I'D Like To Know Everything About Visa Runs

[visavisavisa]

Hey!

As the title says, I want to know absolutely everything that is possible to know about visa runs.

Where to cross the border, how many times is it allowed, how long time can you stay after each time, etc.etc.

I have googled and tried to find appropriate information about this, but I only find different information everywhere, so I'd like to know what is right.

Thanks in advance!

[Lite Beer]

Cross any border and return to get 15 days in Thailand.

Do it by air and get 30 days.

[bifftastic]

There's different information because it depends on what visa you've got in the first place

Some get 15 days at a land border, some get 90 days, depends what's in their passport when they cross.

[Maestro]

That's right. If you have an unexpired visa valid for more than one entry, the period of permission to stay depends on the type of visa you have, for the tourist visa also on your nationality. For visa-exempt entries, it depends on your nationality and on whether you arrive on a land border post or an airport.

[visavisavisa]

There's different information because it depends on what visa you've got in the first place

Some get 15 days at a land border, some get 90 days, depends what's in their passport when they cross.

Just normal touristvisa, the kind when you just sit down on a airplane to Thailand without applying for anything.

[visavisavisa]

That's right. If you have an unexpired visa valid for more than one entry, the period of permission to stay depends on the type of visa you have, for the tourist visa also on your nationality. For visa-exempt entries, it depends on your nationality and on whether you arrive on a land border post or an airport.

Nationality is Swedish.

[visavisavisa]

Cross any border and return to get 15 days in Thailand.

Do it by air and get 30 days.

Do I need to submit any applications when I cross it, or is it enough that I just kind of walk out of there and get back in? How many borders is there, which one is best?

Is it possible that they deny you more days? If so, what would the reason be?

Sorry if it is stupid questions, but I know nothing about this and it is very important that I get everything right.

[kennkate]

There's different information because it depends on what visa you've got in the first place

Some get 15 days at a land border, some get 90 days, depends what's in their passport when they cross.

Just normal touristvisa, the kind when you just sit down on a airplane to Thailand without applying for anything.

If that is the case you got 30 days on arrivel you will have to leave by Air to get the same 30 days when you come back Or do a land crossing and get 15 days. Up to you.

[bifftastic]

There's different information because it depends on what visa you've got in the first place

Some get 15 days at a land border, some get 90 days, depends what's in their passport when they cross.

Just normal touristvisa, the kind when you just sit down on a airplane to Thailand without applying for anything.

That's not a tourist visa

You'll get 15 days from a land border and 30 from an airport.

There's no questions, you just fill out your arrival/departure card (the one they gave you when you first arrived), you just turn up at the border, leave Thailand, enter the bordering country (they all have slightly different requirements for you to do that) and then, if you want to, you can just turn around and go back to Thailand. Obviously that's a bit more complicated if you're flying, you need plane tickets, and a plane

[visavisavisa]

There's different information because it depends on what visa you've got in the first place

Some get 15 days at a land border, some get 90 days, depends what's in their passport when they cross.

Just normal touristvisa, the kind when you just sit down on a airplane to Thailand without applying for anything.

That's not a tourist visa

You'll get 15 days from a land border and 30 from an airport.

There's no questions, you just fill out your arrival/departure card (the one they gave you when you first arrived), you just turn up at the border, leave Thailand, enter the bordering country (they all have slightly different requirements for you to do that) and then, if you want to, you can just turn around and go back to Thailand. Obviously that's a bit more complicated if you're flying, you need plane tickets, and a plane

Hehe, allright, what is that kind of visa called then?

Any specific border that you can recommend? That is easiest and takes less time doing the procedure.

Is there any limit of how many times you can do it? Let's say that I'd want to stay in Thailand for a couple of years, is that no problem?

[bifftastic]

It's not a visa at all, it's an entry stamp it's given to passport holders of certain countries.

As for which border crossing, that would really depend on which part of Thailand you're staying in, go to the nearest one.

