I am a US citizen under the age of 50. I am trying to figure out if there is a visa that is valid long enough for my trip. I will be traveling outside the US for 153 days before I enter Thailand for the first time. The places I am travelling do not have a Thai Consulate.

day 1 - leave USA to travel abroad

day 153 - enter Thailand for the first time

day 304 - exit Thailand

My ideal situation would be to get a visa before I leave my country but I dont think any are valid long enough for my situation. I have read different things on the multiple entry tourist visas, how long are the 3 and 4 entry visas valid for?

My last option would be to stop in Brisbane for a few days right before entering Thailand and get a visa there. Will I have any problems applying for a double entry tourist visa in another country? I have never been to Thailand before - really looking forward to it!

Most likely the validity of a double entry Tourist Visa would be 6 months. Better to wait and apply in Brisbane, and if they do not issue a double entry, go to Vientiane, Laos.

Apply in the USA, before leaving, for a tourist visa valid for two or three entries, depending on your needs, and in a covering letter explain that you need the visa to be valid for 6 months based on your travel itinerary, which you give in your letter. Except for tourist visas issued in neighbouring countries of Thailand, a tourist visa valid for more than one entry should by default be valid for six months but it is a good idea to explain the need for this in a covering letter, to make sure that the consulate does not by mistake give a validity of 3 months only.

Traveler seems to be staying in Thailand for an extended period. A multi entry tourist visa before travel would only allow one stay of 60 plus 30 days regardless of the number of entries as it would expire before second entry could be made.

Traveler seems to be staying in Thailand for an extended period. A multi entry tourist visa before travel would only allow one stay of 60 plus 30 days regardless of the number of entries as it would expire before second entry could be made.

Thanks for the feedback! Is there any way to get a tourist visa valid for more than 180 days? It sounds like my only options would be to apply outside of Thailand in Brisbane before I enter or try to get a double entry tourist visa about 4 months prior to my first entry (this would give me 2 months in Thailand before expiration and I could exit and reenter for another 3 months). Does that sound correct?

That sounds about right. If you go to Laos, Vientianne, just before you enter Thailand you could apply for a double entry tourist visa there.

As said, that one would only be valid for 3 months, so you have to be careful with the entry date of your second visit to Thailand.