Visa Extension - My Wife Need To Stay More Than 30 Days...

[Jahil]

Hi everybody.

My wife and myself entered Thailand last Monday with an immmigration stamp for 30 days.

Most probably she will stay longer as her father is in ICU in Phayao.

Can anybody tell me where she would have to go to extend her "30 days visa"?

I just need an adress and phone number.

Thanks for your help.

[sunholidaysun1]

On the day her 30 day stamp expires, go to Mae Sai , cross the border and return into Thailand , she will get a 15 day stamp. This will cost her only 500 bht payable at the Myanmar/Burma tourist immigration office, no need to enter into the country , all she has to do is get the exit stamp of Thailand, the entry and exit stamp of Mayamar and re-enter Thailand. If you prefer the more expensive way , just go to the Immigration office in Mae Sai amd pay 1,900 bht and you will get an extension for 30 days.

Here are the Immigration office phone numbers to confirm and find out anything else you need . Mae Sai 0-5373-1008 ext. 11, 12 0-5373-1008-9

[Jahil]

Thanks a lot for this very helpful info.

jahil

[sceadugenga]

I'm not sure about the visa "extension" at Mae Sai immigration. What you get when you enter Thailand with out a visa is a visa exemption, in other words you can enter the country for a certain period without a visa. (30 days at airports, 15 at land crossings).

I think for your wife to actually obtain a visa she would have to leave Thailand and apply at a Thai embassy. Vientiane is the nearest.

As Sunholidaysun1 says, a certain number of 15 day visa exemptions are available by crossing the border at Mae Sai. I think after the third they tell people to get a proper visa.

[Mario2008]

Talk to the hospital. The rules allow for an extension to take care of a family member who is sick. See if the hospital can be of assistance, many private hospitals have liaisons with immigration for their foreign patients.

At least she will need a letter from the hospital confirming the condition of her father.

[sceadugenga]

Even with a visa exemption?

She doesn't appear to have a visa.

[Mario2008]

It is an emergency extension of stay, not a regular extension of stay and can be given on any kind of entry.

[Mario2008]

The rule, Thai Police Order 777/2552:

2.25 In the case of medical

treatment or convalescence or to look after a patient:

Permission will be granted for a period of not more than 90 days at a time.

(1) Confirmation and request has been made by a physician

responsible for the treatment. The Physician must describe the details of treatment and advised that the illness is a barrier for travelling.

(2) In the case of looking after a patient, confirmation and request has been made by the physician responsible for the treatment or by an embassy or consulate.

(3) Patient Carer, except parents, spouse, children, adopted children or children of spouse, shall be granted no more than 1 extra person.

[sunholidaysun1]

you can cross as many times as you want at the border for the 15 day stamp, but you maybe asked to show proof of where your staying , 20,000 bht cash to support yourself and you would be asked if you are working here , other than that they are normally ok .

[kandahar]

you can cross as many times as you want at the border for the 15 day stamp, but you maybe asked to show proof of where your staying , 20,000 bht cash to support yourself and you would be asked if you are working here , other than that they are normally ok .

Thai immigrations says they could care less how many times you cross. The Burma folks have their own discretionary numbers of times they will renew, based on the mood that day. Three seems to be the solid number but it can, and does, go higher.

[sceadugenga]

Yes, I just checked in the visa forum, apparently they are once more allowing unlimited visa exemptions.

[kandahar]

I really didn't know what the written policy was. I actually asked the folks at the border what they allowed and that is what they said. The Burma folks say, "It depends". HA! But Jahil's wife is surely good for three runs and probably more if she smiles when she shows up at the office on the Burma side. I kind of got the feeling that the Burma folks like to screw with wanke_rs and belligerent Farang. I don't blame them.

[sceadugenga]

It's not really anything to to with the Burma immigration, we live and die at the mercy of Thai immigration.

Back in the day, when we got 30 days on a border crossing I was quite happy to use (abuse?) that system, I enjoyed my monthly border runs.

Then one day the lady at the border office (Thai) said "no more of these for you, you have to go to Vientiane next time".

It was widely discussed in the visa forum at the time.

Then when the land crossing exemptions were reduced to 15 days they apparently allowed unlimited again.

Not wishing to run to the border every two weeks I now have a REAL visa, and treat visa runners with the contempt they deserve.

I'm off today actually, no visa business, only Christmas shopping.

[Jahil]

Thanks to all of you for the info.

We will ask RAM hospital to write the necessary letter and go to Immigration with it.

I wish all of you a very good day

[sceadugenga]

Please get back to us and let us know how you go.