My boyfriend and I are in our twenties and will be spending 2 months in South East Asia in May and June. I am a little confused about the visa process.

We would like to have the flexibility of the 60 day visa, but we may be exiting and re-entering Thailand a few times. Does this effect the visa? We realize that if you enter by air you get a 30 day and by land a 15 day visa. When we get to Thailand originally by air, are we given a 30 or 60 day visa? Can we go in and out under the same visa, or do we get a different visa each time? We would most likely be re-entering by land, so the 15 day limit is kind of a hindrance since we'll be in the area for about 2 months. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

A multiple entry tourist visa from your home country would solve your problems.

Like Satcommlee said; Multiple entry is the way to go.

You are never given a visa upon entering the kingdom;

Entry by air you are given a visa exempt valid for 30 days, upon leaving and reentering the country by air you are given another 30 days, by land border crossing 15 days and so on and so on. No limit to this.

The airline however may not let you board if you cannot show proof of onward or return travel within 30 days, otherwise they could be held responsible for your return flight should you be refused entry by immigration.

In that case (no proof of onward travel) it would be better to have the multiple entry tourist visa obtained from your local consulate. The airline will have no problem with that, and you can leave and enter the country as you please.

There is no such thing as a "multiple entry" tourist visa. They are issued for either 1, 2 or 3 entries, 1000 Thai baht per entry. If you come without a visa, you will be given a "visa exempt" entry with permission to stay of 30 days by air and 15 days by land. If you fly in, you will be given 30 days and each time you leave and re-enter by land you will be given 15 days. If you come without a visa you most likely will have to have an outbound ticket from Thailand during the initial 30 day period. Immigration won't be a problem, but the airline might not let you board the aircraft without an on going ticket. If you intend to exit and re-enter multiple times during your stay, the visa exempt route is probably most economical.

Or you could come here on a single entry tourist visa and get a 'multiple re-entry permit from Thai Immigration that will allow unlimited entries as long as the visa is valid. Cost is 3800 baht.

Terry

Wayne is right about this "multiple" explanation of course. It is 1,2 or 3 entries but don't count on three entries as most consulates will only allow two depending where you ask for such a visa.

But still lots of combinations possible with tourist visa and visa exempt entries or reentry permits, and it is a way too keep the airline happy.

Set down with your boy friend and plan your trip out first. If you get a tourist visa its good for 60 days and then can be extended for 30 days, 90 days in total as you will not lose any days when you extend. If you will leave during the 60 days get a re-entry permit 1000baht for single 3800baht for multiply. The planning is important because you should have your comings and goings planned to het the most out of your visas and re-entry permit.

As mentioned earlier unless you have a visa there is a good chance the airline will not let you board the flight to Bangkok. If no visa you must have proof of onward travel.

Since you will only be in the area for 2 months, it seems you need to figure out where you will spend the bulk of your time and then plan from there. I do not know if money is an issue but coming and going across the borders can get very expensive

Or you could come here on a single entry tourist visa and get a 'multiple re-entry permit from Thai Immigration that will allow unlimited entries as long as the visa is valid. Cost is 3800 baht.

Terry

You did not say where you are arriving from - if from the USA then you are already investing a sizable amount in the airfares - a multiple entry 60 day visa will cost $80 plus approx $40 express mail. The single entry is $40 plus express mail costs. The 3800baht mentioned = approx $128 - so extending your single entry will cost approx $200 using the above advice or you can spend $120 by getting the proper documents in USA.

Do not mess up your paradise plans or your investment by counting pennies - get the proper paperwork done ahead of time - unless you are already Thai familiar deal with Thai officials as little as possible - your travel will be much sweeter.

There is no such thing as a multiple entry tourist visa. The fee of $80 you wrote about would be for a 2 entry visa. The OP could get a 3 entry visa for an additional $40.

Thank you all very much for the advice - we are going to go ahead and get the visas done here. I have looked at the Thai visa page as well as their embassy in the U.S. but it is a little confusing - who do I apply through? We will most likely need a 2 or 3 entry visa. Do I get to choose the dates the visa is valid for, or does the consulate assign them based on when they receive the request?

You should contact one of the honorary Thai consulates in the states. They give better service and faster turnarounds on mail in applications than the embassy or the 3 official consulates.

Contact info here: http://thaiembdc.us/wordpress1/

You can apply for the visa by courrier service. The Thai Honorary Consulate in Portland is very friendly. You can get a triple entry visa for $120. It will be valid for 6 months from the date that it is issued so you should get it just before your planned trip. All of the entries must be made before it expires but should not be a problem with your plans. If you use all 3 entries and still want to travel you can get 15 day visa exempt entries. Goood Luck! Here's Portlands info:

Visa application porcedures, Portland Oregon.doc