Extended Thai Tourist Visa

[lexb]

I apologise to the readers if "you've gone down this road before" or have started a new topic when it was not necessary!

I am going to Thailand to look for work as an native-speaking English teacher in a month(I am experienced and have educational teaching credentials) and I received and paid for, what I thought would be, a single entry, three month + extendable for three months Thai Tourist Visa from the Thai embassy in the country I am teaching in now!

It was explained to me at the embassy that, since I will be living in Chiang Mai, all I need do is go to the Immigration Office at the airport and get it stamped to extend it for the next three months if I need to(I hope I will be working as a teacher with a Thai Work Permit at that time and this will not be necessary!).

When I looked at the visa I saw that that the [No. of Entry] block was stamped with a 3 so I now believe I paid for a single entry visa and received a three entry visa so I received, I believe, an extremely good value due to an oversight on the embassy's part(since I was told the cost of the visa increased with the number of entries allowed!).

My question, what exactly does a three entry Thai Tourist Visa allow me to do?

Thank you all for any information afforded to me!

[lopburi3]

A tourist visa allows a stay of up to 60 days for most nationalities and can be extended for 30 days by Immigration and payment of 1,900 baht. To use another entry you must exit county/enter another and return before the expiration date on the visa. No work permit can be issued on such a visa so it is useless to you for legal employment.

It allows you to be a tourist in Thailand and you can find/apply for work/work permit but you must change to a non immigrant B visa to obtain the work permit.

[lexb]

Thank you for your reply but I am very confused!

To clarrify my status, my country has a 30 day visa allowance status in Thailand so if I were to fly directly to Suvarnabhumi airport, I would get this much time "stamped" into my passport without having to do or pay anything.

The Thai national who, I believe, was the number #1 admin. person at the Thai embassy(very small embassy) I went to specifically told me the the visa I have and paid for would allow me to stay 90 days and, upon a visit to Thai Immigration at Chiang Mai airport(CNX) could automatically be extended(my passport restamped, or something else done to it) for another 90 days, without question! She never mentioned a fee to do this, but if there is one, I'm OK with this!

She defined the "single entry" as entering Thailand once and never physically leaving the country for 90 +(assuming, as above, my allowed extention) 90 days.

All I wanted to know if the "mistake" of a "3 entry" would allow me to leave Thailand and return two more times, not that would do me any good as I will be seeking employment and don't intend to leave!

Please advise!

Thank you!

[Lite Beer]

A Tourist Visa gives 60 days. A 30 day extension can be obtained at Immigration for a fee of 1,900 Baht.

A 3 entry Tourist Visa allows you to enter Thailand 3 times . A maximum of 60 days each stay. Each stay can be extended for a further 30 days at Immigration 1,900 Baht.

Be sure that the Visa validity has not expired before making the final entry.

Are you sure that you have a Tourist Visa?

What Nationality are you?

[lopburi3]

1. A 30 day visa exempt entry requires that you leave the country within that period so an airline may not allow you to travel if you do not have such a ticket to show them. A reason to obtain a visa.

2. Only a non immigrant visa would allow a 90 day stay on entry. You say that is not what you have.

3. No visa entry can be automatically extended for 90 days. An extension of stay always requires a valid reason and payment of 1,900 baht.

4. A two or three entry visa would require exit/return to use.

Is the visa marked tourist visa or something else? If it is a non immigrant B visa it would allow a 90 day stay but extension would be for one year and only if you qualify. You can never use a second or third entry without leaving the country.

[lexb]

1. A 30 day visa exempt entry requires that you leave the country within that period so an airline may not allow you to travel if you do not have such a ticket to show them. A reason to obtain a visa.

2. Only a non immigrant visa would allow a 90 day stay on entry. You say that is not what you have.

3. No visa entry can be automatically extended for 90 days. An extension of stay always requires a valid reason and payment of 1,900 baht.

4. A two or three entry visa would require exit/return to use.

Is the visa marked tourist visa or something else? If it is a non immigrant B visa it would allow a 90 day stay but extension would be for one year and only if you qualify. You can never use a second or third entry without leaving the country.

[lexb]

2. Only a non immigrant visa would allow a 90 day stay on entry. You say that is not what you have.

Not to be "contrary" or not, in anyway, to show unappreciation of your efforts to help me, but are you REALLY sure of this as I have read in other blogs that these types of Thai Tourist Visas are obtained quite frequently and with little effort from the citizens of countries that Thailand Tourist Visa's allow 30 day initial allowances for.

*Getting the incorrect information from you would mean I would, out of pure fear, return to the Thai embassy(at great personal expense and inconvenience!), I would have to "challenge" their knowledge and efficiency and, I'm sure, create "hard feelings", also! Not how, exactly, I would like to begin my relationship with Thailand!

Just some history...I initially, just to be sure I would know what I was doing, made a special trip to the Thai embassy and asked, specifically, information about the longest Thai Tourist Visa I could get, as an American citizen, with the minimum of "hoops to jump through", that I could stay in Thailand while I looked for work.

