Tourist visa 6 time limit

[NathanV23]

33 Views and no one has any idea? Come on guys. This effects a lot of us.

There have been rumours that a new rule is in effect allowing only 6 tourist visas in a row at which point you must leave Thailand for six months. For many of us, i am sure this is quite shocking news. Both for people running to the border every month and for the legitimate frequent tourist.

The entire article where this information came from is located at:  http://www.thaivisa.com/393.0.html

The paragraph in question is:

'To deter criminals, the Thai authorities, mindful of the value of the one-month tourist visa to the wrongdoer, have recently limited to six the number of consecutive tourist visas which can be applied for. After the sixth month, the passport-holder must leave the country for six months before reapplying. This is a great inconvenience to anybody conducting criminal activities in the country but is unfair to bona fide foreigners wanting to spend longer in Thailand.'

To me this is major news and I am not sure why more people are not talking about it here. I understand they don't want criminals abusing the sysytem, but the law still makes no sense to me. As was pointed out in another post, this means that if you come here once every 2 or 3 months as a tourist, after about 18 months you will be told to stay out of Thailand for 6 months!

By 'applying' for a tourist visa, does this mean that you can still cross the border and come back for 30 days or is this considered applying?

Does anyone know what is going on? Can anyone confirm or deny this?

[markt]

Nathan,

It is VERY worrying news, if it's true, which i reckon it is.

I lived in Thailand for two years on tourist visas, why should anybody else be denied that.

[NathanV23]

Yes, you are right, it is worrying news indeed. Hopefully someone who has more info will post here. I e-mailed the consualte in LA. We'll see what they have to say. It doesn't make any sense though unless they mean six consecutive months of tourist visas, in which case I've still got a probelm, but atleast I understand.

If its just six consecutive tourist visas, then even someone who comes every 3 or 4 months, (is not out of the country for more than 6 months) would eventually be banned for 6 months! That makes no sense at all.

[markt]

Nathan,    I think that they mean six consecutive tourist visas without leaving Thailand.  (visa run excluded)

If you want to stay longer, apply for a nice and expensive non-immigrant visa.    More hassle, more questions,  and more importantly, MORE money!

Obviously they are fed up with the "survivors".

[NathanV23]

mark,

But how could you get six consecutive tourist visas without leaving thailand? Because they are only granted for 30 or 60 days and then you have to leave the country.

[TRIPxCORE]

Nathan, good luck with getting the LA consul to e-mail back to you.  I e-mailed them a couple times and never received a response.  Hopefully your more lucky than I was.

[markt]

Sorry Nathan,  I should have said six consecutive tourist visas

then leave Thailand for a minimum of six months.

I wasn't counting visa runs as really leaving Thailand, of course you do but only for a couple of days, not six months.

[Bob Chittie]

Modified

[pavina]

not sure but it looks like you are talking

about visaruns to Cambodia or Burma just

for 1 day. Free visa for 30 days. What i'm

talking about is going to Penang and get

tourist visas 1 or2 or 3 entries. Sure more

money but i think thats the way to do it

Hi

[Bob Chittie]

Is the 'free' visa that you get when walk to Burma and walk back considered a tourist visa? I assumed so. If not, then I can say for sure the article is talking about the 2 month

(multilple or single entry) tourist visa. it would be good if we could find out this information. There don't seem to be a lot of posts on this subject. maybe most of the members are on other kinds of visas, but I am sure this affects thousands if not tens of thousands of farangs in thailand if it is true.

Pavina, Did you read the article Nathan posted?

[Bob Chittie]

'To deter criminals, the Thai authorities, mindful of the value of the one-month tourist visa to the wrongdoer, have recently limited to six the number of consecutive tourist visas which can be applied for'

They seem to be talking exactly about the visa run which gets you one more month. So does this mean the two month tourist visa is not subject to this rule?

[lopburi3]

The 30 day stay is NOT a visa, per the following quote from the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington:

Nationals of the following countries may enter Thailand without a visa in accordance with Ministry of Interior's regulation for a maximum stay of 30 days for purpose of Tourism only:-

[Bob Chittie]

'To deter criminals, the Thai authorities, mindful of the value of the one-month tourist visa to the wrongdoer, have recently limited to six the number of consecutive tourist visas which can be applied for. After the sixth month, the passport-holder must leave the country for six months before reapplying.

Lopburi, I think your information is correct, noting the source. But look at the article. It says, 'one month tourist visa'. As far as you know, is there such a thing-a tourist visa you have to actually apply for which gives you only one month? (I always thought the one you applied for gave you two months) Or maybe there are some countries which Thailand does not grant the free 30 day stay to and also only grants a one month stay upon approval of tourist visa application?

