48 Day Stay In Thailand + Visits To Laos/vietnam?

[skinwishes]

Hi people thaivisa n00b here,thanks for having me!

Just looking if someone can help a 21 yo Englishman in my quest to determine the correct visa i require for a trip im taking in October.

I arrive in Bangkok on the 31st October and don't have a booked flight out of the country until the 17th December. Obviously the standard 30 day visa will not be enough for me so i guess im in need of a 60 day visa, which i believe i can go in person and collect on the same day from the Thai Immi office in Cardiff?

However i would also like to fit in trips to both Laos (Train) and Vietnam (Flight) will i be able to leave and enter the country this many times on a standard 60 day visa?

Also i understand if i was to book my flight to Vietnam strategically enough,that i would be able to recieve another extra 30 day visa for Thailand as im entering by air?

Sorry if these questions dont make much sense i am quite confused by the whole ins and outs of Thai visas! Thanks in advance if anyone can help!

Adam

[Mario2008]

You're not going to the immigration office in Cardif, but to the Thai consulate.

You lose your tourist visa when you leave Thailand. In your situation your travel plans are very important. When you enter thailand on your visa you will get a permission to stay for 60 days. When next you travel to Laos, this permission will expire. When returning form laoas by land transport you will get a permission to stay for only 15 days. If you leave Thailand again for Vietnam and return you will get 30 days as you travel by air.

So just plan your trip and you will be allright.

[Lite Beer]

When you leave Thailand your 60 days will expire.

As you said you will get 30 days if you re enter by air. 15 days if by a land border.

The Tourist Visa is free until March 4th.

[welo]

If you arrive without a Tourist Visa, and you don't have a flight out of Thailand within 30 days, you might not be allowed to enter Thailand. As reported on the forum, you even might not be allowed on the plane by your airline in the first place.

If you purchase your flight ticket to Vietnam or whatever before coming to Thailand, e.g. on an Airasia eTicket, you are on the safe side. (assuming it would take you out of Thailand within 30 days).

Another option is that you get a Double or Triple Entry Tourist Visa in your home country, which would allow you to exit and come back to Thailand 2 times and get a 60 day stamp each time (no matter whether my land border or by air). This would give you more flexibility, not sure though whether Tourist Visas with more than one entries are free at your consulate.

You could also get a Re-Entry Permit at the immigration office in Bangkok for 1000 each (or a Multiple Re-Entry Permit for 3800), so your 60 day permission to stay is not cancelled when exiting Thailand. But this is probably the weirdest way

welo

Edited August 4, 2009 by welo

[skinwishes]

Hi guys thanks for the replies so far. So just to get this straight!

If i was to get a 60 day tourist visa id be allowed in the country because my flight out falls within 60 days of my entry?

If i was to miss out Vietnam on my trip and just decided to go to Laos and plan on returning to Thailand on around the 4th December, because of the 15 day over land extension, id be allowed entry back in the country because im leaving within those 15 days (17th Dec) !?

Many thanks again.

[thaiphoon]

Hi guys thanks for the replies so far. So just to get this straight!

If i was to get a 60 day tourist visa id be allowed in the country because my flight out falls within 60 days of my entry?

If i was to miss out Vietnam on my trip and just decided to go to Laos and plan on returning to Thailand on around the 4th December, because of the 15 day over land extension, id be allowed entry back in the country because im leaving within those 15 days (17th Dec) !?

Many thanks again.

You will get 60 day permission to stay stamp on arrival because you hold a tourist visa. It is not linked to flight departure date. When you come back into Thailand from Laos you will get 15 day 'visa exempt' permission to stay stamp by land border or 30 day 'visa exempt' permission to stay stamp by air. You do not have to show departure documentation, but you will be fined THB 500 a day for any overstay (max THB 20,000).

Edited August 4, 2009 by thaiphoon

[welo]

Sorry if I have confused you with my warning. The possible problem of entering Thailand without an onward or return flight only applies when you want to enter without a Tourist Visa on the 30-day Visa Exemption Rule. From what I know it is also not certainity that you run into problems, just a possibility. I also don't know whether this applies to land borders at all... I just looked up the old thread and it was LiteBeer providing this information, who is usually a relyable source, so I passed the warning on to you

For this and other reasons everybody recommended to come on a Tourist Visa, since it's free at the moment. Consulates might charge a handling fee though, don't know what the current policy at Cardiff is. If you get a Double or Triple Entry Tourist Visa for the same price. do it since it will give you more flexibility and no timing worries. Otherwise just go with the 15-day stamps, you will be fine.

welo

[thaiphoon]

Sorry if I have confused you with my warning. The possible problem of entering Thailand without an onward or return flight only applies when you want to enter without a Tourist Visa on the 30-day Visa Exemption Rule. From what I know it is also not certainity that you run into problems, just a possibility. I also don't know whether this applies to land borders at all... I just looked up the old thread and it was LiteBeer providing this information, who is usually a relyable source, so I passed the warning on to you

For this and other reasons everybody recommended to come on a Tourist Visa, since it's free at the moment. Consulates might charge a handling fee though, don't know what the current policy at Cardiff is. If you get a Double or Triple Entry Tourist Visa for the same price. do it since it will give you more flexibility and no timing worries. Otherwise just go with the 15-day stamps, you will be fine.

welo

It just applies to entry into the Kingdom by air, not land crossings. And the reason why airlines may refuse to fly someone without a return ticket/visa is because they don't want to pick up the tab of flying them back if entry to the Kingdom is refused.

Hull issue 60 day tourist visa for free but there is a £15 admin charge. Not sure about the consulates in Birmingham or Cardiff. There is however a charge for double/triple entry tourist visas. The OP should be able to work his trip around a 60 day tourist visa combined with 15/30 day visa exempt stamps to visit both Laos and Vietman.

RTC Hull