Tourist visa at Laos Thai embassy

[Jack1988]

So, i have arrived in Thailand last month with a 60 days tourist e-visa. I will extend for 30 days more at my local immigration office and then I want to do 2 crossing border to obtain 60 days exemption which i will extend for 30 days more each time. I need to know if after all this I might be able to apply for another 60 days tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Laos? I always keep 20,000 THB as requirement to be able to apply for the visa over there 

[MarkBR]

8 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

So, i have arrived in Thailand last month with a 60 days tourist e-visa. I will extend for 30 days more at my local immigration office and then I want to do 2 crossing border to obtain 60 days exemption which i will extend for 30 days more each time. I need to know if after all this I might be able to apply for another 60 days tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Laos? I always keep 20,000 THB as requirement to be able to apply for the visa over there 

After twice, you cannot enter thailand against via land, or air (the 6x is not in addition to 2x by land) I found out the hard way!  However, if you use an agent, then things magically happen.  Ask DrJack54 in the visa forum - most knowledgeable.

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

 I need to know if after all this I might be able to apply for another 60 days tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Laos?

What you describe is 9 months in Thailand after which apply for a setv. 

Yes you can apply. 

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

After twice, you cannot enter thailand against via land, or air (the 6x is not in addition to 2x by land) I found out the hard way

That's the issue. They don't have rules. 

Previously that had limit of 2 visa exempt entries via land per calendar year. 

That rule was removed and no stated limit in place. 

Visa exempt via air also has no stated limit. 

5 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

However, if you use an agent, then things magically happen.

Yes agents can assist. 

Unfortunately the borders  to Cambodia are closed so less options available. 

The OP could consider the planned setv (eVisa) and do a trip out and reenter via air using safe entry services at airport. 

With so much history may be slightly more expensive. 

At a guess 5-6k 

[Caldera]

You can, why would you do that though?

 

Unless and until the 60-day visa exempt gets reduced, there's no benefit in entering with a SETV instead.

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, Caldera said:

You can, why would you do that though?

I can only guess his thinking is that a tourist visa guarentees entry. Which it does not necessarily

 

He is best off using a agent for border bounce or agent for "safe entry" airport and as you point out both give (currently) the same 60 day stamp. 

 

A DTV comes to mind as better option. 

[Jack1988]

14 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What you describe is 9 months in Thailand after which apply for a setv. 

Yes you can apply. 

Yes, is 9 months but after that I want to apply for another setv at the Thai embassy in Laos. It would be possible to exit Thailand by land once again or it would be better to just exit by air and then fly to Laos to apply for the visa? Then I will re-enter to Thailand by air showing my tourist visa to the immigration officer at the airport. Or I could use the safe entry service just to be safer 

 

But in case the 60 days exemption might still be valid then I could just fly to Vietnam which I would like to go for a few weeks and then I will come back to Thailand using the safe entry service, without having to buy a tourist visa to the Thai embassy in Laos. I would also spend less with this option 

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

Then I will re-enter to Thailand by air showing my tourist visa to the immigration officer at the airport. Or I could use the safe entry service just to be safer 

Just one person's opinion. 

I would skip the setv idea. 

Fly to Saigon. Stay however you like. 

Fly into Thailand visa exempt with a pre arranged safe entry airport service. 

Even better if from a country visa exempt to enter Vietnam. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/1V4UMpb27x/

[bubblegum]

What is a "save entry service"?

[Jack1988]

18 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Unless and until the 60-day visa exempt gets reduced, there's no benefit in entering with a SETV instead.

Yes I know that. I am just concerned they might remove the 60 days exemption. Otherwise I could just exit by air, do a trip to Vietnam and then come back using the safe entry service at the airport 

[Jack1988]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Just one person's opinion. 

I would skip the setv idea. 

Fly to Saigon. Stay however you like. 

Fly into Thailand visa exempt with a pre arranged safe entry airport service. 

Even better if from a country visa exempt to enter Vietnam. 

Ok that sounds great 

 

I can get 45 days visa exemption if I go to Vietnam 

[MarkBR]

20 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

That's the issue. They don't have rules. 

Previously that had limit of 2 visa exempt entries via land per calendar year. 

That rule was removed and no stated limit in place. 

Visa exempt via air also has no stated limit. 

Yes agents can assist. 

Unfortunately the borders  to Cambodia are closed so less options available. 

The OP could consider the planned setv (eVisa) and do a trip out and reenter via air using safe entry services at airport. 

With so much history may be slightly more expensive. 

