Making A Visa Run

[mrmojo]

Hi I'm going tp Thailand for the first time in May for 2 months. I have decided to make my visa run to langkawi in Malaysia. I will most probably be in Koh Phangan at the time and then travel down to Satun by bus or train, then get the boat to Langkawi. We wil then return to Thailand after a couple of weeks in Lagkawi. I am 24, my girlfriend is 21 and we are both British.

Do I need to make any special arrangments before crossing the border?

On the return journey to Thailand will I need any special forms or anything?

Is there anything I should be weary of?

Thank You

[Maestro]

Hi I'm going tp Thailand for the first time in May for 2 months. I have decided to make my visa run to langkawi in Malaysia. I will most probably be in Koh Phangan at the time and then travel down to Satun by bus or train, then get the boat to Langkawi. We wil then return to Thailand after a couple of weeks in Lagkawi. I am 24, my girlfriend is 21 and we are both British.

You don’t need to do a visa run. Get yourself a single-entry Tourist Visa from a Thai consulate in Britain. Upon arrival in Thailand, your passport will get stamped with permission to stay for 60 days (not 2 months). If you wish to stay longer, you can apply for a 30-day extension at any Immigration Office in Thailand for a fee of THB 1,900.

If you plan to travel outside Thailand and return to Thailand, get a double-entry Tourist Visa from a Thai consulate in your country.

If your idea was to fly to Thailand without a visa and upon arrival obtain a stamp granting you permission to stay for 30 days, your concern should be whether your airline will let you board without a confirmed return flight within those 30 days. Ask them but remember that even if one airline employee tells you yes, another employee, following the rules if that airline has such rule, may still deny you boarding.

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Maestro

[mrmojo]

Thank you

So before I go I need to go to the Thai embassey in London and obtain a visa and a double entry visa? I don't really need a 60 day visa I don't think, because I want to travel about a bit and Langkawi is on the list. So do I need to apply for visa to stay for 30 days then langkawi for a week or so then back in Thailand for 20-23 days?

Thanks Again

[keekwai]

In that case .. just arrive in Thailand and get the free 30 day stamp. Commonwealth citizens do not need a visa to enter Malaysia so just pop down there before your 30 days in Thailand are up. (you can extend it by 15 days and then a further 7 days if necessary).

For the return trip to Thailand .. go to a Thai Embassy in Malaysia and get 60 day Tourist Visa.

I'm not sure .. but maybe you could just get another 30 day stamp on returning to Thailand .. anyone know? .. I think you can. That way your total Visa costs will be zero. $0.00 !

The only problem .. as mentioned above .. would be an airline employee / return date thing. But I've never heard of anyone having a problem.

You could just make the return date witin 30 days .. and once there .. change it to a future date .. maybe!

But considering the cost of a 60 day visa (dont know what it is in the UK .. cant be that much) it may be less hassle to get one. If your return trip to Thailand from Malaysia will be less than 30 days (or there about .. remember the extensions) .. just get one of those on your return to Thailand. (Don't worry about the Double Entry Visa.) This way you don't have to worry about the return date thing. If I was you .. I'd do it that way.

[lopburi3]

1. You should obtain a single entry visa from a Consulate before you travel to Thailand to insure you will be allowed to board your aircraft.

2. When you travel to Malaysia your 60 day visa will end but you can now return and obtain the 30 day entry without visa as you will have outbound tickets within 30 days (plus they never check at a land crossing anyway). Just be sure to have the required 10,000 baht per person for expense money available.

[Maestro]

I'm not sure .. but maybe you could just get another 30 day stamp on returning to Thailand .. anyone know? .. I think you can. That way your total Visa costs will be zero. $0.00 !

The only problem .. as mentioned above .. would be an airline employee / return date thing. But I've never heard of anyone having a problem.

I have heard of people having a problem, on this forum

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Maestro

So before I go I need to go to the Thai embassey in London and obtain a visa

I believe you can apply for your Tourist visa by mail, at any consulate, doesn’t necessarily have to be the embassy in London.

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Maestro

[spacebass]

Thank you

So before I go I need to go to the Thai embassey in London and obtain a visa and a double entry visa? I don't really need a 60 day visa I don't think, because I want to travel about a bit and Langkawi is on the list. So do I need to apply for visa to stay for 30 days then langkawi for a week or so then back in Thailand for 20-23 days?

Thanks Again

When applying for Thai visas it seems the world over that you are better off applying at a provincial Consulate than the big Embassy, and the best way to do it is to download the forms from the consulates website and do it by mail. In the UK Hull seems to be favourite, do a Google search: Thai consulate Hull. Send by special Delivery and they charge GBP6 to return same, not far off what it would cost you to prepay.

As far as the 30 day exemption thing goes, it is obviously designed by the Thai government to permit Westerners to come on a two/three week holiday without any big entry clearance problems or even cost, so pertinent as the airline boarding thing is, the question must be why does Thailand offer this facility if they might deny entry, defeating the whole purpose of offering it? TiT!

Edited February 11, 2006 by spacebass