6-9 Months Stay

[bikkalad]

Hi all, been to Thailand various times over 20 years but now i want to stay for approx 6-9 months im 45 and hold an Aussie passport whats the best way around it as i get slightly confused reading some of these posts...........cheers

[wayned]

Apply for a 6 month triple entry tourist visa just prior to your flight. You can get almost 270 days in Thailand with two border runs and three extensions.

[IMA_FARANG]

Easy enough to get a stay of 6 months if you do it right.

First of all, your best bet is probably a double-entry tourist visa from your local Thai consulate in your home country.

That visa will give you two entries, each good for 60 days, with an extension of 30 days possible on each entry.

You can get (first 60 day entry plus 30 day extension = 90 days) plus (second 60 day entry plus 2nd extension = 90 days) for a total of 180 days in Thailand.

When you arrive in Thailand that activates the 1st entry of the double-entry visa.

Just before that first entry "permission to stay until" date ends, you go to your local immigration office in Thaialnd.

You extend stay #1 for another 30 days (there is a fee for this extension),

Then the day before that first extension ends, you do a "border run".

You go to the nearest Thai border, exit Thailand getting stamped out by exiting Thailand. You enter the nearby country, and immeadiately turn around and return.

Entering Thailand again activates your 2nd entry of that double-entry visa, Another 60 day "permission to stay" entry.

Once again, just before that stay ends....you get another 30 day extension.

Just pay attention to the dates stamped in your passport and you'll be okay.

[macgver]

If you plan to stay 3 months above (even one year or more), you need to go regularly to the Royal Thai Embassy in Laos or General-Consulate of Royal Thai in Penang to apply for a new visa stickers as you can only enter 90 days per entry if you have the visa sticker, otherwise with the immigration stamp, you allow to stay 30 days only. If you use land border, they only allow 15 days per entry. My suggestion is to first one, go the Royal Thai Embassy or consulate. Before you come to Thailand, get your 3 months first at your home country.

[TerryLH]

macgver, what kind of visa are you talking about, and what are the requirements for it?

[bikkalad]

Thanks alot fellas for the info,seems pretty strait forward gives me something to digest as just wanna get rid of the ground hog day effect going on at the moment........have been to Thailand 7 times but for no longer than a month at any time......cheers

[macgver]

macgver, what kind of visa are you talking about, and what are the requirements for it?

macgver, what kind of visa are you talking about, and what are the requirements for it?

Tourist visa ... many of my friends (with their family) did this way for almost 3 - 5 years but the problem is that you need to waste your passport page each time and the fee.

[bikkalad]

Thanks to you all on this one,double-entry tourist visa shoul fit the bill on this one cheers

[Qman]

Easy enough to get a stay of 6 months if you do it right.

First of all, your best bet is probably a double-entry tourist visa from your local Thai consulate in your home country.

That visa will give you two entries, each good for 60 days, with an extension of 30 days possible on each entry.

You can get (first 60 day entry plus 30 day extension = 90 days) plus (second 60 day entry plus 2nd extension = 90 days) for a total of 180 days in Thailand.

When you arrive in Thailand that activates the 1st entry of the double-entry visa.

Just before that first entry "permission to stay until" date ends, you go to your local immigration office in Thaialnd.

You extend stay #1 for another 30 days (there is a fee for this extension),

Then the day before that first extension ends, you do a "border run".

You go to the nearest Thai border, exit Thailand getting stamped out by exiting Thailand. You enter the nearby country, and immeadiately turn around and return.

Entering Thailand again activates your 2nd entry of that double-entry visa, Another 60 day "permission to stay" entry.

Once again, just before that stay ends....you get another 30 day extension.

Just pay attention to the dates stamped in your passport and you'll be okay.

I will get a double entry tourist visa before arrival as want to stay about 125 days which can be accomplished as noted above. A couple of questions regarding the border run process.

- Do you actually have to enter the other country or can just be stamped out of Thailand and turn around and re-enter? No real benefit of entering the neighboring country unless wanting to actually visit there. Similar to when flying out and back in without clearing immigration at the place of turn around.

-With a double entry tourist visa, do you need to have any paperwork, pictures, etc or just show them the original visa upon re-entry? Is there an additional fee payable at the time of re-entry?

Thanks for any info from anyone's experiences.

[UncleLingYai]

i have some similar questions and wrote a long new thread but they wouldnt let me post it for some reason ??

[UncleLingYai]

Hope this is Ok, Im American over 50 ,meet the requirements for the retirement visa but Im looking to come to Thailand for 4-6 months this july, i want to take a few side trips to Cambodia , Hong kong , maybe manila after i enter Thailand,whats the visa i need, is it Non O multiple entry , 90 day or is there a 6 month one, or should I try for a retirement visa instead and do i need a plane ticket home when i enter thailand for these visas? Thanks

[Mario2008]

What you need entirely depends on your travel plans outside of Thailand. In general, a multiple non-O based on retirement might be the most convinient, as you can travel an unlimited times to Thailand on that during the time (1 year) it is valid. Each time you enter you can stay for up to 90 days, leave the coutnry and hen you return get another 90 days. Price is 5,000 baht in local currency.

