Visa Exemption Limit

[finmcf]

Hi guys am looking for advice on visas for future visits,

In july and august 2018 I entered Thailand twice by border on visa exemptions, and then I entered again on the 30th of december with a single entry tourist visa  by air before leaving in january 2019,

I am planning on visiting again for 2 weeks in april, but I have heard there are rules on the number of times you can have visa exemption, I was wondering would the periods for the 12 month 2 land entry limit be by calendar year so january to december 2018 or is it in any 12 month period, I have the same question for the 6 month 3 air entry limit, would that be within any 6 month period or in semi annual period for example january to june and july to december.

Also can you have a combination of both entrys, so could you enter 2 times by land and 3 times by air in a 6 month period?

 

I would really appreciate any answers you guys might have as im a bit worried about being denied entry and im thinking of getting a tourist visa which is a bit of a hassle for me where I live, does anyone know if there if there is any limit for the number of tourist visas you can have as well?

 

Thanks a lot guys

[ubonjoe]

Visa exempt entries are limited to 2 per calendar year at land border crossings. That is January 1 to December 31st. If you have done none of them this year you can do 2 of them. Entries if you valid visa have no limit.

There is no written limit by air.

The 6 entries is only an alert a officer gets to inform them that should review your history to see if they out/in entries done to live here on them. 

[elviajero]

6 hours ago, finmcf said:

I have the same question for the 6 month 3 air entry limit, would that be within any 6 month period or in semi annual period for example january to june and july to december.

There is not, and has never been, a fixed limit of entries by air. And with your history, and time out of the country, you should have absolutely no problem using visa exemption in April.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, elviajero said:

There is not, and has never been, a fixed limit of entries by air. And with your history, and time out of the country, you should have absolutely no problem using visa exemption in April.

I agree with this, but I would add a rider. If you expect to spend a lot of time in Thailand in the future, it is prudent to limit the use of visa exempt entries now. It is known that once you reach six visa exempt entries since around the middle of 2015, immigration officials receive a notification that they should scrutinise you more closely as a genuine tourist. There is no reason to worry about this if you expect to spend a month or two a year in Thailand.

[natway09]

The big thing to note here from my friends history is that if the comings & goings are random (by air) Eg, leaving after 10 days when can stay 30, no one seems concerned no matter how many times you come

[finmcf]

Does anyone know if there are limits on the number of single entry tourist visas You can have, i plane to come maybe 3 to 4 times per year and on some visits exceeding 30 days so my plan was to use a maybe around 2 exemptions and 2 single entry tourist visas per year

[steven100]

You may be fine for the first couple but after that who knows .... Ubonjoe is the master of thai visa's and immigration officers, he will be able to assist you with an answer ....

I just seen Ubonjoes reply message further up .....  therefore you know the answer.

Edited February 28, 2019 by steven100

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, finmcf said:

Does anyone know if there are limits on the number of single entry tourist visas You can have, i plane to come maybe 3 to 4 times per year and on some visits exceeding 30 days so my plan was to use a maybe around 2 exemptions and 2 single entry tourist visas per year

There are no set overall limits, but some consulates will set their own limits. If you’re applying in you home country you shouldn’t have a problem and you plan should work.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, finmcf said:

Does anyone know if there are limits on the number of single entry tourist visas You can have, i plane to come maybe 3 to 4 times per year and on some visits exceeding 30 days so my plan was to use a maybe around 2 exemptions and 2 single entry tourist visas per year

There are no explicit limits. However, some entry points can become sticky if you can be perceived as spending a lot of time in Thailand on tourist entries. Further, consulates tend to impose limits on the number of tourist visas they will issue you.

 

It is especially unwise to try to enter visa exempt frequently by air when you have many previous visa exempt entries and/or have spent months more or less continuously in Thailand as a tourist. Entering with a visa is safer, but some officials still feel there should be limits on how long people enjoy being in Thailand. While there are no official limits, those officials may look for reasons to deny entry. In rare cases, this can extend to denying entry using reasons that they know to be untrue. Entering by air at Don Muang, Suvarnabhumi, Krabi and Phuket, as well as by land at the Poipet/Aran crossing is known to carry risks for long term tourists. Entering by land at most crossings is low risk, but you are limited to two visa exempt entries by land in a calendar year.

 

When applying for tourist visas, it is important to understand the rules and policies applied by any consulate you plan on using. Some points to look out for

• each consulate will have its own requirements governing such things as flight reservations into/out of Thailand, financial proof and hotel reservations;
• some consulates will only issue Thai tourist visas to residents of the country where you want to apply (.e. Japan);
• some consulates will not issue you a Thai tourist visa if they can see you have recently been in Thailand as a tourist (e.g. Seoul);
• very common, consulates may limit the number of tourist visas they will issue, either specifically by that consulate (e.g. three or four in Vientiane) or in total (e.g. Phnom Penh may refuse even a first tourist visa from them if they can see you have many previous Thai tourist visas); and
• consulates, while issuing you a visa, may accompany it with a stamp to the effect that you apply often for tourist visas, and they will not provide any more. After you receive this stamp, it becomes difficult to get further Thai tourist visas at any consulate.