The Thai(not a foreign worker, but an ethnic Thai) administrator in charge, went to her computer, looked carefully and told me that, as a US citizen, I could get the 90 day initial entry into Thailand + extendable for 90 day Thai Tourist Visa(that would not allow me to work, which I was fine with). I secured an application and all the info needed to pay for this visa and said I would return!

I returned, submitted my photos and paperwork, and two days later, I picked up my passport with the aforementioned Visa(clearly marked "Tourist") attached to it!

3. No visa entry can be automatically extended for 90 days. An extension of stay always requires a valid reason and payment of 1,900 baht.

Could the fact that I am an American citizen and would be granted a 30 day Thai Tourist Visa, automatically, on entry to Thailand, have any bearing on the "special" Thai Tourist Visa I was given that I paid for the "privilege" of it being 90 days + extendable for 90 days!

Thank you!

[lexb]

Oh, I forgot to mention, that, as part of the paperwork, I submitted an airline ticket confirmation showing I will be entering Thailand on the 7th of August, 2010 and a departure ticket confirmation with date of the 31st of January, 2011!

[lopburi3]

There is no "special" tourist visa for Americans. A tourist visa entry is 60 days but can be extended 30 days with visit to Immigration and payment of 1,900 baht. That is it - to obtain another 90 days would require you exit the country/return and do the same. It can not be done at an Immigration office (but Consulates people often do not have a clue what can or can not be done by Immigration as they are not the same).

Regardless, you can not legally work on a tourist visa period. The most you can do is apply for work and work permit - to have the work permit issued will require a non immigrant visa entry.

[TerryLH]

Can I ask how much you payed? Tourist visas are currently free. for a single entry, anyway.

The 30 days you get at the airport is not a visa. It is a visa exempt entry.

You should pay attention to the answers you got above. They know what they are talking about.

Good luck with this.

[Lite Beer]

I do not think that you applied in USA.

Maybe the official in the country you applied is confused about Visas for American Citizens.

[lexb]

Thank you, everyone!

Please excuse my "stubborness" which is a "mask" for my object fear of being given bad information by someone who should know better and has the public's(including mine) trust that has the possibility of severely impacting my future plans!

Yes, the Royal Thai Embassy(RTE) I put my trust in is not in the USA but in a country in which the citizens have a 0 visa exemption for Thailand!(I guess that may have been a BIG part of my problem re: the "knowledge base" of the RTE staff!)

I paid €25.70(approx. $35.00) for my, what I thought, would be a single entry, extended Thai Tourist Visa.

To "recap":

I would really rather not go through the expense and inconvenience of returning to the visa-issueing RTE(with the potential of an argument as the end result) as it is quite far from where I live!

I made a special trip to and asked for, specifically, information about the longest Thai Tourist Visa I could get(with the cost, if required), as an American citizen with an American passport, that I could stay in Thailand while I looked for work(I am a certified, experienced, teacher of English and I wanted to give myself the longest time, possible, to find the "correct" job!).

The Thai(not a foreign worker, but an ethnic Thai) administrator in charge, went to her computer, looked carefully and told me that, as a US citizen, I could get the 90 day initial entry into Thailand + automatically extendable for 90 days(by visiting a Thai Immigration office) Thai Tourist Visa(employment prohibited).

I returned, submitted my photos and paperwork(including the application, two photos, financial info and plane ticket confirmations showing that I will be entering Thailand on the 7th of August, 2010 and departing the 31st of January, 2011, which is 180 days, +/-).

I returned two days later, I picked up my passport with the aforementioned Visa(clearly marked)

[Type of Visa] [Category] [No. of Entry]

Tourist TR 3

Please, gentlemen, bottom line, tell me "what the hel_l" kind of Thai Tourist Visa I do have and what I have to do to keep it valid(including going to Mee Sai, if I have to, since I will be living in Chiang Mai), for the 180 days I was told that my visa would allow me to by someone who should have known better and I trusted without question!

Thank uou!

[lopburi3]

There is only one kind of tourist visa. For Americans and most others it provides a 60 day stay that can be extended for 30 days with payment to Immigration. All entries must be made during the validity of the visa (you have not mentioned if it is 90 days or six months (which are the normal periods).

You can view the official MFA website information here

[lexb]

Thanks to one and all for your opinions but I guess I may have no choice but to *return to the RTE from whence I secured my visa from and "hash it out" with the them to settle this issue once and for all!(as much as it will be problematic for me to do so!).

It seems like the "lesser of evils" than to arrive in Thailand and find out that the "easy, no hassle" 180 day tourist visa I THOUGHT I had requires me to "jump through hoops"(i.e. leave the country, pay additional fees to Thai Immigration, etc.!) and adds more problems to the problems I know I will experience, anyway!

Nothing I have read, from this site or any other site(even the Thai government website dealing with visas), seems to address my situation specifically as all just write in generalities and what is "normal" regarding a Thai Tourist Visa!

Unless someone out there can be specific as to how do I make the visa I have now remain valid for 180 days(if, in fact it is a 180 day visa like I was told it was for a US passport-holder!), what do I have to do?(for example, make a "border run" during the initial 30 or 60 or 90 days of the visa to get re-stamped, or WHATEVER!

