Best Visa Option

[Dago2011]

Hello, i am a spanish man here in Holiday to meet my relatives in Thailand ( my father with a 1 year renevable retired person Visa an my brother wich is married with thai wife on 1 year visa based on marriage).

As i just have a tourist visa on arrival now, valid for 30 days i think, which one would be the best available visa to stay here long term, i am aware of student visa(but i don't want to study) and business visa (but i don't want to work).

Can i get a yearly visa based on my 2 relatives already here? ...or anything else legal.

Thanking you alot.

Dago

[PoorSucker]

If you are under 20 you can get visa/extension as dependant of your father.

If you are over 50 and can meet the financial require you can retire.

Between 20 and 50, study, work or get married are the only long term options.

edit: I forgot, you can become a monk.

[Dago2011]

I heard there is a way to send your passport in Uk and get a visa based on visiting family/friends, but that's all i know about this, not even know if it's still available or not.

By the way i am on my late 40's.....

[lopburi3]

No it is not possible any longer.

[Dago2011]

Thanking you for all your help

[Dago2011]

Not possible any longer????? That's very bad news for me then, what about the visa runnings? Can i do those?

[MTH]

If you don’t want to study, a double entry tourist visa from Laos would be your best option.

With that you can stay here for 6 months.

[CharlieH]

You could apply for a double entry tourist Visa in a neighboring country, that will give you 6 months, each entry 60 days and extend each one by 30 days, so you have 60 + 30 then border run and repeat 60 + 30 = 6 months.

[Dago2011]

Thank you so much, but what it will happen after those 6 months? Do i have to go away??? So worried

[MTH]

As it looks today, you would go back to Laos for another double tourist entry visa after your first 6 months are up.

However as things are constantly changing on the visa front, it’s not a sure thing.

[Dago2011]

Somebody told me you cannot stay more than 180 days in a 1 year cycle, so that's look like if i would be obliged to stay in a different country for the remaing 6 months.

[MTH]

Somebody misinformed you.

There used to be a rule for boarder runners, without visas, that you could not stay in Thailand for more than 6 months a year.

However that's a few years ago, and this rule does no longer apply.

As I said, visa rules keep on changing, so get a double from Laos now and keep up to date on what's going on, then you'll know your best options when your first 6 months are up.

[Dago2011]

Excellent! I will do this and let you know how it will work out.

If anybody else will come up with different alternatives i would like to hear about those too, just in case...

Thank you all, your help it's been really greatly appreciated

[Mario2008]

Do realize that with a border run (leaving and re-entering) you will only get 15 days at a land border. At an airport they give 30 days.

[Ohyesuare]

Worst case scenario you can always fly out and back in or do border runs if you really need to stay longer than 6 months. And you can't get a second tourist visa that is.

[DennyEagle]

Worst case scenario you can always fly out and back in or do border runs if you really need to stay longer than 6 months. And you can't get a second tourist visa that is.

You don't have to fly out, but if You fly back in You will get 30 days, some flights are cheap don't know where You are and if You cross by land You get 15 days.

[Dago2011]

That's a bit confusing now, can i or i can't get more visa ad infinitum using this way or not?

And will i get the same again or only 15 and 30 days? Whom is right?

[MTH]

What the last few posts are mentioning is the visa exempt entry, that will grant you 15 days at a land border crossing or 30 days at an airport.

This is the status you currently have. You can keep doing this for a while, but it’ll get quite old having to do a boarder run every 15 or 30 days.

Additionally it’s not financially sound. Plus you will start to be questioned by immigration after having done this a few times…

[Dago2011]

Ok that post MTH it clarifies everythin now, thanks you so much guys

[craigsh]

Worst case scenario you can always fly out and back in or do border runs if you really need to stay longer than 6 months. And you can't get a second tourist visa that is.

You don't have to fly out, but if You fly back in You will get 30 days, some flights are cheap don't know where You are and if You cross by land You get 15 days.

if you get a double entry tourist visa and after the 1st 60 days are up i do a land border run will i get another 60 days or 15 days

[lopburi3]

60 days. Or you could visit an immigration office and get 30 day extension for 1,900 baht and make border/return before expiration of visa (not likely same date as extension time) for second entry of 60 days and extend that for another 30 days.