180-Day Tourist Visa About To Expire - Options?

[nyujay2010]

Hi All,

My 180-day Tourist Visa is due to expire this Thursday, 25 April. I would like to stay 3 more months in Pattaya. My questions are as follows:

1). Do I have to leave Thailand by the 25th and re-enter? Or can I go to Thai immigration office (in Pattaya?) to extend for a month?

2). If I can extend a month, will I then be able to get another Tourist visa from Laos or Cambodia?

3). I don't have a return ticket yet, would that play any factor in acquiring another Tourist visa?

Thank you in advance for all of your responses.

J

Edited April 21, 2013 by nyujay2010

[Maestro]

It would help if you indicated your nationality and explained what you mean with "180-day Tourist Visa". For how many entries was the visa valid? When did you make your first entry, when the subsequent entry or entries?

Some consulates want to see a flight ticket out of Thailand, others don't. Having one will re-enforce the claim you make on your application, ie that you want a visa for the purpose of visiting Thailand for tourism, meaning that you arrive in Thailand, enjoy yourself for a while, and have set yourself a definite date to leave before the expiration of your permission to stay. If you claim to be a tourist for too long some consulates may suspect that you are working illegally in Thailand.

[nyujay2010]

Maestro, thanks for the quick reply. I am American, and have a 6 month tourist visa with 3 entries. All 3 entries have been used and the visa itself expires this Thursday, 25 April. First entry was made in October, 2nd in December, 3rd in February.

Do you know if I can go to immigration office in Pattaya and extend my visa by a month?

Edited April 21, 2013 by nyujay2010

[LuckyLew]

If on your third entry you have not already extended by 30 days

you can go to immigration and extend by 30 days.

[wayned]

Each of the 60 day entries can be extended by 30 days at immigration. If you are on your last 60 day entry you can go to immigration a couple of weeks before your permission to stay expires and get a 30 day extension for 1900 baht. You need to fill in a TM 7 form with a picture and make copies of the bio page, visa, last permission to stay stamp in your passport and departure card. It can be done even if your visa has expired. All the visa does is allow you to enter. The key is the date on your last permission to stay stamp in your passport. If used properly, a 6 month triple entry visa can get you almost 270 days in Thailand with 2 border runs and 3 extensions.

Edited April 21, 2013 by wayned

[lopburi3]

In other words the expiration date of your visa is not a factor - but the expiration date on your arrival permitted to stay made in February is the date you must leave (have departed) if not extended 30 days so you either can extend 30 days (if not done) or you may be on overstay as you did not provide the date of entry in February or advise if you have extended this final entry we can not be sure of your status. It appears you have never extended so have lost 2 months of possible stay so now this last 30 day extension and then a trip to Vientiane for overnight stay and obtain a new single entry for those two missing months may be required.

[jamhar]

In other words the expiration date of your visa is not a factor - but the expiration date on your arrival permitted to stay made in February is the date you must leave (have departed) if not extended 30 days so you either can extend 30 days (if not done) or you may be on overstay as you did not provide the date of entry in February or advise if you have extended this final entry we can not be sure of your status. It appears you have never extended so have lost 2 months of possible stay so now this last 30 day extension and then a trip to Vientiane for overnight stay and obtain a new single entry for those two missing months may be required.

Can you get a 3 entry tourist visa with an overnight trip Vientiane?

I'm an American in a similar situation.

[lopburi3]

No. But a two entry is normally available at Vientiane if you do not have more than a handful of visas in passport.

[rshoemake]

Strange, I was unaware that one could even get a 180 tourist visa. I only thought you could get them for 60 days with a 30 day extension option.

[Evolare]

I have no experience in tourist visas but i think after you have extended your now last 60day period with 30 days you have to leave the country for as long period as you have been in the country ie 180 days plus 30 days then. I could be wrong but if i remeber correctly this is how it works for europeans and i would assume you have the same terms. Unless you leave the country and apply for a non immigrant visa (non-B if you can get a company to sponsor a visa otherwise student visa if you plan to study thai language for instance with a single entry non immigrant visa you get 90days) of some kind...but they might question it as youve been in the country for 210 days already but as a tourist...

[Evolare]

Strange, I was unaware that one could even get a 180 tourist visa. I only thought you could get them for 60 days with a 30 day extension option.

The 180 day tourist visa is a tripple entry tourist visa giving 60 days on each entry.

[terak]

Strange, I was unaware that one could even get a 180 tourist visa. I only thought you could get them for 60 days with a 30 day extension option.

He hasn't taken his extensions - so 3 x 60 = 180

[ubonjoe]

The 180 days is for the period of validity of the visa not length of stay allowed.

