Which passport

[bluejets]

Wife is now Aussie citizen and when borders eventually reopen we will be looking at returning to Thailand for a short stay, maybe 6 to 8 weeks.

Wife's Thai passport has expired but we can get that renewed here in Australia as the time for travel comes nearer.

As with the Thai passport, we have not yet bothered with an Australian Passport for her but plan to do so.

She would then hold a passport for both countries.

 

Query is, which would be the best way for her to travel to Thailand, as far as passports are concerned.

I imagined it best for her to enter and leave Thailand on her Thai passport.

Therefore not requiring any visa from Thai Consulate in Australia as I am required to do given the more than 30 day visa exemption.

 

So would she leave and re-enter Australia on her new Australian Passport and similar for Thailand, ie enter and then leave Thailand on her Thai passport.

[ubonjoe]

She would enter and depart Thailand using her Thai passport. She should apply for her new Thai passport as soon as possible at the embassy in Canberra or the consulate in Sydney since there have been delays in getting them.

She would leave and re-enter Australia on her Australian passport. 

Rather than dealing with a visa exempt that requires a ticket out of the country within 30 days and then a having to apply for a 30 day extension it might be best if you applied for a single entry non-o visa based upon marriage to a Thai that would allow a 90 day entry.

[bluejets]

Ok...Wife's entry and exit understood.

 

For my part, I went to the Thai Consulate web site in Canberra Australia and only listing I could find for OA Visa was under O-X which is a 5 year based visa.

Seems most of the older type visas are not around anymore.

I was in Thailand back in 2013 for 6 months on an OA visa with 2 entries but doesn't seem to exist now.

 

I'll check the Sydney web site as it might be different.

 

With what I could find on the Canberra Consulate web site, I was thinking of foregoing the visa exempt entry and just go straight to a 60 day (TR) tourist visa.

 

As a side note, wife needs to renew or rather get a new Thai passport as her old one has expired.

Brisbane Consulate is now closed for good and travelling to either Sydney or Canberra is rather extreme, especially with Covid around.

Even with Brisbane it is a 4 hour train trip each way.

There were, around 12 months ago, a team of Consulate personell visiting Brisbane so peolple like my wife could get a new passport but it was never published on the Consulate sites. 

Rather, one had to look in Facebook of all places to book any appointment etc.

Does anyone know if this still applies.

Facebook to me is a real PIA....just tried to sign in after a while away and it wanted photo id and who knows what else just to get in the front door of the web site.

Edited September 19, 2021 by bluejets

[ubonjoe]

You would get non-o visa based upon marriage to a Thai. OA and OX visas are for retirement.

It is here on the embassy website. https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/non-immigrant-visa-category-o/

 

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, bluejets said:

So would she leave and re-enter Australia on her new Australian Passport and similar for Thailand, ie enter and then leave Thailand on her Thai passport.

Correct

[bluejets]

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You would get non-o visa based upon marriage to a Thai. OA and OX visas are for retirement.

It is here on the embassy website. https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/non-immigrant-visa-category-o/

 

Thanks...but it seems for me , the tourist visa would be a much better option, and half the cost as well.

[ubonjoe]

25 minutes ago, bluejets said:

As a side note, wife needs to renew or rather get a new Thai passport as her old one has expired.

Brisbane Consulate is now closed for good and travelling to either Sydney or Canberra is rather extreme, especially with Covid around.

The embassy website even states it is new passport since the old one cannot be renewed.

I suggest your wife check for info about her passport application that is her in Thai on the embassy website.

https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/thai-electronic-passports/

She would have to do the application in person but she could provide a self addressed return envelope for it to be mailed to her.

[bluejets]

21 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Correct

 I imagine she will need to get a replacement for her current "expired" Thai passport to enter Thailand....????

 

It is a real PIA in Australia to get a new passport currently, well at any time, as one is required to travel either to Sydney or Canberra.

Note we live 4 hour drive North of Brisbane in Qld.

There was something in place last year where we could travel to Brisbane and Consulate officials would take orders for and issue new Thai Passports.

Don't know if this still goes on but even back then, only info we could find was on B** facebook.

Edited September 19, 2021 by bluejets

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, bluejets said:

Thanks...but it seems for me , the tourist visa would be a much better option, and half the cost as well.

For the tourist visa application you would likely need a return ticket for the application. I

f you want your trip to be flexible for the return a non-o visa would be best.

My preference has been a non-o visa if I planned on staying longer than 30 days back when there was no extension for a visa exempt entry when I was working outside the country. IMO a non-o visa was the correct visa for me since I was not visiting as a tourist.

[bluejets]

Ok...thanks.

Seems the tourist visa will be the way for me to go.

No problems with return flight dates etc. as I've done it before many times.

 

As for the wife's passport, might be just as well to get her a tourist visa also and let her enter and depart Thailand on an Australian passport.

Then she could get a new 10 year Thai passport when we get there.

Much less hastle than having to travel to Sydney or even Canberra.

 

[BritTim]

23 minutes ago, bluejets said:

Thanks...but it seems for me , the tourist visa would be a much better option, and half the cost as well.

The cost difference is inconsequential if looking at the total costs you will encounter in returning to Thailand. If not planning to return visa exempt, the Non O accompanying your Thai spouse seems ideal for reasons explained by @ubonjoe. The tourist visa has marginal advantages over visa exempt (when planning to stay longer than 75 days) but none over a Non O. The tourist visa will, ultimately, almost certainly not even save you any money.

[4MyEgo]

22 minutes ago, bluejets said:

 I imagine she will need to get a replacement for her current "expired" Thai passport to enter Thailand....????

 

It is a real PIA in Australia to get a new passport currently, well at any time, as one is required to travel either to Sydney or Canberra.

Note we live 4 hour drive North of Brisbane in Qld.

There was something in place last year where we could travel to Brisbane and Consulate officials would take orders for and issue new Thai Passports.

Don't know if this still goes on but even back then, only info we could find was on B** facebook.

I think I read a while ago that Thai's could travel back to Thailand on an expired Thai passport, providing they had dual passports, e.g. left Australia on an Australian passport, but cannot find it, so what I suggest is ring the number in the link below.

 

https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/queensland/

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I think I read a while ago that Thai's could travel back to Thailand on an expired Thai passport, providing they had dual passports, e.g. left Australia on an Australian passport, but cannot find it, so what I suggest is ring the number in the link below.

That is normally correct but since the covid 149 outbreak it is not possible. A valid passport or emergency (ETD) one is required now to get a certificate of entry.