6 Month Double-Entry Tourist Visa

[watgate]

Okay so I am coming to Thailand this winter and will be staying for 4 months and I fully understand what I have to do with my 6 month double-entry tourist visa. Where I am confused is that a couple of years down the road I am intending on staying in Thailand for 6 months and with a 6 month double-entry tourist visa it seems plausible that my visa might expire before I depart Thailand. For example, hypothetically say I will be staying in Thailand for 6 months from Oct 1,2013 until March 31,2014. I get a 6 month double-entry tourist visa issued on September 15,2013 so therefore my tourist visa is valid from 9/15/13-3/15/2014. So now, and this is my first question, can I go to immigration on the 60th day to pay the 1900 baht to get an additional 30 days? If so, then this would be on Nov 29,2013. Now, my second question is can I do a visa run to Laos on the 90th day to begin my second entry into Thailand? If so, then this would put me at 12/29/2013. So now another 60 days go by and I go to the immigration office again on 2/27/14 to pay another 1900 baht for another 30 days in Thailand. So now another question arises in that when these 30 days go by the date is now March 29,2014. My flight out of Thailand does not depart until March 31,2014. What is my recourse? Can I go to immigration and get an additional 2 days, and if so, any idea what the cost would be for the additional 2 days? Also, it would seem that when planning my stay in Thailand I could always lessen my stay a few days short of 6 months to avoid this problem. Do you concur with this strategy? Lastly, I was struggling initially with the concept of the 6 month validity of the tourist visa which begins when it is issued by the Thai Consulate office and the fact that I would still be in Thailand when my Tourist visa expired because, as in the example above, the Tourist visa was issued on 9/15/2013 and expired on 3/15/2014 and I was not leaving Thailand until March 31, 2014. My understanding, and please correct me if I am wrong, is that when I went to the Immigration office the second time on 2/27/2014 as mentioned previously in the above-mentioned hypothetical scenario, my tourist visa was still valid and even though it would expire before I departed Thailand on March 31,2014, the Immigration office would put a stamp or something to that effect in my passport to reflect the additional 30 days I would be able to stay in Thailand after paying the 1900 baht. Is this correct?. Whew. This can get complicated and congratulations to anyone who can follow this. My head is spinning just trying to convey my scenario and address my questions and concerns. Thank you for any input or information which might be forthcoming.

[Maestro]

The double-entry tourist visa must still be valid when you make your second entry into Thailand. It does not have to be valid when you apply for the 30-day extension at the local immigration office.

It is advisable not to wait until the last day of the permission of stay to apply for the extension. Apply one to two weeks earlier; the 30 days will always be added onto the end of your permission to stay.

If you plan to leave Thailand several days after the expiration of your second 30-day extension of stay, you should go to the immigration office before the expiration, with your ticket in hand, and for a fee of 1,900 Baht apply for a new extension of 7 days. You will then get a stamp in your passport to say that your application is under consideration and that you must report to the office again after 7 days, by which time you will however have left the country and therefore do not report back to the office.

[ubonjoe]

Dependent upon where you are applying you could get a 3 entry tourist visa that would give you some extra time for only another 1000 baht.

[MASSIMO23]

Hi There. I am confused as to what the immigration gives you once you have reached the 60 day tourist visa.

Both times i went to chong chom (Kap choeng) immigration gave me only extra 15 days on my 60 day tourist visa.

But i read many of you have received 30 days (total 90 day stay in Thailand).

If anyone could explain to me i would be grateful.

[lopburi3]

If you cross a border and return you would only get a normal visa exempt entry (15 days for most) but if you visit immigration and fill out a TM.7 and pay 1,900 baht fee you would get a 30 day extension of stay without the need to leave Thailand.