90 Days To Use Second Entry?

[Nash]

Hi everybody...

A bit of background information:

I'm a 28 year old American who has been studying Muay Thai and Thai language here for the last two years. My gym doesn't offer student visas and I've been learning Thai from a private teacher, so no help on a student visa there either. I've been making border runs to Laos every 6 months for a tourist visa aside from one trip to the Philippines last summer.

Last February, I went to Vientiane to get a new Tourist visa, and was given the standard two entry visa many of us know and love. I was under the impression that you have 90 days from the date the visa is issued to use both entries. Apparently, this is not true. I was given 87 days on my last visa, perhaps because February only had 28 days this year.

Much to my surprise, when I went to Mae Sai a few days ago, I was told the entries on my tourist visa had expired (despite the fact that I was a day early on the actual expiration of my 30 day extension). I was stamped in with a visa on arrival for 15 days. I checked the dates and sure enough, my entries expired after 87 days even though my visa was good for 90.

I am starting school for my bachelors degree at Payap in June and I am in the process of trying to change my visa over to a student visa. If indeed my tourist visa was still valid, I could make the change at Chiang Mai immigration. If on the other hand my visa on arrival was issued under valid circumstances, I have to go all the way back to Lao and apply for a student visa there...

Anyway, does anyone know if it is part of immigration law that visa entries are good for 90 days? If so, a mistake has been made with my visa and I would like to take it up with immigration in hopes that they can help me make the change to a student visa here in Chiang Mai. I understand this is probably a lost cause , but I speak above average Thai and I think I can make a good case on my behalf. Anyway, It's worth an hour of my life to find out either way on the chance I can avoid 30 hours on buses going back and forth to Lao again.

Thanks!!

-N

[monty]

How long a visa is valid depends on the type, but indeed 90 days (counting from day of issue) for a double entry is pretty much standard.

It is the date on the visa itself which you should check to make sure you time your re-entry within the validity of your visa.

If they stamped you in on 15 days visa free entry, then that's it, not worth going to immigration. If immigration followed whatever was indicated as expiry date on your visa, then they gave you the correct entry stamp. Immigration has no influence at all over the actual visa, as they are issued by the consulate/embassy, which falls under the Ministry of foreign affairs!

Normally you cannot change a tourist visa to a non immigrant ED within Thailand anyway, this is actually mentioned on Payap's own website!

All students who do not have Thai citizenship must arrive in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa. If you have entered Thailand on a "visitor" (tourist) visa, you will have to leave the country, apply for a non-immigrant visa in another country (Malaysia and Laos are popular destinations) and then re-enter Thailand with a non-immigrant visa. If you need to do this, Khun Amarin can give you information about what specifically you will need for the Thai embassy in the country you will visit.

Source: http://ic.payap.ac.th/prospective-students...ion.php#student

[Crossy]

Just checked my last 4 TVs, all give 3 MONTHS to use and vary between 89 and 91 days.

[Nash]

Normally you cannot change a tourist visa to a non immigrant ED within Thailand anyway, this is actually mentioned on Payap's own website!

All students who do not have Thai citizenship must arrive in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa. If you have entered Thailand on a "visitor" (tourist) visa, you will have to leave the country, apply for a non-immigrant visa in another country (Malaysia and Laos are popular destinations) and then re-enter Thailand with a non-immigrant visa. If you need to do this, Khun Amarin can give you information about what specifically you will need for the Thai embassy in the country you will visit.

Source: http://ic.payap.ac.th/prospective-students...ion.php#student

Thanks for that... I didn't think to check the website as I was getting the word from the person at Payap assigned to help me with such matters, obviously he was mistaken. Then again, this is Thailand and I've been here long enough to know better by now.

-N