My 18 year old son holds a British National (Overseas) and a Canadian passport. I live in Thailand on a retirement visa. Son was here in Thailand visiting for the summer. on a 30 day permit. Son left Thailand for a week whilst still having 11 days left of 30 day permit. When he returned to Bkk, Immigration refused to give him a new 30 day permit stating that he had a residual few days left on his pre-existing permit. On expiry of that, they said he should leave and return for a new 30 day permit, however, "new rules" only permit an individual to remain in Thailand for a specified maximum per year (he was unable to understand clearly the actual number of days).

Question: Is there some new rule that caps the number of days a visitor may remain in Thailand per year on serial 30-day permits? Are visa runs no longer relevant after a certain number of days/year spent in Thailand? Grateful for any feedback.

rbm

Entry on visa is not restricted. What is restricted is entry on visa exempt stamps (30 day stamp) and that is now limited to 90 days in any six month period. This has been the law since last October.

My understanding is that the "90 days in six months on visa exempt stamps" rule does not specify that the 90 days must be taken in 30 day "chunks". Any combination of entries that add up to 90 days or less is permitted. 3 stays of 30 days, 9 stays of 10 days, 18 stays of 5 days or any combination that adds up to 90 days.

Once your total count is over 60 days, on your next entry, instead of getting leave to enter for 30 days, the officer should grant you leave to enter for what remains of your permitted total of 90 days. So, for example, if you have 3 visits totalling 72 days in the last six months and arrive for another entry, the officer should grant you another 18 days. There's no reason why your son should have been received less than 30 days given that he only had 11 days in Thailand in the previous six months.

Of course, for arrivals with a lot of stamps in their passports, all that counting is rather taxing on the immigration officer's noggin and there are no government issue calculators. But if your son had only the single previous entry in his passport, even the thickest of a less than gifted bunch should have been able to handle the math.

Son was here in Thailand visiting for the summer. on a 30 day permit.

As it is now the end of summer in most countries I suspect more than one 30 day entry stamp was involved if he spent all summer here.

My understanding is that the "90 days in six months on visa exempt stamps" rule does not specify that the 90 days must be taken in 30 day "chunks". Any combination of entries that add up to 90 days or less is permitted. 3 stays of 30 days, 9 stays of 10 days, 18 stays of 5 days or any combination that adds up to 90 days.

Once your total count is over 60 days, on your next entry, instead of getting leave to enter for 30 days, the officer should grant you leave to enter for what remains of your permitted total of 90 days. So, for example, if you have 3 visits totalling 72 days in the last six months and arrive for another entry, the officer should grant you another 18 days. There's no reason why your son should have been received less than 30 days given that he only had 11 days in Thailand in the previous six months.

Of course, for arrivals with a lot of stamps in their passports, all that counting is rather taxing on the immigration officer's noggin and there are no government issue calculators. But if your son had only the single previous entry in his passport, even the thickest of a less than gifted bunch should have been able to handle the math.

OMG!!! Can you just imagine the confusion at the border if the Immigration Officers had to count days instead of the number of times you'd entered LOS? It would just become utter chaos; madness in fact.

As much as I preferred the old system before October, 2006 - with the new provision to allow only three visa-exempt entries during any 6-month period, I don't know how Thai Immigration could have made it any easier for people to understand! The fact though that misunderstanding is still extant (11-months after it came into effect) should motivate this agency to embrace the challenge to clarify this point - once and for all.

Edited August 30, 200718 yr by lopburi3
edit false information - lopburi3

The new system is 90 days in a six month period and has nothing to do with the number of entries.

Can you just imagine the confusion at the border if the Immigration Officers had to count days instead of the number of times you'd entered LOS?

There is no if. It is a fact that they have to count the days.

..with the new provision to allow only three visa-exempt entries during any 6-month period

You’ve got it wrong. This is not the new rule. The rule is maximum 90 visa-exempt days in 6 months, not maximum three visa-exempt entries in 6 months.

You can read an English translation of the rule here.

--

Maestro

The new system is 90 days in a six month period and has nothing to do with the number of entries.

Right, I just read that...