At a guess 5-6k 

Cost me 3k for entry by land at Nong Khai.

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, MarkBR said:

Cost me 3k for entry by land at Nong Khai.

Was that using a minivan company? 

 

Would be great if there were minivan agents doing run from Udon Thani to Nong Khai. 

I'm not aware of any. 

Option for those located Bangkok (and elsewhere) to fly to UT and quick bounce to friendship bridge. 

 

[MarkBR]

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Was that using a minivan company? 

 

Would be great if there were minivan agents doing run from Udon Thani to Nong Khai. 

I'm not aware of any. 

Option for those located Bangkok (and elsewhere) to fly to UT and quick bounce to friendship bridge. 

 

No, an individual who has done this for a colleague before

[Caldera]

22 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

No, an individual who has done this for a colleague before

 

I'm sure that would be an interesting option for quite a few people who wouldn't enjoy the long minivan round-trip from Bangkok and prefer to organize their own transport.

[Rob Browder]

3 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

after all this I might be able to apply for another 60 days tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Laos?

It is up to the consulate-policy.  They might say if you spent more than X time in Thailand in the last Y time, you cannot. 

In the past, you could keep applying for Tourist Visas until they put a little warning-stamp on your last one - then you had to get a new passport to apply again.

The best solution for the 3rd trip would be another border-bounce - all of those done using Immigration's Agent-Partners - either a van or airport "safe entry."

[Rob Browder]

2 hours ago, bubblegum said:

What is a "save entry service"?

See:
https://aseannow.com/topic/1336926-setv-metv-still-around-now-that-visa-exempts-are-now-60-days/?do=findComment&comment=19217493

[BillyBobzTeeth]

Additionally, you can fly to Hat Yai and take a minivan to the Wang Prachan border in Satun, which is located on the border with Malaysia. The journey takes around three to four hours.

 

When you arrive, before you stamp out, there are a couple of windows to the side of the Stamp Out building. Go to the end one and explain that you want to return the same day. Give the Imm Lady your passport, fee of 2000 baht, and TDAC details, and she will provide you with a ticket number to present on the Malaysian side.

 

You'll then walk over to the Malaysian side, give them your ticket, and they will stamp you in and out. Then you return to Thailand to get your stamp back in. 

 

If you can arrive around 3 to 4 pm it's not as busy, and the whole process can be finished in less than 30 minutes from my experience.

 

Done this six times now, including this week, and I have had no problems at all.

[Jack1988]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will see if the 60 days exemption will still be valid in the next months, so I could keep doing crossing borders using agents, otherwise i could just apply for another tourist visa in Laos and then come back to Thailand

 

Maybe this can be irrelevant but I am enjoying Thailand so much being single and spend my money only for myself 

[BrandonJT]

2 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

Thank you for the suggestions. I will see if the 60 days exemption will still be valid in the next months, so I could keep doing crossing borders using agents, otherwise i could just apply for another tourist visa in Laos and then come back to Thailand

 

Maybe this can be irrelevant but I am enjoying Thailand so much being single and spend my money only for myself 

Tourist visa doesn't mean much nowadays.  It's a tourism entry same as visa exempt.  If they think you're spending too long in Thailand as a tourist, a tourist visa won't save you the denied entry.

[Jack1988]

1 hour ago, BrandonJT said:

Tourist visa doesn't mean much nowadays.  It's a tourism entry same as visa exempt.  If they think you're spending too long in Thailand as a tourist, a tourist visa won't save you the denied entry.

For now yes, but what when 60 days visa exemption will be removed? That's what I meant. I could apply for another tourist visa and get 60 days plus 30 days extension and just re-enter using safe entry service to avoid denied entry 

 

In any case, there is always the safe entry option to avoid denied entry. It doesn't matter if you are spending too much time without a proper visa. Just pay more using the safe entry service, easy 

[DrJack54]

21 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

In any case, there is always the safe entry option to avoid denied entry. It doesn't matter if you are spending too much time without a proper visa. Just pay more using the safe entry service, easy

As usual... You ask advice on what you already know. 

Have had several threads with common theme. 

What is your question if you indeed have one

[raz0r21]

Just to add into this discussion: The "safe entry" cost also goes up the longer your history of stays are. So in the long run, if you really love thailand (as many of us here do), try to get on a more long term visa solution. I got a really hard time from the IO last time at the airport with a SETV, even though I had stayed in my home country for over 5 months. 

 

I am now on a DTV (workcation category). It just got to the point where it was too much of a hassle, and the constant worry in the back of my head that they would not let me in. Good luck on your travels!