Need Help With My Visa Situation!

[Pikey Farang]

OK Long story, Ive been in Asia for over 15 months now and visted most of the Countries (Loas, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia)

During the past Year ive made many 14 day Visas and flown in and out of Bnagkok a handfull of times.

I came back to Thailand on the 27th of December 2012 and was issued a 30 day visa on arival. I spent a month on the islands and then traveled back upto Chiang Mai.

Ive now been in Chaing Mai since the 25th of January 2013 and ive been doing regular Visa runs to Mae Sae without any problems, Unfortunetly i over stayed on atleast 3 Visa runs due to health problems.

Ive always payed the overstay at the border without any issues.

Thee last Visa run i did was on the 29th of march 2013 and again i overstayed 1 day, crossing into Mynamar was fine but when i returned to Thailand the officer told me that he had noted my 4 overstays on the computer and next time if i didnt have a visa there would be a problem.

SO..... Im now in chaing Mai and have a visa untill the 12th april 2012

What are my options???

I have very little money and im still waiting for my credit card to arrive from the UK.

Will they allow me to Visa run to Mynamar again? or do i have to go to Loas/Cambodia?

Im due to fly back to the uk on the 23rd of April so a 2 week visa would be perfect and more cost effective!

any advice apreciated

[jrtmedic]

Most UK banks will not forward Credit/Debit cards to Thailand. So unless you have made arrangements for a third party to forward your card from a UK address you may be in for a long wait !

Unless your card has arrived today - it will not be delivered until at least 09/04/2013 because of the holiday on the 8th.

Your options are limited --- you can try Myanmar again but you may be better advised to try for a tourist visa (60 days extendable to 90 at Thai immigration) in Laos (Don't forget there are a number of Thai holidays coming up soon and Consulates are likely to be closed during these holiday periods!

NB If you secured your latest 14 day visa exempt entry on the 29th March then, if my arithmetic is correct, your last day permitted in Thailand would be the 11th!

[Pikey Farang]

Thats for the Quick reply and usefull information

The credit card issue is fine, and i know for sure that its on its way to a Chiang Mai address and should be here safely around the 12th.

The problem is just making the extra Visa,

I figure i have 3 options:

- Stay in Chiang Mai and travel to Myanamar on the 11th and hope they make a Visa for me

- Head South to the islands with friends to enjoy the time i have and try to make a Visa from Ranong on the 11th

- Go to Loas, Cambodia or Malaysia to Make a 60 day Visa

Making a 60 day Visa seems pointless as i wont be in the Thailand more than 14 das

Do you think that it would be possible for me to run 1 more time to Mae Sae?

whats the worse case senario???

[lopburi3]

If going to a border why not try a different crossing, like Mai Sot? Believe that would be safer but it would be better to move up your departure flight.

[Sheryl]

I would also suggest you be sure to have your flight ticket with you when you cross the border as having it to show immigration on the way back in may help. They do tend to look askance at multiple back to back visa runs especially if also with multiple overstays.

Another option to consider -- and perhaps to have as your fall back plan -- would be to go to Laos or Cambodia and fly to Bkk to connect there to your outbound flight (without having to pass immigration). Might therefore be wise to try the border run from one of those 2 countries with enough time to spare to do this should the Thai authorities not let you enter.

Or, as Lopburi3 suggested, move up your departure date.

[NancyL]

Incidentally, those 14 day and 30 day permissions to remain stamp in the OP's passport aren't "visas on arrival". The OP has been obtaining a string of visa-exempt entries. Doesn't sound like he's ever had a visa. Not that's it's especially relevant to his decision-making at this time, but it might be good to clear up the misunderstanding if he ever plans to return to Thailand or tells others how to get a "visa on arrival", which he never had.

[Pib]

Incidentally, those 14 day and 30 day permissions to remain stamp in the OP's passport aren't "visas on arrival". The OP has been obtaining a string of visa-exempt entries. Doesn't sound like he's ever had a visa. Not that's it's especially relevant to his decision-making at this time, but it might be good to clear up the misunderstanding if he ever plans to return to Thailand or tells others how to get a "visa on arrival", which he never had.

Thanks NancyL...your post made me smarter today...I knida thought visa on arrival and visa-exempt were really the same thing but just with multiple names.

So, some googling helped clarify the differences of visa on arrival and visa exempt. For those who want to know the differences, see these Siam-Legal links. Link1 Link2.

[bunnydrops]

I am sure of one thing. I bet they never asked for the confirmed airline ticket out of Thailand. The airline has always asked me and I told them I leave over land and have always let me on. Not once been asked once in Thailand--maybe I am just lucky:)

Maybe just overstay again----but next trip get a visa

[OJAS]

I am sure of one thing. I bet they never asked for the confirmed airline ticket out of Thailand. The airline has always asked me and I told them I leave over land and have always let me on. Not once been asked once in Thailand--maybe I am just lucky:)

Surprising, however, that the OP was allowed on to his original flight from the UK to this part of the world 15+ months ago without a return ticket to the UK, bearing in mind all the hassle I experienced with a jobsworth check-in assistant at Gatwick in 2009 when I was returning to LOS legitimately from a trip to the UK!

[TerryLH]

"Surprising, however, that the OP was allowed on to his original flight from the UK to this part of the world 15+ months ago without a return ticket to the UK"

Does anyone actually require you to have a return ticket to the country you're departing from?

[Mario2008]

No, the rule is onward travel, to a destination where you cannot be denied/have a visa for.

If you have a visa for Thailand, you don't need proof of onward travel.

[OJAS]

No, the rule is onward travel, to a destination where you cannot be denied/have a visa for.

If you have a visa for Thailand, you don't need proof of onward travel.

Thanks for the clarification - which I'll definitely quote back to that jobsworth check-in assistant should I ever have the misfortune to cross paths with her again in the future

[lopburi3]

I have seen other reports from UK nationals (UK only) of requirement to actually have return ticket a few years ago during a high terrorist alert period. Anyone without a return ticket was considered to be on a one way trip to heaven it seemed.