Tourist visa, how can 3 entries within 90 days become 270days?

[gameyey]

Hello! i am now finally preparing to make my jump into south-east asia, most likely to rent an apartment in the city of Chiang Mai.

I have done research on this forum and elsewhere, but i am still slightly puzzled by the multiple entry tourist visa, please confirm that i got this right:

- I can apply for a multiple entries tourist visa with a one-way ticket, without booking any kind of return ticket, and this is alright with both my airline and thai authorities, even after august 12, as long as i got my visa in advance.

- With 3 entries on a 60 day tourist visa, i can stay for up to 270 days by extending the visa after 30-60 days, doing a border run at 90 days, extending it again at 150 days etc..

My main concern is that on my embassy information page it says:

"Your visa is valid for 90 days. This means your entry/entries into Thailand must be within 90 days of the issue date of the visa, as written on your visa stamp.".

And that i should make visa arrangements a month in advance, but when i do, wouldn't the visa entries only be valid for less than the first 2 months of my stay?

Lets say i'll take a one week trip to Laos before my 90 days run out, when i return it would have been about 4 months since i first got my visa, is my second entry now still available?

On a side note, is it harder to get 3 entries than a double entry? would it also be practical to get as much as 4 or 5 entries?

[ubonjoe]

There is no multiple entry tourist visa, They are only issued by as 1.2 or 3 entries.

Normally only single entry visas are issued with only 90 days of validity from the date of issue.

There are some locations that do a 90 day validity for 2 entry visas but most do them with 6 months validity.

Three entry visas are issued with 6 month validity. One with 90 days would be worthless unless you planned on traveling a lot.

[gameyey]

So with a tourist visa that has 3 entries, i can actually only stay for about 5 months, after getting the visa a month in advance?

[digitalchromakey]

So with a tourist visa that has 3 entries, i can actually only stay for about 5 months, after getting the visa a month in advance?

If the Visa has 3 entries with a validity of six months.

You do entry 1, get 60 days and extend within Thailand for 30 days.

You do entry 2, get 60 days and extend within Thailand for 30 days.

You make entry 3 before the 'use before' date which will be 6 months from the date of issue by the Thai consular Facility you apply for the visa to, get 60 days and extend within Thailand for 30 more days.

Providing the visa is issued reasonably close to your departure date, you can get near on 270 days stay with two border runs.

The visa allows you to attempt entry, so once you have your 60 day stamp and are inside Thailand after the 'use before' date it does not matter that the visa itself has expired.

[gameyey]

Oh yeah, of course! Thank you, i sent an email to my embassy to confirm if the triple entry is valid for 180 days and not just 90.

[Strangebrew]

Sounds like your retired or are retiring if that is the case get a retirement visa good for a year and can get multi entry stamp at immigration in Bkk

[lopburi3]

A one year retirement visa O-A would normally be multi entry when purchased and you obtain a new one year stay on each entry during the year it is valid. A multi re-entry permit obtained from immigration only allows travel during the period of allowed stay - it adds nothing. Not sure why poster is not asking about retirement visa unless financials can not be met at this time.

[louse1953]

A one year retirement visa O-A would normally be multi entry when purchased and you obtain a new one year stay on each entry during the year it is valid. A multi re-entry permit obtained from immigration only allows travel during the period of allowed stay - it adds nothing. Not sure why poster is not asking about retirement visa unless financials can not be met at this time.

Poster said nothing about retiring,just "jumping".Sounds like long holiday.

[rumbo1]

A one year retirement visa O-A would normally be multi entry when purchased and you obtain a new one year stay on each entry during the year it is valid. A multi re-entry permit obtained from immigration only allows travel during the period of allowed stay - it adds nothing. Not sure why poster is not asking about retirement visa unless financials can not be met at this time.

Poster said nothing about retiring,just "jumping".Sounds like long holiday.

Maybe the poster is also under 50 years of age ?

[lopburi3]

Indeed it is a person under age 50 - but does not appear to be tourist visit.

[slipperylobster]

Many tourists, in fact, headquarter their stay in Thailand and make short trips to Cambodia, Laos, Buma, Malaysia and Vietnam. Probably good to have tickets to show you are a bonifide tourist....also make sure you stay more than a day or two, when you leave, before returning to Thailand. Looks like you need 20,000 baht in your pocket when crossing back in. Triple Entry Visas do not automatically make you a Visa abuser. Just a traveller who would like enjoy his "Tourism" a bit longer than those who do a week or two. Lots to do and see in Thailand, and the neighboring countries. I am retired, and still traveling....on a double entry visa. We have left Isaan, and are now in Mae Hong Son. Next is Chiang Mai (Did the south already). If we like Chiang Mai, I will fly out and do the Non-O, and then a retirement extension. I just have not yet reached the point of deciding if I would want to live here permanently. Looks like a trip to the Philippines for a week, before picking up our grand Northern Tour again. I have a note written on my double entry to provide proof of income and address. I supposed that comes from last year's tour of Southern Thailand. I had some back to back travel, but never homesteaded. Lived out of a backpack, and left frequently. Spent most of the year out of Thailand, however.

If you have already decided to live here all year...then follow the advice given in previous posts about retirement options...

[ubonjoe]

A off topic post that also contained incorrect info gas been removed. Topic is about tourist visas not OA visas.