Canadian Staying Over 3 Months

[Bailey1980]

Hello all. I hope this finds you well.

I have searched through the past posts and I haven't found anything that quite meets my situation so here it is:

I am 25 year old Canadian traveling to SEA for the first time. I will fly into Singapore May 17, 2005. From here my itinerary is wide open but the plan is as follows:

- 3-4 days in Singapore

- 2-3 weeks in Malaysia

- 3 months + in Thailand (hopefully much longer)

I would like to avoid all hassles and do everything by the book. Past Thailand travelers from Canada have suggested the 30 day border-runs however from what I have read these may be restricted soon. I have seen here that there is a 90 day non-immigrant visa but I am not sure if it applies to holiday-seekers. I am also not sure if it is extendable.

I also see that many people are told to apply for the extended visas (more than the 30 days on-entry) before leaving their home country however I will not be going straight to Thailand and I do not want to restrict my time in Malaysia should I decide to stay there longer before carrying on to Thailand.

My final factor is money. While I know this all costs money, I would like to avoid paying through the nose if at all possible. That being said I do not want to make things difficult on myself for a few Baht.

My knowledge of terms in regards to immigration is limited so it is possible that I have just misunderstood. At any rate, I appreciate the time that anyone would take to sort me out.

Thank you and take care in this New Year!!

[penzman]

Hi Bailey.

Get a non-immigrant B visa.

I got it within 3 days in Ottawa.

You have 60 days to enter Thailand once the Non-Imm B visa is issued. Once in Thailand,, the visa is valid for 90 days.

If you need more than 90 days, you can get a visa extension at an immigration office. Dress properly and be polite and you should have no problem getting an extension.

DO NOT OVERSTAY!

Good luck,

Penzman

[lopburi3]

If you intend to remain in Thailand for an extended period you should try to obtain a multi entry O visa in Canada as you are not likely to be able to get here in Asia. That would allow 90 day stays between exits. Here in Asia the best you can probably obtain is a two or three entry tourist visa which after 60 days needs extension and after 90 days a trip outside to activate next entry. 30 day on entry stays are possible but if it becomes apparent you are not a normal tourist could become hard to obtain.

You need to check with your airline for ability to board aircraft as Singapore has the same regulations as Thailand for airport entry without visa and that is you have ticked onward travel.

[thaiflyer1]

The Non Immigrant O visa would be your first choice, if you are not granted one the second best way to stay in Thailand would be to obtain a double entry tourist visa before leaving home.........this would give you an initial 60 day stay upon arrival in Thailand which can be extended at local immigration in Thailand by 30 days (1900 baht fee) after this you do a "border run" and re-enter Thailand using the second entry of the tourist visa and repeat the process giving a total possible stay of 180 days..........you could apply for a triple entry tourist visa before leaving and that would give you 270 days total stay (repeating the process one more time)..........if you obtain the double entry tourist visa you have 6 months in which to use it from date of issue (so dont worry about staying in Singapore/Malaysia for a month or so first.)

Edited January 11, 2005 by thaiflyer1

[Bailey1980]

Ok this is great guys!

I am in Vancouver. Anyone know how the consulate is here? On the Vancouver Thai Consulate site it just says an "O" visa is for any "other" purpose; but the Los Angels (US) Thai Consulate website says that the "O" will NOT be given for reasons such as tourism. Am I going to run into this problem in Vancouver? What can I do to prevent this issue? Can I show proof of funds (if so how much?) or other documentation (like what)? I do not intend on working nor doing anything else illegal so how can I get this "O" visa? It sounds like the best thing going. Please offer suggests or examples of how you how acquired this visa.

Also, I see on the Vancouver Thai Consulate website it says that I need one picture and a birth certificate. Will I need anything else other than the $200CAD fee?

This has been a great help already. Thank you all for your time.