Visa Options For Vietnamese Girlfriend?

[urbanlion]

Hello,

I am looking into visa options for my Vietnamese girlfriend.

She is here for 30 days visa free on her ASEAN passport, but what can we do when the 30 days expire?

Visa runs? If she does normal visa runs can she stay 30 days each time or only two weeks?

I am here on an ED visa, we aren't going to get married, she won't be employed etc..

Thanks for your help.

[Mario2008]

Tourist visas or visa exempt entries are her only option, besides studying or working.

[visarunner]

They can do unlimited 30 day runs to the Thai- Cambodian border.

For Tourist Visa she has to go back to Vietnam.

Thai Embassies in Laos n Cambodia do not issue them to Vietnamese.

The other option is Student Visa.

[Tomtomtom69]

visarunner, on 14 Apr 2013 - 05:42, said:

They can do unlimited 30 day runs to the Thai- Cambodian border.

For Tourist Visa she has to go back to Vietnam.

Thai Embassies in Laos n Cambodia do not issue them to Vietnamese.

The other option is Student Visa.

Unlimited? Technically 15 day visa runs are unlimited for many western and Japanese passport holders too but after a few such visa runs, especially when re-entering from Myanmar, the Thai authorities start asking questions. I agree that a few visa runs back-to-back are OK but after around 4 visa runs you might need to look at getting a visa for her. Also, perhaps using a different border crossing from time to time will also attract fewer questions.

[urbanlion]

Hmmm...

So if she does a run to the border every month she can stay for 30 days each time?

[ubonjoe]

She will get 30 days at border crossing because of bi lateral agreement between here and Vietnam.

How many times will depend upon which crossing it is but I would not suggest that as being the best long term solution.

Getting a tourist visa would be a good option,

[phuketrichard]

Get her an ED visa as you have unless you can find her a job

[Dork]

What actually happens if an immigration officer at a border crossing arbitrarily decides a visitor has had too many 30 day entries? Can they refuse entry if you meet all the requirements for such entry? And if so, then what? Has it ever happened?

Just curious.

[Mario2008]

Yes, they can deny you entry. In that case you have a right of appeal on which they must decide within 7 days. As the appeal is right up to the minister or immigration committee, there is a chance they cannot decide within 7 days and the they have to allow you entry.

Not heard of someone being denied for having too much entries.

[Dork]

Yes, they can deny you entry. In that case you have a right of appeal on which they must decide within 7 days. As the appeal is right up to the minister or immigration committee, there is a chance they cannot decide within 7 days and the they have to allow you entry.

Not heard of someone being denied for having too much entries.

OK thanks. So what happens during those 7 days? I mean let's say the visitor was at one of the Burmese borders where they can't stay or go further.

[Mario2008]

I presume you will be send back or have to wait in the immigration jail.

[ubonjoe]

When they have put restrictions on the number of entries they count the entries by placing a number on them and when you get to the last one they tell you no more entries after that.

Have been reports of this happening at Mai Sai recently. They are only allowing 4 visa exempt entries.

Which means you would know in advance that you cannot do any more entries at that crossing.

[Tomtomtom69]

She will get 30 days at border crossing because of bi lateral agreement between here and Vietnam.

How many times will depend upon which crossing it is but I would not suggest that as being the best long term solution.

Getting a tourist visa would be a good option,

Yes I know it's 30 days for Vietnamese. One of my best friends is Vietnamese and we've travelled between Thailand and Cambodia, Thailand and Laos many times and this is what he gets. Not sure if this is a good long term option though, as you say. Because even though they get 30 days even via overland entry, after about 4 consecutive entries the Thai authorities do start asking questions - of course as you have also mentioned, which border crossing will also determine the amount of attention you'll get. Burmese crossings are the worst, probably because the authorities on the Thai side know you have to re-enter Thailand if exiting to Myanmar from those crossings (at least Mae Sai and Mae Sot).

[Tomtomtom69]

Yes, they can deny you entry. In that case you have a right of appeal on which they must decide within 7 days. As the appeal is right up to the minister or immigration committee, there is a chance they cannot decide within 7 days and the they have to allow you entry.

Not heard of someone being denied for having too much entries.

OK thanks. So what happens during those 7 days? I mean let's say the visitor was at one of the Burmese borders where they can't stay or go further.

I was just going to say that - if you show up at Mae Sot, you can't really be sent back because the Burmese authorities only allow day entries there. Although starting soon, this crossing will allow full overland access, but only with a visa in your passport already. I would suggest that for now, avoid using Mae Sot too often mainly because the Thai authorities assume foreigners only go there for visa runs. This theory makes sense because so far you haven't been allowed to stay more than a day (overnight stays are allowed in Myawaddy only since March and only if you have arrived from Yangon, not from the Thai side. This will change shortly as mentioned).

If you come from Tachileik, you can be sent back but problem is eventually (within 2 weeks) you would need to enter Thailand to be able to travel to another country as entering from that border requires you to exit to Mae Sai.

[ubonjoe]

I think there have been a lot people using Mai Sai for multiple visa exempt entries have changed border crossings or wisely have gone out for a tourist visa.

[Mario2008]

If you are send back at the border, the country you are coming from will have to take you back. But if that country is not your home country, you can be arrested till deportation to your own country.