triple entry tourist visa with a 6-month validity

[watgate]

So I am planning on staying in Chiang Mai for 5 months from Oct 25,2014- March 25,2015. I have several questions pertaining to my visa. First off, if it is issued on October 10 and is valid for 6 months, I take it my last border run has to be done before the visa expires. Correct? Secondly,October 25 ( when I arrive in Thailand) until December 22,2014 is 59 days. Can I do my border run on Dec 23 ( the 60th day) ? If so, then does my second entry into Thailand start counting on December 23, 2014? If so, then December 23 until February 19, 2015 would be 59 days. Once again, can I do my border run on February 20, 2015 ( 60th day)? Now, if I start counting after my 3rd entry into Thailand from February 20, 2015 then I reach the 60th day on April 20, 2015 which is more then enough time since I will be departing Thailand on March 25, 2015. Okay now I have another question pertaining to staying for 6 months in Thailand on the same above-mentioned visa since the following year I am planning on staying for 6 months. If my math was correct previously and my visa stay would expire on April 21, 2015, what can I do to get a several day extension since,if I was staying in Thailand for 6 months, I would not be departing until April 25, 2015 and my visa would expire on April 21, 2015 based on my previous calculation? I know you experts will be able to advise me correctly and I appreciate the feedback so I know the best way to proceed. Thanks

[Maestro]

Any time during the last three weeks of your 60-day permission to stay from your third entry you would go to the local immigration office in the area where you are staying and get a 30-day extension of stay for 1,900 Baht. These extra 30 days will be added onto the end of your permission to stay, ie you do not have to wait until the last day.

[TerryLH]

You can do a 30 day extension on any or all of your tourist visa entries.

A 2 entry tourist visa, with extensions on both, will cover the 5 months.

[watgate]

Now if I want to do 30 day extensions on all my tourist visa entries, my calculation puts me up at Mae Sai to do a border run on April 28,2015 to implement my 3rd entry which would put me outside of the 6 month window for the validity period which would have run from the date of issue on October 10,2014 until April 10, 2015. Does that create a problem since I would be attempting to implement my 3rd entry and the resultant 60 days plus another extension OR it is not relevant since I began my 3 entry tourist visa within the prescribed period and it doesn't matter that I am utilizing my 3rd entry on April 28,2015, which I explained previously, is outside the 6 month validity period for the triple entry tourist visa which would be issued to me on October 10,2014?

[ubonjoe]

You can use the 3rd entry on or before the enter before date (6 months from date of issue) that will be on your visa and get a new 60 day entry that can be extended for 30 days. The enter before date is just that it does not limit the amount of time you can be in the country.

[IMA_FARANG]

here's how you "milk: your triple entry visa for all the time it can give you in country.

Your right, it has 180 days and all three entries plus any extensions you add must be used by that "enter by" date.

To get the max use out of that visa ("milking" the visa dry) you use your last entry just on or 1 day before that "enter by" date.

When you enter on the last possible day (day 180) you will get a "permitted to stay" stamp which will be dated 60 days after you enter.

Even though your visa runs out on day 181, that "permitted to stay" stamp will keep you in country legally.

And even though your visa has expired on day 181 that "permitted to stay" stamp can be extended for another 30 days at immigration for a 1900 Baht fee.

It's that "permitted to stay" stamp that you got on day 180 just before your visa ran out that will keep you in country another 90 days (60 day for last entry plus 30 day extension) that will keep you in country as long as you legally can.

As I said above, that is called "milking" the visa dry ..... maximizing the time you have.

If your careful you can in effect get about 270 days on that visa.

But be aware the countdown to expiration (enter by date) starts not when you enter Thailand the first time, but from he date the visa is issued in whatever consulate you get it from.

So don't dawdle and leave for Thailand immediately after the visa is issued. The longer you stay in your home country, the more days you are losing.

[bobo42]

here's how you "milk: your triple entry visa for all the time it can give you in country.

Your right, it has 180 days and all three entries plus any extensions you add must be used by that "enter by" date.

To get the max use out of that visa ("milking" the visa dry) you use your last entry just on or 1 day before that "enter by" date.

When you enter on the last possible day (day 180) you will get a "permitted to stay" stamp which will be dated 60 days after you enter.

Even though your visa runs out on day 181, that "permitted to stay" stamp will keep you in country legally.

And even though your visa has expired on day 181 that "permitted to stay" stamp can be extended for another 30 days at immigration for a 1900 Baht fee.

It's that "permitted to stay" stamp that you got on day 180 just before your visa ran out that will keep you in country another 90 days (60 day for last entry plus 30 day extension) that will keep you in country as long as you legally can.

As I said above, that is called "milking" the visa dry ..... maximizing the time you have.

If your careful you can in effect get about 270 days on that visa.

But be aware the countdown to expiration (enter by date) starts not when you enter Thailand the first time, but from he date the visa is issued in whatever consulate you get it from.

