H'lo,

Any thoughts on this one??? I was in Thailand for three consecutive months on transit stamps, then I was in Malaysia for 2 months, then I returned to Thailand on a Tourist Visa and got the 30 day extension. It will expire at the end of December and I have to be in Chiang Mai for research until at least then, probably longer, before I can go back to Penang for a new Tourist Visa. Also I'm going to Vietnam for a few weeks at the end of January and a T.V. at this point would just be a waste. The passport I'm using shows the T.V. and the 30 day extension, but none of the earlier transit stamps are in my present passport (I replaced my old passport after Malaysia and the new passport has a new number). If I cross to Mayanmar or Laos, what do you think the odds are that they'll let me back in on a transit stamp so that I can get my new visa AFTER Vietnam??

It's legit I think, I've only had 2 transit stamps in the last six months (although 3 in the last SEVEN months), and I AM just passing through on my way to Vietnam (for now anyway). Think I'll get away with it??

If anybody wants to weigh in on this I'd certainly appreciate it!!

Cheers

By Transit stamps, I assume you mean 30 day visa exemption stamps?

You will need to sit down and work out exactly how many DAYS you have spent in the country on visa exemptions in the 6 months leading up to when your visa will expire. The rule is maximum 90 days in any six month period (on visa exemption - not on your tourist visa). It doesn't matter how many stamps you have had (in theory), just the number of days you have physically been in the country on visa exemption.

Don't think a new passport changes anything, as they have these new fangled computers nowadays.

Thanks for answering Sweet Chariot. Yes I do mean the 30 day visa exemption stamps, and when my visa expires I'll have been in Thailand for exactly 60 days on visa exemption stamps in the previous 6 months. According to the "rules", I should be fine, but it's real dam_n close to the line. You don't reckon they'll make an issue out of the whole T.V. to visa exemption situation? I'm concerned that if it looks dodgy to them I may run into trouble.....

If you had (3) 30-day stamps in a row, then spent two months in Malaysia,

then obtained a tourist visa and even got an extension, it shouldn't even be

close, you should be way over the 6 month hurdle. while they do have

records of all this stuff on the computer, (even the different numbered

passports are somehow indexed together) you may notice at the border they

often don't even reference the PC, filing the arrival/departure card for later.

Yeah, I should be within the regulations I just hope the guy at the border's not having a bad day. It would SUCK to get stuck in Burma, I'll go a couple of days early just in case I think.

Thanks guys!

The immigration officers are generally pretty considerate, if they noticed you had used-up

your 90 days, I don't think they would knowingly send you into no-womens land. They've

gotten efficient at finding the stamps and adding up the days. If I had to do that job for 30

minutes, I'd be running out of the immigration hut, screaming unintelligibly about farangs.

Yep it was no problemo. The gal just flipped through the passport looking for stamps, didn't even use the computer, stamped me for 30 and sent me on my way with a (somewhat stressed) smile. Mind you the line-up was appalling, so you can't be too surprised that she didn't take any extra time with it. I was even going through with a two day overstay on the TV and a big black eye, and even that didn't raise any eyebrows! Mind you the guy with the Israeli passport had to jump through a few hoops, but it was generally straightforward business with no frills or gimmicks.