30 day ext

[wijipa]

Hi all, on arrival I will get a 30 Visa, i hope to extend this for another 30 days. Question is, how soon after getting initial 30 days can I get ext. Can I get extra 30 days soon after entry or do I need to wait until initial 30 days is due to run out. Cheers.

[elviajero]

There are no set rules so you can try asking earlier, but most offices will only let you extend within the last 1-2 weeks of the initial 30 days. It's best to wait until the last week to avoid a wasted journey.

[steve187]

before someone else posts it i will, you will not have a 'visa' you will obtain a 30 day visa exempt entry, which can be extended in the last week for a further 30 days at a local immigration office 1,900 baht, but be aware that the office may require a tm30  ( immigration form) to have been submitted by the owner of the property where you are staying, and a receipt obtained.

[OJAS]

10 hours ago, wijipa said:

Hi all, on arrival I will get a 30 Visa, i hope to extend this for another 30 days.

If you know that you're going to spend 60 days in Thailand, why not obtain a single-entry tourist visa which will cover you for the entire period without the need to seek an extension midway through your stay?

[wijipa]

I have been coming to Thailand annually since 2007, I have always applied for, and received either the SETV or METV with no problems. I generally stay between 1 and 5 months. This time when I applied for a SETV with what I thought were all the correct documents , I was declined. I rang the Embassy in NZ and spoke to a lovely lady who remembered me from past applications. She told me that 4 months previously, things have changed. Everything was in order<except my accommodation. I have always stayed at the same place and previously just given the address of where Im staying. Now I need to have a letter from the people I stay with, saying how long I will be staying and it needs to be accompanied by a copy of their passport or Thai ID. Unfortunately this is not possible to organise before my trip. That is why the 30 day on arrival. Good guys in, dont think so. 

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, wijipa said:

I have been coming to Thailand annually since 2007, I have always applied for, and received either the SETV or METV with no problems. I generally stay between 1 and 5 months. This time when I applied for a SETV with what I thought were all the correct documents , I was declined. I rang the Embassy in NZ and spoke to a lovely lady who remembered me from past applications. She told me that 4 months previously, things have changed. Everything was in order<except my accommodation. I have always stayed at the same place and previously just given the address of where Im staying. Now I need to have a letter from the people I stay with, saying how long I will be staying and it needs to be accompanied by a copy of their passport or Thai ID. Unfortunately this is not possible to organise before my trip. That is why the 30 day on arrival. Good guys in, dont think so. 

Oh dear, I hope that this does not represent the start of a general roll-out of what is in effect the TM30 procedure to visa-issuing embassies and consulates, but is merely a local decision taken by the Thai Ambassador to NZ in his infinite wisdom (or even by the "lovely lady" at the Embassy to whom you spoke and who might have been principally motivated in the advice she gave you by which side of the bed she had got out of that morning).

 

In this connection, it is important to ensure that your Thai hosts provide the local immigration office with a completed TM30 within 24 hours of your arrival since, without it, you may well experience difficulties in obtaining a 30-day extension there subsequently. Presumably you have not had to have any dealings with this office on previous visits, in which case the TM30 would not have been an issue for you before now?

 

As regards what the "lovely lady" told you about your hosts' ID, did she really say that only copies of their passport or ID card would be sufficient? I find it surprising that she didn't mention their blue tabien bahn (housebook) as well.

Edited February 21, 2018 by OJAS

[OJAS]

@wijipa You should also be forewarned of the risk, in the absence of a current SETV or METV, of your being denied boarding your outbound flight from NZ, unless you can produce evidence of a confirmed onward flight booking out of Thailand within the following 30 days at check-in. The perceived wisdom on here is that a cheap throwaway ticket for a flight to a nearby destination outside Thailand should suffice for this purpose.

[wijipa]

Thanks OJAS, already done that. Cheers

[BritTim]

On 2/21/2018 at 2:45 PM, wijipa said:

I have been coming to Thailand annually since 2007, I have always applied for, and received either the SETV or METV with no problems. I generally stay between 1 and 5 months. This time when I applied for a SETV with what I thought were all the correct documents , I was declined. I rang the Embassy in NZ and spoke to a lovely lady who remembered me from past applications. She told me that 4 months previously, things have changed. Everything was in order<except my accommodation. I have always stayed at the same place and previously just given the address of where Im staying. Now I need to have a letter from the people I stay with, saying how long I will be staying and it needs to be accompanied by a copy of their passport or Thai ID. Unfortunately this is not possible to organise before my trip. That is why the 30 day on arrival. Good guys in, dont think so. 

That is irritating, but most easily resolved by a hotel reservation that allows free cancellation.