Tourist Visa

[isabelle17]

I have a question about the tourist visa, and I do not know if it has been asked before...

Is it okay to apply for the tourist visa in Thailand instead of in the United States (where I am from.) Can I just go to a US embassy in Thailand and get a tourist visa there? If I don't need a tourist visa right away, how long can I be there without one? I am going to be in Thailand for 3 months. Just trying to figure out if I should get the visa while I am in the US, or if I can wait until I get to Thailand.

Thanks!

[jstumbo]

The US embassy does not issue visas for Thailand. It issues visas for people wanting to go to the US. People from Germany do not go to the German Embassy in the US to get a visa for the US, do they?

You cannot get a tourist visa in Thailand. You have to get it from a Thai consulate/embassy prior to arriving in Thailand.

You can get a tourist visa which will give you 60 days when you arrive and then you can pay an additional 1900 baht at an immigration office in Thailand to extend it an additional 30 days. You would apply for the extension when you are down to a few days left on your stay.

If you were only staying less than 30 days, I would suggest just arriving without a visa, and you would be given 30 days in Thailand without a visa, but since you are staying for 3 months, you are going to need a visa.

You could arrive without a visa, but then you would need to leave the country every 30 days to begin a new visit. This however may cause problems because you are supposed to have an airplane ticket leaving within that 30 day period, and many airlines will not allow you to board if you do not have a round trip ticket within 30 days, or a visa.

Edited April 29, 2008 by jstumbo

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Whyever do people find it so hard to get a visa before they leave home ?

[jstumbo]

Whyever do people find it so hard to get a visa before they leave home ?

I think because American Express already copyrighted "American Express, don't leave home without it" So everyone is afaid of being sued if they say "Visa, dont leave home without it".

Seriously though, I think it is because most people in western countries are used to not having to get visas for most other countries that they travel to (mostly other western countries).

Many countries will give a western passport holder 90 days on arrival without any kind of visa. It is just these small third world countries that require a them to get a visa. Or larger third world countries like Australia.

Most people in the US have no interest in going to Thailand, have no idea where it is or anything about it. It is not really that popular of a destination for US citizens. The Caribbean, Mexico, Florida and Hawaii are much more popular. I only know two people that ever went to Thailand before. One was in the Navy and they stopped for shore leave in Pattaya many years ago and the other was a college buddy that came over after graduation got hooked on heroin, and was dead of an overdose within 6 months of returning to the US.

Edited April 30, 2008 by jstumbo

[isabelle17]

Ok, thanks. I guess I forgot about the whole 30 day thing...I was thinking of doing that, and then just leaving the country every 30 days, but I do realize now that it might cause problems with the airlines, etc. I guess I just have found myself a bit too busy recently and didn't feel like going through the hassle of getting a visa...but I realize that it actually will be less of a hassle if I just get one in the US.

[jstumbo]

You can do it through the mail. Pretty easy and minimal documentation needed for a tourist visa.