How To Stay For 6 Months On A Multi Entry Tourist Visa?

[Naut.Sirius]

Hi all,

I'm a 38 year old American and I've been digging through the forums but haven't found this explained clearly.

I'm going to be coming back to Thailand and would like to stay for at least 6 months. I did this in 2006 by getting a 2 month Tourist Visa, extending it by 30 days, then going to Penang for another 2 month tourist visa + extension after which I left the country.

Reading through the forums it looks like getting a 2 entry tourist visa might be a better way of going. But I'm not exactly sure how this would work so I could be in TH for 6 months? IE at what points I would need to get extensions, and when I would need to do a border run?

Also, currently is there any limit on the number of back to back tourist visas one can get, IE have to leave TH for a period of time before you can get another?

Thanks for any help!

[Mario2008]

The limit only applies to visa exempt entries, the 30 day stamps you get when you arrive without a visa. On those you can stay a maximum of 90 days in a 6 month period. This doesn't apply to tourist visa's.

With a double entry you get 2 times 60 days and each period of 60 days can be extended by 30 days. For this you go to an immigration office and ask for an extention a few days before the 60 day period is finished. You have to pay 1900 baht for this. When this extention is finished you have to leave the country and can come back the same day. This is when your second 60 days start, which you also can extend by 30 days.

[Naut.Sirius]

Thank you VERY much Mario!

The limit only applies to visa exempt entries, the 30 day stamps you get when you arrive without a visa. On those you can stay a maximum of 90 days in a 6 month period. This doesn't apply to tourist visa's.

With a double entry you get 2 times 60 days and each period of 60 days can be extended by 30 days. For this you go to an immigration office and ask for an extention a few days before the 60 day period is finished. You have to pay 1900 baht for this. When this extention is finished you have to leave the country and can come back the same day. This is when your second 60 days start, which you also can extend by 30 days.

[Sophon]

The limit only applies to visa exempt entries, the 30 day stamps you get when you arrive without a visa. On those you can stay a maximum of 90 days in a 6 month period. This doesn't apply to tourist visa's.

With a double entry you get 2 times 60 days and each period of 60 days can be extended by 30 days. For this you go to an immigration office and ask for an extention a few days before the 60 day period is finished. You have to pay 1900 baht for this. When this extention is finished you have to leave the country and can come back the same day. This is when your second 60 days start, which you also can extend by 30 days.

But be careful not to apply for your visa too early, as a double entry tourist visa would normally only have a validity of three months. This means that you will have to use the second entry no later than three months after the visa is issued.

Example:

The visa is issued on 1 August and will expire on 31 October.

If you manage to enter the first time on lets say 2 August you will be permitted to stay 60 days, i.e. until 30 September.

A week or so before 30 September you get a 30 day extension that will allow you to stay until 30 October.

You leave on 30 October and immediately reenter on the visa's second entry allowing you to stay until 28 December.

A week before 28 December you get a second extension allowing you to stay until 27 January.

So you get to stay in Thailand from 2 August until 27 January on your visa, or a period of almost six months.

However, if you don't arrive in Thailand until 2 September you will still need to enter on your visa for the second time before it expires on 31 October. So basically you lose from the maximum six months every day that pass between the visa is issued and you enter Thailand for the first time.

Sophon

[Chris14]

Hi,

That makes sense with the 6 months multi entry but can you then repeat the process indefinitely as long as you leave back to Oz/Uk every 6 months etc??

Chris

The limit only applies to visa exempt entries, the 30 day stamps you get when you arrive without a visa. On those you can stay a maximum of 90 days in a 6 month period. This doesn't apply to tourist visa's.

With a double entry you get 2 times 60 days and each period of 60 days can be extended by 30 days. For this you go to an immigration office and ask for an extention a few days before the 60 day period is finished. You have to pay 1900 baht for this. When this extention is finished you have to leave the country and can come back the same day. This is when your second 60 days start, which you also can extend by 30 days.

But be careful not to apply for your visa too early, as a double entry tourist visa would normally only have a validity of three months. This means that you will have to use the second entry no later than three months after the visa is issued.

Example:

The visa is issued on 1 August and will expire on 31 October.

If you manage to enter the first time on lets say 2 August you will be permitted to stay 60 days, i.e. until 30 September.

A week or so before 30 September you get a 30 day extension that will allow you to stay until 30 October.

You leave on 30 October and immediately reenter on the visa's second entry allowing you to stay until 28 December.

A week before 28 December you get a second extension allowing you to stay until 27 January.

