Renewing Vs Extending A Tourist Visa

[Simmointhailand]

Hi Everyone,

Would really appreciate some advice on my visa situation...

I currently hold a two-month tourist visa which I obtained via the Penang Consulate last month... it will expire on or around the 20th of April. They told me I could extend it for one or two months when it expired. Now I have a return BKK-Macau ticket and know some people living just across the border in Guangzhou, where there is a Thai consulate. I was thinking of heading up there during the Songkran holiday to spend some time with them and renewing my visa at the consulate there. Judging by my information below do you think I would be able to get another two-month visa from them at this stage? Anyone been to the GZ consulate to get a Thai visa? Will I need a return ticket etc as I did in Penang?? I also have mates in Singapore so I could always go there... or if it's safer just to head up to the border and extend again then I will do that.

Oh yeah... my other essential info... I'm an Aussie in my 20's. Entered TH on a 30-day stamp 1st of Dec to begin my 180-day period... left on 17th of Dec... went back to Singapore and home to OZ for Xmas... returned to TH on 2nd of Jan from Sing on another 30-day stamp... went to the Cambodian border and was given a new 30-day stamp on the 27th of Jan... Left for Penang on 19th Feb and re-entered TH with my 2-month visa on the 21st. So I've had 3 30-day stamps within 6 months (but I haven't used up any of them in their entirety) plus my two-month tourist visa from Penang.

Would really appreciate some friendly advice on this matter hey... it's amazing how complicated this visa thing can get Cheers everyone!

[jstumbo]

Was just at the Thai Consulate in Guangzhou to get a visa for my wife, and they required a return ticket in order to give her a tourist visa. She is a Chinese national, maybe they might not require it for an Australian. If you go, remember you will need a visa for China, but not one for Macau.

It does not matter how many visa exempt entries you make. You just cannot be in the country more than 90 days in a month period.

You would not extend at the border. You extend your stay at an immigration office in Thailand, and you will only get a max of 30 days by extending it.

If you had a double entry tourist visa, you could make a border run and get another 2 months, but you say you just have a 60 day tourist visa.

Personally, I would go to Vientiane and try for a double entry tourist visa.

[astral]

Extending a Tourist visa will give you a maximum of one extra month.

There is no "renewal" of a Tourist visa.

You must apply for a new one.

[Simmointhailand]

Thanks for the advice hey, much appreciated! I guess my follow-up question would be... given my recent visa history, what do you think my best options are in this situation? Is there any limit to the amount of embassy/consulate-issued tourist visas one can get?

[Maestro]

There is no limit. As long as you travel to Thailand for the purpose of tourism, you can get tourist visas.

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Maestro

[bangkokgas]

Just back from Vientiane - no problem for a double-entry t.v. there right now. The people I was with had a much lomger history of Thai visas than yours and no probs.