Hello

I'm coming up to my 4th month in Thailand and need some advice on what to do visa-wise. I arrived at BKK airport from India in March and just got the 30day visa exemption on arrival. When those were up, I went to Ventiane and got a 2 month tourist visa, which I then extended by 30 days at Koh Samui immigration office. I think I'd like to stay an extra 2-4 months (I'm studying Thai, but with private tutors, so a study visa isn't possible), and am getting conflicting advice.

In Koh Samui, a long-term Brit said that he stays indefinitely by getting a 2 month tourist visa, extending it by one month at the immigration office, then exiting and entering the country 3 times (3 30 days exemptions), and then repeating the process by getting another 2 month tourist visa (he makes the visa runs to Malaysia). I'm near Chiang Mai now and have been told that it's easy to get back-to-back tourist visas in Ventiane (which I thought was impossible), and that I could even do that thing where you write "x2" on the application and get 2 tourist visas at once (making 3 consecutive tourist visas in effect).

My current plan is to go to Mae Sai just before my current visa expires in order to get an extra free 30 days and then go to Laos after those 30 days are up to get another tourist visa (or maybe "x2" if possible). Does this plan sound ok? Obviously I don't want to cross the border at Burma and then not be allowed back into Thailand again.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Edited June 13, 200818 yr by StChris

You are allowed a maximum of 90 days on visa-exempt entries within a 6-month period. Your six month period started when you entered Thailand in March for the first time without a visa. Therefore, you can do a visa-exempt border run if you wish before getting a new tourist visa.

From what I have been reading in this forum the Thai consulate in Vientiane now routinely issues a double-entry tourist visa to anybody asking for it. Latest posts about getting it are in this list:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=189375

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Maestro

Hello

I'm coming up to my 4th month in Thailand and need some advice on what to do visa-wise. I arrived at BKK airport from India in March and just got the 30day visa exemption on arrival. When those were up, I went to Ventiane and got a 2 month tourist visa, which I then extended by 30 days at Koh Samui immigration office. I think I'd like to stay an extra 2-4 months (I'm studying Thai, but with private tutors, so a study visa isn't possible), and am getting conflicting advice.

In Koh Samui, a long-term Brit said that he stays indefinitely by getting a 2 month tourist visa, extending it by one month at the immigration office, then exiting and entering the country 3 times (3 30 days exemptions), and then repeating the process by getting another 2 month tourist visa (he makes the visa runs to Malaysia). I'm near Chiang Mai now and have been told that it's easy to get back-to-back tourist visas in Ventiane (which I thought was impossible), and that I could even do that thing where you write "x2" on the application and get 2 tourist visas at once (making 3 consecutive tourist visas in effect).

My current plan is to go to Mae Sai just before my current visa expires in order to get an extra free 30 days and then go to Laos after those 30 days are up to get another tourist visa (or maybe "x2" if possible). Does this plan sound ok? Obviously I don't want to cross the border at Burma and then not be allowed back into Thailand again.

Thanks in advance for any help.

" I think I'd like to stay an extra 2-4 months"

you can get 3 months as you say by doing 3 x border runs, that would be without getting a visa like you last did, anymore time here after that you could then go get a visa if your still planing on staying!

Obviously I don't want to cross the border at Burma and then not be allowed back into Thailand again.

cant see it, but i have not been, any doubt go back to vientine again!

chris

Thanks. I'll stick to my original plan then. I'll report back if there are any problems.