Can I Enter Thailand W/ 30-Day Visa Exemption When There Is A 60-Day Tourist Visa On My Passport?

[ilovebkk]

Hi, I like to plan ahead for the visa run. However, I just find out there is a problem for me. Next year, I have two events to attend back home due to family matters. There are 65 days bewteen the two trips. I have already purchased the tickets. However, I will also go to chiangmai/chiangrai after I come back from the first trip. So I am just wondering whether I can get my 60-day tourist visa and not to use it at the first entering. I plan to enter Thailand with 30-day visa exemption, and later cross land border from my chiangmai/chiangrai trip to laos/combodia and come back to use the 60-day tourtist upon entering. So it will give me enough length to cover my stay till the next trip. I don't need to extend my visa and pay 1900 baht for only 5 extra days.

Is it possible? Any of you have done that (not use the toursit visa upon entering)? Please advise me if there is any better idea. Thanks!

[lopburi3]

You can ask but should expect request to be declined under current policy.

They might also allow 30 days and stamp the tourist visa used as a result.

[Yngve]

I have done this a couple of times.

When I reach the immigration officer at airport, I explain that I do not want to use my visa and show an airticket within 30 days, out of Thailand. The officer then call a supervisor that will take you aside. He will stamp the 30 days in your passport and handwrite "passenger do not want to use visa on this trip" under the stamp. Then you have to sign under this statement in your passport. This is in case you overstay your 30 days, you can't blame the immigration officer that missed your visa.

I don't know if the airticket out of Thailand within 30 days is a requirement. I have shown it to justify that I don't want to use my visa but I don't know if they would ask for it if I wouldn't show it myself.

Of course they will not put your tourist visa as used and give you 30 days only.

[lopburi3]

Current policy seems not to allow such action. It used to be done quite often but there appears to have been a definite change in policy. And indeed they may (and have) marked a tourist visa as used if you insist on a 30 day stamp.

[tropo]

Current policy seems not to allow such action. It used to be done quite often but there appears to have been a definite change in policy. And indeed they may (and have) marked a tourist visa as used if you insist on a 30 day stamp.

Perhaps the fact that tourist visas are free and have been free for quite some time has caused them to adjust their policy on this.

[bangkokburning]

I tried this some months back with a fresh pp and visas from US. I honestly wanted to go to Indonesia, but wanted to see my girlfriend first. So 30 days and buying an AA ticket in BKK would be perfect. I did not buy a ticket prior because if they disallowed, I'd want to utilize the visas. I can go to Indo any time.

They did not allow this and they guy even asked his superior. They were polite - but the answer is no.

You can always ask, but the answer will be no. Whatever might have been allowed years ago, is not today. Having said that, if you are xing overland you may have some oppty for flexibility.

[Yngve]

The last time I did this was in August 2010 and it worked according to my previous post in this thread.

What we can see from mine and bangkokburning's experience is that the immigration officer can't take the decision himself. He must call a supervisor and then the decision to approve or not is to the supervisor's discretion. It seems like the key is to show him an airticket out of Thailand within 30 days, as I have done in all my cases. As always, it helps to be polite as well.