So don't dawdle and leave for Thailand immediately after the visa is issued. The longer you stay in your home country, the more days you are losing.

This. Listen to this guy. I once overlooked the expiration date of the visa on a triple-entry. I was only paying attention to the "permission to stay" date of the second entry, and went I went out to make my next entry, I realized the visa was expired already and I would not be ablt to use the third entry. When you're on your second entry, keep a sharp eye on the visa expiration instead of the "permission to stay" stamp.

Any like he said above, try to get your visa issued as close as possible to your flight date (but make sure you will have it in-hand by then). The expiration date clock starts ticking from the issue-date of the visa.

[watgate]

Since I have to apply through the Portland Oregon honorary consulate in order to get a tourist visa valid for 6 months since seemingly all the other consulate offices only issue a tourist visa for 3 months ,which would be no good for me since I am staying anywhere from 4 - 6 months in Thailand, I need to send away for the visa about 2 weeks before I depart for Thailand to assure I get it back in time since I am on the eastcoast of the U.S and the Portland consulate office is on the west coast. Therefore it is issued approximately 2 weeks prior to my departure to Thailand. Therefore in figuring out the utilization of a triple entry tourist visa valid for 6 months, I have determined that since my tourist visa is issued approximately 2 weeks prior to entering Thailand, I can't stretch out my visa for the maximum 270 days since my visa would have expired before I did my second visa run. Therefore I need to either shorten my 6o days before I apply for the 30 day extensions or shorten my 30 day extensions so that when I get ready to utilize my second visa run (actually my 3rd entry into Thailand counting my initial entry when first arriving in Thailand) my last visa run will still be within the 6-month validity for my tourist visa.

Edited March 15, 2014 by watgate

[Maestro]

I see a contradiction in your post:

1. "I am staying anywhere from 4 - 6 months in Thailand,"
   
2. "I can't stretch out my visa for the maximum 270 days"

[hawker9000]

Since I have to apply through the Portland Oregon honorary consulate in order to get a tourist visa valid for 6 months since seemingly all the other consulate offices only issue a tourist visa for 3 months ,which would be no good for me since I am staying anywhere from 4 - 6 months in Thailand, I need to send away for the visa about 2 weeks before I depart for Thailand to assure I get it back in time since I am on the eastcoast of the U.S and the Portland consulate office is on the west coast. Therefore it is issued approximately 2 weeks prior to my departure to Thailand. Therefore in figuring out the utilization of a triple entry tourist visa valid for 6 months, I have determined that since my tourist visa is issued approximately 2 weeks prior to entering Thailand, I can't stretch out my visa for the maximum 270 days since my visa would have expired before I did my second visa run. Therefore I need to either shorten my 6o days before I apply for the 30 day extensions or shorten my 30 day extensions so that when I get ready to utilize my second visa run (actually my 3rd entry into Thailand counting my initial entry when first arriving in Thailand) my last visa run will still be within the 6-month validity for my tourist visa.

Unless the rule has changed back again, you can no longer mail visa applications to U.S. honorary consulates, you MUST go in person. I know - pretty draconian. You CAN mail them to the regular consulates, like LA. This rule went into effect around the November 2013 timeframe. Also, I think they also laid out a new rule at about that time that you can't use an honorary consulate outside the geographic area you live in. Maybe they've now relaxed these new rules (or are just ignoring them) - if so, would love to know.

Also, I think you'll have difficulty getting either a 3-entry tourist visa OR a six-month validity (i.e., "enter before" date). But maybe if you coordinate successfully with them in advance it can be done. It'd be interesting to know if you ARE successful in getting a 3-entry visa with six-months validity, from the Portland HC or anywhere. And, just by way of closing the circle, if such a visa IS handed out by one of the honoraries, it would be good to know there were actually no difficulties going through Thai immigration with it.

In any case, I'd definitely call or email the consulate you plan to use ahead of time to eliminate unexpected disappointments if you're going to wait until 2 weeks prior to your departure.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The Portland HC website appears to answer all the following questions:

yes, you can apply by mail, provided you're somewhere inside the U.S.

no, you don't have to live in their service area.

yes, they will consider apps for up to 3-entry tourist visas.

Their site doesn't specifically say their tourist visas are valid for 6 months. But if they're offering 3 60-day entry tourist visas, it would seem the validity would have to be that long.

http://www.thai-or.com/visa-information/

Edited March 15, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Maestro]

I suggest that with your visa application you enclose a letter giving your tentative travel itinerary (planned dates of the three entries into Thailand) showing the need for a six-month validity of the visa.

[watgate]

Maestro- A very astute observation. I am planning different scenarios so I can see where you could misconstrue my assertions. In the scenario where I maybe would consider staying for 9 months with a triple-entry tourist visa valid for 6 months, I was addressing the problem in my above-posted reply (#8) with being able to stretch out my tourist visa long enough to encompass the full 9 months of my hypothetical stay considering the need to obtain my tourist visa 2 weeks before my departure to Thailand. I hope this clarifies the situation.