Hi there!

I am doing my PhD project on a specific topic about migration in Thailand.

So as I am going on the field trip in July already, I was wondering if this is also possible without the research permission from the Nation Research Council of Thailand?

Has anyone experiences of going without this specific permission with a common tourist visa? Are there any punishments if I do not have this permit? And if it is not possible to go without the permit, how long does the process take to get the research permission?

My field trip will last three months in total and I was actually planning to just go with the 3 months tourist visa (multiple entry).  

Thanks a lot already!

This would depend on whether what you are doing is considered "work" or not.  Best would be an ED Visa for this, but that would likely require the cooperation of a university in Thailand to get one.  Hopefully someone with more information can provide more info on this possibility.

 

Also, the only "multiple entry" tourist-visa is referred to as the "METV," which which is good for entry 6-months from the issue-date (involves showing some financials to get it in your passport-country). 

 

There is no "3 month" Tourist Visa, though a very few countries can get 90-days visa-exempt / i.e. entry "without a visa."

 

The Single-Entry Tourist Visa (SETV) grants only 60-days permitted-stay upon entry, and is marked "used" upon first use.  You can extend this time for 30-days more.  But, if you get a re-entry permit, it only applies to the permitted-stay you have at that moment - so it would apply for the 60-day entry if purchased during that period, or the 30-day period if purchased during that period.  A single re-entry permit is 1000 Baht, and a multiple is 3800 Baht.  But, even with the multiple, it cannot be applied to both the 60-day initial permitted-stay AND the 30-day extension.