My first 30 day Thai tourist visa is about to expire. I have been told I can go to the Thai Embassy in Vientiane, and get a 60 day tourist visa for Thailand. Is this possible? How long will it take to get it?

If I go across the border into Laos, and back into Thailand, it appears I will get a 15 day tourist visa. Is it true that I can do this many times, or is there a limit on this?

There is no 30 day tourist visa. What you probably got was a visa exempt stamp on arrival. Most Europeans and North Americans get that when they don't have a visa before they enter Thailand. If that's what you do have, you can't get an extension for that.

But, yes, you can get a single entry 60 day tourist visa in one of the countries neighboring Thailand, at a Thai consulate there. That visa is good for a 60 day entry to Thailand. it can then be extended for another 30 days in Thailand at your local immigration for a 1900 Baht fee. So together it would give you 90 days.

If you get one of these in Laos or Cambodia remember you will need that country's visa to enter that country.

It normally takes 2 days to get a tourist visa for Thailand, The first day you submit the paperwork in the morning at the Thai embassy, and then return the next day after 1 p.m. to pick up the visa in your passport.

So it's a two day process.

If you enter over a land border into Thailand without a visa you get a 15 day entry, but with a visa you will still get that 60 day entry because of the visa.

So, yes, it's possible.

Hi Ima. Thank you for your informative reply. I will follow your advice, beginning with a 15 day entry, to give myself some breathing space. Thanks again.