Any help and advice would be most appreciated with following scenario:

I plan to return to Thailand next month with my Chinese girlfriend.

I am aware that she can get a tourist visa on arrival for 15 days.

Query;

Can she get extensions to that same visa, and if so, how many - and for how long?

Does she have to show cash and return flight ticket on initial arrival at Chiang Mai airport?

note: I have a retirement visa and own my own apartment in CM.

Regards,

Bucklt

You cannot extend a Visa On Arrival.

This is from the MFA website.

You cannot extend a Visa On Arrival.

Thanks for that speedy response Lite Beer!

Assuming she wanted to stay long-term, does this mean visa-runs across borders - coming back with a new VOA each time?

Bucklt

She can get a tourist visa which would alow her to stay longer than 15 days.

Contact a Thai conulate in China. A list of conulates can found at the following link.

Link: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2712.php

Also embassy website: http://www.thaiembbeij.org/

A Tourist Visa would give 60 days and can be extended for a further 30 days. She could get this in China. Maybe even a double entry.

It would seem that Chinese can only apply for Thai Visas from inside China. Unless they are actually resident in another country. If I am wrong someone correct me.

Not sure she will get a 60 day entry. Check with a consulate in China for more info.

This from MFA website. Under tourist visas topic.

5. PERIOD OF STAY

Upon arrival, travellers with this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days or 60 days.

Nationals of countries which are on Thailand’s Tourist Visa Exemption list or have bilateral agreements on visa exemption with Thailand will be permitted to stay for a period of not exceeding 60 days. Nationals from other countries who hold a tourist visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days.

Link: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2489

Edited November 17, 200817 yr by ubonjoe

Tourist visa for Chinese nationals is 30 days, as shown by the link provided by Joe, as Chinese don't qualify for visa exempt entries.

Tourist visa for Chinese nationals is 30 days, as shown by the link provided by Joe, as Chinese don't qualify for visa exempt entries.

I agree that is what it says, however after doing a search on this site some people are reporting that it is 60 days.

She should really get in touch with the Embassy in the link Joe provided and enquire.

Might be because differnt rules apply to residents of Hong Kong and Macao, they qualify for visa exempt entry (even under bilateral agreement).

http://www.mfa.go.th/internet/document/ChartVisa.pdf

Seems you right LB, Chinese can get 60 days:

Thai conulate general Kunming: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2191.php

TOURIST VISA

- Visitors on tour to Thailand are permitted to stay not longer than 60 days.

- A valid passport (valid for at least 6 months into the future) must be submitted along with the application form and a photograph.- Requirements for Chinese nationals:

For Chinese nationals who wish to travel to Thailand in a tour group with all the arrangements made by the authorized travel agencies, their visa applications would be submitted on their behalf by such travel agencies.

Should a Chinese passport holder wish to travel to Thailand independently, he/she can apply for a “tourist visa” in person. The requirements are: a 6-month valid passport (plus photocopy of the important pages in the passport), a completed application form, one passport-sized photograph, a confirmed round-trip airline ticket (plus photocopy of the ticket), and a letter of reference from the applicant's company or employer to confirm that the applicant is an employee who will be traveling to Thailand and will resume his/her work after returning from Thailand.

- Fee. 230 RMB.