The OP's visa was for three entries of 60 day each would could be extended for 30 days.

Many people are under the false impression that 180 days also means the maximum amount of time you can stay in the country which of course is incorrect.

[Mario2008]

A tourist visa can be aplied for with a number of entries, ranging from 1 to 4 entries (the last one never seen). A 3 entry is not uncommon and would give 3 entries of 60 days, each of which can be extended by 60 days. The price will be 3 times that of a single entry.

Catch is the time the visa is valid. In Asia that is normally only 3 months, so you must make all entries in a period of 3 months. That makes a 3 entry tourist visa useless in most cases, most people option for the double entry tourist visa.

Strange, I was unaware that one could even get a 180 tourist visa. I only thought you could get them for 60 days with a 30 day extension option.

[lopburi3]

180 days is the six month validity for a two or three entry tourist visa issued by many consulates outside the immediate area of Thailand. It is not how long you can stay in Thailand.

There is no requirement to remain outside of Thailand for any period of time before a new entry - there never has been. Believe what you are thinking was the old visa exempt entry requirement of only 90 days in a six month period that ended several years ago.

[ubonjoe]

I have no experience in tourist visas but i think after you have extended your now last 60day period with 30 days you have to leave the country for as long period as you have been in the country ie 180 days plus 30 days then. I could be wrong but if i remeber correctly this is how it works for europeans and i would assume you have the same terms. Unless you leave the country and apply for a non immigrant visa (non-B if you can get a company to sponsor a visa otherwise student visa if you plan to study thai language for instance with a single entry non immigrant visa you get 90days) of some kind...but they might question it as youve been in the country for 210 days already but as a tourist...

I don't quite understand what you are trying to say.

There is absolutely no requirement to stay out of the country for the same amount of time that you were in the country.

A multiple entry non immigrant visa that would be valid for a year can be used to get almost 15 months of stay by doing a border run just before the visa expires and get another 90 day entry. You could then obtain another multiple entry visa by leaving the country before that last 90 day entry runs out and applying for another visa with no problem at all.

Edited April 22, 2013 by ubonjoe

[sometimewoodworker]

I have no experience in tourist visas but i think after you have extended your now last 60day period with 30 days you have to leave the country for as long period as you have been in the country ie 180 days plus 30 days then. I could be wrong but if i remeber correctly this is how it works for europeans and i would assume you have the same terms. Unless you leave the country and apply for a non immigrant visa (non-B if you can get a company to sponsor a visa otherwise student visa if you plan to study thai language for instance with a single entry non immigrant visa you get 90days) of some kind...but they might question it as youve been in the country for 210 days already but as a tourist...

I don't quite understand what you are trying to say.

There is absolutely no requirement to stay out of the country for the same amount of time that you were in the country.

A multiple entry non immigrant visa that would be valid for a year can be used to get almost 15 months of stay by doing a border run just before the visa expires and get another 90 day entry. You could then obtain another multiple entry visa by leaving the country before that last 90 day entry runs out and applying for another visa with no problem at all.

The "requirement to stay out of the country for the same amount of time that you were in the country" is applied to people on tourist visas and is there to prevent multiple back to back visas and has been implemented in the last couple of years. It usually means that tourist visa users are limited to a maximum of 180 days in any one year.

Your example of "A multiple entry non immigrant visa that would be valid for a year " is not a tourist visa and so different rules apply.

However all visas are at the discretion of the issuing consulate. As entry is at the discretion of the immigration officer at the border. This means that rules can be enforced or not as they wish.

Edited April 22, 2013 by sometimewoodworker

[HerbalEd]

Each of the 60 day entries can be extended by 30 days at immigration. If you are on your last 60 day entry you can go to immigration a couple of weeks before your permission to stay expires and get a 30 day extension for 1900 baht. You need to fill in a TM 7 form with a picture and make copies of the bio page, visa, last permission to stay stamp in your passport and departure card. It can be done even if your visa has expired. All the visa does is allow you to enter. The key is the date on your last permission to stay stamp in your passport. If used properly, a 6 month triple entry visa can get you almost 270 days in Thailand with 2 border runs and 3 extensions.

No need to "go a couple of weeks before." I've done it the day before with no problem.

[lopburi3]

The "requirement to stay out of the country for the same amount of time that you were in the country" is applied to people on tourist visas and is there to prevent multiple back to back visas and has been implemented in the last couple of years.

There is, and never has been, any such rule.