I don't think you can do that for 2 years! I have only seen reports of people being denied Tourist visas after a few back-to-back applications (at Thai consulates/embassies in neighbouring countries).

Honestly, I don't know how many times you could do that on a visa-exempt entry stamp. Perhaps someone else will know

[kenneth2012]

Hello

I will be coming to thailand on a tourist visa (american)and retired. Any info anyone can give me to make my transition easier would be great. As they say my cup is empty. My destination is Bangkok and I'm looking for a not so expensive hotel to stay for a few months until I understand the ground rule's of the lay of the land. Im not looking for a dive hotel, but one which has the basic's and a comfortable bed to sleep with wifi etc...So if anyone can led me in the right direction I would really appreiate it. My time of arrival will be around March 2012....thank you

[visavisavisa]

Okey, well thank you Bifftastic for the answers. I hope some more that knows about this will get a need of being helpful!

[chris5346]

these border crossings also cost money , you have to buy a visa to enter a nieghouring country even if it's just for 10 mins whilst fillings forms in,

burma costs 500 baht,

cambosia 20 $

Laos 35 $

malasyia is free entry.

also if your staying a long time on this method it will use up a lot of space in your passport.

also if your flying in especially from europe on a one way ticket without a visa you may have trouble being allowed on the airplane.

a friend of mine stayed for a long time on the method your suggesting but only because he lived close to one of the burma borders.

another bad factor is that after a while you will get tired of doing all the trips and with only getting 2 weeks at a time it's not easy to settle and relax.

the 2 week border hops are a last resort to being able to stay here illegally, much better to come from your home country with a double or triple visa valid for 6 months if you can.

it sounds like you what to know the options for being able to stay here maybe upto 2 years as a tourist ?

as mentioned location and your budget is key, what visa will they issue to you in sweden ?

if you do come with a visa you don't have to use it straight away - you can get the free 30 day entry the same as holiday makers and after that do a border run to activate the visa .

there's many options , if you can send some more information about your plans etc then can help more.

[wayned]

Hello

I will be coming to thailand on a tourist visa (american)and retired. Any info anyone can give me to make my transition easier would be great. As they say my cup is empty. My destination is Bangkok and I'm looking for a not so expensive hotel to stay for a few months until I understand the ground rule's of the lay of the land. Im not looking for a dive hotel, but one which has the basic's and a comfortable bed to sleep with wifi etc...So if anyone can led me in the right direction I would really appreiate it. My time of arrival will be around March 2012....thank you

I know absolutely nothing about places to stay, so if that's all that you are looking for, ignore what I say below.

You are American and retired, good start. Do you plan to retire in Thailand? If you do, and are at least 50 years old and meet the financial requirements, it would be easier if you applied for a Non immigrant "O" visa rather than a tourist visa. The reason that you use on your application is "retirement planning". Once you arrive in Thailand you can extend this visa for 1 year for retirement purposes.

You can only apply for a retirement extension if you have a Non-O visa, If you enter on a tourist visa, you would have to obtain a Non-O before you could exrend. This could be done by travelling too a neighboring country or could possibly be converted to a Non-O at immigration in Thailand,if all of the requirements are met. It's just a lot easier if you enter on a Non-O.

The financial requirements are: Have at least 800000 baht in a Thai bank in your name only for at least 2 months (3 months required for follow on extensions), or, have an income from outside of Thailand of at least 65000 baht/month(pension, social security, etc.). An "Income Affidavit" from the US embassy in Bangkok is required. Currently, you do not have to have any proof to obtain this letter, it's just a sworn notarized statement. But immigration might require proof in addition to the letter when you apply. I'm American and this is the method that i use.

The cost of the retirement extension is 1900 baht. If you convert a tourist visa to a Non-O once you are here the cost would be 2000 baht.

[poanoi]

One thing: go with a company that pick you up with a mini van and do everything for you.

My first visa run i did alone because i didnt know that there was companies to hire for this purpose.

