I have a 3 entry tourist visa... but...

[bananafish]

I only arrived in Thailand on the 28th last month, with a UK issued 3 entry tourist visa, with 'enter before' 18th september.

I presumed each entry was a maximum of 60 days, right?

However, last night I inspected my passport and noticed that the immigration officer at the airport may not even have looked at the visa sticker in my passport, although I handed it to him at that page.

My passport is stamped saying 'admit until' 27th may. The stamp is a few pages away from my visa sticker, which seems to have not been acknowledged.

I have plans and accommodation booked beyond that.

I could go to immigration and try sort it out, but I'm thinking I might just take a short holiday in Cambodia, which I'd planned to do anyway, then return making sure that that entry is chalked as my first on the 3 entry visa.

Just to be sure though, I wanted to ask, if I should indeed have been granted 60 days per entry, and if any stamp or mark should have been placed on my visa sticker, because none was. I just got a regular 30 day visa upon entry stamp, a few pages away from my tourist visa sticker.

[ubonjoe]

You apparently only got a 30 day visa exempt entry when you arrived. Did you write your visa number on the arrival card?

Normally they would of marked that you had used an entry on your visa sticker.

You can leave and re-enter and use the1st entry of your visa the next time you enter.

[NomadJoe]

Yes you should have gotten 60 days and one entry used. This is a common problem. Happened to a friend on a business visa last weekend. Luckily she caught it and they changed it. For you it doesn't matter so much. No need to go back to immigration to have in changed, as it's not required that you use the visa on entry. I know of more than one case where people have reported being able to get the officer to ignore the visa and stamp them in visa exempt when it is more beneficial for them to not yet use the visa, IE they only plan to stay for less than 30 days on the initial entry. That does save an entry, but it doesn't change the fact that the visa validity expires 6 months from issue (18th Sept) and you must use your last entry by then or lose that entry.

Edited May 14, 2014 by NomadJoe

[bananafish]

Thanks.

This actually works out pretty well for me.

[sometimewoodworker]

Yes you should have gotten 60 days and one entry used. This is a common problem. Happened to a friend on a business visa last weekend. Luckily she caught it and they changed it. For you it doesn't matter so much. No need to go back to immigration to have in changed, as it's not required that you use the visa on entry. I know of more than one case where people have reported being able to get the officer to ignore the visa and stamp them in visa exempt when it is more beneficial for them to not yet use the visa, IE they only plan to stay for less than 30 days on the initial entry. That does save an entry, but it doesn't change the fact that the visa validity expires 6 months from issue (18th Sept) and you must use your last entry by then or lose that entry.

While I have once got a 30 day visa exempt entry while I had an unused visa in my passport when I left 2 days later I almost had the visa entry canceled as the immigration officer said that I should not have been given the "30 day visa exempt entry" it was only my wife who managed to persuade the officer to stamp me out on the VEE and not cancel my unused single entry.

So my advice is to go to your local immigration office and get it corrected. You may well loose one of your entry's anyway.

[JimHuaHin]

Yes you should have gotten 60 days and one entry used. This is a common problem. Happened to a friend on a business visa last weekend. Luckily she caught it and they changed it. For you it doesn't matter so much. No need to go back to immigration to have in changed, as it's not required that you use the visa on entry. I know of more than one case where people have reported being able to get the officer to ignore the visa and stamp them in visa exempt when it is more beneficial for them to not yet use the visa, IE they only plan to stay for less than 30 days on the initial entry. That does save an entry, but it doesn't change the fact that the visa validity expires 6 months from issue (18th Sept) and you must use your last entry by then or lose that entry.

I had a similar 'clerical' problem a few years ago ... luckily I checked my passport as I was walking away from the immigration booth ... I waited until the immigration officer was finished with his then current client ... walked back and pointed out the 'issue', and had it corrected then and there.

Thus, always check your passport and the visa stamp after you passport is handed back to you ... saves a lot of potential problems later on.

[bifftastic]

If you write the visa number in the space provided on the arrival card, that usually alerts the IO to the fact that you have a visa somewhere in your passport. Then they should look for it

[Russ McD]

I would be very careful about assuming your early trip to Cambodia will solve the problem !

In ignorance, I tried a similar ruse a couple of years ago .... I came over with a 60 day UK issued Tourist Visa in my passport .... was lucky to get a 30 day visa exempt on arrival at the airport, then went off for a week in Laos 2 weeks later.

Leaving Thai (by road, on a m/c) was no problem, but when I tried to re-enter a week later (at the Vientiane Friendship bridge), the sharp eyed immigration officer looked at the 60 day visa, and the date it was issued.

Then looked at the 30 day visa exempt stamp with its later date.....

she went ballistic, cancelled my unused 60 day Tourist Visa, and gave me a 15 day entry permit.

Later I did look closely at the "rules" on the Hull Thai Embassy site, and it states you can not do this, so she was correct.

Take this as a word of warning, and don't bank on your plan working, especially with recent events. I appreciate that some readers will have had Thai partners to argue their case ( I didn't), so have a contingency plan if you do go ahead.

Rgds.

