williamthemac Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 Tourist visas for Americans (and many other nationalities) are very easy to get. Staying long time in Thailand on a tourist visa is now a thing of the past. Many have been turned away at the border if they have back to back tourist visas in the passport. Or, if they are trying to re-enter with an ED visa from a dodgy school. The days of staying here for years by only doing 1 day visa runs are over. Sorry to say.... They why isn't anyone else I know there having any problems? What does the Thai government have to gain by turning away tourists? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Tourist visas for Americans (and many other nationalities) are very easy to get. Staying long time in Thailand on a tourist visa is now a thing of the past. Many have been turned away at the border if they have back to back tourist visas in the passport. Or, if they are trying to re-enter with an ED visa from a dodgy school. The days of staying here for years by only doing 1 day visa runs are over. Sorry to say.... They why isn't anyone else I know there having any problems? What does the Thai government have to gain by turning away tourists? Many have been having problems for some time. Perhaps your friends are doing things properly? Back to back visa runs are a thing of the past. You should do a new post in the Thai Visa forum for help on how to stay in the country long time with only a tourist visa. The rules changed a bit back in August. Especially for those doing back to back visa runs and those on ED visas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamthemac Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 (edited) <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> Tourist visas for Americans (and many other nationalities) are very easy to get. Staying long time in Thailand on a tourist visa is now a thing of the past. Many have been turned away at the border if they have back to back tourist visas in the passport. Or, if they are trying to re-enter with an ED visa from a dodgy school. The days of staying here for years by only doing 1 day visa runs are over. Sorry to say.... They why isn't anyone else I know there having any problems? What does the Thai government have to gain by turning away tourists? Many have been having problems for some time. Perhaps your friends are doing things properly? Back to back visa runs are a thing of the past. You should do a new post in the Thai Visa forum for help on how to stay in the country long time with only a tourist visa. The rules changed a bit back in August. Especially for those doing back to back visa runs and those on ED visas. The way I understand it - and correct me if I'm wrong - is you simply fly out of the country and come back in to renew your visa. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "back-to-back." Do you mean, going by land over the boarder and then coming right back in the same day?What I'm NOT sure of is how long you have to stay. I think I heard something like, if you go by land, the time is 14 days and if you go by air you can come back the next day. While I'm sure either scenario would get annoying and somewhat inconvenient, I'm willing to endure it to have a home-base and I think it provides an excuse to travel and visit neighboring countries. As someone who works online, whether I'm in Vietnam, for example, for 14 days or fly to Beijing for a couple of days, doesn't have a giant impact. Edited October 8, 2014 by williamthemac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 The back to back visa runs mean going out and back in the same day, or two. This was especially popular using land borders. I've done it many times, but years ago. I also did what you mention, head out to a new country for a few weeks or a month and then come back. But again, that was years ago when the rules were more relaxed. It's a rapidly changing procedure here. You need to keep an eye on the visa forum as the best place to get a new visa changes from time to time. One time it was Penang, but then that changed and it became another location. And more changes are coming in the not so distant future. Some of the changes will hopefully be good! Flying out and staying for a few weeks or a month will definitely help. But not everybody wants to do that. The back to back visa runs via land borders are very difficult to do now. But again, things could change in the coming months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamthemac Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 The back to back visa runs mean going out and back in the same day, or two. This was especially popular using land borders. I've done it many times, but years ago. I also did what you mention, head out to a new country for a few weeks or a month and then come back. But again, that was years ago when the rules were more relaxed. It's a rapidly changing procedure here. You need to keep an eye on the visa forum as the best place to get a new visa changes from time to time. One time it was Penang, but then that changed and it became another location. And more changes are coming in the not so distant future. Some of the changes will hopefully be good! Flying out and staying for a few weeks or a month will definitely help. But not everybody wants to do that. The back to back visa runs via land borders are very difficult to do now. But again, things could change in the coming months. Well, thanks for the information. It seems like flying out is the safest thing to do, right? I read somewhere that crossing over via land border is where people are having the most problems. I guess I'll find out when I get there. If you have a problem with your Visa, are the Thai authorities often helpful? Or are they like, "get out of here you stupid farang - we're not helping you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamthemac Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 One more question that I forgot to ask earlier. From what I read, it's best to rent a motorbike once I get there. But, is there anything special I have to do with getting a driver's permit or license over there? Or, does that matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diplomatico Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 One more question that I forgot to ask earlier. From what I read, it's best to rent a motorbike once I get there. But, is there anything special I have to do with getting a driver's permit or license over there? Or, does that matter? IIRC you can drive on your US license for 90 days. After that, to be legal, you need to obtain a Thai license. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 One more question that I forgot to ask earlier. From what I read, it's best to rent a motorbike once I get there. But, is there anything special I have to do with getting a driver's permit or license over there? Or, does that matter? If you rent a scooter, make sure you have the proper insurance. There are dozens of stories of expats coming here and getting banged up on their scooter. With no money to pay the hospital bills, they end up in serious trouble. Riding scooters here is nothing like back in the US. Thailand is one of the most dangerous countries in the world with regards to traffic accidents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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