I got ripped off big time because i had no clue about anything

[visavisavisa]

these border crossings also cost money , you have to buy a visa to enter a nieghouring country even if it's just for 10 mins whilst fillings forms in,

burma costs 500 baht,

cambosia 20 $

Laos 35 $

malasyia is free entry.

also if your staying a long time on this method it will use up a lot of space in your passport.

also if your flying in especially from europe on a one way ticket without a visa you may have trouble being allowed on the airplane.

a friend of mine stayed for a long time on the method your suggesting but only because he lived close to one of the burma borders.

another bad factor is that after a while you will get tired of doing all the trips and with only getting 2 weeks at a time it's not easy to settle and relax.

the 2 week border hops are a last resort to being able to stay here illegally, much better to come from your home country with a double or triple visa valid for 6 months if you can.

it sounds like you what to know the options for being able to stay here maybe upto 2 years as a tourist ?

as mentioned location and your budget is key, what visa will they issue to you in sweden ?

if you do come with a visa you don't have to use it straight away - you can get the free 30 day entry the same as holiday makers and after that do a border run to activate the visa .

there's many options , if you can send some more information about your plans etc then can help more.

Coming from the home country with a visa is not possible for me.

Location is not a problem, I can make myself a home close to the border. For how long time was your friend able to stay using this method?

My plans are pretty much to stay in Thailand for about 2-2½ years, using the visa-run-method. I want to know if it is possible, and if so; exactly how to do. Documents required, how long time it takes, etc. everything that I need to know.

From what I have heard from some places, there is borders where the farangs just sit down and wait on restaurants and don't even need to cross the border because paid people just go to the border-personnel and they put a stamp in the passport and it is done. Is this something you know of?

The space in the passport - what to do if it gets full? Get myself a new one?

[visavisavisa]

One thing: go with a company that pick you up with a mini van and do everything for you.

My first visa run i did alone because i didnt know that there was companies to hire for this purpose.

I got ripped off big time because i had no clue about anything

What does it cost?

[Crossy]

One thing: go with a company that pick you up with a mini van and do everything for you.

My first visa run i did alone because i didnt know that there was companies to hire for this purpose.

I got ripped off big time because i had no clue about anything

What does it cost?

The original and (IMHO) best, Jack Golf, is 2,100 Baht from BKK http://www.jackgolf.com/en/visa_run/ they use a full size bus, after a near-death experience in one of the mini-vans it's the only way I'll go now.

[Lite Beer]

There are no limits as to how many times you can do border runs,

However after a while they might start asking questions about your stay in Thailand.

Your passport would be full long before 2 years were up. You would then have to get another passport.

Without a Visa you may well be refused entry to the flight from Europe.

You must qualify for some kind of Visa.

[Sateev]

Hello

I will be coming to thailand on a tourist visa (american)and retired. Any info anyone can give me to make my transition easier would be great. As they say my cup is empty. My destination is Bangkok and I'm looking for a not so expensive hotel to stay for a few months until I understand the ground rule's of the lay of the land. Im not looking for a dive hotel, but one which has the basic's and a comfortable bed to sleep with wifi etc...So if anyone can led me in the right direction I would really appreiate it. My time of arrival will be around March 2012....thank you

Your question is so general that it is a bit hard to answer.

Many places with a comfortable bed and WiFi, depending on what you want to be doing when you get here. If you want to live in a mostly Thai environment (unlikely, I suppose, since you have yet to get the 'lay of the land'), comfortable hotel choices with WiFi are limited, but apartments are plentiful. You don't say how long you expect to stay. Tourist visas are NOT the way to go if you are over 50, so you may want to look around ThaiVisa for retirement visas and extensions.