[Lokie]

I had same happen in 2008, had a class B multi, my arrival card had been completed correctly, alas the IO did not see my visa or whatever, stamp a 30 day waiver incorrectly, entailed a trip to Immigration and 40 mins of waiting about (Phuket) They just wrote over the incorrect stamp in Thai, then stamped and dated this then issued correct entry - That was the official way of dealing with it. In current climate with the back to backs etc, I would ensure things are exactly correct in my Passport...

Edited May 15, 2014 by Lokie

[bananafish]

Hhhmmm. Food for thought.

I might just risk it, play dumb if it comes to it and hope for the best. There are 3 page flicks between the visa and the 30 day stamp.

And I did have my visa number written on the arrival card to start with.

[LivinLOS]

I would be very careful about assuming your early trip to Cambodia will solve the problem !

In ignorance, I tried a similar ruse a couple of years ago .... I came over with a 60 day UK issued Tourist Visa in my passport .... was lucky to get a 30 day visa exempt on arrival at the airport, then went off for a week in Laos 2 weeks later.

Leaving Thai (by road, on a m/c) was no problem, but when I tried to re-enter a week later (at the Vientiane Friendship bridge), the sharp eyed immigration officer looked at the 60 day visa, and the date it was issued.

Then looked at the 30 day visa exempt stamp with its later date.....

she went ballistic, cancelled my unused 60 day Tourist Visa, and gave me a 15 day entry permit.

Later I did look closely at the "rules" on the Hull Thai Embassy site, and it states you can not do this, so she was correct.

Take this as a word of warning, and don't bank on your plan working, especially with recent events. I appreciate that some readers will have had Thai partners to argue their case ( I didn't), so have a contingency plan if you do go ahead.

Rgds.

I always thought you can ask not to use any stamp. I know years ago I did..

I had a tourist visa, but I knew I would only be here for a few days and didnt want to use it at that entry.. I simply said I wanted a 30 day and they gave me a visa exempt entry allowing me to use the TR on my next visit.

[smotherb]

Hhhmmm. Food for thought.

I might just risk it, play dumb if it comes to it and hope for the best. There are 3 page flicks between the visa and the 30 day stamp.

And I did have my visa number written on the arrival card to start with.

Yeah, play dumb, good plan.

[tomyumchai]

If you write the visa number in the space provided on the arrival card, that usually alerts the IO to the fact that you have a visa somewhere in your passport. Then they should look for it

i had the same, well almost the same issue on my first 'proper' visa. i didnt realise that i had to write the visa number on the arrival card. i was used to just turning up and getting stamped in.

the immigration guy spotted it and told me if i didnt write the number down he would have just stamped me in on a 30 exempt. i guess they dont notice the whole page thai written visa stamps then?

[CFC]

I cant believe people don't check there passports after they clear immigration. Its Thailand after all were anything and everything can get messed up.

[NomadJoe]

I would be very careful about assuming your early trip to Cambodia will solve the problem !

In ignorance, I tried a similar ruse a couple of years ago .... I came over with a 60 day UK issued Tourist Visa in my passport .... was lucky to get a 30 day visa exempt on arrival at the airport, then went off for a week in Laos 2 weeks later.

Leaving Thai (by road, on a m/c) was no problem, but when I tried to re-enter a week later (at the Vientiane Friendship bridge), the sharp eyed immigration officer looked at the 60 day visa, and the date it was issued.

Then looked at the 30 day visa exempt stamp with its later date.....

she went ballistic, cancelled my unused 60 day Tourist Visa, and gave me a 15 day entry permit.

Later I did look closely at the "rules" on the Hull Thai Embassy site, and it states you can not do this, so she was correct.

Take this as a word of warning, and don't bank on your plan working, especially with recent events. I appreciate that some readers will have had Thai partners to argue their case ( I didn't), so have a contingency plan if you do go ahead.

Rgds.

I always thought you can ask not to use any stamp. I know years ago I did..

I had a tourist visa, but I knew I would only be here for a few days and didnt want to use it at that entry.. I simply said I wanted a 30 day and they gave me a visa exempt entry allowing me to use the TR on my next visit.

I asked for a VE stamp entering at Swampy and was denied. Must use tourist visa I was told. There was another member here that posted the same. Seems to be one of those "at the descretion of the officer" things.

[bifftastic]

If you write the visa number in the space provided on the arrival card, that usually alerts the IO to the fact that you have a visa somewhere in your passport. Then they should look for it

i had the same, well almost the same issue on my first 'proper' visa. i didnt realise that i had to write the visa number on the arrival card. i was used to just turning up and getting stamped in.

the immigration guy spotted it and told me if i didnt write the number down he would have just stamped me in on a 30 exempt. i guess they dont notice the whole page thai written visa stamps then?

I reckon that if you spend all day stamping passports you're not likely to leaf through every page just in case there's a visa in there somewhere.

Anyway, always worth a quick glance at what's been stamped in your passport before heading off

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[lvr181]

Ensure you write the visa number in the space provided on the arrival card, that usually alerts the IO to the fact that you have a visa somewhere in your passport. Then hand over your passport opened on the page where the Thai Visa is located. That may alleviate any problem.

[lucifer666]

Happened to me on my first visit here. My fault, i had a 60 day visa but filled the wrong info in on the card they gave me on the plane. When i flew back to the UK (2 months later) they pulled me up about it. Once i showed them the correct visa, it wasn't a problem. No worries.