30/15 Day Entry Stamp

[BeauKarl]

Either by air or land you get 30 or 15 days.

But after the new 15 day rule is it still 90 days in 180 days, or has that been scrapped?

[Lite Beer]

No one is clear on that as it has not been mentioned in the new rules.

[BeauKarl]

See this post:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2385711

With translation help from Mrs LiteBeer I have arrived at the conclusion that the limit of 90 visa-exempt days within six months no longer exists.

--

Maestro

[Maestro]

The cost comparison now has to be:

Six visa-exempt border runs

versus

one single-entry tourist visa plus one 30-day extension.

In case of getting the visa from Vientiane, it can be:

12 visa-exempt border runs

versus

one double-entry tourist visa plus one border run plus two 30-day extensions.

--

Maestro

[BeauKarl]

Post #3, how come my name is next to a post of Maestro?

Thanks to MS Litebeer for the clarification, I've been following that thread and my wife translated it for me but we couldn't figure out when it was written.

Maestro I don't get your last post.

I can get one double-entry tourist visa plus one border run plus two 30-day extensions.

if I go to Lao, or is there another country I can get the same?

[misterman21]

The cost comparison now has to be:

Six visa-exempt border runs

versus

one single-entry tourist visa plus one 30-day extension.

In case of getting the visa from Vientiane, it can be:

12 visa-exempt border runs

versus

one double-entry tourist visa plus one border run plus two 30-day extensions.

--

Maestro

You must understand what you are attempting to say

[Jingthing]

Either by air or land you get 30 or 15 days.

Funny. I am still confused about that part also.

Can anyone DEFINITELY say when you arrive BY AIR from a neighboring country like Malaysia that we get 30 or 15 days? Of course, I am talking about people with passports from countries that would normally get a 30 day stamp if flying from a non-bordering nation.

[BeauKarl]

Either by air or land you get 30 or 15 days.

Funny. I am still confused about that part also.

Can anyone DEFINITELY say when you arrive BY AIR from a neighboring country like Malaysia that we get 30 or 15 days? Of course, I am talking about people with passports from countries that would normally get a 30 day stamp if flying from a non-bordering nation.

By air it's definatly 30 days, by land 15.

Untill the next change

[ubonjoe]

Maestro I don't get your last post.

I can get one double-entry tourist visa plus one border run plus two 30-day extensions.

if I go to Lao, or is there another country I can get the same?

You can go to Vientiane and get a 2 entry tourist visa (2000 baht). You get 60 days per entry and then a 30 day extension at immigration (1900 baht). Then you do a border run and use the 2nd entry and get another 30 day extension. You then have to go and get another visa.

The only other place that has been reported as giving 2 entry visas is Kota Bharu Maylasia.

All the others will only give single entry visas.

Edited December 5, 2008 by ubonjoe

[Mario2008]

Agree with Lite Beer, it is still a bit unclear. Hopefully we will get a translation of the whole document early next week.

[Maestro]

Post #3, how come my name is next to a post of Maestro?..

My apologies. As a moderator I can edit other people’s posts and by mistake I clicked on EDIT instead of ADD REPLY below your post.

…I can get one double-entry tourist visa plus one border run plus two 30-day extensions.

if I go to Lao, or is there another country I can get the same?

At the moment only the Thai consulate in Vientiane is known to issue double-entry tourist visas in the region.

Your understanding of the way a double-entry tourist visa works is correct.

1. Get the visa, enter Thailand, receive permission to stay for 60 days.

2. Get 30-day extension.

3. Do border run before visa expires and enter Thailand using the second entry of the visa, get again 60 days permission to stay.

4. Get again 30-day extension

--

Maestro

[BeauKarl]

Post #3, how come my name is next to a post of Maestro?..

My apologies. As a moderator I can edit other people's posts and by mistake I clicked on EDIT instead of ADD REPLY below your post.

No worries, I shoulda thought about that

…I can get one double-entry tourist visa plus one border run plus two 30-day extensions.

if I go to Lao, or is there another country I can get the same?

