Hello Thai Visa Experts, 

 

Hoping someone can steer me in the right direction here. I just arrived in Thailand about 10 days ago from Vietnam. Because I am Canadian, I wasn't required to get a Visa. I read online that I was allowed to stay for 30 days, though at the airport, absolutely nothing was mentioned to me or asked from me. I did not have to show a flight out of the country or anything. 

 

Now, I am considering staying in Thailand for longer, maybe 2 or 3 months. What does one do to extend their stay if they didn't even need a Visa in the first place? Would I have to leave and re-enter? Looking for the simplest/cheapest solution possible here. 

 

Thank you!

You can extend your entry for another 30 days for 1900 baht at Immigration. After that you need to exit the country and re-enter (either coming in on a 30 Visa exempt entry as you first did) or obtaining a 60 day Visa from a Thai embassy or consulate in a neighboring country.

If you are enjoying it so much here that you could imagine spending long periods here in the future, I would suggest you start using actual tourist visas, which you can get in several nearby locations (typically applying in the morning and receiving the visa the following day in the afternoon). Use the visa exempt entries as a fallback when some unexpected event needs you to enter unexpectedly without a visa. Each entry on a tourist visa gets you a 60-day stay, extendable for a further 30 days at an immigration office in Thailand.

 

Visa exempt entries are handy, but they are frowned upon for staying long term. Indeed, if entering Thailand by land, you are restricted to two per calendar year. Even if entering by air, you will be subject to increased scrutiny after using about six visa exempt entries over a couple of years.