Hi,

I'm going to travel trough south-east asia for about 4 months and I'm getting a return ticket to Bangkok. Now I'm wondering if my following idea works.

First I go travel for about 30 days through Thailand, after that I go to Laos, Vietnam and China. Now when then I get back to thailand for another period and at the end of 4 months I got home.

there are 2 questions that I have.

First is Thailand immigration having difficulties when I have a return ticket for 4 months and just want a 30 days tourist visa on arrivel?

second how many times do I get 30 days visum when I cross the border? I've done this three times in 2003 but that was within 60 days.

Tim, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Hi

If you make it as far as Thai immigration with the ticket out 4 months later I doubt very much you will have any problem getting the visa free 30 day entry.

However, it is the airlines in some cases that have not allowed peple to board without a visa in your passport such as a Tourist or Non Imm or that you have a flight booked out within 30 days.

Some airlines are fussy about this and some are not and it can depend on where you are flying from.

You could check with your airline re their policy or you could be safe and get yourself a 60 day tourist visa for circa 25Euro's or book a el cheapo flight out on air Asi or someone within the 30 days.

After that you will get the 30 days each time you arrive at a border but if you fly then maybe the above will apply again.

Ok. I just checked with the airline I want to fly with (LTU) and for them it is no problem to have 4 month return ticket without visa. I still am going to check with the Thai embassy in The Netherlands, but the phone line seems to be busy all day.

So if I get it right there's no problem at all?

Yes, your only eventual problem(s) will be with respect to the airlines' requirements, which you can eliminate by obtaining an actual (tourist)visa prior to your airhop-arrival. Entering Thailand by land-border crossing - well, I've never heard about anyone ever having had to show any kind of outbound travel proof --- just be prepared that they might wish to check that you have 10,000 baht in cash (if all you request is a 30-day entry-stamp, 20,000 for any kind of actual visa-entry).