Can You Get A SETV When On A STV?

[brotherother]

As the title says, is it possible to leave Thailand whist on a Special Tourist Visa and apply for a regular Tourist Visa?

 

My original plan was to return to Thailand Visa Exempt, and extend that for a further 30 days, but obtaining a Single Entry Tourist Visa (Vientiane) would be preferable. 

 

TIA.

[ubonjoe]

You would not have a valid STV after using it to enter the country the one time it allows.

There would be nothing to prevent you from applying for a SETV.

[BritTim]

@ubonjoehas given you the correct answer, in principle. The STV will be gone once you leave Thailand, and does not inhibit an embassy from issuing you a new visa. There is a slightly different question. Pre Covid, some embassies/consulates were beginning to be strict about issuing tourist visas to those who had already, recently, spent a lot of time in Thailand as tourists. Could embassy policy on issuing tourist visas be triggered by someone who has spent six months or more already in Thailand on an STV? I do not think you will encounter any such problem in Vientiane in this instance, but it could be an issue at one of the stricter embassies.