What Type Of Tourist Visa Do I Need For A 59 Day Stay In Thailand?

[batanha]

I am from the USA and need to apply for a tourist visa and will be staying in Thailand for 59 days. I also will be taking side trips to Cambodia and Vietnam during that time.

Thank you.

[Maestro]

It depends how many entries into Thailand you will make and how long you will stay in Thailand each time and your mode of travel, by air or by land. For example your itinerary might be

USA --> Thailand by air (? days) --> Cambodia --> Thailand by land (? days) --> Vietnam --> Thailand by air (? days) --> USA by air

Or it might be

USA --> Thailand by air (? days) --> Cambodia --> Vietnam --> Thailand by air (? days) --> USA by air

There are a number of possible variations. If you can't decide in advance, simply get a tourist visa valid for three entries.

[wayned]

Depends on the number of times that you plan to leave and re-enter Thailand. A triple entry will give you your initial entry and you can leave and re-enter two more times. The cost of the visa is $40 per entry or $120, If you plan more than two trips you can purchase a re-entry permit, single, 1000 baht, multiple 3800 baht.

Another option is a single entry visa which will give you your initial entry, cost $40, and you can purchase a re-entry permit. A single is 1000 baht ($33), and a multiple is 3800 baht ($127). The re-entry permit will allow you to leave and re-enter keeping your initial permission to stay valid. But you will have to visit immigration to get the permit and depending where you go it is crowded and. in my opinion a waste of time.

Or, If you plan numerous trips, you could make a visa exempt entry, no visa required,. On initial entry you will get 30 days permission to stay. Each time you exit and re-enter you will get 15 days by land and 30 days by air. Since you are going to Vietnam, I assume that at least on of your trips will be by air. The only problem with this plan is that the airline in the US might not let you board unless you have a ticket exiting Thailand during the first 30 days. (Example: enter Thailand, stay 29 days and have a ticket to Vietnam).

As I said it depends on your travel itinerary, but I would opt for the triple entry. The consulate in Portland has been very friendly in the past and you can do everything by courrier service. here's their info:

Visa application porcedures, Portland Oregon.doc

[batanha]

Both of my excursions (to Cambodia and Vietnam) will be separate and both by air, so it looks like the 60 day triple entry visa is the way to go if I'm looking at everything correctly.

If I was to add one more excursion, where is the immigration office to get one more re-entry permit? Is it in Bangkok only, or is there one in Phuket and Pattaya as well? Thanks for all your assistance.

[wayned]

Immigration offices in both Phuket and Pattaya. Triple is a good decision as you will not have to spend unnecessary time at immigration, and the extra cost is minimal. Go to Portland website for details, it's really easy.