Visa Experts - What Is Best For Me?

[qpgwmh]

Nationality: UK

Age: 27

Location: Bangkok

Currently on a 30-day entry stamp, expiring on 2nd December (soon!!).

I have a flight to India on 10th January.

I will return to Thailand at the end of February and stay until mid April (less than six months from now).

I want to sort my visa situation as easily as possible. If I go the entry stamp route then I will have to do two visa runs before leaving for India and then one more time in March.

Ideally I can sort something out without having to leave Bangkok?

Can anybody shed some light on my options?

Many Thanks

[lopburi3]

You can probably do an entry (border run to Cambodia) and then a 10 day extension of stay for 1,900 baht at immigration by show of your ticket out.

You can not take care of it in Bangkok and if you try it could lead to serious problems.

Edited November 28, 2005 by lopburi3

[thaiflyer1]

Other option is to take a trip down to Penang now and obtain a double entry tourist visa..............you/ll have 6 months in which to use the 2 entries.

Soooooooooo.........lets say enter 4th Dec you/ll recieve a 60 day stamp which will cover you through until you leave on 10th Jan, then come back in using the second entry end of Feb and recieve a further 60 day stay stamp which will carry you through until the end of April and could if need be, be extended at local immigration by a further 30 days .

Up to you really if you want to make the one off effort to go down to Penang or if you want to border run in December and then apply for a tourist visa in India for your Feb trip............sounds like you/ll need a tourist visa as you said end of Feb until mid April which will take you beyond the 30 day+10 day extension that would be available to you without a visa.

You/ll have to work out your exact dates in Feb to April.

[qpgwmh]

Thanks for the replies.

Thaiflyer, this looks like it will suit me best. My second stay in Marhc/April may only be under 30days so I think I will go down to Penang and get the sixty day tourist visa there. Do I buy it at the Thai border control? Is it a straightforward process?

Also, do you have any idea what is the cheapest way to get to Penang from Bangkok?

Thanks again

Other  option  is  to  take  a  trip  down  to  Penang  now  and  obtain  a  double  entry  tourist  visa..............you/ll  have  6  months  in  which  to  use  the  2  entries.

Soooooooooo.........lets  say  enter  4th  Dec  you/ll  recieve  a  60  day  stamp  which  will  cover  you  through  until  you  leave  on  10th  Jan, then  come  back  in  using  the  second  entry  end  of  Feb  and  recieve  a  further  60 day  stay  stamp  which  will  carry  you  through  until  the  end  of  April  and  could  if  need  be, be  extended  at  local  immigration  by  a  further  30 days .

Up  to  you  really  if  you  want  to  make  the  one  off  effort  to  go  down  to  Penang  or  if  you  want  to  border  run  in  December  and  then  apply  for  a  tourist  visa  in  India  for  your  Feb  trip............sounds  like  you/ll  need  a  tourist  visa  as  you  said  end  of  Feb  until  mid  April  which  will  take  you  beyond  the  30  day+10  day  extension  that  would  be  available  to  you  without  a  visa.

You/ll  have  to  work  out  your  exact  dates  in  Feb  to  April.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[lopburi3]

You most surly do not buy a visa from "Thai border control".

Penang is an island in Malaysia that happens to have a Royal Thai Consulate that can issue a visa upon payment in Malaysian currency and filling out a form with current photos. It is normally a 26 plus hour process and applications are only accepted in the morning and they are open Mon-Fri but closed all Thai and Malay holidays. There is bus/train/plane service from Bangkok. You should fly out today if you want to make application THU. and get visa FRI. They will not be open next Monday.

[webfact]

You most surly do not buy a visa from "Thai border control".

Penang is an island in Malaysia that happens to have a Royal Thai Consulate that can issue a visa upon payment in Malaysian currency and filling out a form with current photos.  It is normally a 26 plus hour process and applications are only accepted in the morning and they are open Mon-Fri but closed all Thai and Malay holidays.  There is bus/train/plane service from Bangkok.  You should fly out today if you want to make application THU. and get visa FRI.  They will not be open next Monday.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THAI CONSULATE, PENANG

Tourist Visa (60 days stay): two recent photographs, the applicant must possess instrument of means of living expenses 10,000 per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly.

Consular hrs: 09.00-12.00 hrs. For submitting visa application

14.00-16.00 hrs (of the next working day) for collecting visa

Visa Fees:

Tourist Visa-RM100.00 per entry

ROYAL THAI CONSULATE-GENERAL,

No. 1 Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman,

10350 Penang, Malaysia

[meadish_sweetball]

If you are going to Penang, check out this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=45473&st=0

[thaiflyer1]

Having thought about it again in view of the time constraints and the fact that you now are saying your March/April stay may not exceed 30 days..............it might be best if tommorow you go to Immigration in Bangkok and extend your 30 day stamp by 10 days (if you can get away with it as they might ask to see your flight ticket).

If you do get the extra 10 days when that expires you/ll have to do a border run for a fresh 30 day stamp that/ll cover you till you go to India.

If immigration wont give you an extra 10 days because your flight ticket is outside that period then do things the other way round do the border run tommorow (somehow ) and then extend that new 30 day stamp later on.

If your second stay (March/April) is going to be under 30 days then you have no worries there....................reason i said go to Penang before is that you originally posted the second stay as end of Feb to Mid April..............

Hope that makes sense.

Edited November 30, 2005 by thaiflyer1

[qpgwmh]

thaiflyer, that's exactly what I did and will do. Thanks for taking the time to reply everybody.

PS - going to Arunyaprathet/Poipet is a horrible experience. Everybody trying to rip you off.

[thaiflyer1]

thaiflyer, that's exactly what I did and will do. Thanks for taking the time to reply everybody.

PS - going to Arunyaprathet/Poipet is a horrible experience. Everybody trying to rip you off.

Pong Nam Ron is a better border run..............no beggars, coaches etc......although slightly longer travelling time.

There are trips from Pattaya there dont know about Bangors though........no doubt there will be.