In considering the above, it should be noted that consulates currently can only go on the stamps they can see in your passport. It seems to reset the clock when you get a new, replacement passport. It is speculated that this is a loophole that could be closed in the future.

[finmcf]

In addition, I extended one of last years 30 day visa exemptions that I entered through by land border by another 30 days at the government complex, would that affect my situation in this case with number of visa exemptions, does the 30 day extension count as another visa, another visa exemption or does it not matter at all?

[elviajero]

9 minutes ago, finmcf said:

In addition, I extended one of last years 30 day visa exemptions that I entered through by land border by another 30 days at the government complex, would that affect my situation in this case with number of visa exemptions, does the 30 day extension count as another visa, another visa exemption or does it not matter at all?

Extensions don’t count towards any entry limits.

[thaifarang1]

On 2/28/2019 at 7:59 PM, elviajero said:

Extensions don’t count towards any entry limits.

 

On 2/28/2019 at 7:59 PM, elviajero said:

exemptions

 

[thaifarang1]

Dear all,

may I ask you for advice: I have a total of 12 visa exemption entries since early 2014; in general around two times each year (max 3 times), for holidays and no more than 10-20 days each time (never done any extension / overstay etc..).

I plan to come back by the end of April for 10 days and in August for 20.

Considering that now I have 10 plus visa exemption entry (although very short) shall I apply for SETV or I should be fine VE? (I usually fly business class)

thanks

regards

 

[Kaalle]

Can you extend both excempt by land or only one?

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

[DrJack54]

47 minutes ago, thaifarang1 said:

Dear all,

may I ask you for advice: I have a total of 12 visa exemption entries since early 2014; in general around two times each year (max 3 times), for holidays and no more than 10-20 days each time (never done any extension / overstay etc..).

I plan to come back by the end of April for 10 days and in August for 20.

Considering that now I have 10 plus visa exemption entry (although very short) shall I apply for SETV or I should be fine VE? (I usually fly business class)

thanks

regards

 

Your a tourist. Zero problem.

[DrJack54]

27 minutes ago, Kaalle said:

Can you extend both excempt by land or only one?

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk
 

Can you clarify that. And entry to los visa exempt or by setv can be extended by 30 days. Once.

[Kaalle]

Can you clarify that. And entry to los visa exempt or by setv can be extended by 30 days. Once.

Land crossings for 30 days, two per year. Can both be extended for an additional 30 days or only one of them?

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, thaifarang1 said:

Dear all,

may I ask you for advice: I have a total of 12 visa exemption entries since early 2014; in general around two times each year (max 3 times), for holidays and no more than 10-20 days each time (never done any extension / overstay etc..).

I plan to come back by the end of April for 10 days and in August for 20.

Considering that now I have 10 plus visa exemption entry (although very short) shall I apply for SETV or I should be fine VE? (I usually fly business class)

thanks

regards

 

You should have no problem using VE. 

 

It’s not entries that count, but the time spent in the country.

[elviajero]

47 minutes ago, Kaalle said:

Can you extend both excempt by land or only one?

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

Both.

[DrJack54]

24 minutes ago, Kaalle said:

Land crossings for 30 days, two per year. Can both be extended for an additional 30 days or only one of them?

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk
 

Yes

[finmcf]

with the outgoing flight requirement can the ticket be one departing from a different city to the one you arrived from, so for example i would be entering the country through bangkok airport from london, and would be leaving from Krabi airport and flying to malaysia, does it make a difference at all, would i be required to show ive got a plane ticket from bangkok to krabi potentially??

 

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, finmcf said:

with the outgoing flight requirement can the ticket be one departing from a different city to the one you arrived from, so for example i would be entering the country through bangkok airport from london, and would be leaving from Krabi airport and flying to malaysia, does it make a difference at all, would i be required to show ive got a plane ticket from bangkok to krabi potentially??

 

It can be ticket out of the country from any airport in the country. You do not have to fly out from the airport you arrive at.

Not need to show proof of travel to the airport you are leaving from.

[onera1961]

On 2/28/2019 at 3:00 AM, BritTim said:

It is known that once you reach six visa exempt entries since around the middle of 2015

How far back they go to determine this unpublished 6-entry rules? I don't have any since 2013. From 2014-2017, I have around 10 TV entries all obtained from passport country in the USA. 

 

Never mind, see you have already indicated 2015.

Edited March 26, 2019 by onera1961