Best Strategy For A 5 Month Vacation

[sna]

Hello

I'm bringing my family to Thailand for 5 months for a long vacation.

Male 35 Aust passport

Female 39 UK passport

Female 5 UK passport

All family members have all been to Thailand on 60 day tourist visa for the past 2 years and now want to stay longer. (last vist Oct/Nov 2011)

This is my strategy and would love to hear some feedback or advice so I do not break any rules and unable to re-visit later this year.

Apply for a 60 day visa again at the UK consulate.

Prior to the 60 days, go to Singapore for a break for a few days.

Re-enter on a 30 day tourist visa and keep flying to other countries prior to the 30 days. Actually, we want to visit and spend time in Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam during this trip.

Q.1 Your 60 day tourist visa - are you allowed to leave and keep coming re-entering during the 60 days or will leaving the country make it null and void?

Q.2 We are hoping to visit a different country every fortnight (after the first 60 day visa) while basing ourselves in Phuket. What proof will I need to demonstrate that we are tourists and have no intention of staying in the country? We will have funds in bank, photos of places we visited etc.

Q.3 Is there a limit of the amount of times we can re-enter on a 30 day tourist visa?

Regards

SNA

[IMA_FARANG]

Yes it's possible.

Right now there is no limit on the number of 30 day "visas" you can get.

Actually, there is no 30 day "visa"...what you actually get is a "arrival stamp on entry" which is good for 30 days. But people often call that a "visa".

However, that stamp is given at the airport when you arrive by AIR...crossing a land border by bus or train will only get you 15 days, not 30 days.

Anyway, here is a strategy that will work.

Get a single-entry 60 day tourist visa before you leave. You will then get 60 days when you enter Thailand.

Not sure if you know this, but it is possible to get a 30 day extension in Thailand from the local imigration in whatever city you are staying in to that 60 day visa. Just go to the immigration before your first 60 day entry runs out...and get a 30 day extension. There is a small fee for that extension. By doing that your single entry visa is extended to 90 days (60 visa plus 30 extension)

To get that 30 day extension, the immigration may want to see an air ticket. So book a ticket on the 89th or 90th day in Thailand for whatever place you want to see. Make that your first "tourist" trip...and when you return to Thailand by air you will get a 30 day stamp.

Then book your next trip on the 30th day...and make your second "tourist" trip...and on return to Thailand another 30 day stamp at the airport.

By now, it should be time for you to take that long flight back to your home.

And also, don't worry about the 5 year old, she is considered to be accompanying her mother or father at that age...so Thai immigration won't expect her to have all the visa requirements. That is her parents responsibility...so they won't charge her for any overstay.

But for the two adults, that is a different story. So ALWAYS check the dates stamped in your passports on every arrivaland departure...and if there is a mistake (it's always possible) report it immeadiately to the immigration officer who stamped your passports...and it can be corrected right there and then.

[beechguy]

Q.1 Yes, if you exit Thailand without a re-enry permit the 60 day stay is void.

Q.2 No proof normally required, if there is your bank funds are sufficient.

Q.3 No limit, as stated above it is a "Visa Exempt" entry not a visa, 30 days if entering by air and 15 days if entering by land.

[steve187]

before boarding a flight to Thailand, you will need either a visa or a booked airline ticket out of Thailand within 30 days.

If you want to do as you say in your OP, stay in Thailand for 60 days fly to Singapore, re-enter Thailand on a 30 day visa exempt entry, but you will need your next flight out booked, and within the 30 days. and you could keep doing that and each visit to Thailand would have to be up to a max of 30 days.

Whatever method you use for the adults , you would also have to do for the child, as without the visa, or a flight out within 30 days you could be refused boarding of the flight to Thailand.

have a great holiday

[chris5346]

hi,

do you want to goto singapore ? or are you just going to get another 30 days in thailand ?

you could when first arrive not use the tourist visa and use the 30 days visa exempt stamp then do a border run around day 30 to activate the visa for 60 days you could the also extend the visa for another month after that if you want (to get the free 30 day entry just leave the visa number off the arrival card)

also you could apply for a double or triple visa in the u.k that would give you more options and save you having to pre-book everything.

[sna]

Thank you for your responses.

It is handy to know that we can apply for an extension to the 60 day visa (if required) for another 30 days.

We do need to go to Singapore to visit friends however no dates are planned yet so if it is after the initial 60 days, its great to know that I do not have to fly out just for the sake of it. (I'll make sure that we book our flight out prior to going to the airport.)

I'm off the UK consulate on Monday to apply for the 60 day and then flying out on Wednesday. Time to start getting excitied.

Thank you

Regards

SNA