If you are looking for 'the lay of the land', in a certain (ah-hem) sense, then you probably want to stay in the more touristy areas, in which case a serviced apartment is your best bet. Prices range all over the place, but, depending on area, 15K-30K baht should put you in good shape. If you want a more transitional area, I would suggest the Victory Monument area, specifically Soi Rangnam. It's close to the BTS, and mini-vans that travel all over Thailand, and has a good mall and many restaurants. It is increasingly popular among tourists, but not yet overrun. I have stayed at 21 Living Place (google it), for about 15K/month, well-run, clean rooms with WiFi, in a very good location.

My advice, if chasing skirts is your mission, is to do it in Sukhumvit, use short-time facilities, and return home to your comfortable nest, alone. Avoids MANY problems.

Good luck.

[chris5346]

if you goto burma that will use up less space in your passport you need 4 stamps each border run .

you can fit 8 stamps onto one page of you passport if they place them correctly.

the officers at the border will all know who you are after a couple of months.

when i went to cambodia and laos they also attach a visa to a whole page so a passport will soon get filled unless there's a way of not getting them to do that ?

staying near the malaysia border in the south maybe an option or flying in and out ? when i flew into malaysia they attach a sticker and a stamp which took half a page, also it's free to enter malaysia.

you could live up in the north chiang mai or chiang rai near the mae sai/burma border - you can get a return bus from chiang mai for 700 baht or 100 baht from chiang rai.

my friend lived just north of bkk and used to get a bus to mae sot/burma crossing for about 8 months until they closed that border last year for a long time so he had to goto a neighbouring country and get a proper tourist visa instead.

how much money are you happy spending on doing all this ? are you just after an easy option ?

can you get a passport from sweden with extra pages ?

when you fly from sweden at the airline check in desk they may be concerned you don't have a return flight within 30 days or a visa in your passport if they wont allow you on the plane you may have to book a cheap flight out of thailand - you can do this with a laptop or an internet cafe at the airport but this will take time and you should do some research before hand, you obviously don't need to use this flight it's just for show.

are you booking a one way flight ?

you could fly from sweden to KUL and then fly to thailand and i doubt you would have the same problem.

you don't need any documents for border runs just a passport.

one problem you may come across is if you lose your passport or it gets full etc it may take more than 2 weeks to get a new one .

where you thinking of staying ? have you made a list ?

are you going to rent a house or apartment or stay in hotels ?

i don't think there are many places to stay very close to a border and you may not be happy to live there ?

is this your first time in thailand ?

[visavisavisa]

if you goto burma that will use up less space in your passport you need 4 stamps each border run .

you can fit 8 stamps onto one page of you passport if they place them correctly.

the officers at the border will all know who you are after a couple of months.

when i went to cambodia and laos they also attach a visa to a whole page so a passport will soon get filled unless there's a way of not getting them to do that ?

staying near the malaysia border in the south maybe an option or flying in and out ? when i flew into malaysia they attach a sticker and a stamp which took half a page, also it's free to enter malaysia.

you could live up in the north chiang mai or chiang rai near the mae sai/burma border - you can get a return bus from chiang mai for 700 baht or 100 baht from chiang rai. /.../

how much money are you happy spending on doing all this ? are you just after an easy option ?

can you get a passport from sweden with extra pages ?

when you fly from sweden at the airline check in desk they may be concerned you don't have a return flight within 30 days or a visa in your passport if they wont allow you on the plane you may have to book a cheap flight out of thailand - you can do this with a laptop or an internet cafe at the airport but this will take time and you should do some research before hand, you obviously don't need to use this flight it's just for show.

are you booking a one way flight ?

you could fly from sweden to KUL and then fly to thailand and i doubt you would have the same problem.

you don't need any documents for border runs just a passport.

one problem you may come across is if you lose your passport or it gets full etc it may take more than 2 weeks to get a new one .

where you thinking of staying ? have you made a list ?

are you going to rent a house or apartment or stay in hotels ?

i don't think there are many places to stay very close to a border and you may not be happy to live there ?

is this your first time in thailand ?

What does a flyticket to Malaysia cost and how long time does it take to fly there? If I do that, I get 30 days instead of 15 each time, right? That would mean less stamps.

