Tourist Visa + Visa On Arrival Back To Back

[bluesnake]

Hello, sorry if this was asked many times before but it is so difficult to find the correct info...

I am swiss+french (2 passports) and i want to stay in thailand for 6 months. Can someone pls. tell me if my plan is ok or not? :

Month 1+2

Enter thailand with a 60days tourist visa.

Month 3

Go to Sathorn office to get tourist visa 30days extension.

Month 4

Visa run at cambodian border to get my first 30 days entry without visa.

Month 5

Visa run at cambodian border to get my second 30 days entry without visa.

Month 6

Visa run at cambodian border to get my third and last 30 days entry without visa.

A- This would allow me to stay legally in thailand for 6 months, correct ?

B- After this 6months, I will have to leave thailand, but is it possible to apply for another tourist visa right away?, or do we need to wait another 6months to be allowed back in thailand?

C- If yes, does that mean we can stay in thailand forever doing this, just flying out of thailand and back every 6months?

All this is so confusing... Thanks for clarifying.

[sweetchariot]

A - Yes

B - Yes

C - No. They will look at how many days you have been in the country on a visa exemption in the last 180 days. If 90 then you will not get another bisa exemption stamp.

[lopburi3]

A. No. Six months is not 180 days.

B. Yes.

C. See A above. Not to mention some Consulates may not provide new tourist visas to those with such a history.

[bluesnake]

Thanks for clarifications.

One more question: what happens if i do a visa run and don't get the stamp ?

Do they still allow me in thailand for few days only, until i take the next flight out ?

Or am i really denied entry and left stranded at the border ?

[jstumbo]

Thanks for clarifications.

One more question: what happens if i do a visa run and don't get the stamp ?

Do they still allow me in thailand for few days only, until i take the next flight out ?

Or am i really denied entry and left stranded at the border ?

It is advisable to make the trip while you still have a few days left on your visa exempt entries (90 days in 6 months). That way you would be able to come back for a few days to take care of things.

For the most part they do not seem to be denying visas outright. They will usually give you a visa and also a stamp saying to not come back. There have been a few cases where they have denied the tourist visas, but then they seem to allow them to have a transit visa to come back and settle things.

[lopburi3]

You could really be denied entry (although normally they will probably try to provide at least one day entry). But you would be free to return to Cambodia if they would allow it. If not the following could occur (from Aranyaprathet Immigration): "In this case the Thai Immigration will have to send you to Immigration Bureau in Bangkok for investigation/interrogation/deportation".

[tropo]

A. No. Six months is not 180 days.

B. Yes.

C. See A above. Not to mention some Consulates may not provide new tourist visas to those with such a history.

6 months is roughly 182.5 days, therefore you'd only need to "waste" a few extra days on each TV run to make up the difference. You do lose a few days on 30-day visa runs too because the exit day is counted as the first day on the new stamp. A one week vacation once a year should cover it.

[cali4995]

Bluesnake, what you can do is enter on your 60 day tourist visa, then obtain your 30-day

extension, THEN obtain yet another 7-day extension on the tourist visa. If you then make

3 trips to the border for visa-exempt entries you will clear the 6-month hurdle. You will

only get 87 days for your border runs because the days you exit and re-enter are counted twice.

So 60+30+7+87=184 more than enough. If for example you entered Thailand on 1st JAN,

your 6-month period would end JUN 30. 182 days. Then your next 6-month period would begin

on your first visa-exempt entry after that date. So, happy holidays and bring your slide-rule.

[cali4995]

Bluesnake, I should have said of course that to continue this cycle you

would then need to get another tourist visa. The 6-month period starts

with your first visa-exempt entry (usually highlighted with a #1). I was

trying to demonstrate if was possible to get a legal 6 months but my

example was not very clear. Other than generating additional revenue,

I also don't see the point of the extra obstacles and hurdles since it seems

you can just keep repeating the 6 month cycle. Every week the T.A.T.

comes out with some new projection for quality tourists, being those who

spend the least amount of time here but more money per day. Not much

of it making it into the hands of average Thais. A plan of greed basically.

[sfokevin]

Could the OP request Two Tourist Visas (Two entries) from the foreign consul/embassy? Use the first for 60 days 30 day extension leave... Return with the second entry visa for another 60 days plus 30 day extension... 15 day extension... that gives you 195 days... Then do the 30 30 30 day thing...

Edited December 13, 2007 by sfokevin

[lopburi3]

There are no 15 day extensions of stay currently.

[Fun2Fun]

THIS IS JUST SPECULATION< BUT IT MIGHT JUST HAPPEN....

The next change may very well be a time limit between "back to back" visas/voa's ... ie. you will not be alowed a new entry unless you have been out of the country a certain number of days.