Can someone quickly break down the Visa rules for an American?

[ubonjoe]

You should check with the embassy/consulate. I have friends here on a Non-Imm O. Just visiting friends. Issued in 2014.

You will not get a non-o visa for visiting friends anymore anywhere. That was stopped more than 2 years ago.

Ah. Got it.

Thanks.

I don't know where they got them but I am sure were not obtained at an embassy or official consulate. Even when they were being done regularly they were not done by them. There were only done at a few honorary consulates.

[Suradit69]

i've never seen more than 5 ppl at the DC consulate.

During my talk today with the Thai embassy in Washington DC I was told that I could send my passport to the Thai embassy in NY.

You can do it by mail to the official consulate in NY. There is only one embassy the others are consulates.

Only the honorary consulates cannot accept mail in applications.

As pointed out by Ubonjoe:

Since Washington is the capital of the US, that Thai mission would be an embassy. The others in places like NY are consulates.

[CMSteve]

Turns out it was done in person at the Atlanta office.

You should check with the embassy/consulate. I have friends here on a Non-Imm O. Just visiting friends. Issued in 2014.

You will not get a non-o visa for visiting friends anymore anywhere. That was stopped more than 2 years ago.

Ah. Got it.

Thanks.

I don't know where they got them but I am sure were not obtained at an embassy or official consulate. Even when they were being done regularly they were not done by them. There were only done at a few honorary consulates.

[Oryx816]

Wayned,

I live in New Jersey. Does that matter?

It does not matter. But you would have to travel to Portland to apply because the honorary consulates have not been allowed to accept mail in applications for about a year now.

The nearest location for you is probably at the official consulate in New York. http://thaiconsulnewyork.com/

During my talk today with the Thai embassy in Washington DC I was told that I could send my passport to the Thai embassy in NY. I was going to send my passport and application via UPS, and with a return envelope. I did the same for when I went to South Korea.

Since you are in NJ why don't you just drive to the consulate in NY? They are pretty efficient and I doubt you will need a letter, just fill out the paperwork. I also had excellent service from the LA consulate, but no need for you to go that route since you are so close to NY. If you go on their website, I think it provides all the necessary information and forms. As an aside, I would not mention any intentions to work or seek employment.

Oryx

[Smurkster]

If you try, it shouldn't be that hard to find a teaching position of some sort, especially in a bigger city.. Just be careful though, I have heard too many stories about people being hired with the promise of being set up with a visa and WP, just to have it all fall apart on them cause the school couldn't carry through with what they said in the first place...

Just get the tourist visa, instead of relying on the 30 day stamp, that way at least you have sixty days the start looking around without worrying about having to leave the country

I wish you the best of luck with everything

[JLCrab]

If it is not convenient for you to visit the NYC Thai Consulate (is it ever?) you can still do it by mail -- it is only the Honorary Thai Consulates who have the no-mail restriction.

[movsrus]

1) correct.

2.) Singe entry is for 60 days and can be extended by another 30 days. As it is a single, you can only use it once to enter Thailand.

3.) A double entry is two entries into Thailand, each entry is for 60 days and each entry can be extended by 30 days).

For the double entry visa do I need to send a letter to the Thai embassy in Washington DC? How should I state the letter? Can I say that I am attempting to find a teaching position? I want my letter to be as professional as possible.

For the single entry visa do I need special paperwork?

Thanks for your help Mario. It's appreciated.

I applied for a double entry visa from the Washington, DC embassy in September of 2013. I got a call from the embassy asking why I wanted a double entry visa and I told them I was looking at various places in Thailand to retire and wanted to do some more exploration before I made my decision. They asked me to fax them a letter stating this,which I did, and in 3 days I got the double entry visa. I don't know what they would say if you told them you were going to Thailand to look for work so it might be better to say you are traveling around and just want enough time to check things out.

