Multiple Tourist Visas - Buy As Many As You Wish!

[spencerdharmagrafix]

i spoke with the consul in vientiane about the double or triple tourist visas..

here is now the official answer i got from him;

yes it is valid for 3 months.. meaning if your first of the visas is up on, lets say the 27th of september.. then your should exit about 2 or 3 days before the day and the next visa will be again 2 months with an extendible 28 days available on paying 2000 baht at immigration office.

i also asked him about that alleged possibility of ASKING FOR 3 TOURIST VISAS...

I GOT A GREAT ANSWER!

he said "you can buy 10 if you want"

but the visas have only a 3 month expiry date.. so have to exit a few days before each visa is up, thats all.

so there you go you can buy 3 or 5 or 10 or 1 or 2 up to you

the visa costs 1000 baht each so a triple will be 300 baht and ten will be 10000 baht.

[sriracha john]

For maximum longevity, if it stamped, for example, "use before 27th of September", it's permissible to leave on that date and return the same day with a new 60 day stamp and extend for 30 days at the end of that time.

Edited September 10, 2008 by sriracha john

[tropo]

For maximum longevity, if it stamped, for example, "use before 27th of September", it's permissible to leave on that date and return the same day with a new 60 day stamp and extend for 30 days at the end of that time.

Tourist visas are marked "enter before", and it's advisable to do just that. I've read a number of reports on this forum about people who lost out (visa was considered expired) due to leaving on that day rather than the day before.

[tropo]

i spoke with the consul in vientiane about the double or triple tourist visas..

here is now the official answer i got from him;

yes it is valid for 3 months.. meaning if your first of the visas is up on, lets say the 27th of september.. then your should exit about 2 or 3 days before the day and the next visa will be again 2 months with an extendible 28 days available on paying 2000 baht at immigration office.

Even the consul didn't have the facts straight. There's no need to leave 2 or 3 days early and extensions are 30 days, not 28 days.

Has the visa extension price at Immigration gone up to 2000 baht?

[sriracha john]

For maximum longevity, if it stamped, for example, "use before 27th of September", it's permissible to leave on that date and return the same day with a new 60 day stamp and extend for 30 days at the end of that time.

Tourist visas are marked "enter before", and it's advisable to do just that. I've read a number of reports on this forum about people who lost out (visa was considered expired) due to leaving on that day rather than the day before.

As in many immigration matters, experiences do vary and both experiences described can and do occur.

Good idea to check beforehand with the specific border checkpoint intending to be utilized.

Edited September 10, 2008 by sriracha john

[tropo]

For maximum longevity, if it stamped, for example, "use before 27th of September", it's permissible to leave on that date and return the same day with a new 60 day stamp and extend for 30 days at the end of that time.

Tourist visas are marked "enter before", and it's advisable to do just that. I've read a number of reports on this forum about people who lost out (visa was considered expired) due to leaving on that day rather than the day before.

As in many immigration matters, experiences do vary and both experiences described can and do occur.

Good idea to check beforehand with the specific border checkpoint intending to be utilized.

That's not good advice. It's pretty obvious what "enter before" means.

I don't suppose you are staying here on a tourist visa so the matter doesn't really concern you, but wasting an entry on a tourist visa is just not worth the risk.

Stick to the Thailand clippings room - you're doing a good job there.

[sriracha john]

I thought relating what people have seen and experienced was one of the points to the visa forum. At least it was when I joined. This is particularly relevant given the ambiguities of various Immigration Departments around Thailand.

Several places interpret the "enter before" stamp as enter before midnight on that date that is stamped in one's passport.

But if checking with a border checkpoint beforehand to see if they do or not is "not good advice"? then.. uhmm... ok.

[tropo]

I thought relating what people have seen and experienced was one of the points to the visa forum. At least it was when I joined. This is particularly relevant given the ambiguities of various Immigration Departments around Thailand.

Several places interpret the "enter before" stamp as enter before midnight on that date that is stamped in one's passport.

But if checking with a border checkpoint beforehand to see if they do or not is "not good advice"? then.. uhmm... ok.

I use tourist visas a lot, and there is no way I would chance going on the day I'm supposed to enter before. How are you supposed to check on the policies of a border checkpoint beforehand? Phone a help line? Ask for advice from the visa run company?

Even at one checkpoint they may vary in the way they apply policies on various matters. It's possible they may not like the look of a certain person and tell him his tourist visa has technically expired...whereas the next in line may be fine.

I can give you an example recently where they marked a Filipinos entry stamps with a '2' (second 30-day entry within 90 days) at Bam Laem. They didn't mark mine. At Suvarnabhumi they marked her first entry with a "1", they didn't mark mine.

If you think your advice is sound, then so be it. My advice is to ALWAYS go on the day before the enter before date. The advantage of 1 day is not worth the risk...especially if you've gone all the way to Laos to secure a tourist visa.

[mgjackson69]

I would not go on the "Enter Before" day, and risk being turned back.

Go the day before, it is only one day...not worth the potential hassle, to me anyway.