Hi,

I am a British Citizen, currently living in Canada. I am flying to Bangkok at the beginning of April on a one way ticket. My plan is to visit various dive shops, decide which one I like best, then sign up for a dive master and then possibly instructor course.

I don't know how long I will be there, nor do I know where I want to go next, hence I got the one way ticket. Also I don't know which dive shop I will sign up with, so I don't have a letter confirming my course.

I'd like some advice on what I should do as I understand I am only going to be granted a 30 day visa on arrival, and my one way ticket may be an issue.

Should I visit the local thai consulate and get a visa before going, if so which visa should I ask for? Or should I get there, sort out my course, then visit an immigration office in thailand to sort out a new visa?

Thanks

The problem you might have with a one ticket is that the airline might not let you board the flight if you don't have a visa or a flight out of the country within 30 days.

If they did let you fly, you'd get a 30 day visa exempt entry. It's not a visa. You then would have to leave the country to get a visa. You don't 'sort out a new visa' at immigration.

You should get a tourist visa before coming here. Probably a double or triple entry since you aren't sure what your schedule will be like.

Each entry will be good for 60 days and can be extended at an immigration office for 30 more days.

You can do your courses on a tourist visa, or you can try to get an ED Visa with paperwork from the dive company.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info... As I haven't signed up for a dive course, the triple entry tourist visa sounds like the way to go. I'll get some photos done and visit the embassy tomorrow.

The triple entry sounds the best. If you get the visa just prior to departure and use it correctly you can get almost 270 days permission to stay with two border runs and three 30 day extensions. You can go to school on a tourist visa and it will give you some time to decide which school you want to pursue an ED visa with for your instructor course and not get locked into the wrong one at first.

I suggest you contact one of the honorary consulates to get your visa (Vancouver is not one). Contact info here: http://www.thaiembassy.ca/en/visiting-thailand/visas/general-visa-info/where-obtain-visa-in-canada

Thanks for the info. One thing I'm not 100% sure on is the validity period. So far as I understand it, it is valid for 6 months from the date they give it to me, meaning my last entry into the country on the visa has to be within 6 months of the issue date. Does this mean that in order to get the most out of it, I should wait until a few days before I fly to Thailand to request the visa? If I get it tomorrow, but I don't fly to Thailand until April then that will be a few weeks of the validity used up. Is that correct?

That is correct.

Thanks for the info... As I haven't signed up for a dive course, the triple entry tourist visa sounds like the way to go. I'll get some photos done and visit the embassy tomorrow.

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Talk to the consulate about the triple entry tourist visa versus the double entry visa.

Both will probably have a 180 day expiration date .... meaning they have a "enter before date" 180 days after they are ISSUED where you get them.

The 180 countdown clock does NOT start on your entry to Thailand, it starts on the day when the visa is ISSUED.

That means they effectively expire after 180 days.

With a triple entry tourist visa all three entries have to be used before that 180 day expiration date.

Because that visa expires on day 180 after it is issued the best you can get is about 240 days NOT 270 days.

You get that 240 days by making your last entry on the 179th day, and doing a 30 extension on that entry.

The best you will be able to do to squeeze into that 180 day "must enter before" time is three entries and TWO extensions on those three entries.

That will give you a total of about 240 days.

That may not be a big difference, but many people make the mistake of going back after two entries and 2 extension (total 180 days) for their 3rd entry ..... only to find to their horror that since it is now day 181 after their visa was issued ,,,, their visa is now past that 180th day expiration point and they will not get that 3rd entry they paid for.

As long as you understand this, your triple entry tourist visa will expire 180 days after you get it, and you must make your 3rd entry on the before the 180th day after you received the visa ,,,, you will be o.k.

There is no mathematical way to squeeze 3 entries (3 times 60 = 180) and 3 extensions (3 times 30 = 90) or a total of 270 days into that 180 days before expiration period.

The best you can do by making your 3rd entry on or before day 180 is 3 entries and TWO extensions for a total of 240 days.

A double entry visa will also expire on day 180 after it is issued but it will cost less that a triple entry and you get two entries and two extensions before day 180 expiration date.

Edited March 11, 201412 yr by IMA_FARANG

Thanks for the info... As I haven't signed up for a dive course, the triple entry tourist visa sounds like the way to go. I'll get some photos done and visit the embassy tomorrow.

--------------------

Talk to the consulate about the triple entry tourist visa versus the double entry visa.

Both will probably have a 180 day expiration date .... meaning they have a "enter before date" 180 days after they are ISSUED where you get them.

The 180 countdown clock does NOT start on your entry to Thailand, it starts on the day when the visa is ISSUED.

That means they effectively expire after 180 days.

With a triple entry tourist visa all three entries have to be used before that 180 day expiration date.

Because that visa expires on day 180 after it is issued the best you can get is about 240 days NOT 270 days.

You get that 240 days by making your last entry on the 179th day, and doing a 30 extension on that entry.

The best you will be able to do to squeeze into that 180 day "must enter before" time is three entries and TWO extensions on those three entries.

That will give you a total of about 240 days.

That may not be a big difference, but many people make the mistake of going back after two entries and 2 extension (total 180 days) for their 3rd entry ..... only to find to their horror that since it is now day 181 after their visa was issued ,,,, their visa is now past that 180th day expiration point and they will not get that 3rd entry they paid for.

As long as you understand this, your triple entry tourist visa will expire 180 days after you get it, and you must make your 3rd entry on the before the 180th day after you received the visa ,,,, you will be o.k.

There is no mathematical way to squeeze 3 entries (3 times 60 = 180) and 3 extensions (3 times 30 = 90) or a total of 270 days into that 180 days before expiration period.

The best you can do by making your 3rd entry on or before day 180 is 3 entries and TWO extensions for a total of 240 days.

A double entry visa will also expire on day 180 after it is issued but it will cost less that a triple entry and you get two entries and two extensions before day 180 expiration date.

A lot of repeating yourself, just to end up giving incorrect information.

It is true that you can't get 270 days out of a triple entry tourist visa with 6 months/180 days validity, but you can get almost 270 days if you time it correctly and certainly more than 240 days. To gain the maximum time in Thailand, the OP should have the visa issued as close to his departure date as possible (which he understands). With three entries and three extensions (not two as you advice) he will achieve a few days less than 270 days, he just have to make sure to re-enter Thailand for the third time on or the day before his visa expires. Note that this will be a few days before his second extension expires, so he won't get the full 30 days out of that extension.

Sophon

Thanks to everyone who answered. I understand the situation now. I'll go to the embassy the week before my departure to get a triple entry visa and make my last entry as close to the expiry date as possible.

Can anyone give me some advice on how to obtain the 30 day extensions? I assume I need to go to an immigration office somewhere in Thailand before the 60th day to do this. What do I need to tell them and what documents will they need. Can they refuse the extension?

Thanks

Apply a few days before expiry at any Immigration office in Thailand.
You need a TM7 form which they will have.
Passport size photo of yourself.
1,900 Baht fee.

The process is routine and never refused.

Perfect, all sounds pretty straight forward. Thanks