Still Most Confuse'ed (about Tourist Visa's)

[Rotweiler]

After spending much of two days perusing the forums, I must admit I am still very confused about the Thai visa requirements – specifically the TOURIST visa and the rights it provides.

First, we are a Canadian couple, retired now, later 50’s/early 60’s, and plan to be spending between 2-3 months in Thailand this winter – our longest stay in the Kingdom. This will be our tenth trip to Thailand – the first four with regular tourist visas, the rest on the 30-day tourist entry.

After reading the information posted on the Thai consulate pages, and the various posts here in the forums, we understand a Thai tourist visa is valid for 60 days and CAN be extended – in Thailand - for some period of time not exceeding 30 days.

What we are NOT clear on is whether that would permit multiple exits and entries from and back into the Kingdom during that time. We intend to make short trips into Vientiane, Laos and Phu Quoc Vietnam during our stay in the region, but the reason for the 60 days visa is that we do not wish to incur the wrath of the Kingdom’s immigration officers (like last time – 1 day’s overstay cost grief, time, and Baht at the airport when leaving…).

Questions:

1. Can we exit / re-enter Thailand with a regular 60 day Tourist visa?

2. How difficult is it to obtain the extension in Thailand?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Rotweiler

[geoffphuket]

After spending much of two days perusing the forums, I must admit I am still very confused about the Thai visa requirements – specifically the TOURIST visa and the rights it provides.

First, we are a Canadian couple, retired now, later 50’s/early 60’s, and plan to be spending between 2-3 months in Thailand this winter – our longest stay in the Kingdom. This will be our tenth trip to Thailand – the first four with regular tourist visas, the rest on the 30-day tourist entry.

After reading the information posted on the Thai consulate pages, and the various posts here in the forums, we understand a Thai tourist visa is valid for 60 days and CAN be extended – in Thailand - for some period of time not exceeding 30 days.

What we are NOT clear on is whether that would permit multiple exits and entries from and back into the Kingdom during that time. We intend to make short trips into Vientiane, Laos and Phu Quoc Vietnam during our stay in the region, but the reason for the 60 days visa is that we do not wish to incur the wrath of the Kingdom’s immigration officers (like last time – 1 day’s overstay cost grief, time, and Baht at the airport when leaving…).

Questions:

1. Can we exit / re-enter Thailand with a regular 60 day Tourist visa?

2. How difficult is it to obtain the extension in Thailand?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Rotweiler

Can't understand why you're asking for tourist visas. Why not get multiple entry non immigrant 'o' visas. These will let you come and go as you please, each re-entry giving you a 90 day stay. Very straight forward and resolves all the above issues you've raised.

Edited July 24, 2006 by geoffphuket

[ovenman]

1. Can we exit / re-enter Thailand with a regular 60 day Tourist visa?

No, not without something called a re-entry permit.

Let's say you enter Thailand today using a tourist visa. This would allow for a sixty-day stay in the kingdom. If you were to leave Thailand tomorrow, even for a day trip to Burma, your sixty-day entry period would cease as soon as Thai immigrations stamps you out. When you cross back into Thailand, you will be given a new thirty-day entry stamp, unless you have another unused tourist visa in your passport (e.g. you had obtained a double or triple-entry tourist visa before you left home).

What the re-entry permit would do for you is restore the remaining time of the original sixty-day time period when you re-enter Thailand. Using the same example, you enter Thailand today using a tourist visa and obtain a sixty-day entry stamp. You cross over to Burma tomorrow but before doing so, you obtain a re-entry permit. When Thai immigrations stamps you back into the kingdom upon your return from Burma, they will give you the remaining time on your original entry stamp (in this example, fifty-nine days).

Re-entry permits are not cheap. If you are unsure of your travel schedule and really want to play it safe with the visa situation, you may want to just obtain a double-entry or triple-entry tourist visa before leaving home and not have to incur extra costs, visits to immigrations, while in Thailand.

[ovenman]

Can't understand why you're asking for tourist visas. Why not get multiple entry non immigrant 'o' visas. These will let you come and go as you please, each re-entry giving you a 90 day stay. Very straight forward and resolves all the above issues you've raised.

Most consular offices will not issue non-immigrant visas for the purpose of tourism, as tourism is not the intended use of such visas. For the scenario the original poster describes (i.e. an overall stay of two-to-three months), a double or triple-entry tourist visa would be the most legitimately appropriate visa, and also the simplest to obtain.

[geoffphuket]

1. Can we exit / re-enter Thailand with a regular 60 day Tourist visa?

No, not without something called a re-entry permit.

Let's say you enter Thailand today using a tourist visa. This would allow for a sixty-day stay in the kingdom. If you were to leave Thailand tomorrow, even for a day trip to Burma, your sixty-day entry period would cease as soon as Thai immigrations stamps you out. When you cross back into Thailand, you will be given a new thirty-day entry stamp, unless you have another unused tourist visa in your passport (e.g. you had obtained a double or triple-entry tourist visa before you left home).

