Visas: Maximising Stay Before A Job

[grim]

Hello all,

Sorry to ask what may be obvious questions but I'm looking for advice re visas.

I have a 2 month tourist visa which I intend to renew for a third month. I am in the process of securing a job (in order to stay permanently) but I wonder how long I will be able to stay in the country until I get a job?

My basic questions are:

- how long does each visa run allow me to stay in Thailand for?

- how many can I make before I have to leave?

- am I permitted to remain in the country whilst my work permit & visa are being processed (once I get a letter confirming job offer).

Any other related information/experience is gratefully received.

Thanks

[ubonjoe]

After extending your tourist visa for 30 days you will need to make a visa run to a nearby consulate to get a new tourist visa. Vientiane is best for this because they will issue a 2 entry tourist visa which with extensions will give you almost six months.

You can stay as long as want using tourist visas. Just make a border run after 90 days and a visa run after another 90 days.

Yes you can stay in the country waiting for paperwork to be processed.

[Lite Beer]

There is no limit on how many Tourist Visas you can use.

Each one can be extended for 30 days at Immigration for a fee of 1,900 Baht.

[grim]

As I understood it, a tourist visa is valid for up to 90 days in total (once extended) and once a passport holder has spend 90 days in Thailand they are forbidden for reentering for a further 90 days.

From your responses I take it this is inaccurate?

I was given a government link y the UK Embassy but it is somewhat confusing at first glance, http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php. Note that the UK Embassy could offer no guidance as it is "not qualified to".

I didn't point out that I have a child with my gf, I understand that this permits me to stay in the country as long as I can prove we have a certain level of joint income/certain level of money in the bank.

I'm reluctant to go down this route as I suspect I don't currently qualify money-wise...but any helpful info is, again, gratefully received.

Thanks

[Lite Beer]

As I understood it, a tourist visa is valid for up to 90 days in total (once extended) and once a passport holder has spend 90 days in Thailand they are forbidden for reentering for a further 90 days.

From your responses I take it this is inaccurate?

I was given a government link y the UK Embassy but it is somewhat confusing at first glance, http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php. Note that the UK Embassy could offer no guidance as it is "not qualified to".

I didn't point out that I have a child with my gf, I understand that this permits me to stay in the country as long as I can prove we have a certain level of joint income/certain level of money in the bank.

I'm reluctant to go down this route as I suspect I don't currently qualify money-wise...but any helpful info is, again, gratefully received.

Thanks

Wrong on both points.

No limits on the number of Tourist Visas.

No extensions available for having Thai children. Unless you are over 50.

If you marry your Girlfriend then you can stay for 12 months at a time if you have a family income of 40,000 Baht a month.

[grim]

Wrong on both points.

No limits on the number of Tourist Visas.

No extensions available for having Thai children. Unless you are over 50.

If you marry your Girlfriend then you can stay for 12 months at a time if you have a family income of 40,000 Baht a month.

Right, glad to hear that then.

Oh, and for the record I'm a long way short of 50...and happily so.

Cheers

[ubonjoe]

I didn't point out that I have a child with my gf, I understand that this permits me to stay in the country as long as I can prove we have a certain level of joint income/certain level of money in the bank.

If your name is on the childs birth certificate and you have a copy you can get a non immigrant O visa at a Thai consulate to visit your child. That would allow you to stay for 90 days on single entry or if you get a multiple entry (KL/Penang maybe) you would only have to make border runs every 90 days for a year.

Also you could qualify for a 60 day extension of your current stay to visit your child. See page 11 clause 7.23 of police order.

Link: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/2notice/rtp606EN.pdf