Longer visa exemption extensions begin August 29, 2014

[george]

GOOD NEWS FROM THAI IMMIGRATION

Longer visa exemption extensions begin August 29, 2014

BANGKOK: -- The Immigration Bureau has announced that of August 29. 2014 you will be able to extend your visa exemption period whilst you're in Thailand by 30 days, instead of the current 7 days, giving a total visa-exemption stay of 60 days. The fee for extension of stay is 1,900 Baht (unchanged).

Currently, a visa exemption entry can be extended by 7 days at your nearest Immigration office. From August 29th, it can be extended by 30 days. In effect, you can be in the country without a visa for 60 days.

Also - the Commander of Immigration has removed the proposed lifetime ban for overstaying 10 years. Thaivisa will publish the new, more lenient rules shortly.

The Immigration Commander has also stated that immigration are working to ensure that the new rules are being standardized at both immigration checkpoints and immigration offices nationwide.

If you are traveling on visa-exempt or with a tourist visa, bring these documents for your extension:

1. Your onward flight ticket or eTicket out of Thailand within the 30 days

2. Minimum 10,000 Baht, or rather 20,000 Baht

3. Hotel booking confirmation - and if you have it, your itinerary

4. One photo, passport sized.

5. Application fee, 1,900 Baht

It is not clear whether after 29th August this will still be an automatic refusal stamp with 30 days to leave, or whether the procedure will be changed and you will instead be granted an extension of 30 days.

Thaivisa News thanks the Immigration HQ in Bangkok for these updates. We are expecting more updates in the coming days and weeks. Thaivisa News is due to meet up with the Immigration Commander and his staff next week for a longer interview. Watch this space and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest Immigration updates.

In addition to Thaivisa was able to get this info confirmed direct with the Immigration Bureau, we also thank Thaivisa member and freelance journalist Scott Mallon in Bangkok for supplying us with this video explaining the news in Youtube video format:

-- 2014-07-20

[Mario2008]

I think it confirms that immigration is not about scarring tourists away and are making it easier. As they have said all along, they don't want people abusing the system.

If you want to stay long term, you have to get the right visa as anyone else.

If you are a tourist coming here for a holiday, you have nothing to fear.

[Thai at Heart]

OK. The plot thickens. Sounds like a fair enough development.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[David48]

george, thanks for the update ... appreciated ...

[scotbeve]

Thanks for the better news! And yes, I'll finally get around to get the marriage visa....

[mrtoad]

I think this has made it quite clear, Immigration want Genuine Tourists, they want to clear out the people that are abusing the system. Which is perfectly correct.

A good move

[ALFREDO]

Positive announcement, after a bit confusing times and changed regulations.

[mrtoad]

Positive announcement, after a bit confusing times and changed regulations.

As per normal though Alfie.

I don't think there will be any change of stance though on the ones that are abusing the system.

[sustento]

You're still going to need to get a tourist visa if you want to stay (for example) 40 days as I can't see the airlines letting you fly without a valid visa.

[wilcopops]

so 3 back to back tourists = 180 days plus 60 non-visa = 240 days?

I think it may change the kind of visas people are asking for now that all g7 visitors can stay for 2 months without the need for a visa.........couple this with some tourist visas and the visa runners, who won't show up for another month.....looks like a busy time for immigration. i hope they are all well versed in ALL the new regs!

[Chriso12]

When applying for a tourist Visa I always am in trouble with the hotel booking as I own a condo. Quiet frankly I am really one of those people that come to Thailand just for 3 months per year and every time they want to see a hotel booking my answer that "I own a condo" makes them pretty vary of me. I come here since roughly 7 years and I have seen most of Thailand....so then they ask what my travel plans are. Well...my travel plans are Beach -- Pool -- Bar rinse and repeat. Its kinda hard to show proof of that. I can send em pics if they want.

[craigt3365]

This is a very serious subject to many people. Off topic posts will be removed without notice.

[Falcon]

All we need now is longer visa's for those married to thai citizens and to stop the 90 reporting, then we will be able to see that things are improving for the better.