What the re-entry permit would do for you is restore the remaining time of the original sixty-day time period when you re-enter Thailand. Using the same example, you enter Thailand today using a tourist visa and obtain a sixty-day entry stamp. You cross over to Burma tomorrow but before doing so, you obtain a re-entry permit. When Thai immigrations stamps you back into the kingdom upon your return from Burma, they will give you the remaining time on your original entry stamp (in this example, fifty-nine days).

Re-entry permits are not cheap. If you are unsure of your travel schedule and really want to play it safe with the visa situation, you may want to just obtain a double-entry or triple-entry tourist visa before leaving home and not have to incur extra costs, visits to immigrations, while in Thailand.

Ovenman is quite correct in what he says. However, a non imm' 'O' visa does not require a re-entry permit unless you've applied for, and received a 12 month permit to stay from an immigration office in Thailand....I'd still advise not to get involved with tourist visas. Too much hasstle

[geoffphuket]

Can't understand why you're asking for tourist visas. Why not get multiple entry non immigrant 'o' visas. These will let you come and go as you please, each re-entry giving you a 90 day stay. Very straight forward and resolves all the above issues you've raised.

Most consular offices will not issue non-immigrant visas for the purpose of tourism, as tourism is not the intended use of such visas. For the scenario the original poster describes (i.e. an overall stay of two-to-three months), a double or triple-entry tourist visa would be the most legitimately appropriate visa, and also the simplest to obtain.

Thai consular offices in Canada and around the globe can, and will, issue Non imm' 'O' visas to people over the age of 50 - for any length of stay up to 90 days at a time witha validity of 12 months.... Tourist or not.

[Maestro]

a non imm' 'O' visa does not require a re-entry permit...I'd still advise not to get involved with tourist visas. Too much hasstle

It does, if within the 90 days you are allowed to stay in Thailand you want to leave and re-enter Thailand.

A multiple-entry non-O visa does not require a re-entry permit, and neither does a double-entry or triple-entry tourist visa.

Let’s look at the OP’s travel plans once more: 2-3 months in Thailand with “short trips into Vientiane, Laos and Phu Quoc Vietnam”. If the last stay in Thailand, after the second trip outside Thailand, is shorter than 30 days then a double-entry tourist visa will suffice; third entry on a 30-days-on-arrival stamp. If the travel dates are uncertain, a triple-entry tourist visa is best.

Cost comparison:

Triple-entry tourist visa: CAD 120.00

Multiple-entry non-O visa: CAD 200.00

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Maestro

[Rotweiler]

To all who responded. Thank you very much, but just one clarification. Assuming that each partial stay in Thailand is LESS than 30 days (ie the exits to Laos, etc are spaced...), is a Tourist Visa actually required? Or can be just get a new regular 30 days stamp (no charge one) each time we re-enter from Laos, Vietnam, or where-ever?

Rotweiler

Quote.....

Let’s look at the OP’s travel plans once more: 2-3 months in Thailand with “short trips into Vientiane, Laos and Phu Quoc Vietnam”. If the last stay in Thailand, after the second trip outside Thailand, is shorter than 30 days then a double-entry tourist visa will suffice; third entry on a 30-days-on-arrival stamp. If the travel dates are uncertain, a triple-entry tourist visa is best.

Cost comparison:

Triple-entry tourist visa: CAD 120.00

Multiple-entry non-O visa: CAD 200.00

Unquote

[Maestro]

Assuming that each partial stay in Thailand is LESS than 30 days (ie the exits to Laos, etc are spaced...), is a Tourist Visa actually required? Or can be just get a new regular 30 days stamp (no charge one) each time we re-enter from Laos, Vietnam, or where-ever?

That’s right. If you plan your two side trips outside Thailand in such manner that none of your individual stays in Thailand is longer than 30 days (including day of arrival and day of departure), you theoretically would not need to get a visa. On each entry into Thailand you get a 30-day stamp on arrival, without visa.

There is the question, of course, of the airline allowing you to board at the airport of departure in Canada if you cannot show a confirmed reservation for onward travel within 30 days of your first arrival in Thailand. In such case, even if you plan to stay less than 30 days at a time in Thailand, you should get at least a single-entry tourist visa for that first entry. The same situation can arise if you plan to fly back from Laos or Vietnam to Thailand earlier than 30 days before your booked return flight to Canada. No such problem if you cross the border into Thailand on land, but airlines are supposed to check (airlines' rule) and they often do.

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Maestro

[Rotweiler]

There is the question, of course, of the airline allowing you to board at the airport of departure .... [snip]

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Maestro

That explains it perfectly! A most gracious thank you!