and 4 month in Thailand ratio

I dont want to leave my 800k in the bank here, its a large sum of money and I can use it for other things.

So, here is my theory, can any of you clever people out there tell me if this will work:

I am a UK citizen

I enter Thailand on a Tourist Exempt (30 days)

I extend this at immigration for a further 30 days (60 so far in total)

I then take a flight or a drive to a country in the nearby vicinity for a few days.

I re enter Thailand on a Tourist Exempt for a further 30 days (90 so far)

I extend this at immigration for a further 30 days (120 in total).

Will that work please?

[elviajero]

Yes that would work. But you'd be better advised to get a Single Entry Tourist Visa before leaving Europe. That would give you 60 days on entry. At the end of the 60 days you could extend for 30 days. Then at the end of the 90 days you could do a visa run for a 30 day visa exempt entry that could also be extended if needed.

 

Some airlines insist on an onward flight out of Thailand within 30 days if you travel without a visa.

[lamyai3]

On 10/31/2017 at 6:01 PM, elviajero said:

Yes that would work. But you'd be better advised to get a Single Entry Tourist Visa before leaving Europe. That would give you 60 days on entry. At the end of the 60 days you could extend for 30 days. Then at the end of the 90 days you could do a visa run for a 30 day visa exempt entry that could also be extended if needed.

 

Some airlines insist on an onward flight out of Thailand within 30 days if you travel without a visa.

 

Agree this advice. Initial SETV is only £25 in UK too, cheaper than the 1900 baht extension you'd otherwise need after the first 30 days.

[Paul944]

If you can get a multi entry tourist visa it will be more convinient. No extensions needed, just a border crossing after 60 days.

[gk10002000]

If you can travel as much as you seem to, it seems you should be able to keep the retirement extension and qualify via the 65k Baht/month income method.

[bheard]

If you can get a multi entry tourist visa it will be more convinient. No extensions needed, just a border crossing after 60 days.

Exactly. In Aus when I want to stay 4 months in Thailand I go to the local consulate (in Melb as it happens) and buy 2 x 60 day tourist visas. Means I have to leave Thailand once. Not expensive.
Actually don't even have to go there. You can do it conveniently using registered mail.

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[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, bheard said:

Exactly. In Aus when I want to stay 4 months in Thailand I go to the local consulate (in Melb as it happens) and buy 2 x 60 day tourist visas. Means I have to leave Thailand once. Not expensive.
Actually don't even have to go there. You can do it conveniently using registered mail.

If you are referring to a tourist-visa with 2-entries, these are no longer available, unfortunately.  There is a multiple-entry (METV), but it is overpriced and a pain to get due to the required paperwork (virtually useless to most who could use it due to needing ongoing employment, etc) - so only worth obtaining if one plans to stay 6+ months (with border-bounces), or do many out/ins to other countries. 

 

In the OP's case, a single entry followed by a visa-exempt entry - and either one of those extended by 30 days locally - would be the easiest path.

[bheard]

23 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

If you are referring to a tourist-visa with 2-entries, these are no longer available, unfortunately.  There is a multiple-entry (METV), but it is overpriced and a pain to get due to the required paperwork (virtually useless to most who could use it due to needing ongoing employment, etc) - so only worth obtaining if one plans to stay 6+ months (with border-bounces), or do many out/ins to other countries. 
 
In the OP's case, a single entry followed by a visa-exempt entry - and either one of those extended by 30 days locally - would be the easiest path.

No longer available. Interesting. What are they trying to achieve?

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[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, bheard said:

No longer available. Interesting. What are they trying to achieve?

When they came out with the multiple entry tourist visa they decided that the 2 and 3 entry visas were no longer needed. I assume they also considered that keeping them would make the METV redundant.

[JackThompson]

1 minute ago, bheard said:

No longer available. Interesting. What are they trying to achieve?

In my opinion, fewer people like us here - especially staying longer-term - and more from the growing regional power.  They even get free Tourist Visas.  Given the loads of tour-buses filled with their short-visit, zero-dollar tourists, it appears to be working.  All Thais I have met, personally - from moto-drivers to restaurant-owners - are not at all happy about this policy.

[bheard]

In my opinion, fewer people like us here - especially staying longer-term - and more from the growing regional power.  They even get free Tourist Visas.  Given the loads of tour-buses filled with their short-visit, zero-dollar tourists, it appears to be working.  All Thais I have met, personally - from moto-drivers to restaurant-owners - are not at all happy about this policy.

Get 'em in, fleece 'em, get 'em out quick sticks. Think you're correct. Sorry state of affairs for sure.

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