question about multi-entry visa

[kajito]

I have a 6-month multi-entry visa my question is how many times can I check in at immigration pay the 1900 baht and get the additional 30-day extension without leaving the country I've already done it once so can continue to do it 5 more times or each month?

[JackThompson]

You can only do this only ONCE per new entry to the country.  If you tried a 2nd time, they would reject your extension, but give you 7 additional days to "get out." 

 

I assume you have an METV (6-mo multiple-entry tourist-visa).  Since you already have your 30-day extension from your most recent entry, you should leave Thailand and return before your current-stay expires, to get a new 60-day permitted-stay.  You can then extend this for another 30-days and repeat. 

 

Note: If you leave AND return just before the "valid until" date on the Visa, you get another 60-days, which can be extended for 30-days more - so a total of almost 9 months can be achieved from an METV.

 

If you have a longer-stay history in Thailand before this METV, you may want to use friendly land-borders for your "out / in" trips for new Visa-entries, since the authorities at many Airports and the Aranya/Poipet (avoid always!!) entry point could arbitrarily deny-entry (not legally, in many instances reported, but they do it anyway, and there appears to be no oversight to stop them).

[kajito]

4 hours ago, JackThompson said:

I assume you have an METV (6-mo multiple-entry tourist-visa).  Since you already have your 30-day extension from your most recent entry, you should leave Thailand and return before your current-stay expires, to get a new 60-day permitted-stay.  You can then extend this for another 30-days and repeat.                                                                                           

4

Yes I have the 6-month multiple-entry tourist-visa So my option would be either to book a roundtrip flight to a neighboring country like Vietnam or take a bus to either Burma or Lao and loop back to Chiang Mai the same day both option would give me an additional 60 days is that right?  Then after 60 days I could apply here in Chiang Mai for the additional 30 days and then repeat this process leave the country come back one more time for a total of 9 months is that right? Also if I leave Thailand via air can I return on the same day?

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, kajito said:

Yes I have the 6-month multiple-entry tourist-visa So my option would be either to book a roundtrip flight to a neighboring country like Vietnam or take a bus to either Burma or Lao and loop back to Chiang Mai the same day both option would give me an additional 60 days is that right?  Then after 60 days I could apply here in Chiang Mai for the additional 30 days and then repeat this process leave the country come back one more time for a total of 9 months is that right? Also if I leave Thailand via air can I return on the same day?

Yes, that is how it works.  But, be aware that some IOs at bad entry-points have rejected-entry to folks on METV for "too much time" in Thailand, per my warning above - even when they had the 20K Baht in cash to show.  Bangkok airports are terrible for this, with only Poipet/Aranya being worse.

 

As to air in particular - and in general - the longer you stay gone before returning, the lower your odds of problems.  If you were to return to Chiang Mai airport (clearing immigration there), you might be OK - we do not have any bad reports from there.  But consider the difference between rejection by-air and by-land.

 

By air: Formal rejected-entry, buy a last-minute ticket to where you just came from, then held in detention until a flight on the same airline back to where you just left.  Possible rejected-entry there also - so back to your passport-country on another last-minute overpriced flight.  This can be a nightmare.

 

By land: usually no formal rejection (except Poipet), and can walk back where you came from and get your exit-stamp canceled.  Travel to another entry-point and try again the next day.  Also, I haven't don't recall of any "rejected with Tourist Visa and 20K Baht to show" cases by land-border for YEARS - other than Poipet/Aranya and one guy with multiple-overstays (coming from Malaysia) - so even this is unlikely.

[stud858]

The unsettling thing for me is that I like to book my return airfare home in advance by a few months to get a good price. I could try for an extension on the final month but I feel if it was rejected I'd lose my cheap airfare.

So I play it safe and stick with a little under 8 months and my return date is more certain.

Anybody had a 1 month extension denied?

[kajito]

14 hours ago, JackThompson said:

By land: usually no formal rejection (except Poipet), and can walk back where you came from and get your exit-stamp canceled.  Travel to another entry-point and try again the next day.  Also, I haven't don't recall of any "rejected with Tourist Visa and 20K Baht to show" cases by land-border for YEARS - other than Poipet/Aranya and one guy with multiple-overstays (coming from Malaysia) - so even this is unlikely. 

Thanks Jack for getting back and the heads up.

1

 

[JackThompson]

14 hours ago, stud858 said:

The unsettling thing for me is that I like to book my return airfare home in advance by a few months to get a good price. I could try for an extension on the final month but I feel if it was rejected I'd lose my cheap airfare.

So I play it safe and stick with a little under 8 months and my return date is more certain.

Anybody had a 1 month extension denied?

I have read a few reports of rejected-extensions, but they are uncommon.  And if rejected, you could move to a hotel in another area / office-jurisdiction and apply there.