Visa Extention...a Little Help?

[pekkes1978]

I'm a US citizen, going to thailand this summer and prefer to stay for 5-6 weeks. i was wondering which is easier:

obtaining a 60 day visa from the thai consulate before departing, or just arriving in thailand, get the 30 day and then get a two week extention.

was hearing different answers about the length of extention immigration gives out in bkk.

some said you can only get a seven day, others say 30 day. not sure if it depends on which imm. office you go to.

curious how these two choices affect future visits...say, any limitations on the number of 60 day visas given out in a 1 year period or limit to number of times you can extend.

i assume if i show up and get the autimatic 30 day, i will have to show my return ticket with a departure date that is within 30 days.

i plan to visit thailand at least once more later this year and frequently in the next few years...want to start out on the right foot to insure i can continue to visit thailand without immigration hassles

thanks so much for any feedback!

[lopburi3]

Get a tourist visa.

1. You have to have ticket/confirmed onward transport within the 30 day entry. You will not have this and airline may well refuse to carry you here. If you have a discount ticket any change is going to cost you.

2. You can not normally extend a 30 day entry without visa more than 7-10 days, and even for that you should have good reason and will cost 1,900 baht and vacation time.

3. You most surly can obtain more than one tourist visa per year - the only time it becomes an issue is when used three or more times without any time outside of Thailand and thus appears to be someone working without a work permit.

[Thaiquila]

You cannot get a 30 day extension on a 30 day stamp.

Your easiest best bet is to get a 60 day tourist visa in the US (very easy to do and you can do by mail) and then no worries.

Also note if you arrive at the airport with no visa and your return ticket is over 30 days away, there is an excellent chance that you will be denied boarding.

So if you do choose to try that, you might want to buy a cheap air ticket to a country near Thailand with a date under 30 days of arrival. You could take such a short trip and then come back and get another 30 day stamp.

Edited June 23, 2005 by Thaiquila

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The 60 day tourist visa can be extended by another 30 days in Thailand