I'm still not sure, but I sure wich the person who wrote that article would get on here and explain it!

[lopburi3]

But look at the article.

Your right.  I had assumed your quote was of an official statement; not some editorial.  It does appear the page is talking about the 30 day stay; but calling it a visa.

[Bob Chittie]

Well the article was posted on thaivisa.com so can the administrators please explian its meaning?

[lopburi3]

can the administrators please explian its meaning

Can't speak for others but I am just a poster the same as you and have no connection to this web site.

[wilson steer]

This six time rule is causing a lot of panic, a 30 day visa is not a tourist visa. A tourist visa has to be applied for at an embassy. There are not many people who come in and out of Thailand on 30 days, it's too costly, better to get a multiple entry tourist visa. By the way from August 26th this year fees are set to sky rocket.

Tourist visa rise to 1000 baht for two months

Extention visa either 15 day on a 30 day  or

30 day on a 2 month tourist rise to a wacking 1900 baht from 500.

[markt]

So this new "six consecutive" ruling only applies to the

30 day free stamp on entry, not 60 day tourist visas bought from consulates abroad?

[pavina]

yes and it didn't make me more clever

it looks like nobody knows exactly what it

means and how to understand

thanks

[Bob Chittie]

'Well the article was posted on thaivisa.com so can the administrators please explian its meaning?'

Lopburi:

I mean it was actually published by the web site thaivisa.com. I assume it was written or atleast gathered by the people who run the site.  In that respect, it would be nice if they gave us some clarification.

I thought of a funny scenerio. if you really can't do the visa run 6 times in a row, then you leave the country after receiving 6 in a row i.e you walk across the border from Mae Sai. You turn around to walk back into thailand and they say, 'sorry sir, please wait six months'. The Burmese immigration officer says your visa is good for that province only and expires at 4pm. Sounds like fun!

[Bob Chittie]

So this new "six consecutive" ruling only applies to the

30 day free stamp on entry, not 60 day tourist visas bought from consulates abroad?

If this is the case, it would make sense as the Thai Authorities would have time to study your details when you apply for the visa. In this way, a criminal can't hide here for years at a time by using the 30 day visa free privaleges. So they are forced to apply for their 2 month tourist visa and they can be caught. But it still wouldn't prevent 'long stay' tourists from just going to penang every couple months to apply for another tourist visa, right? If so, great!

[lopburi3]

I mean it was actually published by the web site thaivisa.com.

Your right.  Just wanted to point out the the "group:  admin" under at least some of our names does not mean we have anything to do with the site.

Believe if this is a new rule they will be checking at departure and warning people - and not allowing them to exit to no mans land as in a Burma crossing.

[george]

I posted that article on the main site, but the article is about 8 months old, so this is in fact no recent changes. The intention is to block entry after the 6th entry with TR-30, the tourist stamp you get at the Airport without having applied at a consulate/embassy.

[DaveYo]

Gang contact Houston they are up to date, and so is the Washington D.C. main consulate here in the USA.  You will get your questions answered.  :blues:

[DaveYo]

Gang, right now this site is going insane with the huge price hikes, and I believe that Thailand Government is going the whole shebang route and not partial either and hitting everything within sight.  Something very secret is going on within the Thai Government and trust me this is only the beginning of things yet to come.  I dread what they will be saying once August 26th takes effect.  They might even lock us out further concerning condos, any chance to buy land and I believe (and this is only a rumor from my contact in Thailand) that Businesses owned by Foreigners is the next Biggie Target!!!!!!!!  :blues:

[ChiangMaiThai]

Dave Yo,

What do you think their logic is behind the price hikes? I mean so much money come to them through foreigners! I think maybe they just want the rich ones and in their minds, the others do more harm than good.

[wilson steer]

Re visas , six time rules, re entry from the Union of Myanmar, P.D.R.Lao etc.

British subjects can change their passports at any time for a new one by paying the fee. British subjects can also LEGALLY hold two passports.

The trip over the border to Myanmar scenerio whilst unlikely would result in Thai immigration issuing a 48 hour visa, where the six time 30 day in-out tourist would be required to leave the Kingdom in 48 hours, if no flights out are available, stay in the airport, and that is the working code of this event.

However Thailand being Thailand, many immigration officials won't even flick through a six-timers passport.

Don't worry folks, Thailand needs tourists both long and short stay.

[george]

No need to worry here, just change to a new, fresh passport and have 6 more entries to go. Or even bettter, apply for a multiple entry Non-Immigrant visa.

[Bob Chittie]

Thanks for the feedback guys!