Question About Canadian Visit

[AlexJennings]

Hello! I read over a few stickies and checked the Thai-Canada embassy website, but I'm still a bit confused.

I'm going to be visiting my uncle who lives in Thailand and also has a work office over in Vientiane (in Laos). Sometime (hopefully) in February, I'm going to be flying over to Hong Kong for 3 days and then to Bangkok. Our current plan is a 3-month stay, where I'll be travelling around Thailand for a bit, as well as going to Laos as well and to meet a few of his friends and co-workers. I may extend past 3-months or so, I'll probably decide that with him over there.

My question is: what kind of visa would I need? My plans aren't in stone yet when I'd be going over into Laos, but it may be under the 30-day limit. I also read I would need a plane ticket confirming my departure 30 days after landing to recieve a tourist visa at the airport in Bangkok. However, as I will almost certainly be in SE Asia longer than 30 days, what should I tell them? Should I apply to the Thai-Canadian embassy here? Would I be a non-immigrant or a tourist (I'm "living" in Thailand for a few months, as opposed to just sightseeing)? Or should I do "visa runs" when I travel into Laos?

Any help at all appreciated. I'm a complete newbie to international travel. The longest stay I've had was in Denmark for 20 days and in the United States for 18, neither of which required a visa application.

My uncle is a Canadian expat with a hefty work/residence visa.

[Mario2008]

Without exact plans it is a bit difficult to tell what is best in your situation. I think the best is to get a single or double entry tourist visa. That way you don't need a ticket out of the country.

You just tell them you will visit your family living in Thailand and plan to travel around Thailand and neighboring countries.

[thailandbluegrass]

I'm a Canuck and depending where in Canucks-ville you live I would just go into the Thai Consulate office (For me it was in Edmonton) and ask them or just call them and ask. I went in and told them I wanted a 90 day multiple entry Non-B visa to Thailand and she told me if I could provide her any documentation it would be no problems so I went home, wrote a letter saying I had an interview for a job proposal in Thailand with a company and went back in the same day and gave it to her and got the visa.

[JusMe]

I'm a Canuck and depending where in Canucks-ville you live I would just go into the Thai Consulate office (For me it was in Edmonton) and ask them or just call them and ask. I went in and told them I wanted a 90 day multiple entry Non-B visa to Thailand and she told me if I could provide her any documentation it would be no problems so I went home, wrote a letter saying I had an interview for a job proposal in Thailand with a company and went back in the same day and gave it to her and got the visa.

I did something similar a number of years ago at the Honorary Thai Consulate in Edmonton, before it moved to its new location. It was rather a wink-wink setup, so I clearly understood how I was getting that B-Visa. Actually, did it for a few years.

Now, particularly as tourist visas are free, I'd recommend getting a double or maybe even triple entry tourist visa. Try the Embassy in Ottawa, or the Consulate-General in Vancouver, who have been incredibly helpful and efficient in getting my O-A visa.

Alex, don't get too confused as the whole visa (many different kinds)/permit-to-stay/entry-permit/visa-exempt rules tend to be very complex, and the terminology is often interchanged to exacerbate that confusion.

The free tourist visa with several entries will do you all you need, arriving without an ongoing air ticket, and coming and going around different countries in the area.