At the moment only the Thai consulate in Vientiane is known to issue double-entry tourist visas in the region.

Your understanding of the way a double-entry tourist visa works is correct.

1. Get the visa, enter Thailand, receive permission to stay for 60 days.

2. Get 30-day extension.

3. Do border run before visa expires and enter Thailand using the second entry of the visa, get again 60 days permission to stay.

4. Get again 30-day extension

--

Maestro

Thanks for the info

[Briggsy]

Need feedback from visa runners out there on the front line at the checkpoints in Poipet and Vientiane, etc. Is day counting still going down? Look for the signs of mental arithmetic being done. Is the officer using his/her fingers a lot? Any reports?

[ubonjoe]

The 90 day rule is gone.

On this topic you will find that with further input of people that can read Thai it has been determined that the old police order was completly recinded which means it is gone.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/30-days-Bord...ys-t227407.html

[sabaijai]

The most we can conclude for the moment is that 778/2551 doesn't mention a a limit to the number or cumulative duration of visa-exempt stays. So unless that point was omitted in error (which doesn't seem likely), there appears to be no limit.

[Gaviator]

I was in the middle of doing a visa run to Malaysia at the time of the first publication on ThaiVisa of this change.

Needless to say I was a somewhat surprised to be told I could only have 15 days.

I have just completed a double-entry tourist visa (180 days).

I now have what is remaining of 15 days.

My question is about getting back to back tourist visas:

Will there be any difficulty in obtaining another double-entry tourist visa next week?

I was thinking of going to Laos.

I have been in Thailand in the same hamlet in Krabi Province for just over 1 year almost continuously (a mix of visa-runs and TVs).

I am Aussie

I am unmarried

Financially independant

Under retirement age

I have no problems with following all the rules, I just need to know what they are.

[Lite Beer]

I was in the middle of doing a visa run to Malaysia at the time of the first publication on ThaiVisa of this change.

Needless to say I was a somewhat surprised to be told I could only have 15 days.

I have just completed a double-entry tourist visa (180 days).

I now have what is remaining of 15 days.

My question is about getting back to back tourist visas:

Will there be any difficulty in obtaining another double-entry tourist visa next week?

I was thinking of going to Laos.

I have been in Thailand in the same hamlet in Krabi Province for just over 1 year almost continuously (a mix of visa-runs and TVs).

I am Aussie

I am unmarried

Financially independant

Under retirement age

I have no problems with following all the rules, I just need to know what they are.

Yes. Go to Vientiene and go for the Double Tourist Visa.

[sunholidaysun1]

Ok , we know there are many in Thailand who fit the requirements to have a 1 year visa because they work here, are married to a Thai , are of retirement age etc. There are however many of us who are under the age for retirement , do not work , do not have any business etc or a Wife / kids , but can stay here by following the Law of Thailand.

I used to have the 1 year multple entry "O" visa , obtained from my country - England. This I have done in the past , but I dont want to keep travelling back to the UK every year and incure the expense.

SO I do what every other law abiding tourist does to stay longer ,I get the tourist visa from a Thai Consulate or Embassy outside of Thailand.

The only visa I can get is a Tourist Visa. If I go (done them all) to any country in S.E.Asia other than Laos , you will only get a single entry tourist visa , valid for 60 days. If you go to Laos you can get a Double Entry Tourist Visa, 60 days + 60 Days.

On completion of the 120 day double entry visa you can go to any immigration office and obtain a 30 day extention for a cost of 1900 bht. If you dont want to pay out for the additional 30 days they offer you for the 1,900 bht ,you can just go to the border , leave the country , with exit stamp. go into the bordering country (for me , Myanmar) pay there 500 bht / $10 entry charge, get there entry and exit stamp and return to Thailand. On re-entry into Thailand , and having NO valid Visa, you will be given 30 days to stay in the country , and you could stay here without having to go to an Embassy / Consulate outside of Thailand to renew your visa, but you could only stay a maximum of 90 days = 3 x border runs. Then by the Thai law you have to leave the country and will not be permitted back into the country for I believe 90 days unless you have a Visa.

