60 days in CM from USA -- visa advice?

[toonii]

First post. Very simple question which has probably been answered many times, but I have searched and not found what I need.

I plan to travel to Chiang Mai from the USA in Feb and stay for approximately 60 days. What is the easiest way to handle the visa? I know that

I get 30 days as a tourist just by flying into Thailand (I have done this several times). But I've never stayed longer than one month.

So, should I go to the trouble of applying for a tourist visa before traveling? Or, should I just do a border run about a month into my

trip? Will a border run give me another 30 days or 15 days?

Btw, my return airline ticket is scheduled for 28 days after arrival. When I booked the trip I only planned to stay that long. Now I

want to stay longer than originally scheduled, so I plan to change the return date of this ticket once I have a better idea of when I

want to return.

I apologize for taking space for this newbie question. I appreciate all advice on this issue. Many thanks.

[wayned]

If you have a ticket exiting Thailand 28 days after your arrival just come and get a 30 day visa exempt entry and do a border run to get the extra 30 days. Don't change the ticket before you come as you might have to have a reservation exiting within 30 days of arrival to board the aircraft.

Other option is single entry tourist visa, no border run required. Might actually cheaper and more convenient than the above.

Edited January 5, 2014 by wayned

[IMA_FARANG]

In order to get a single entry tourist visa which :

• Is good for 60 days on entry to Thailand
• Can be extended at your local immigration in Thailand for another 30 days for a fee of 1900 Baht

You get that visa at your nearest Thai consulate in the U.S. before you leave.

There is a fee for that visa.

Having a visa makes eliminates the "having a ticket" problem with the airlines .... if you have a visa in your passport they won't ask you about your ticket, as they may when you travel to Thailand without a visa.

Call your nearest Thai consulate and ask for details.

You can apply for a Thai visa and receive it via mail in the U.S.

Or you can go to the consulate and pick it up there in person with your passport.

Changing your airline ticket is another matter, you'll have to take that up with the airline.

To change the date of return on your ticket may require extra cost .... talk to the airline about that.

The general rule is that the cheapest fare tickets have more restrictions on changing the dates, and you have to pay for that ability.

[toonii]

If you have a ticket exiting Thailand 28 days after your arrival just come and get a 30 day visa exempt entry and do a border run to get the extra 30 days. Don't change the ticket before you come as you might have to have a reservation exiting within 30 days of arrival to board the aircraft.

Other option is single entry tourist visa, no border run required. Might actually cheaper and more convenient than the above.

Thanks for both quick replies. I now know my two options. I'll check on the single entry tourist visa, but good to know that a single border

run option will also give me the time that I need.