tourist visa with a 3 month validity

[watgate]

After reading some postings where individuals applied for a 3 entry tourist visa with a six month validity period and only received a 3 month validity period, I was wondering what my options would be if that was all I get when I applied through the Washington DC Thai consulate. I have sent a couple of emails to The Washington DC thai consulate and they are very vague and non-committal about addressing whether I would get a 6 month validity with 3 entries even after going to great length to explain my need for 6 months. It's truly ashame that one has to be subjected to this uncertainty and makes planning much more problematic. Forget about applying at the New York Thai consulate because all you will get there is a tourist visa with a 3 month validity period even if you explain to them the need for a tourist visa for 6 months because you are planning to visit a couple of countries during your stay in Thailand. Anyway, it seems like a crapshoot as to whether you get a 3 or 6 month tourist visa at the Washington DC Thai consulate.If I wind up getting a 3 entry tourist visa but with only a 3 month validity period ( even after submitting all the necessary documentation as well as a detailed itinerary showing my need for a 6 validity period) what would be my options. By that I mean I will be staying in Thailand from Nov 6, 2013 until March 6, 2014 and with a 3 entry 3 month valid tourist visa I either have to get to both Cambodia and Laos within the 3 month validity of the Tourist visa or is their any other options so as not having to cram my trips within the 3 month validity period?

[monty]

The three month validity on double (and maybe triple) entry tourist visa's only seems to be an issue when applied for at one of the embassies/consulates in countries neighbouring Thailand.

Going from reports received on this forum, such visa's issued in the West/ones home country always seem to have the proper longer validity.

If you end up with a triple entry 3 month valid visa, your third entry will be useless, and on top you'll have to time your second entry to be before the validity of the visa expires.

If you receive your visa 1 week before entering the country, on arrival you get 60 days, you get another 30 days at immigration (1,900 Baht), at that moment you are allowed to stay longer in Thailand then your visa is valid. If you would stay until the end of your 30 day extension, and then travel, on return you would only get 15 days visa exempt entry as your actual visa will have expired by a week!

If you actually wish to do a lot of travelling, you either do 2 trips outside of Thailand within 3 months of receiving your visa, or you can always apply for a new visa while in any of the countries you travel to. Single entry tourist visa's are available everywhere, double entries are for example available in Laos. At a cost of 1000 Baht per entry, if you are in a neighbouring country anyway, it's not much of an added cost/hassle. Pretty much all the cities/towns where there is a Thai embassy or consulate have agents who for a small fee will complete the whole process for you (or you can obviously do yourself if you don't mind the queuing).

[Maestro]

If your travel itinerary makes a six-month visa validity necessary, accompany your visa application with a letter giving details of the itinerary and request that the visa be made valid for six months. With a visa for a triple-entry tourist visa at a Thai consulate in your country of residence, ie not as someone living in Thailand and applying at a consulate in a neighbouring country, there is no reason why your consulate should not honour your request.

[watgate]

Do you know if Luang Prabang Laos has a Thai embassy or consulate where you can apply for a visa? If so, since I am going to be there for not more then a week, do you know if I can get a visa in that short of a time period?

[lopburi3]

No Thai Consulate in Luang Prabang - only in Vientiane and Savannakhet.

[watgate]

What is the usual turn around time to get a tourist visa in Vientiane Laos? Can one be obtained in a few days?

[Lite Beer]

Apply in the morning and collect next day afternoon