[citizen33]

I may have misunderstood, but my question would be: will airlines allow somebody to board a flight for Thailand if their return ticket is more than 30 days ahead and they have no visa? in other words: will the airlines place any weight on the fact that a 30 day visa exemption extension is possible? If the position is unclear then tourists who fancy a stay of six weeks or so will probably still want a tourist visa.

[terryp]

whats the point of a tourist visa if after 29 Aug you can get 30 days on arrival and then extend for 30 days ..?

[aidenai]

whats the point of a tourist visa if after 29 Aug you can get 30 days on arrival and then extend for 30 days ..?

You don't have to go to an Immigration Office.

[ubonjoe]

whats the point of a tourist visa if after 29 Aug you can get 30 days on arrival and then extend for 30 days ..?

You don't have to go to an Immigration Office.

No ticket out of the country within 30 days of arrival would be needed.

You could get 90 days total with a 30 day extension

[Chriso12]

whats the point of a tourist visa if after 29 Aug you can get 30 days on arrival and then extend for 30 days ..?

You can make 60 days on a TV and then another 30 days with extension

[wilcopops]

I think it will radically change who applies for a tourist visa....many will bank on an extension after they get here.

[terryp]

whats the point of a tourist visa if after 29 Aug you can get 30 days on arrival and then extend for 30 days ..?

You don't have to go to an Immigration Office.

what I also am getting at it makes whats going on now quite over the top, as all that have been refused entry over the past 2 weeks will in effect on 29 Aug be allowed into thailand for a possible 60 days...so i just think they has messed up big time ..toughened up the immigation requirements when most of the border have forgotten them. it is very clear on the 10 year over stay that some one has reminded thailand of human rights issues..if they have children of married to a thai national..then ban them for life?

[ALFREDO]

You're still going to need to get a tourist visa if you want to stay (for example) 40 days as I can't see the airlines letting you fly without a valid visa.

I flew more than once, with Air Asia, Tiger Airways from Phuket or Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Phnom Penh return, even on same day, without any problems.

Last, 2012.

[madmitch]

Good news for backpackers, who, despite the regular call for "quality tourists" are an important part of Thailand's tourism industry.

[Hamlet07]

Excellent News !!

fortes fortuna juvat !!

[sustento]

You're still going to need to get a tourist visa if you want to stay (for example) 40 days as I can't see the airlines letting you fly without a valid visa.

I flew more than once, with Air Asia, Tiger Airways from Phuket or Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Phnom Penh return, even on same day, without any problems.

Last, 2012.

I'm thinking more of flights from Europe and the US with airlines like Emirates or KLM etc. I don't think they're going to take the risk of having a planeload of passengers turned back on them because they have no visas.

[la1976]

whats the point of a tourist visa if after 29 Aug you can get 30 days on arrival and then extend for 30 days ..?

You don't have to go to an Immigration Office.

And you have an option to extend your 60 days for another 30 days having tourist visa.

[sustento]

Wouldn't it just be simpler to make the visa exemption 60 days instead of having to extend it?

[Pib]

Sounds like the visa out-in crackdown is already cracking up which is good news.

[lostsoul49]

This is still going to be a major inconvenience to many.

You can only really stay for 60 days on exemption and have a ticket out of the country.

After that 60 days is up, then 'maybe' you can get a tourist visa from outside the country, but a 60 day double entry isn't going to be helpful, because after 60 days plus 30 day extension (90 days) your tourist status is going to look very iffy to a border officer.

However, most people will already have a large amount of out/ins in their passport before these rules kick in.

I would say by Christmas, a lot of people will be feeling uncomfortable. Before then we will all have read many horror stories.

I don't think this changes anything much at all.

They said they are not targeting people on tourist visas, so why have plenty of people been stranded at the border holding tourist visas then.

[Lite Beer]

Wouldn't it just be simpler to make the visa exemption 60 days instead of having to extend it?

$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Mario2008]

Extension seems to be only given with a ticket out, to unsure one is a real tourist.

But as others said, for a visa exempt entry by air one needs to show a ticket out within 30 days in the first place. So you can only get the extension if you buy a ticket that you can change.