Near the malaysian border sounds like a pretty good option. I can not get a passport with extra pages.

Regarding possible rejection to enter the flight, it's no problem. I'll just book a 2 way ticket from the beginning, for show.

About the housing, it will probably be an apartment. But all those things I have figured out, the only problem is how I shall be able to stay in the country for 2-2½ years, and which border that is best to settle down close to.

If I took a flight every month to Malaysia - do you still think that they'd know who I am after a while and start asking questions/perhaps deny more days in the country? Maybe it is a good idea to change border once in a while?

I'm really thankful that you're taking the time to answer this. And yes, it is the first time.

[visavisavisa]

There are no limits as to how many times you can do border runs,

However after a while they might start asking questions about your stay in Thailand.

Your passport would be full long before 2 years were up. You would then have to get another passport.

Without a Visa you may well be refused entry to the flight from Europe.

You must qualify for some kind of Visa.

What kind of questions do you think they would ask? And in a negative manner?

[chris5346]

flights to malaysia range from 1500 baht to 5000 baht depending on promotions and how early you book etc, airasia or malaysia air is a place to start looking .

also tiger air fly to singapore which is another place where you don't pay to enter.

if your flying to KL why don't you just goto the thai embassy and get a tourist visa at the same time ? only takes one or two days and you can select the best flights back.

i wouldn't recommend buying a return ticket to sweden unless you can change the return flight date for a fair price,

i would just book a one way flight and maybe book a flight to KL for 30 days after you enter, you may get lucky and they let you board the plane ?

what would be a good plan for you is to book a return flight form sweden to thailand and set the dates approx. 150 days apart, you could try and check in and if they say no then quickly book a flight to KL for approx. 30 days in the future with say air asia or malaysia air , you can goto KL either for the day or stay a bit longer and try to get a double entry tourist visa at the thai embassy - because you have the return flight to sweden which will be approx. 120 days in the future you stand a good chance of getting it.

i'm sure a tourist visa will make things much easier for you to explore thailand and find a place to settle. a double entry visa can be used for a 180 day stay if you also pay a bit extra to extend them.

best to try and get visas for your first year and then go with the border runs after when maybe getting a visa is harder.

if you flew in and out once a month i don't think they will care or ask any questions at all but to make it work you would have to live in or close to a city with an international airport like bkk , phuket or chiang mai etc.

return flights in and out of thailand can be found for under 100 euro quite easily , i have a flight booked with airasia from chiang mai to KL next may for 1500 baht .

[visavisavisa]

All right, thanks Chris5346 for the answers and advices! I'll figure out how to do this the best way.

[Sydneycraig]

If I am flying from sydney (probably start feb) I can apy for a double entry tourist visa at embassy in Sydney? This gives me 60+30 x 2 = 180 days and just one visa run .... I can book a return flight Phuket to kl leaving after the first 89 days?? How much Is the visa in Sydney and how much to extend 30 days in Phuket? Thanks all

[Lite Beer]

A Tourist Visa costs AUSD $45.00 per entry.

30 Day Extension costs 1,900 Baht.

[chris5346]

tourist visas are valid for either 3 months or 6 months from issue ( see the enter before date shown on the visa or ask at the embassy)

they also allow you to enter thailand for 60 days at a time and the option to extend each entry by 30 days but if you only have the 3 month validity then you may have to leave thailand before the first 60+30 comes to an end,

with a 3 month validity - if you apply for the visa and take 2 weeks to enter thailand that 2 weeks will be taken off the first 60 + 30 making that one 60 + 16 days.

if you can get a triple with 6 months validity if you want to stay in thailand the longest at 270 days.

i wouldn't book the flight to KL yet until you have worked out what date is best

[Sydneycraig]

So just a case of asking at thai embassy in Sydney for a longest tourist visa ? Double six month validity.. If they say only 3 months in Sydney is there a better place to go to get longer... Thanks