Looking For Advice On Staying In Thailand Until End Of Feb?

[TheSenor]

Ok guys just looking for some advice as i have a bit of a situation.

I am a British Citizen currently traveling around Asia and will be arriving in Thailand on 12th Nov, and I am hoping to stay until end of Feb doing some Private teaching after which i already have a Working Holiday Visa issued for Australia and need to be there before the 04 April or I loose it.

Now my predicament is that even though I only want to stay until Feb, The only full page i have left in my passport, ( i have spaces for small stamps here and there) is "damaged " as I had a very old visa in there and wrongly or rightly was desperate for more space in my passport so i gently eased it out (it was already half de-attached from the page anyways) now this has left only i very slight outline of where the visa was and a little bit of stickyness but its really not that bad,( I've seen worse on a friends passport who spilt coke over it!) However i have been to the Thai embassy to apply for a multiple entry tourist visa of which i understand you can get 60 days with a 30 days extension, only to be told that they will not issue the visa due to that so called "Damaged" page.

Now i know what most of you are thinking "Change your passport!" right?...well to be honest im looking for any advice or suggestions on what to do before it comes to that. I really do not want to change my passport until it is a last resort due to 3 main reasons 1. Still has room for small stamps and is not "full" 2. Have my Australia visa linked to it and would be extra hassle and running to notify immigration there to change it. 3. The Cost - My current passport is a 2004 passport and the new one would mean shelling out a lot of money i don't currently have on one of these new biometric passports with a chip in it. not to mention sending it to Hong Kong and the processing time.

Anyone have any ideas how i could stay in Thailand legally until Feb without filling up my passport?

I heard there is agency's in Pattaya that charge although quite a bit, there guarantee you the double entry tourist visa (and they do it at poi pet apparently!) can anyone reccomend or comment on this?

Thanks to all in advance who took the time to read!

[lopburi3]

You may have an invalid passport due to mutilation but this was not noticed on entry. Seriously doubt any Consulate will issue you a visa and you risk not being allowed entry if immigration officers see. Do not believe that is any firm currently able to obtain two entry in Cambodia regardless of price, even if you had a valid passport. You do need a new passport.

[wayned]

There used to be, and probabably still are, agencies that would actually obtain legal visas with all of the legal exit and entry stamps by sending couriers to the Thai embassies in Foreign countries (Penang, Malaysia was one). However even if you used their services, you had to have the useable blank pages in your passpot and the double entry tourist visa takes aone page. In addition you need the space for the exit/ entry stamps. I think that you're going to have to bite the bullet and get a new passport.

[lopburi3]

Such border stamps, without the traveler, have never been legal and since 9/11 should not even be considered (it is the passport holder who will face jail or a trip to Gitmo). And a Consulate visa issued to a passport showing traveler inside Thailand would not be valid.

[CharlieH]

You get 30 days visa exempt on arrival (small stamp), exit and re-enter by Air each 30 days, exit and re-enter by land every 15 days (small stamp). Get a NEW passport and the correct visa and do it right. The turnaround isnt long with Hong Kong and the OZ aspect shouldnt be a problem if you are carrying both passports.

[wayned]

Sorry, I wasn't telling him to use the service. The point that I was making was, that even if they did exist, that he would have to have the pages in his passpot to support the visa so he needed to get a new passport..

Such border stamps, without the traveler, have never been legal and since 9/11 should not even be considered (it is the passport holder who will face jail or a trip to Gitmo). And a Consulate visa issued to a passport showing traveler inside Thailand would not be valid.

[lopburi3]

I know but just wanted any readers to know things have changed from what was accepted a decade ago so best not to even consider it these days.