[movsrus]

I flew into Thailand on May 10, 2014 from Philadelphia. I had a return ticket for July 21, 2014 and the agent looked at the visa (single entry granted from Washington, DC embassy) and questioned me about why my return ticket was more than 60 days from the arrival date. I showed her past visas and visa extensions telling her I would apply for an extension to cover the length of time I was in Thailand which seemed to satisfy her but if you fly Delta Airlines be sure you have a visa for your stay as they will prevent you from boarding if you don't and your return ticket is over 30 days from departure. You can see at the top of the boarding pass (assuming you print your own at home before going to the airport) where it says something to the effect of Visa Required for Travel.

Edited June 4, 2014 by movsrus

[ubonjoe]

I flew into Thailand on May 10, 2014 from Philadelphia. I had a return ticket for July 21, 2014 and the agent looked at the visa (single entry granted from Washington, DC embassy) and questioned me about why my return ticket was more than 60 days from the arrival date. I showed her past visas and visa extensions telling her I would apply for an extension to cover the length of time I was in Thailand which seemed to satisfy her but if you fly Delta Airlines be sure you have a visa for your stay as they will prevent you from boarding if you don't if your return ticket is over 30 days from departure. You can see at the top of the boarding pass (assuming you print your own at home before going to the airport) where it says something to the effect of Visa Required for Travel.

A return or onward ticket is not required if you have a visa of any kind.

You can see the same IATA database info that the airline can check by entering the info here. http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/

[POSA290103]

Ben, If you get a double entry tourist visa and go for the first 30 day extension make sure you check the expiration date on the visa. I got the extension and when I did the border crossing 30 days later I was past the "must use by" date by a few days. I was denied the second half of the visa and had to do a bunch of two week crossings. It was a pain to say the least. Make sure to check the date stamped on the Visa and use the second half before then. By stretching out the extension for the full 30 days I lost 90 days. You shouldn't have any problem getting the Visa in NY. Never saw a waiting line there.

[benj005]

Ben, If you get a double entry tourist visa and go for the first 30 day extension make sure you check the expiration date on the visa. I got the extension and when I did the border crossing 30 days later I was past the "must use by" date by a few days. I was denied the second half of the visa and had to do a bunch of two week crossings. It was a pain to say the least. Make sure to check the date stamped on the Visa and use the second half before then. By stretching out the extension for the full 30 days I lost 90 days. You shouldn't have any problem getting the Visa in NY. Never saw a waiting line there.

Thanks for the heads up. I will do just that. I'm just a little concerned about how I'm going to explain why I need a double entry visa. I will tell them that I need the time to look around and not say anything about work or my girlfriend.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[ubonjoe]

If they do ask just tell you are taking a sabbatical form work and want to spend some time in this wonderful country.

I suggest you have a look at the teaching in Thailand forum. If you have the qualifications you may be able to find a job easily,

[sometimewoodworker]

I have never heard of anybody having to write a letter to submit with their visa application to justify getting a 2 entry visa.

Just an application form marked for a tourist visa with 2 in the number of entries block.

You probably could get 3 entry visa if you applied at one of the honorary consulates listed here. http://www.thaiembdc.us/dcdp/Thai_Consulate_Directory2

Probably a different way of saying something like this

"9. Detail of itinerary or explanation of purpose of visit to Thailand."

From the Tokyo embassy.

FWIW They also want a guarantor if you aren't Japanese.

[JimGant]

It does not matter. But you would have to travel to Portland to apply because the honorary consulates have not been allowed to accept mail in applications for about a year now.

Hmmm. Portland's website has been revised since the edict on non mail ins -- but it still promotes mail in applications. I emailed Mary twice about this -- but no answer (historically, she had been very good in answering my queries). Just maybe she doesn't want to go on record about their policy.

This is in contrast to Houston, whose website has the following:

Per new instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand we are not accepting visa applications by mail or Fed Ex until further notice. All applications must be made in person.

This policy is under review, but is in effect until further notice. Please continue to check our website for updates.

