I received a tourist visa today at the Sydney consulate. For some reason they placed it well into the unused pages of my passport. I doubt if immigration will notice the visa at the airport, so I was considering not filling in the visa number on my arrival card and just getting the automatic 30 day tourist visa. I want to head up to Mae Sai when that expires (only 200kms) and then activate my 60 day visa.

Can anyone see any potential problems?

It they see it or see record of it on there computer (not sure on it but computers are getting a lot more information these days) and you do not use it can be canceled.

1. Say you're successful and receive a 30 day visa on arrival.

2. After 29 days (or on day 30), you exit Thailand via Mae Sai and then try to activate your 60 day visa when returning from Myanmar.

3. Because 60 day visas (issued in Sydney or anywhere else) aren't issued at the Mae Sai border crossing, the Thai immigration officials in Mae Sai (who will likely see your just cancelled 30 day visa) will ask you why you didn't activate your 60 day visa upon your original arrival date in Thailand (this is when you'll get caught).

4. Your 60 day visa therefore might not be recognized because you didn't originally enter Thailand using this visa.

5. As a result, you may just receive a 15 day overland visa because you didn't originally enter Thailand using your proper 60 day visa.

6. Therefore you'd have 45 days (30 + 15) in Thailand instead of 60 days and you wouldn't have the chance to extend your 60 day visa for another 30 days.

I'd play it safe and use the 60 day visa upon arriving in Thailand instead of trying to trick the immigration authorities. Your pulling the wool over the eyes of Immigration would be exposed anyway when you try to activate your 60 day visa in Mae Sai.

Edited September 7, 201213 yr by Microwave

I can only speak for myself but every time ive entered into thailand immigration have gone through every page looking for pre paid visas and the same when leaving thailand....if it was me i would just use your 60 day visa as its not worth upsetting thai immigration as they can make life dificult enough even on a good day

You can always ask them to not use the visa and provide visa exempt entry - success varies.

The problem I see with this is that you are supposed to fill in your visa number on the card and by not doing so you are evading the laws of Immigration. Do something illegal in Thailand and pay the consequences.

Don't worry about that legal thing at all.

My suggestion.

Absolutely DO NOT write the visa number on the entry card.

When you approach the officer, have your passport open to the visa page.

POLITELY request that you wish that visa to be SAVED for a later entry and that you want a 30 day stamp.

If the officer agrees, no problem.

If not, the visa number can then be added to the entry card.

You will have broken no laws.

Yes I have done that personally myself and it worked. No guarantee it will work for you though of course.

I would not suggest trying to sneak this by hoping he won't see the visa though.

Good luck.

Edited September 7, 201213 yr by Jingthing

If the immigration officer agrees to leave the 60 day visa for you to use when you re- enter at Mae Sai, there is a possibility that the immigration officer over at Mae Sai will not accept it!

It's really up to their moods for the day and in those offices the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

Not trying to be negative just cautioning you.

Not much help now but should have just got a double if wanting to stay longer..

I did this once without any problems - the immigration officer wrote something in Thai on my 30-day entry stamp (don't know what it was but I imagine it had to do with not stamping my existing visa). Then by day 29, I went to the border and activated my 60 day visa, no questions asked.

The second time I asked the immigration officer not to stamp my visa, he said that he had to, even when I explained that I was leaving Thailand in a few days and then returning overland via Malaysia. He told me I could get a re-entry permit that would let me re-enter Thailand and continue with the days remaining on my 60 day visa.

you could get a re-entry permit at local immigration to keep the 60 days alive and then obtain a 30 day extension, again at local immigration if you need the extra days, that would give you a total of 90 days in Thailand, less any days spent in Burma

go for it and see what happens but please let us know here.

I had a similar thing at Sadao once .It seems to swin with the moon and mood.I have been stamed in wrong 3 times at C Mai and only 2 weeks at Swapy where Ipointed it out and 3 months added (Im on a multi O)

Always check at the desk as its easy to rectify.

Don't worry about that legal thing at all.

My suggestion.

Absolutely DO NOT write the visa number on the entry card.

When you approach the officer, have your passport open to the visa page.

POLITELY request that you wish that visa to be SAVED for a later entry and that you want a 30 day stamp.

If the officer agrees, no problem.

If not, the visa number can then be added to the entry card.

You will have broken no laws.

Yes I have done that personally myself and it worked. No guarantee it will work for you though of course.

I would not suggest trying to sneak this by hoping he won't see the visa though.

Good luck.

Generally this is no problem but I agree that it might depend on the mood of the officer. I remember doing this once and I was able to enter using my Thai visa at a later time. However, for me it's easier to play this system, since I have three passports (I possess three nationalities and thus three passports).