Double entry tourist in Savannakhet

[IMA_FARANG]

Just picked up my double entry tourist visa in Savannakhet.

No onward ticket or proof of funds required, as stated before.

Date of issue 15 October 2014, "must enter before" date is 15 Jan 2015, so it is a 90 day visa, but double entry clearly stated on it.

As expected "Employment Prohibited" is clearly stamped on the visa.

Fee was 2000 Baht.

The New thing is that the Thai consulate is no longer at it's old location separated from the embassy , Visas are now given out at the Thai embassy and consulate combined ...... what previously was the Thai embassy compound.

Asked when they moved, but got two contradictory answers ..... one person said in September, another person told me the first week of October.

There is a shop near to the entrance of the Thai embassy where they will fill out the application forms, do the copies, and photos (if you need them).

I had my own copies and photos so it was 50 Baht for me to fill out the application, and attach the photos.

If you need photos and copies expect to pay a little more for them, but doubt it would cost more that 100 baht for everything.

I'm an old man, so I flew by Lao Air from Bangkok to Savannakhet as I didn't fancy a 12 hour overnight bus trip.

Only a hour and a half fight from Bangkok..

Oh, and it only takes one day at this time to get a visa.

Thai embassy/consulate opens at 9:00 a.m. and you can get the visa at 15:30 the same day.

Be there at 15:00, and although the signs ays 15:30 you MAY get it early if you are there.

No problem, no hassle.

However, I have NOT applied for any tourist visa lately (before this one) and have no visa free 30 day entries in my passport.

I can't vouch for what would happen if you had several visa exempt 30 day entries in your passport .... but this is probably the place I would try first if I was in such a situation.

The 27 June notice about not allowing back to back visa exempt entries is clearly on display in several languages as you go to apply for your visa, so you won't be able to tell them you didn't know about it.

So my passport was basically "clean" of old visas and I had no problems at all. I can not vouch for what isclaimed that this is probably the "friendliest" place to get a Thai visa in South Asia at this time.

Edited October 17, 2014 by IMA_FARANG

[Colabamumbai]

Is it really a 90 day visa or are you confusing the use before date? A double Entry visa would give you two entries of 60 days each, both extendable, but I question a 90 day Visa as such.

[wayned]

It is a visa valid for 90 days and both entries must be used during that 90 days. The visa is just a ticket to enter Thailand and the type of visa determines how many days stay you are eligible to get on entry. But the visa itself is only valid for 90 days so it is a "90 day visa, that actually gives you almost 180 days permission to stay if used correctly!

Your visa and your permission to stay stamps are two totally different animals! The visa is like a bus pass, you can get on twice during the 90 day validity period. The permission to stay stamps are issued by the bus driver, Immigration, and if used correctly you can ride the bus for almost 180 days by getting off and back on the bus once and extending both entries by 30 days, 1900 baht each.

Edited October 17, 2014 by wayned

[Suradit69]

It is a visa valid for 90 days and both entries must be used during that 90 days. The visa is just a ticket to enter Thailand and the type of visa determines how many days stay you are eligible to get on entry. But the visa itself is only valid for 90 days so it is a "90 day visa, that actually gives you almost 180 days permission to stay if used correctly!

Your visa and your permission to stay stamps are two totally different animals! The visa is like a bus pass, you can get on twice during the 90 day validity period. The permission to stay stamps are issued by the bus driver, Immigration, and if used correctly you can ride the bus for almost 180 days by getting off and back on the bus once and extending both entries by 30 days, 1900 baht each.

Yes, the visa that (usually) gets you in the door is one thing and the permission to stay and/or extension of that permission to stay is something else.

When keeping an eye on the calendar, the expiry date printed on the visa remains constant and is never renewed or extended. That shows when you can use it to cross into Thailand for the last time ... assuming you haven't already used up the number of entries permitted.

The permission to stay given by immigrations when you cross into Thailand or when extended by immigrations in Thailand shows the last day you can remain in country. If you plan to exit and re-enter Thailand when you still have time left on your permission to stay, you need a re-entry permit or else your permission to stay will evaporate and your re-entry will either start over with a new entry on the visa if it is still valid or you (might) be given a visa exempt entry.

The visa and the permission ( or extension) to stay serve different purposes and when some people refer to any and all of them as a "visa" they really confuse the issue and sometimes manage to get themselves in a situation that they hadn't anticipated ... as someone recently found out when he kept saying his visa expired in December. In fact he did not have a valid visa but an extension of stay and he didn't bother to get a re-entry permit, so it all went up in smoke when he left. He got a 30 day visa exempt entry when he returned and now has to scramble to convert to a non-imm O and start the process of obtaining a new retirement extension from scratch.

The differences are not simply petty semantic distinctions. They have practical consequences, at least for some people.

Anyone who thinks he's been in Thailand for 5 years or 8 years or whatever on a retirement visa , for example, hasn't quite grasped reality unless he's really been getting a non-imm O-A (sometimes erroneously referred to as a retirement visa) repeatedly at a Thai embassy/consulate outside of Thailand, which is unlikely.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Suradit69

[globalmedia8]

what were the total costs? visa, flights hotels etc?

[Greg Nixon]

What Thailand objects to is one Visa on Arrival after another . You can go to any other country and apply for Tourist Visas. I believe you can do this even if you have had VOA stamped in your passport. The 800,000 THB is for non-Immigration " O " visa Retirement extensions. I believe this is reduced to 400,000 THB if it is a married ( to a Thai national) extension. What Thailand objects to is a deceitful way of staying long term. They suspect these people who have multiple Visa On Arrival stamped in their passport are actually working here or married here or some other activity that may be illegal. Thailand wants to sort this out just as many countries do. For those who do not want to retire here but still want to live 6 months of the year here, it is entirely possible by obtaining the right tourist Visas outside the country at a Thai consulate or Thai embassy. Discuss it with the Thai Immigration representative. They are more than happy to help you, if your intentions are honest.

[paz]

What Thailand objects to is one Visa on Arrival after another . You can go to any other country and apply for Tourist Visas. I believe you can do this even if you have had VOA stamped in your passport.

You mean visa exempt, not visa on arrival, that is a completely different thing.