However , now this rule has changed and instead of getting on the end of a visa you now only get 3 x 15 days OR can We stay in Thailand without the visa as long as we keep crossing the border every 2 weeks / 15 days ??

Those people some are saying we are rif raff , making the problems for everyone else - Hogwash !

Those without visa's who DONT follow the law and possbly untraceable by the Thai Immigration Police are the only ones who DONT do the border runs required by Thai Law. All of the foreigners that I know, DO follow the law and its just a way for us to stay until we are old enough to retire or decide to marry or open a business to qualify to gain the 1 year visa without returning the our HOME countries to get the 1 year visa which is unavailable from ANY Embassy or Consulate other than from your HOME country .

Ease Off people , relax, chill-out, where all here through our own choices and 99% of do follow the law , dont whinge but accept the gratitude of the Thai government in allowing us to stay , as long as we follow the Law.

[gazman]

Those people some are saying we are rif raff , making the problems for everyone else - Hogwash !

Those without visa's who DONT follow the law and possbly untraceable by the Thai Immigration Police are the only ones who DONT do the border runs required by Thai Law. All of the foreigners that I know, DO follow the law and its just a way for us to stay until we are old enough to retire or decide to marry or open a business to qualify to gain the 1 year visa without returning the our HOME countries to get the 1 year visa which is unavailable from ANY Embassy or Consulate other than from your HOME country .

Ease Off people , relax, chill-out, where all here through our own choices and 99% of do follow the law , dont whinge but accept the gratitude of the Thai government in allowing us to stay , as long as we follow the Law.

Very nicely said sunholidaysun1

Cheers

[Maestro]

That's what it looks like according to the new rules, but compare the costs to see if getting a tourist visa, from Vientiane even a double-entry tourist visa, would not be cheaper.

--

Maestro

[Lareena]

I was in the middle of doing a visa run to Malaysia at the time of the first publication on ThaiVisa of this change.

Needless to say I was a somewhat surprised to be told I could only have 15 days.

I have just completed a double-entry tourist visa (180 days).

I now have what is remaining of 15 days.

My question is about getting back to back tourist visas:

Will there be any difficulty in obtaining another double-entry tourist visa next week?

I was thinking of going to Laos.

I have been in Thailand in the same hamlet in Krabi Province for just over 1 year almost continuously (a mix of visa-runs and TVs).

I am Aussie

I am unmarried

Financially independant

Under retirement age

I have no problems with following all the rules, I just need to know what they are.

Yes. Go to Vientiene and go for the Double Tourist Visa.

I am just back 'This Morning' from a visa run to Vientiane. received X 2 tourist visa with no problems. I suggest doing as I did, use the guys who run the 'visa service' outside the embassy. I arrived at the embassy at 12h20 and it was closed of course. They somehow, for a 1000 baht fee, managed to get my application process and back to me at exactly 13h00 the following day;-)) had i not used them i would have had to return to the embassy the following morning the 4th. then had to wait till next monday for my visa. 1000 baht well spent. and btw, i too the 407 bus company from Pattaya to Nongkhai (as airports where closed). I took the VIP bus and the service was great and the seats almost like business class on an airline.

[zeusbheld]

I am just back 'This Morning' from a visa run to Vientiane. received X 2 tourist visa with no problems. I suggest doing as I did, use the guys who run the 'visa service' outside the embassy. I arrived at the embassy at 12h20 and it was closed of course. They somehow, for a 1000 baht fee, managed to get my application process and back to me at exactly 13h00 the following day;-)) had i not used them i would have had to return to the embassy the following morning the 4th. then had to wait till next monday for my visa. 1000 baht well spent. and btw, i too the 407 bus company from Pattaya to Nongkhai (as airports where closed). I took the VIP bus and the service was great and the seats almost like business class on an airline.