[HerbalEd]

I have no experience in tourist visas but i think after you have extended your now last 60day period with 30 days you have to leave the country for as long period as you have been in the country ie 180 days plus 30 days then. I could be wrong but if i remeber correctly this is how it works for europeans and i would assume you have the same terms. Unless you leave the country and apply for a non immigrant visa (non-B if you can get a company to sponsor a visa otherwise student visa if you plan to study thai language for instance with a single entry non immigrant visa you get 90days) of some kind...but they might question it as youve been in the country for 210 days already but as a tourist...

What a buch of misinformation. If, as you say, you "have no experience in tourist visas," why bother to answer what you don't know?

[sidsebastian]

Based on my understanding of your case, you will have to exit Thailand and apply for the 3-month single entry visa. Once you re-enter, you need to extend for 30 days before the 60-day visa expires which will be stamped on your passport upon your re-entry.My first 180-day visa (double entry) expired recently (I exited when the first 90-day entry expired) and I'm in Vientiane at the moment trying to get a second double entry visa. I don't work in Thailand, partly-owned a business in Lao but decided to base myself in Bangkok. The consulate office here gave me only a single entry (90-day) visa instead of the double I'd applied for quoting my nationality but said I can get it if I apply for it in my own country. But in theory, they can still grant me another double entry. The interpretation of Immigration rules varies with each consulate office in different locations/countries.

Maestro, thanks for the quick reply. I am American, and have a 6 month tourist visa with 3 entries. All 3 entries have been used and the visa itself expires this Thursday, 25 April. First entry was made in October, 2nd in December, 3rd in February. Do you know if I can go to immigration office in Pattaya and extend my visa by a month?

[lopburi3]

He can easily extend the current entry for 30 days and then obtain a visa for the additional 60 days if he wants and if he has not overstayed.

[nyujay2010]

Wow, thank you all for your feedback.

Let me clarify my situation. First, I have not overstayed. Second, I received a 6-month triple entry tourist visa (September 18, 2012 - March 17, 2013) from the Thai Consulate in Coral Gables, Florida. During that time I did one visa run to Cambodia, an extension at immigration office, and then went on a trip to US and back. The latest entry stamp in my passport expires 25 April from when I returned from a trip to the US.

Therefore I am confused that since I am passed the March 17, 2013 original visa expiration date, with an approaching expiration date of 25 April on my latest entry, I would like to confirm if I have to now get a new tourist visa or can extend another 30 days? I assume since I am finishing up my last entry (#3) of my visa I can extend 30 days based on what everyone is saying.

Thanks you all for the comments and my apologies for any confusion.

Edited April 22, 2013 by nyujay2010

[lopburi3]

The visa expiration date only means it could not be used for another entry if you had not already used all. You can still extend your current 60 day entry for another 30 days but need to do now/soon - your extension will start on the 26th.

[nyujay2010]

Lopburi3, sounds great! I will go to the immigration office in Pattaya tomorrow and take care of everything.

On a side note, do you know if a song taew goes directly from Naklua (I just got a condo there) or Beach Road to Jomtien Beach? I have never lived in Pattaya before and only familiar with the Beach Road area. Again, thank you very much!

[lopburi3]

One post of totally false information removed - all visa entries must be made during the validity of the visa or they are lost.

You might want to ask questions on Pattaya transport in that forum - suspect you will have to charter or change trucks for that route.

[nyujay2010]

lopburi3, thanks again for the great info.!!

[sometimewoodworker]

The "requirement to stay out of the country for the same amount of time that you were in the country" is applied to people on tourist visas and is there to prevent multiple back to back visas and has been implemented in the last couple of years.

There is, and never has been, any such rule.

A rule maybe not however As of March 2012 there is a policy for local country's. This doesn't usually apply to visas got from embassy's in your home country or country of residence though as always visas can be refused for any or no reason.

Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Penang, which all used to be fairly soft touches on back to back tourist visas for foreigners are now refusing outright to issue to foreigners who have a few already in their passports (no matter where they were issued). They are also stamping peoples passports with the dreaded "red stamp", which basically says, "the holder of this passport has entered Thailand several times on a tourist visa and may be denied another visa at this embassy".

Though this is probably will not affect the OP in his case

[lopburi3]

No there is no such policy either - there may be a Consulate somewhere saying that but it is not policy. If you wish to be more helpful please advise what Consulate(s) have said this and when. Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

Lopburi3, sounds great! I will go to the immigration office in Pattaya tomorrow and take care of everything.

On a side note, do you know if a song taew goes directly from Naklua (I just got a condo there) or Beach Road to Jomtien Beach? I have never lived in Pattaya before and only familiar with the Beach Road area. Again, thank you very much!

Unless thing have changed you have to switch song taew's. You can get one going to Jomtien at the intersection of Pattaya Tai and 2nd road by the school.

Edited April 23, 2013 by ubonjoe