4 month holiday Questions

[jayci]

Hello, I am currently residing in Australia and traveling on a New Zealand Passport.

I will want to holiday in Thailand between 14 january to around 1 May 2014.

I think the best option is to apply for a double entry tourist visa in Australia before leaving.

Is that correct? Which Thai Embassey should I use?

Does my return ticket need to be dated before the 1st expiry of the double entry visa(60days?) or can it be dated for 1 May?

Last time I holiday in Thailand, I booked return flight for 4 months out. I travelled on a 30 day entry premit and the airline made me rescedule the return flight within the 30days of the departure flight(because the airline can be made responible if overstay, blah blah). Then when I was in Thailand had to reshedule the flight to 4 months out(went to Laos and got tourist visa, before 30day permit expired), pain in the arse.

Passport expires 30 Oct 2014, will this be a problem?

Any other insights for a naive traveller?

Thanks in advance for replies.

[Sceptict11]

If you have a visa there will be no issues with the airline. The passport will be OK

[ubonjoe]

Dependent on where you apply for the visa you should not need to show a return ticket.

If you have a visa there is no requirement to have a ticket out of the country.

You will still have more than 6 months left on your passport when you apply for your visa so there is no problem with your passport.

I suggest you contact one of the honorary consulates verses the embassy or consulate in Sydney. Contact info: http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/consulate.html

[jayci]

Just downloaded the visa application A form. Form says that second entry visa must be used within 3 months of issue. Does that mean that I need the visa issued within a few days of leaving Australia? Planning on leaving Australia 14 December and stay in new Zealand for a month.

How long does the visa application process take. Don't want to leave it to late and not get the visa before I go.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[lopburi3]

If that means the Consulate in Oz visa is only valid for 3 months from date of issue and you are staying a month elsewhere before arrival you will likely have to exit/return for second entry within about 50 days of Thai arrival so second entry may have to be extended 30 days to cover entire visit. Check with the Consulate as to how long it will take to issue but I would allow a week extra or visit in person to be sure.

[ubonjoe]

Just downloaded the visa application A form. Form says that second entry visa must be used within 3 months of issue. Does that mean that I need the visa issued within a few days of leaving Australia? Planning on leaving Australia 14 December and stay in new Zealand for a month.

How long does the visa application process take. Don't want to leave it to late and not get the visa before I go.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

That is application form from embassy website. You should check with one of the honorary consulates which would more than likely issue the visa with a 6 month validity.

It should not take more than a few days to get your visa from one of them.

[IMA_FARANG]

The visa you get whether in Australia or new Zealand will have a expiration date.

Usually that is 180 days after it is issued.

The countdown starts the day the visa is issued.

So it's to your advantage to get the visa as late as possible before you actually leave, simply because the countdown to expiration starts 180 days after the visa is issued, NOT when you enter Thailand.

Now if you have any kind of a visa you will not need to worry about a return ticket.

The requirement for a ticket is only for those who enter Thailand on a visa exempt 30 day entry stamp, like you got the other time you entered Thailand.

If you have a visa, there is no requirement for a ticket .... that's one advantage of a visa. By the way a return ticket is never required, it is merely any ticket out of Thailand, even to a neighboring country that is all that is required.

Now if you intend to stay 4 months in Thailand there are two ways to do it.

One is to get that double entry tourist visa, which will probably be good for 180 days after issue.

Each entry will get you a 60 day stay entry stamp on arrival, and each entry can be extended 30 days at your local immigration office in Thailand for a fee of 1900 baht per extension.

You will need to activate your 2nd entry just before your 1st entry ends.

I like to do that with a 'border run", going to the nearest Thai border on the 89th day just before your 1st entry plus 30 day extension is about to end.

Then you exit Thailand and immediately re-enter Thailand. That 2nd entry gets you another 60 day entrance stamp which you can also be extended for another 30 days at immigration for another 1900 Baht fee.

The total of those two entries and two extensions will give you 180 days in Thailand, or about 6 months Thailand time.

That's more than the 4 months you wanted, just don't have to pay for that 2nd extension if you don't need it.

The other method of getting 4 months in Thailand is to:

• Arrive with a ticket out of country to a neighboring country by air and get that same 30 day visa exempt stamp you did before. make sure the ticket is on the 30th day after you arrive. A ticket to Malaysia, Laos, or Cambodia will do fine.
• Fly out of Thailand to that country and get a single entry tourist visa there from the Thai consulate in that country. That will give you 60 days on entry, and that can also be extended for 30 days at immigration in country .... so a total of 120 days in country by both.

Pick whichever of those two methods you choose, both will work.

[tpo25]

Iwhat I did was get a multi entry visa Thai embarcy perth the main requirement they said was some proof that you had a return ticket

I living in perth on nz passport

[TerryLH]

"So it's to your advantage to get the visa as late as possible before you actually leave, simply because the countdown to expiration starts 180 days after the visa is issued, NOT when you enter Thailand."