So you get to stay in Thailand from 2 August until 27 January on your visa, or a period of almost six months.

However, if you don't arrive in Thailand until 2 September you will still need to enter on your visa for the second time before it expires on 31 October. So basically you lose from the maximum six months every day that pass between the visa is issued and you enter Thailand for the first time.

Sophon

[Naut.Sirius]

Thank you Sophon for mentioning this as I was operating under the assumption that the Visa expiration date was started by the process of entering the country. Perhaps a single entry might be the better way to go.

Have there been any problems with getting a second single entry Tourist Visa from any of the usual places (IE Penang) as of late?

The limit only applies to visa exempt entries, the 30 day stamps you get when you arrive without a visa. On those you can stay a maximum of 90 days in a 6 month period. This doesn't apply to tourist visa's.

With a double entry you get 2 times 60 days and each period of 60 days can be extended by 30 days. For this you go to an immigration office and ask for an extention a few days before the 60 day period is finished. You have to pay 1900 baht for this. When this extention is finished you have to leave the country and can come back the same day. This is when your second 60 days start, which you also can extend by 30 days.

But be careful not to apply for your visa too early, as a double entry tourist visa would normally only have a validity of three months. This means that you will have to use the second entry no later than three months after the visa is issued.

Example:

The visa is issued on 1 August and will expire on 31 October.

If you manage to enter the first time on lets say 2 August you will be permitted to stay 60 days, i.e. until 30 September.

A week or so before 30 September you get a 30 day extension that will allow you to stay until 30 October.

You leave on 30 October and immediately reenter on the visa's second entry allowing you to stay until 28 December.

A week before 28 December you get a second extension allowing you to stay until 27 January.

So you get to stay in Thailand from 2 August until 27 January on your visa, or a period of almost six months.

However, if you don't arrive in Thailand until 2 September you will still need to enter on your visa for the second time before it expires on 31 October. So basically you lose from the maximum six months every day that pass between the visa is issued and you enter Thailand for the first time.

Sophon

Edited July 7, 2008 by Naut.Sirius

[Lite Beer]

Vientienne Laos seems to be the favourite place to go at the moment.

[ThaiLawOnline]

Here's a copy of a double entry TOURIST visa done this month in Vientiane.

The RED on the upper left side is the date of the 2 entries.

You can see the date that it was issued, the number of entries 2, and that's a TOURIST VISA.

You must write TOURIST VISA X 2 on your application and pay the fees (2000 baht, I believe)

And the process was explained earlier. Enter, 60 days, extension 30 in Thailand, go out before the 3 months, coming in for the second entry for another 60 days and extension at immigration for 30 days.

Good for around 6 months. If you can't get other visas, this can be a way. This visa was issued on 13 of June, good until the 12 September 2008. I deleted the names, visa numbers and personal information on that document for confidentiality. I had the consent of that person to post it as information to help foreigners in need of this visa.

[jst]

Hi all,

I'm a 38 year old American and I've been digging through the forums but haven't found this explained clearly.

I'm going to be coming back to Thailand and would like to stay for at least 6 months. I did this in 2006 by getting a 2 month Tourist Visa, extending it by 30 days, then going to Penang for another 2 month tourist visa + extension after which I left the country.

Reading through the forums it looks like getting a 2 entry tourist visa might be a better way of going. But I'm not exactly sure how this would work so I could be in TH for 6 months? IE at what points I would need to get extensions, and when I would need to do a border run?

Also, currently is there any limit on the number of back to back tourist visas one can get, IE have to leave TH for a period of time before you can get another?

Thanks for any help!

i am also a 38 yr old american. i opted for the double tourist visa from laos. actually i was working on a work permit based visa and got ripped off by a local company (run by another american ) so i went to laos with a local visa run company in thailand and things went smoothly. but since u are still in america (i suppose) u can get a multiple entry non immigrant b good for one yr (every 90 days u must report ur whereabouts to the local immi office, no fee). and while in the states u can actually do all this through the mail. my husband (who travels back and forth to america for business) got this one. contact sabastian at www.isaanlawyers.com they are friendly and inexpensive. when we first arrived in thailand about a yr ago, we did not no anything about how to come, go, or stay. so now that i have a bit of knowledge and experience i want to help everyone i can.

[Lite Beer]

but since u are still in america (i suppose) u can get a multiple entry non immigrant b good for one yr (every 90 days u must report ur whereabouts to the local immi office, no fee).

Wrong.

Every 90 days you must leave Thailand and come back again.