Is there a limit to total number of days stay in a year?

[ThomasAJ]

Since mid-Dec 2017 we have stayed about 5.5 months and want to come back for a 30 day visit on Oct 9th. 2018.

It has just occurred to me that there may be a 'total # of days' per 'whatever time period' limit.

Arrived mid-Dec 2017 and departed 1 Mar 2018. (2.5 mths)
Arrived end May 2018 and departed 23 Aug 2018. (3 mths)

[ubonjoe]

There is no limit on the amount of time you be in the country over any amount of time.

You should have no problem entering the country again.

[BritTim]

While there is no official limit on the number of days you can stay, I would recommend getting a visa in advance rather than risk entering visa exempt. The odds are still in your favor if you arrive without a visa, but the officials have a lot of discretion over whether to grant visa exempt entries.

[JackThompson]

Your travel-pattern clearly shows you are not working here illegally, and have the funds necessary to make trips to Thailand.  In theory, that should be enough to ensure no problems entering the country.  But, while the laws and published regulations do not cite any total-days limit, what happens in reality depends entirely on where you enter the country, and who you happen to deal with there.  There is no apparent oversight from those who wrote the laws/regulations, so each entry-point (and local office) can add whatever rules it wants, and nothing is done to enforce consistency. 

At both Bangkok airports, there is no guarantee of adherence to the published laws/regulations, and we have reports of people with travel-histories like yours being pulled aside and grilled - sometimes held for hours.  They are told they are "abusing" entering Thailand on Tourist Visas or Visa-Exempts, and asked the same questions over and over.  Essentially, travelers obeying the written rules, but coming to Thailand for more than short and infrequent trips, may be treated like criminals at these entry-points.  The odds of this happening to you are not high, but it has been reported. 

 

The lack of horror-stories from Chang Mai airport indicate this may be a fly-in entry-point with better odds of entering without incident than Bangkok.  But if denied-entry at an airport, one is held in a detention cell until the departure of a flight one purchases last-minute to one's point of origin (or, in some cases, one's home-country - at the IOs discretion).  Sometimes, it is insisted the same airline is used, reducing options and increasing detention-time.

 

One workaround to this, is entering Thailand via land-crossings.  All but one land-border entry-point (Poipet/Aranyaprathet - avoid!) are run by IOs who are reported to respect the laws and rules as written.  If traveling from afar, one can fly to Penang, enter by Train at Pedang Besar, then fly onward from Hat Yai.  Another alternative is to fly to Vientiane, and enter across Friendship Bridge - flying onward from Udon Thanni.  Other land-borders are also OK, but involve more overland-travel between airports.

 

Where ever you decide to enter, having a Tourist Visa and 20K Baht worth of cash or travelers checks (any currency, but not plastic - ATMs may not be available before immigration) is a best-practice for those who visit more frequently and/or for longer-periods.

[Goanna]

No more than 365. If over that, you risk aging prematurely.

[biggles45]

Filipina GF and I spend 5 months a year in Thailand where we permanently rent a room. We get 2X 60 day visas and one visa free entry. We have done this for six years and never been questioned at the airport. 

[fredge45]

19 hours ago, Goanna said:

No more than 365. If over that, you risk aging prematurely.

Missed the leap years... so 366 every 4 years/  ;-)

[overherebc]

The Imm' computer will flag up once you have done 6 visa exempt entries. I think that's where the 180 days in a year comes from. ( 6×30 ) ????

Still a good idea to have a hotel booking, flight out, and 20,000 baht/or dollars equivalent with you.

[christopher80]

Hi, I have a similar question. I intend to rent a condo in Phuket for a year from April 2020 and travel back and forth to the UK. I want to spend a total of 9 months in Thailand between April 2020 and April 2021 using 3 tourist VISAS with extensions. eg: April to July in Thailand, July to September in UK, September to December back in Thailand, December to Jan in UK, Jan to April 2021 back in Thailand. I am concerned that there will be issues entering Thailand for the 3rd time, but from what you are saying there is not actually a limit in the amount of days I can spend in Thailand in a year on tourist VISAS, so in theory my plan is possible? I also understand that the laws are open to interpretation and I may get pulled up by immigration if I'm unlucky, but this is probably a risk worth taking as long as there is no immigration law in place which stipulates a maximum number of days in Thailand per year. I've had a mixed bag of info on this (someone told me that there is a limit of 180 days per year in total on a tourist visa). It seems like a bit of a minefield, but if anyone can confirm that there is no written law about the amount of days you are allowed in a year on multiple trips I will be happy. I know there is a risk with immigration in Thailand making things up as they go along but I'm happy enough as long as there is no written limit for the amount of days in a year that I can be there using 3 tourist VISA entries. Thanks in advance for any help ???? 

[ukrules]

9 minutes ago, christopher80 said:

I know there is a risk with immigration in Thailand making things up as they go along but I'm happy enough as long as there is no written limit for the amount of days in a year that I can be there using 3 tourist VISA entries.

There is no official 180 day limit any more but there used to be.

 

Don't be too happy about this as they are literally making it up as they go and people have been denied entry based on this fictional limit which is no longer in force.

 

 

 

[christopher80]

Thanks. It will be a fair way away before I intend to enter for the 3rd time and go over the 180 day limit anyway. I'm sure the immigration laws will have changed again by then anyway! ???? Just wanted to know if there was any obvious law that I had missed which would put a spanner in the works. I guess I'll have to play it by ear, do the 2 trips which will take me up to December 2020 and see what the law is then as to whether I can go back again in Jan 2021. Thanks again 

[christopher80]

Hi there, I have another question I hope someone can help me with. In reference to applying for a prepaid tourist single entry VISA before travelling. It says on the VISA website that flight info must be provided, which is fair enough. But in my case I wish to get a 60 day VISA and then get a VISA extension when in Thailand. If I book a return flight, then my return journey will be outside of the 60 day VISA (because I know I can just extend it when I'm in Thailand for an extra 30 days, so my return flight date will be 90 days after arriving). Will the VISA application possibly be rejected because of this? And therefore, is the only way around this to buy a single ticket and buy the return separately? This is much more expensive, and surely would also raise suspicion as I wont provide return flight info with my VISA application. So what is the best way to go about getting a prepaid VISA when you intend to stay for 90 days using an extension in Thailand? Maybe they don't care as long as you show return flights within a 90 day period? Thanks in advance for your help. 

[aldriglikvid]

My SETV was approved - a couple months ago - with a return flicket >60 Days of entering (day 88 to be exact). 

 

However, it is my impression that a lot of things are "going on" regarding to Thai Immigration, so perhaps it would be in your best interest to get a train-ticket or cheap airflight out of the country, within 60 days. 

 

Best of luck. 

[christopher80]

Thanks aldriglikvid. But what if I have a return ticket? They will see the details of the return flight on my VISA application. Do you think it is better to get a single outbound ticket and a cheap train ticket out of Thailand that I wont use, just as proof for the VISA application? Then book a separate return journey within 90 days? Thanks again.