60 day tourist visa question

[robotr0n]

Hi there, 

 

I'm an EU national and am planning on going to Thailand for long vacation in April, May and a few days in June. Flights are booked.

In total, there are just over 60 days between getting there and departing right now. 

 

Now here's my problem: I'm trying to get the 60 day visa and am planning on extending that by another 30 days once I get there. Since my flights are more than 60 days apart I'm concerned about getting the visa denied. As part of the 60 day tourist visa they ask for plane tickets there and back, after all. Do I have to be concerned about this? 

 

I'm also thinking about getting a flight out of the country and back for a few days at the end of my trip to shorten the trip to just below 60 days. I'm pretty much sure that would ultimately help when applying for a visa? 

 

What do you all think? 

[jackdd]

What's the point in making people here speculate?

Just ask at the embassy / consulate where you are going to apply if this is a problem for them or not, then you know exactly what they expect.

Probably it's not a problem, but you never know...

[edwardandtubs]

Getting the visa should be no problem with your current ticket. It would be helpful if you said what country you're from though. Being an 'EU national' isn't worth a <deleted>.

[elviajero]

As long as you have a flight out within 90 days they will probably accept it.

If they insist on a flight out within 60 days you can buy a cheap throw away ticket to anywhere.

[thinkingman]

The tourist visa requires entry within 60 days of grant date (I think), so you have plenty of time to apply.

 

Put a note on your flight confirmation you are sending in that you will apply for a visa extension before the 60 days is up OR you will exit LOS for a short trip during the 60 day visit, but you haven't decided when and where.

[robotr0n]

Just now, edwardandtubs said:

Getting the visa should be no problem with your current ticket. It would be helpful if you said what country you're from though. Being an 'EU national' isn't worth a <deleted>.

I'm a German national if that helps

Thanks for the answer! I'll probably email them. 

 

I'm not sure if I understand the purpose of the 30 day extension correctly. Is it ok for applicants to factor in the extension when applying for a visa or is it more of an option for people who decided to extend their stay spontaneously once they got there? 

[HuskerDo]

Aren't you doing things backwards? You should have posed this question BEFORE you planned the trip and purchased tickets.

[robotr0n]

2 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

Aren't you doing things backwards? You should have posed this question BEFORE you planned the trip and purchased tickets.

I felt like leaving the country for a few days at the end of the trip isn't a big deal and that would shorten the time spent in Thailand to less than 60 days. So I didn't think the visa issue would be a big deal, at all. And it doesn't seem to be a big deal...

[edwardandtubs]

25 minutes ago, robotr0n said:

I'm a German national if that helps

Thanks for the answer! I'll probably email them. 

 

I'm not sure if I understand the purpose of the 30 day extension correctly. Is it ok for applicants to factor in the extension when applying for a visa or is it more of an option for people who decided to extend their stay spontaneously once they got there? 

You're looking for logic and consistency in Thailand. That's a big mistake. As you're German I'm fairly sure getting the visa will be no problem at all. An alternative would be to skip the visa and buy a cheap ticket to Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Burma or some other nearby country so that you exit Thailand before your visa exempt expires, spend a few days in another country and then return on another visa exempt.

[robotr0n]

1 hour ago, edwardandtubs said:

You're looking for logic and consistency in Thailand. That's a big mistake. As you're German I'm fairly sure getting the visa will be no problem at all. An alternative would be to skip the visa and buy a cheap ticket to Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Burma or some other nearby country so that you exit Thailand before your visa exempt expires, spend a few days in another country and then return on another visa exempt.

Hahaha, I don't know why, but that's so funny and makes so much sense! This will be my first time in Thailand and I'm sure things are very different there compared with the parts of the world that I usually frequent. 

 

Thanks for all of your responses! That really helps a lot! I think I'll just try to get a visa and explain that I'm planning on either getting an extension or spending the last few days in another country. 

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, thinkingman said:

The tourist visa requires entry within 60 days of grant date (I think), so you have plenty of time to apply.

It’s 3 months from the issue date.

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, robotr0n said:

I'm a German national if that helps

Thanks for the answer! I'll probably email them. 

 

I'm not sure if I understand the purpose of the 30 day extension correctly. Is it ok for applicants to factor in the extension when applying for a visa or is it more of an option for people who decided to extend their stay spontaneously once they got there? 

In theory, the extension is at the discretion of Immigration. For that reason, even though the 30-day tourist entry extension is virtually always granted, it has been known for a handful of strict consulates to raise problems when you have flights that assume the extension. I do not believe you will have that issue applying in Germany.

 

In the unlikely event that the consulate objects, if your stay will be 66 nights or less, you can point out that, even though the 30-day extension could theoretically be denied, it is automatic when the extension is denied to give seven days to leave the country.

[elviajero]

7 hours ago, BritTim said:

In the unlikely event that the consulate objects, if your stay will be 66 nights or less, you can point out that, even though the 30-day extension could theoretically be denied, it is automatic when the extension is denied to give seven days to leave the country.

No it’s not automatic. It is also at the discretion of immigration, and only meant to be granted if the visitor needs extra time to leave the country.

 

I doubt many consular staff know of it’s existence, and certainly wouldn’t take it in to account if insisting on a flight out within 60 days.

[BritTim]

57 minutes ago, elviajero said:

No it’s not automatic. It is also at the discretion of immigration, and only meant to be granted if the visitor needs extra time to leave the country.

 

I doubt many consular staff know of it’s existence, and certainly wouldn’t take it in to account if insisting on a flight out within 60 days.

See https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwNib_gx9zYEYkFjMUNHV1pXdWs/view

Quote

In case where an applying alien does not meet the full qualification stipulated by the criteria herein, the alien must be notified of of the non-permission order and must depart from the Kingdom within seven days from the date on which the permitted period has lapsed.

I believe the implication of the above is that (short of criminal offences) a refused extension always gives you seven days to leave the country.