And yes , it is a tourist visa, no oither type!([TYPE OF VISA] = Tourist, [CATEGORY] = TR, [NO. OF ENTRY] = 3 printed "plain as day!" on it!

Any concrete, correct information on my problem would be appreciated or it's *off to the RTE I go!

Thank you!

[Sophon]

Thanks to one and all for your opinions but I guess I may have no choice but to *return to the RTE from whence I secured my visa from and "hash it out" with the them to settle this issue once and for all!(as much as it will be problematic for me to do so!).

It seems like the "lesser of evils" than to arrive in Thailand and find out that the "easy, no hassle" 180 day tourist visa I THOUGHT I had requires me to "jump through hoops"(i.e. leave the country, pay additional fees to Thai Immigration, etc.!) and adds more problems to the problems I know I will experience, anyway!

Nothing I have read, from this site or any other site(even the Thai government website dealing with visas), seems to address my situation specifically as all just write in generalities and what is "normal" regarding a Thai Tourist Visa!

Unless someone out there can be specific as to how do I make the visa I have now remain valid for 180 days(if, in fact it is a 180 day visa like I was told it was for a US passport-holder!), what do I have to do?(for example, make a "border run" during the initial 30 or 60 or 90 days of the visa to get re-stamped, or WHATEVER!

And yes , it is a tourist visa, no oither type!([TYPE OF VISA] = Tourist, [CATEGORY] = TR, [NO. OF ENTRY] = 3 printed "plain as day!" on it!

Any concrete, correct information on my problem would be appreciated or it's *off to the RTE I go!

Thank you!

I don't know what it is you hope to achieve by going back to the embassy.

It seems they gave you incorrect information, but they also gave you the tourist visa that will allow you the most time possible to look for a job (which I believe is what you asked for), even if it will require you to leave Thailand every 90 days. There is no visa they could give you that will give you more than 90 days in Thailand. The "180 days visa" you thought you had doesn't exist, so the embassy won't be able to give you such a visa even if you do go back.

If it were me I would just keep the visa you already have. As already mentioned it will give you 60 days when you enter Thailand, after which you will have to either get a 30 days extension or do a quick visa run to a neighbouring country. This process can be repeated until you have used all three entries or the visa has expired. When you find a job you apply for a work permit, and then go to a neighbouring country and apply for a non immigrant B visa.

Getting a 30 days extension or going on a visa run really isn't very complicated, but of course there are some costs involved (1,900 baht for an extension, organized visa runs cost around 2,000 baht depending where in Thailand you are located).

Sophon

[lexb]

Thank you ever so much, Sophon, as you have given me the information which I think I understand so let me confirm, point by point, to make sure I "get it"!

1) My Royal Thai Embassy(RTE)-issued Extended Tourist Visa(ETV) will allow me to stay in Thailand for 60 days. I arrive in Thailand(Entry #1)

2) Before the 60th day I should go to a Thai Immigration office(in my case, since I assume I will be living in Chiang Mai, II was told by the RTE, it was at the airport) and pay

1900THB to have it extended for another 30 days!

3) Before the extended 30 days is "up", assuming I am still living in Chiang Mai, I should make a "border run" to Mae Sai, Myanmar(Burma), which is where everybody that I

have spoken to in Chiang Mai seems to go to!

4) Walk across the border, do a quick "about face" and walk back into Thailand,(Entry #2)(I assume there is no "time out of the country" requirement because of the

particulars of the visa) and get my ETV stamped for another 60 days!

5) Repeat step #2

Is this correct or did I miss something as I have not "used up" Entry #3?

Thank you!

p.s. - hopefully, I will secure employment and will obtain a Thai Work Permit and will not have to "max out" my ETV as this is the main reason I may

appear to the forum contributors to be a real "pain in the a**" as I don't want my unintentional mis-using of this ETV to jeopardize my Thai Work Permit application!

-

[Mario2008]

It depends on how much entries you have. Remember that you must use all the entries before the VISA itself expires, normally 6 month after you get the visa. (Look at the visa, it says something like must be used before **-**-2010. Any entry not made before that date can no longer be used.

[lexb]

Thanks, Mario2008!

I guess I'm OK because the visa states [ENTER BEFORE] = 9 Dec 2010 and I will only have to use my second(and, most likely, final) entry allowance the first week of November(90 days, or less, after I first enter Thailand).

Mario2008, prior to your information, I thought the [ENTER BEFORE] date meant I had to make my first entry into Thailand(i.e. use this visa) before December 9th!

Thai Immigration doesn't make its visa "nuances" very understandable, does it?

Lesson learned...for me and anyone else following this "discussion"(not that, in my situation, it would have mattered) but someone who applies for the same kind of visa as I did would probably be better served to apply and have it issued as close as possible to the day they plan to first enter Thailand!

Lastly, to one and all who helped me...thank you and I'm sorry if I offended anyone who gave me information as, being a Thai visa "newbie", I'm a little "on edge"!