I emailed Houston, and they replied -- yep, policy is still in effect.

Portland has been the go-to honorary consulate of choice, including getting a Non Imm O, multiple, if you were over 50 and could prove the financials. Tourist visas too did not require a round trip ticket or detail of itinerary (a la Thai Embassy DC), and you could get a triple entry, validity 6 months. A real pleasure to do business with, from all accounts.

Thus, for the OP, I'd suggest a phone call to Mary -- to get an off-the-record reply as to what's what with mail ins......

[benj005]

I sent my packet to the Thai consulate general in New York today. I don't have a car so I couldn't drive there. I wrote a note that explained why I was requesting a double entry visa.

I don't think I should run into any issues.

Should I buy an onward ticket from Thailand to play it safe?

[benj005]

Also, I called Thai embassy in Washington and the consulate in New York.

When I talked with the embassy in Washington DC the guy there told me that I needed all these things. Personal letter why I want double entry, plane Itinerary, etc...

The guy from NY had a 2 min conversation. He told me that I didn't need any of these things and said I'm good. Their website doesn't even state that I need a letter and a plane itinerary showing that I have a round trip ticket.

Hopefully, I will not run into any issues.

Edited June 5, 2014 by benj005

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Welcome to Thailand!!!

You'll find, there are some differences between what the Embassy and the three official consulates require in terms of documentation for getting different things. And there are also differences, sometimes, between what the official consulates and the honorary ones will do, both by policy and just in practice.

That's sometimes why different posters report different experiences about what can and cannot be done. Historically, it's also been true that some of the various honorary consulates have been more helpful/cooperative than their official counterparts... though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to have been trying to curtail that flexibility, such as through the mail-in applications restriction.

Bottom line, it often can pay off to do a bit of research here and shop around, depending on one's particular location and accessibility to the various consulates and honorary consulates, to see what visa-issuing location is going to provide the best fit/response for what someone needs.

Edited June 5, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[benj005]

Welcome to Thailand!!!

You'll find, there are some differences between what the Embassy and the three official consulates require in terms of documentation for getting different things. And there are also differences, sometimes, between what the official consulates and the honorary ones will do, both by policy and just in practice.

That's sometimes why different posters report different experiences about what can and cannot be done. Historically, it's also been true that some of the various honorary consulates have been more helpful/cooperative than their official counterparts... though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to have been trying to curtail that flexibility, such as through the mail-in applications restriction.

Bottom line, it often can pay off to do a bit of research here and shop around, depending on one's particular location and accessibility to the various consulates and honorary consulates, to see what visa-issuing location is going to provide the best fit/response for what someone needs.

You can't send in your info by mail if you're applying for a Visa with a honorary consulate? I sent my info to the New York consulate thru USPS Express mail. This is what the instructions were online.

[JLCrab]

The Thai Consulate in NYC is an official not Honorary Consulate. BTW it is located on the east side of Manhattan near the United Nations HQ.

Edited June 5, 2014 by JLCrab

[benj005]

The Thai Consulate in NYC is an official not Honorary Consulate.

Thanks.

Are double entry visas difficult to get?

Maybe I should have went with a single entry instead.

[JLCrab]

The Thai Consulate in NYC is an official not Honorary Consulate.

Thanks.

Are double entry visas difficult to get?

Maybe I should have went with a single entry instead.

I couldn't say. Whether you have a car or not, someone wrote:

-- Since you are in NJ why don't you just drive to the consulate in NY?

Just drive from NJ to the east side of mid-town Manhattan? That's funny.

[ubonjoe]

I sent my packet to the Thai consulate general in New York today. I don't have a car so I couldn't drive there. I wrote a note that explained why I was requesting a double entry visa.

I don't think I should run into any issues.

Should I buy an onward ticket from Thailand to play it safe?

You will get your visa without a problem.

If you have a visa a return or onward ticket is not required.