Is exit and re-entry by air required to activate subsequent TR visa entries?

[hansomman]

If I have a double or triple entry Tourist Visa and am near the end of my first 90 day cycle, do I have to exit Thailand by air and then re-enter by air to properly ( and less chance of hassle ) activate my next 90 day cycle?

Also, do I have to stay out of the country any specific length of time? I know there isn't a set in stone Thai law on the books, but based on reports and personal experience what length of time do I have to stay away for before coming to activate my next TR visa cycle? Some people say leave for 2 weeks, others say come back the same day. <deleted>?

Any clearification would be great. Please don't post info unless you have either "been there, done that" or have a link backing up a claim. Too many people here just make up stuff out of thin air.

[Lite Beer]

You can exit and enter by any means you like.

Cross the border, turn round and come straight back.

[ubonjoe]

I assume you mean getting a 30 day extension of your 60 day entry when you wrote 90 day cycle.

You can leave and re-enter to use the next entry of your tourist visa by land. sea or air.

There is no minimum amount of time you have to be out of the country. You can leave and re-enter within minutes if you want to.

[hansomman]

I assume you mean getting a 30 day extension of your 60 day entry when you wrote 90 day cycle.

You can leave and re-enter to use the next entry of your tourist visa by land. sea or air.

There is no minimum amount of time you have to be out of the country. You can leave and re-enter within minutes if you want to.

So if you have an actual TR Visa with entries remaining, there is no fear of getting an "in-out" mark in your passport or being told you can't come in? Why do some people claim you have to fly to another country and stay there for 2 weeks? Was that the old way?

[ubonjoe]

If you have a valid visa of any type that has allows more than one entry you will not be marked in/out. That is only for visa exempt entries. There has been confusion caused by people calling visa exempt entries tourist visas.

There never has been a rule that you had to out of the country for any amount of time. You have been reading false info.

[Suradit69]

If you have a valid visa of any type that has allows more than one entry you will not be marked in/out. That is only for visa exempt entries. There has been confusion caused by people calling visa exempt entries tourist visas.

There never has been a rule that you had to out of the country for any amount of time. You have been reading false info.

"There has been confusion caused by people calling visa exempt entries tourist visas."

Yes, once again some people get upset if they are corrected when mis-using terms regarding visas, visa exempt entries, visas on arrival, extensions of stay (not extentions of visas), re-entry permits, etc. but there are meaningful distinctions between them and misunderstandings can lead to problems or at least inconveniences.

Not sure why some people feel it's too much effort to understand something that could impact their stay in Thailand or why they go ballistic when the correct term or rule is pointed out to them ... I guess it's considered a loss of face.

[jspill]

Yes, once again some people get upset if they are corrected when mis-using terms regarding visas, visa exempt entries, visas on arrival, extensions of stay (not extentions of visas), re-entry permits, etc. but there are meaningful distinctions between them and misunderstandings can lead to problems or at least inconveniences.

Not sure why some people feel it's too much effort to understand something that could impact their stay in Thailand or why they go ballistic when the correct term or rule is pointed out to them ... I guess it's considered a loss of face.

This particular misunderstanding was caused by poorly worded, sensationalist newspaper articles.

From 'No more visa runs' in the Nation 'The Immigration Bureau has already instructed officials to deny entry to foreigners doing visa runs as a measure to stop the exploitation of tourist visas and visa exemptions'

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/742834-no-more-thai-visa-runs-immigration-will-not-let-visa-runners-return-after-aug-12/

From the Phuket Gazette 'The crackdown is all about preventing foreigners from using visa-exemptions and tourist visas to stay in Thailand and work,” Gen Pharnu said. “From August 13, if we suspect any foreigner of working illegally in Thailand on a tourist visa, that person will be detained and deported, even if the foreigner has not previously completed even a single visa run'.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/726721-thai-immigration-is-determined-to-prevent-abuse-of-visa-exceptions/

[Tomtomtom69]

I assume you mean getting a 30 day extension of your 60 day entry when you wrote 90 day cycle.

You can leave and re-enter to use the next entry of your tourist visa by land. sea or air.

There is no minimum amount of time you have to be out of the country. You can leave and re-enter within minutes if you want to.

So if you have an actual TR Visa with entries remaining, there is no fear of getting an "in-out" mark in your passport or being told you can't come in? Why do some people claim you have to fly to another country and stay there for 2 weeks? Was that the old way?

No there isn't any requirement to stay out of Thailand for any specific amount of time and certainly not for 2 weeks in any case. And I'm not sure that immigration is even marking passports that way anymore. I thought it was only prior to the "crackdown" they announced will begin on August 12, 2014 but has since gone by the wayside and now we are not hearing much about it since then, which is strange given the hysteria in the weeks and months leading up to this date.

The 90 day within 180 days rule for tourists (I think it only applied to visa-free stays) was stopped back in 2008 and hasn't been resurrected since. In any case tourist visa holders were always exempted, for starters double and triple entry visas allow a stay of up to 180/270 days respectively, with a border run done every 90 days and they have a limited validity, usually 3-6 months anyway and these visa types have been available for years.

All international checkpoints between Thailand and it's 4 neighboring countries can be used to enter and leave overland, nobody is forcing you to get on a plane. In the past to travel to Myanmar you had to travel by air, but now you can also travel overland to Myanmar, since mid-2013. You can even leave Thailand by sea if you prefer. Many travellers have never even stepped on or off a plane on Thai soil, as they always enter overland from neighboring countries. This is particularly true for residents of neighboring countries but also backpackers who may have flown into say Singapore, but then travel overland for the rest of their journeys within SE Asia.

In southern Thailand prior to the crackdown, some visa exempt holders and the occasional tourist visa holder were advised by immigration at Thai-Malaysian checkpoints to stay at least "one night" in Malaysia before returning. i don't think this is a steadfast rule, especially if you are the holder of a tourist visa, but my recommendation would be if you have gone to all the expense, time and trouble of getting yourself to a land border with a neighboring country, you might as well spend a night or two away before returning to Thailand. You'll also look more like a legitimate tourist but as I just mentioned, there is no minimum time that must be spent outside of Thailand before returning and immigration in southern Thailand seemed to have been applying the rules according to their own interpretation, or were making up their own rules. More recently I haven't read any more such reports on this forum though.

[BrownRice]

Before you consider staying out for two weeks take note of the visa expire date as you need the use the third entry before that date.

[billbob6840]

with a double entry visa in hand, exactly how many months/days does a person actually have?? and I assume by double entry that a person has to exit and re enter two times?

[paz]

with a double entry visa in hand, exactly how many months/days does a person actually have?? and I assume by double entry that a person has to exit and re enter two times?

That depends by the "enter before" date that varies from the consulate. And yes for each entry you will also have to exit.

[billbob6840]

Paz, give me more info, about the difference in the councilate and enter before dates???

[ubonjoe]

Paz, give me more info, about the difference in the councilate and enter before dates???

Some embassies and consulates will do a 2 entry tourist visa with 6 months validity and others only 3 months form the date of issue.

Laos and other locations in the region only do them with a 3 month validity.

[billbob6840]

Thanks, as many times as I have been to Thailand, it's always been 2 or 3 weeks, one time I stayed for 5 weeks. so even tho I

know a lot about Thailand, and a bit of there language, I have never dealt with this long of stay or this type of visa.