Confused About Visas & Need Help!

[Gem]

Hi,

my boyfriend has been offered a teaching job in Bangkok this August, the plan is for me to go out there with him and not work for 1-2 years (I am a student and will be taking m studies with me). However I am becoming increasingly confused with the visa system in Thailand.

We intend to travel Thailand and its neighbouring countries during the 1-2 years of being in Thailand during the school holidays so I need a visa that will allow me to come and go.

As we are not married i am assuming that I cannot get an 'O' visa, i will not be working so cannot get a 'B' visa. What visa can I get that will allow me to stay and to travel?!

How long am I likely able to stay and if I have to do a visa run how often will i have to do them?

I have read about visa runs but am becoming increasingly confused, as I will be living in Bangkok where is best to do a visa run? How likely is it that I go to another country and they will not extend my visa for Thailand? Has anyone suffered from this? How much will it cost to do a visa run and is there a company through which I can arrange my visa run? Or is this something i will have to do on my own? If I do a visa run will my boyfriend be able to accompany me or will this affect his visa?

If I have to go to Thailand with a return ticket and go out there with a tourist visa for 60 days will I have to have a return flight within those 60 days? Or can i have a return flight for the following August? (I have to be back in the UK next August for one week).

Also i have read that the consulate in Hull (UK) is nice, would it be worth me travelling from London to Hull to ask for help? And if I apply for a 1 year visa and am rejected will it cause me problems applying for a 60 day tourist visa?

A lot of questions I know! I hope someone will be able to shed some light!

Gem

[lopburi3]

Yes a visa from Hull is your best choice. You can do by mail. You want a multi entry non immigrant O visa. That will cover a period of one year from date of issue and allow free travel. You will have to leave/return every 90 days.

[Crossy]

Yup, agree with Lop (as always), Hull is your best bet. They will issue a multi-entry non-o based upon 'visiting friends', all done by post in less than a week.

They have an excellent website at http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/visas1.asp and they always answer emails and the telephone

EDIT The 90 day leave and return is a simple border hop, no need to stay out of the country for more than a few minutes