How Do I Get A Visa Extension?

[mandmsworld]

Hi all,

Thanks for your help on my last visa issue, here's another question. My girlfriend and I have a single entry tourist visa (TR) that is expiring on november 9th. We are American, live in CHiang Mai and wanted to apply for the 30 day extension, but were told by a friend that the law has recently changed and they are no longer issuing these 1900 baht extensions. we have already gotten our 3 entry stamps before going to Vientiane for the visa so we can not simply do a border cross because it has not been 6 months. Also, where and how do we go about trying to get an extension? Can we attempt it Chiang mai or do we have to go to Bangkok? And, my father is visiting for the month of November and we are planning to spend a week at Angkor Wat should we go there first and I can try to get another single entry visa there or will it be better to take of this issue first? I want my father's first time in Thailand to be special and not spent in visa office's and dealing with these matters.

Thank you,

Matthew

[lopburi3]

The law has not changed and normal tourists should not have a problem obtaining a 30 day extension of stay. But your passports will show that you have used up your 30 day visa exempt entries. They may still issue a 30 day extension of stay but it is now a little less than 100% certain. These extensions are from permitted to stay until date so can be applied for early. If you fail you might consider a new tourist visa but would recommend Laos rather than Cambodia (as there will be no return [on visa exempt entry] if you fail and Cambodia is not a good choice in the best of times).

[astral]

1. Visa extensions are dealt with by the local immigration offices.

You can check with them to see if they will give you a 30 day extension.

The Chiang Mai office will be fine.

2. If you are planning to visit Angkor Wat, then you will also need a re-entry permit to keep your visa alive

whilst you are in Cambodia

3. I am not aware of a Thai consulate in Siam Riep, where Angkor Wat is located, but I might be wrong.

So you will not be able to get a visa there.

It is a pity that you did not get a double-entry Tourist visa, then life would have been much easier for your plans.

[mandmsworld]

1. Visa extensions are dealt with by the local immigration offices.

You can check with them to see if they will give you a 30 day extension.

The Chiang Mai office will be fine.

2. If you are planning to visit Angkor Wat, then you will also need a re-entry permit to keep your visa alive

whilst you are in Cambodia

3. I am not aware of a Thai consulate in Siam Riep, where Angkor Wat is located, but I might be wrong.

So you will not be able to get a visa there.

It is a pity that you did not get a double-entry Tourist visa, then life would have been much easier for your plans.

Laos wouldn't issue us double-entry visas unfortunately. Thank you for your guidance.

[billsmart]

I hold a US passport and entered Thailand on 19Sep on a tourist visa on arrival (TM-6). I was issued a 30 day stay. I just today (17Oct) went to the Immigration Office in Bangkok to get an 30-day extension (TM-7) and was told that ALL VISA EXTENSIONS are now limited to 7 days. The fee is still THB1,900. In fact that statement is posted on the window at Counter 5 in the Bangkok Immigation Office. Good luck!

[lopburi3]

You do not have a tourist visa. You have a 30 day entry without visa (the TM.6 is an arrival/departure card) and you have not been able to extend such a stay longer than 7 days for the last year.

[Priceless]

You do not have a tourist visa. You have a 30 day entry without visa (the TM.6 is an arrival/departure card) and you have not been able to extend such a stay longer than 7 days for the last year.

I hate to pick on words and to argue with anything you say, lopburi3, but wouldn't a more exact terminology be that he has been granted a visa-exempt entry and given a 30 days permission to stay? I mean, a 30 day entry would require a VERY slow walk across the border line!

The more I read this forum, the more convinced I become that a lot of the confusion comes from many of us not being absolutely exact in how we use the different terms. (Yes, I know that even the Thai authorities have been known to use terms like "visa on arrival" and "retirement visa", but still...) If all posters would know and accept that a "visa" allows you to enter the country (and usually sets some conditions) and a "permission to stay" allows you to remain here after entering, then I believe at least some of the confusion would disappear.

/ Priceless

[Maestro]

...absolutely exact in how we use the different terms...a "visa" allows you to enter the country (and usually sets some condition and a "permission to stay" allows you to remain here after entering...

Wrong. A visa allows you to travel to Thailand, in visa parlance “good for <number> journey(s) to Thailand”

visa

The entry stamp gives you permission to enter Thailand and to stay in Thailand until the date indicated in this stamp, in immigration parlance “admitted <date> until <date>”

entry stamp

--

Maestro

[Priceless]

...absolutely exact in how we use the different terms...a "visa" allows you to enter the country (and usually sets some condition and a "permission to stay" allows you to remain here after entering...

Wrong. A visa allows you to travel to Thailand, in visa parlance “good for <number> journey(s) to Thailand”

Visa

The entry stamp gives you permission to enter Thailand and to stay in Thailand until the date indicated in this stamp, in immigration parlance “admitted <date> until <date>”

Entry stamp

--

Maestro

OK, let's split a few hairs:

My Thai visas say: "NO. OF ENTRY" and then either S (for single) or M (for multiple).

My Cambodian visa says: "Entries 01".

It appears that at least Thai and Cambodian "visa parlance" agrees that a visa is a permission to enter.

The entry stamp then does two things: It 1/ confirms that I have entered on a certain date and 2/ states for how long I am allowed to stay: "Admitted until XX xxx XXXX". The past tense "admitted" appears to indicate that this is a record of a past occurrence, not a permission to enter (in the future).

On a side note: I don't need a visa to travel to a country, what I need a visa for is to enter, i.e. cross the border. It is true that many (most?) airlines require you to show a visa to let you on board, but there is a lot of travel going on in this world by other means than flights and that may very well go to a country, without entering.

In my original post I was just trying to help newbies and others that often confuse a visa with a permission to stay, hence expressions like "visa on arrival" and "visa extension". I apologize if I stepped on somebody's sore toes doing this and will in future refrain from trying to help in these matters.

/ Priceless

Edited October 17, 2007 by Maestro
Changed links - Maestro

[Maestro]

It looks like the Thai consulates would have to agree on a common terminology before we should even think of trying to use one at ThaiVisa.

--

Maestro

[Priceless]

It looks like the Thai consulates would have to agree on a common terminology before we should even think of trying to use one at ThaiVisa.

--

Maestro

Or maybe we should try to agree on one for TV, if it is the case that the Thai consulates cannot. However, my quotes above were from the printed adhesive labels that they put into your passport, and I would have thought they are standard issue and the same for Thai consulates all over the world?

/ Priceless

[edit] PS It looks like the (non-working) links you supplied above are to some US website. Maybe US and Thai terminologies don't agree?

Edited October 17, 2007 by Priceless

[Maestro]

Ah, those links. One minute they work, the next they don’t. Let’s try these:

Visa: <a href="http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=25085" target="_blank">http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...st&id=25085</a>

Entry stamp: <a href="http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=18480" target="_blank">http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...st&id=18480</a>

No visas are issued in Thailand, except for change of visa status. If anything, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would have to impose a common terminology on the consulates.

As to using a common terminolgy on ThaiVisa, I'm afraid you won't live to see it happen, nor will I.

--

Maestro

[lopburi3]

The visa allows you to present yourself to the gatekeeper (on Thai soil) and tells him you seem to meet the qualifications for entry - it does not allow you to enter beyond that - only the gatekeeper (immigration) can make that determination.