'First, to clear a few things up, the new regulation, which mirrors clauses in the Immigration Act from 2002, only affects people entering Thailand on the 30-day visa exempt stamp. The regulation stipulates that visitors can only spend 90 days out of every six months on the visa-exempt stamp. However, days spent in Thailand on any other kind of visa do not count towards that 90-day total. Further, Immigration only counts the days actually spent within Thai borders, so as long as you don't exceed 90 days in a six-month period, the number of visa-exempt entries are unlimited.

Thank you so much for your clarification because as I'm seriously thinking of moving to Laos - my misunderstanding had me thinking I'd only be able to visit Tesco/Lotus in Nong Khai three times before having to purchase a Thai tourist visa! Now I can slip back and forth once every other day if I choose to, so that's really made me upbeat about leaving Bangkok.

Thanks again for straightening my thinking on this point.

P.S. Thanks to you too Maestro.

Edited August 30, 200718 yr by marginline

Just piggybacking on this thread , hope you guys don't mind.

I am on my third "visa exemption" this year , which runs out Sep 14.

Now it's not a huge problem as I was planning on slipping over to Cambo for a while but I'm curious what my situation will be and when vis a vis visa exemption entries.

I am assuming worst case that the consulate in PP will not give a tourist visa.

OK my total history :

1st entry 25 Sep 2006 - Double entry non-imm B - PTS 23 Dec 2006

2nd entry 23 Dec 2006 - still on non-imm B - PTS 22 Mar 2007

3rd entry 21 Mar 2007 - visa exempt - PTS 19 Apr 2007

4th entry 20 Apr 2007 - tourist visa - pts 18 Jun 2007 extended to 18 Jul 2007

5th entry 18th Jul 2007 - visa exemption - pts 16 Aug 2007

6th entry 16 Aug 2007 - visa exemption - pts 14 Sep 2007

So on visa exempt I have 21/3/2007 , 18/7/2007 , 16/08/2007 say each time 30 days , my ration for 90 days.

I AM curious at what point could expect to be able to slip over the border from Koh Kong for a few days if necessary.

.........whilst still having 11 days left of 30 day permit.

When he returned to Bkk, Immigration refused to give him a new 30 day permit stating that he had a residual few days left on his pre-existing permit.

On expiry of that, they said he should leave and return for a new 30 day permit,

I am sorry this makes no sense at all.

The 30 day stamp (or any other entry stamp) dies when you leave the country.

Unless you have a re-entry permit, in which case the remaining time of the entry stamp can be used.

Just piggybacking on this thread , hope you guys don't mind.

I am on my third "visa exemption" this year , which runs out Sep 14.

Now it's not a huge problem as I was planning on slipping over to Cambo for a while but I'm curious what my situation will be and when vis a vis visa exemption entries.

I am assuming worst case that the consulate in PP will not give a tourist visa.

OK my total history :

1st entry 25 Sep 2006 - Double entry non-imm B - PTS 23 Dec 2006

2nd entry 23 Dec 2006 - still on non-imm B - PTS 22 Mar 2007

3rd entry 21 Mar 2007 - visa exempt - PTS 19 Apr 2007

4th entry 20 Apr 2007 - tourist visa - pts 18 Jun 2007 extended to 18 Jul 2007

5th entry 18th Jul 2007 - visa exemption - pts 16 Aug 2007

6th entry 16 Aug 2007 - visa exemption - pts 14 Sep 2007

So on visa exempt I have 21/3/2007 , 18/7/2007 , 16/08/2007 say each time 30 days , my ration for 90 days.

I AM curious at what point could expect to be able to slip over the border from Koh Kong for a few days if necessary.

If I am correct, your period start on 21 March end ends 180 days later around 20 September (during that period, you spent your 90 days visa freein Thailand)

Your new 180 days period within which you are allowed a fresh 90 days of visa free stays starts also around 20 September

If I am correct, your period start on 21 March end ends 180 days later around 20 September (during that period, you spent your 90 days visa freein Thailand)

Your new 180 days period within which you are allowed a fresh 90 days of visa free stays starts also around 20 September

Thanks