But depending on your actual plans a single or double entry tourist visa might be enough, at a cost of 1,000 baht in local currency per entry, as every time you travel to Thailand by air without a visa you can stay up to 30 days (provided you have a ticket out of Thailand within 30 days). So if you plan carefully you can do with 1 or 2 tourist visas.

[chris1970]

to stay 6 months you can do this with a double entry tourist visa obtained from any thai embassy in the world.

to stay 9 months you will need a triple entry with 6 months validity - not all thai embassies issue 6 months validity so need to check first.

no point in getting a triple entry with 3 month validity because you will only get a maximum of 6 months from it.

the tourist visas are 60 days per entry with option to add an extra 30 days for 1900 baht.

the validity starts from issue so don't apply too early if you want to get a long stay in thailand.

for the guy who wants to stay 125 days you can get a double tourist visa and when you do your border run you could stay out of thailand for 5 days inbetween. or you could pay 1900 baht for a 30 day extension but only use 5 days from it - upto you !

[Qman]

to stay 6 months you can do this with a double entry tourist visa obtained from any thai embassy in the world.

to stay 9 months you will need a triple entry with 6 months validity - not all thai embassies issue 6 months validity so need to check first.

no point in getting a triple entry with 3 month validity because you will only get a maximum of 6 months from it.

the tourist visas are 60 days per entry with option to add an extra 30 days for 1900 baht.

the validity starts from issue so don't apply too early if you want to get a long stay in thailand.

for the guy who wants to stay 125 days you can get a double tourist visa and when you do your border run you could stay out of thailand for 5 days inbetween. or you could pay 1900 baht for a 30 day extension but only use 5 days from it - upto you !

As you mention, to get 125 days the option is to use a 30 day extension or leave for 5 days but in either option I do need to exit the country or do a visa run to utilize the double entry tourist visa. My question earlier concerns what is actually required when doing a land crossing border run in terms of actually needing to enter the other country or if you can just get stamped out and in at the Thailand immigration place. Also are there any forms, pictures or costs payable to Thailand immigration to do the re-entry.

Thanks

[chris1970]

to stay 6 months you can do this with a double entry tourist visa obtained from any thai embassy in the world.

to stay 9 months you will need a triple entry with 6 months validity - not all thai embassies issue 6 months validity so need to check first.

no point in getting a triple entry with 3 month validity because you will only get a maximum of 6 months from it.

the tourist visas are 60 days per entry with option to add an extra 30 days for 1900 baht.

the validity starts from issue so don't apply too early if you want to get a long stay in thailand.

for the guy who wants to stay 125 days you can get a double tourist visa and when you do your border run you could stay out of thailand for 5 days inbetween. or you could pay 1900 baht for a 30 day extension but only use 5 days from it - upto you !

As you mention, to get 125 days the option is to use a 30 day extension or leave for 5 days but in either option I do need to exit the country or do a visa run to utilize the double entry tourist visa. My question earlier concerns what is actually required when doing a land crossing border run in terms of actually needing to enter the other country or if you can just get stamped out and in at the Thailand immigration place. Also are there any forms, pictures or costs payable to Thailand immigration to do the re-entry.

Thanks

to activate each 60 days entry you have to enter thailand so that means leaving thailand for either 10 minutes or many days if you want,

you can do a border crossing at :

burma - 500 baht for a day pass into burma.

laos 35$ for a month visa into laos,

cabodia 20 $ to enter i think for a month visa ?

malaysia free to enter.

it's free to enter thailand on the way back in all you do is fill in an arrival card making sure you add your visa number if not you wont get the right number of days permission stamped in your passport.

the 30 day extensions are done inside thailand at one of the many immigration offices and costs 1900 baht and have to provide 2 photos and fill in a form.

if your staying in BKK i'd recommend going to cambodia for 5 days and save yourself 1900 baht.

if your just after convenience maybe an idea to fly in and out of KL on day 60 then can extend the second entry - good to have some extra days in hand incase you have to delay your return flight for example,

[UncleLingYai]

Thanks for your responses Kawp Khun Khap, i hope i havent stepped on anyones toes barging in here, a remaining question i have is do i need to show proof of an outgoing from Thailand plane ticket when I enter Thailand with these visas.

[lopburi3]

A visa entry would not require a ticket (although the Consulate might require to issue the visa). A visa exempt would require a ticket out but is almost never checked by immigration (although often is checked by airlines).

[chris1970]

Thanks for your responses Kawp Khun Khap, i hope i havent stepped on anyones toes barging in here, a remaining question i have is do i need to show proof of an outgoing from Thailand plane ticket when I enter Thailand with these visas.

you will always be allowed into thailand with or without a visa,

it's the airline usually long haul flights that may not let you check in if you don't have a visa or a flight out of thailand .