What visa solution is best for my friend

[jasonsamui55]

She wants to come to Samui and/or Phuket (staying in southern Thailand) as a tourist from early-January through late-June (about 5-1/2 months in the spring) and again from late-August until mid-December (about 4 months in the fall). She works back home over the western summers and wants to spend Christmas holidays with her family back home too. If that goes well, she might want to repeat that for another year or possibly more. She's only been to Thailand for a couple of months on a couple of visits in previous years, so not likely wanting to commit to a Thailand elite visa and not likely going to commit to a full 5 years on that one. She lives very far from the Thai consulate in her home country so isn't likely to travel there, instead more likely to enter on the visa exempt 30 day stamp. She's from one of the countries that can get a 30 day extension in Thailand. Once she arrives, if her plan is to stay until mid-June, what's her best option? The way I see it so far is she could arrive on the 30 day, get a 30 day extension, then fly to Malaysia or Laos and get a 60 day visa and extend for 30 more days. Would that be best? Where is best for that coming from Samui? Penang? Vientiane? Somewhere else? If so, what papers should she bring with her? Like cash? Lease? Flight itineraries?

And then she could go home over the summer, do her things there, and return in late August on a 60 day visa, again obtained in the same place? Can a double entry 60 day visa be obtained there instead? What papers would she need again? Like cash? Lease? Flight itineraries?

[ubonjoe]

Many embassies and consulates allow mail in applications. It would be best if she got a 2 or 3 entry tourist visa.

If she wants to get a visa exempt entry on arrival she may be asked to show a ticket out of the country within 30 days of her arrival in order to board her flight.

Two entry tourist visas are available in Vientiane or Savannakhet Laos. Anywhere else would be a single entry.

None of the embassies or consulates in neighboring countries ask for financial proof or tickets out of the country.

[jasonsamui55]

Thanks ubonjoe for the reply. Much appreciated.

I know she can do the mail in visa application but unfortunately I think its a little too late for her for that as she is leaving next week. I think she'll do the visa exempt on arrival and then I'll recommend she book a cheap flight out to KL or Penang, whichever is cheapest, before the 30 days is up, but then I would recommend to her that she not use that. She could then get the 30 day extension taking her to early March. Then she could fly to Vientiane or Savannakhet Laos in early March and get the double entry visa. In order to get that, would she not need to show any papers at all other than a photo copy of her passport? Nothing else? How many days must she spend in Vientiane or Savannakhet? Is one more preferable than the other?

She could then re-enter Thailand in mid-March with that double entry visa, each one of them is extendable by 30 more days, isn't that right? Could one of those entries be used in early March, and then the 2nd one used in late August, or will it be expired by then?

And then could she just go back to the same place and get another one at the same place in late November or late December?

[ubonjoe]

Vientiane is next afternoon service after applying in the morning of one day. Savannakhet is doing visas on the same day at the moment. Neither ask for anything more than a copy of the passport photo page.

[jasonsamui55]

Thanks. That's good info.

She could then re-enter Thailand in mid-March with that double entry visa, each one of them is extendable by 30 more days, isn't that right? Could one of those entries be used in early March, and then the 2nd one used in late August, or will it be expired by then?

[ubonjoe]

The visa will only be valid for 3 months from the date of issue.

[jasonsamui55]

Thanks. And what's the maximum number of double entry tourist visas one can get from one place, like Savannakhet? Can she get one in Feb/March and another in Aug/Sept and then two every year from the same location? Or is it advisable to alternate or otherwise?

[ubonjoe]

For Vientiane or Savannakhet up to 3 visas can be obatained without a problem. It would be best to get them from different locations if staying long term.

If she is going to be making regular trips home she should make an effort to get a tourist visa while there. That is is the best way to break the chain of back to back visas.

[jasonsamui55]

Thanks. I think this is useful. If you aim to try not to get more than 3 tourist visas from any one consulate, which other regional ones are good? Do any others offer double-entry besides the two in Laos?

Is there any limit on how many times she can come and go on a visa exempt stamp? I think she'll likely explore SE Asia quite a bit while using Thailand as her base as well, so maybe its often best to just come and go on that without so much longer term planning too.

[ubonjoe]

Hanoi, Bali, Jakarta and Manila will do a 2 entry but a ticket out of the country for each entry is required.

Bali will do a 3 entry visa with tickets out 90 days apart.

Visa exempt entries are possible but the amount of time spent here on the previous entry is considered when allowing entry and the amount of time spent outside the the country. Visa exempt entries is no longer a viable method of staying here.

[jasonsamui55]

OK, but the two in Laos are the only two that will issue the double entry visa without the ticket out?

When booking a ticket out at the end of each entry, how does one normally do that? If they would be applying for the visa today and intend to travel to Thailand on 7th January, would they show a ticket out on the 60th (or sooner) day from the date of original arrival, and then another 60 days after some arbitrary future entry within 3 months of that? So, a one way ticket out on 3rd March and another (assuming a re-entry date of 30th March) on 28th May would be sufficient?

[ubonjoe]

If the issuing location wanted the tickets to be at least 60 days apart it would be 60 days from the stated date of entry when applying for the visa.

There are many different ways the tickets could be done after the 1st entry.

As I wrote Bali allows them to be 90 days apart.

A one way ticket out of the country would be accepted at most locations. If a person was to search for flights on low cost carriers to nearby countries they would find tickets so cheap that they could be trashed without a lot of money being lost.

[jasonsamui55]

So if entering on 7th January, 1st exit would be just before 7th March, say 4th March, within the 60 days, and then next ticket would be less than 60 days from that, so something like 1st May? They want to see the 2nd exit ticket less than 60 days from the 1st exit ticket regardless of when you re-enter the 2nd time?

[Don Aleman]

Jason you have asked 4,561 potential questions and depending on immigration officers you pose these questions too, there are approx.

7,325,675, 102.1/2 answers - none being correct when she applies !

[jasonsamui55]

I know, its never the same answer twice! But what is most likely. ubon joe said something about 60 days. I just wanted to know more about what he meant by that. Is it that they want to see the 2nd exit ticket less than 60 days from the 1st exit ticket regardless of when you re-enter the 2nd time?

[ubonjoe]

As said the ticket would have be within 60 days of the first entry. After the first entry they could be any date if a round trip ticket is not shown.