Vientiane are allowing 'visa services' now? last time i was there (about 50 days ago) it was still very much forbidden.

as for the 15 day thing and rescinding the 90/180 rule, i think it's probably pretty sensible from their point of view. they cut down on counting days, thus saving time and hassle at border checkpoints. Visas are likely to be more economical than border runs, unless you own a car or can borrow one every two weeks. they've also set an incentive to fly vs ground, by giving you a longer entry stamp if you're entering regionally.

does anyone know--if you're flying in, do you still need a ticket out of the region if you don't have a visa?

[LTGTR]

Post #3, how come my name is next to a post of Maestro?..

My apologies. As a moderator I can edit other people's posts and by mistake I clicked on EDIT instead of ADD REPLY below your post.

…I can get one double-entry tourist visa plus one border run plus two 30-day extensions.

if I go to Lao, or is there another country I can get the same?

At the moment only the Thai consulate in Vientiane is known to issue double-entry tourist visas in the region.

Your understanding of the way a double-entry tourist visa works is correct.

1. Get the visa, enter Thailand, receive permission to stay for 60 days.

2. Get 30-day extension.

3. Do border run before visa expires and enter Thailand using the second entry of the visa, get again 60 days permission to stay.

4. Get again 30-day extension

--

Maestro

Or move to Cambodia and pay $25 for Business visa on arrival,valid for 30 days and then renew-legally-for $270 for 1 year,multi-entry business visa.Up to you......

[ubonjoe]

Vientiane are allowing 'visa services' now? last time i was there (about 50 days ago) it was still very much forbidden.

as for the 15 day thing and rescinding the 90/180 rule, i think it's probably pretty sensible from their point of view. they cut down on counting days, thus saving time and hassle at border checkpoints. Visas are likely to be more economical than border runs, unless you own a car or can borrow one every two weeks. they've also set an incentive to fly vs ground, by giving you a longer entry stamp if you're entering regionally.

does anyone know--if you're flying in, do you still need a ticket out of the region if you don't have a visa?

There have been reports that there is an ability to use an agent but I wouldn't plan on it. If you get there early and don't go on Monday it is not a problem to get a visa yourself.

If you use a visa run company it can be cheaper to fly out and back. I checked yesterday for a round trip ticket to KL for Jan. 6 it was 4,365 baht on Air Asia.

The best option is still getting a tourist visa.

You will still need a return or onward ticket to show to the airline. It will probably will still not be needed at immigration.

Edited December 7, 2008 by ubonjoe

[jdg]

Why not go on Monday ?

[Lite Beer]

Why not go on Monday ?

Because it get very busy and it sometimes closes before you get to the front of the line meaning you have to go back the next day.

[ubonjoe]

Lot and lots of people on Monday. Visa run companies all have bus loads of people leaving Sunday night and arrive Monday morning.

See the last few pages of this topic: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Vientiane-La...sa-t158561.html

Edited December 7, 2008 by ubonjoe

[jdg]

Lot and lots of people on Monday. Visa run companies all have bus loads of people leaving Sunday night and arrive Monday morning.

See the last few pages of this topic: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Vientiane-La...sa-t158561.html

Thanks for that info, I was planning to be there on a monday, so now I will change it to an other day.

Thanks,

JDG

[WaldoPepper]

to get the 1 year visa which is unavailable from ANY Embassy or Consulate other than from your HOME country

Excuse me, but I'm a newbie. I did my first visa run to Mae Sae on Thurs and got the new 15-day visa for my pains. While getting stamped back in I noticed a sign at Thai immigration saying that Tourist Visas (10,000B) and 1-year Non-O visas (20,000B) were available there. Is this true?

[Lite Beer]

to get the 1 year visa which is unavailable from ANY Embassy or Consulate other than from your HOME country

Excuse me, but I'm a newbie. I did my first visa run to Mae Sae on Thurs and got the new 15-day visa for my pains. While getting stamped back in I noticed a sign at Thai immigration saying that Tourist Visas (10,000B) and 1-year Non-O visas (20,000B) were available there. Is this true?

No. Visas can only be issued by Consulates and Embassies. And certainly not at those prices.

Either you read it wrong or there is something illegal going on.