Changing an extended Tourist visa in to a Ed Visa

[Dannyc123]

Hi all,

I have a 60 day tourist visa that I recently extended for a further 30 at Cheng Wattana. Now, it looks like I may have to do another 30 days, which I think will involve a border run to Cambodia. The reason for all this hassle is that I am still awaiting my Education visa documents to make the change.

Will I have an issue changing my visa over when I have had these exension stamps? Is this just an extension on my original visa, or doe it count as a stamp - which I can't change.

Thanks all!

Dan

[ubonjoe]

Unless you are studying at a University you will not be able to change to a non-ed visa. You would have to leave to get one at an embassy or consulate.

If you could do the change the extension of your tourist visa or going out for visa exempt entry would not have an effect on doing it. But you would have to have 15 days remaining on your permit to stay to apply.

You will only get a 15 day visa exempt entry at a border crossing unless you are from a G7 country. If needed you can extend the entry for 30 days at immigration.

[nzexpat]

Visas are never extended and what you are seeking is a new visa.

When you are in a position to request another new visa (the ED one) there will be no difficulty if the paperwork is in order.

[Dannyc123]

Unless you are studying at a University you will not be able to change to a non-ed visa. You would have to leave to get one at an embassy or consulate.

If you could do the change the extension of your tourist visa or going out for visa exempt entry would not have an effect on doing it. But you would have to have 15 days remaining on your permit to stay to apply.

You will only get a 15 day visa exempt entry at a border crossing unless you are from a G7 country. If needed you can extend the entry for 30 days at immigration.

So could I go to immigration in Bangkok and get an extra 30 days, or is that no longer possible?

I know if I cross overland 15 days isn't enough, but I can get another 30 days by going to the embassy - but does that count as new visa, or a continuation on my current one.

[ubonjoe]

Unless you are studying at a University you will not be able to change to a non-ed visa. You would have to leave to get one at an embassy or consulate.

If you could do the change the extension of your tourist visa or going out for visa exempt entry would not have an effect on doing it. But you would have to have 15 days remaining on your permit to stay to apply.

You will only get a 15 day visa exempt entry at a border crossing unless you are from a G7 country. If needed you can extend the entry for 30 days at immigration.

So could I go to immigration in Bangkok and get an extra 30 days, or is that no longer possible?

I know if I cross overland 15 days isn't enough, but I can get another 30 days by going to the embassy - but does that count as new visa, or a continuation on my current one.

You cannot get another 30 days at immigration without getting a new entry.

If you do a border run and get a 15 day visa exempt entry you can extend that entry for 30 days at immigration.

[Dannyc123]

This is getting complicated.

If I get the docments in a few days, can I change to Ed Visa on what I currently have (60 days + 30 days from Cheng Wattana - providing there is 15 days left on the current stamp), or am I completely screwed at the moment unless I get a brand new visa?

Sorry for sounding clueless!

[Dannyc123]

To confirm - I am studying at a university. Hence why I am waiting for documents from them.

Thanks,

[paz]

If I get the docments in a few days, can I change to Ed Visa on what I currently have (60 days + 30 days from Cheng Wattana - providing there is 15 days left on the current stamp), or am I completely screwed at the moment unless I get a brand new visa?

it should be possible for those studying at an university, but there are no recent reports. All you can do is try.

[ubonjoe]

This is getting complicated.

If I get the docments in a few days, can I change to Ed Visa on what I currently have (60 days + 30 days from Cheng Wattana - providing there is 15 days left on the current stamp), or am I completely screwed at the moment unless I get a brand new visa?

Sorry for sounding clueless!

Since you are attending a University you can apply for a change of visa status as long as you have 15 days left of your permit to stay. The source of your permit to stay does not matter.

If you don't get it done before the 15 day point you can leave and re-enter the country to get a visa exempt entry and do a conversion from it to a non immigrant visa. If you only get a 15 day entry immigration would have you apply for and pay the fee for a 30 day extension and do the conversion during the same trip to immigration.

[Dannyc123]

Hi UbonJoe,

I was thinking of going to Vientianne and getting a new 30 day visa fromthere, and then returning to BKK and hoping my documents are ready before that drops down past the 15 day mark.

Do you think I will save money and time by going to Poi Pet, crossing the border, and then returning with 15 day visa exempt which I will have to change to a non immigrant 30 day visa?

The Lao trip will cot at least 5000 thb in total....

Thanks for your help.

Dan

[ubonjoe]

Hi UbonJoe,

I was thinking of going to Vientianne and getting a new 30 day visa fromthere, and then returning to BKK and hoping my documents are ready before that drops down past the 15 day mark.

Do you think I will save money and time by going to Poi Pet, crossing the border, and then returning with 15 day visa exempt which I will have to change to a non immigrant 30 day visa?

The Lao trip will cot at least 5000 thb in total....

Thanks for your help.

Dan

Unless you are flying to Vientiane and back you will only get a 15 day entry there. If you applied for another tourist visa you would get a 60 day entry. You get the same 15 day entry at any border crossing.

You misread my post. You would apply for a 30 day extension of the 15 day entry in order to meet the 15 day requirement and then apply for the 90 day non immigrant visa entry just like you would do with the tourist visa entry you have now.

[Dannyc123]

On this website it seems to suggest that you can apply for a 30 day tourist visa in Vientianne - http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/vientiane/en/consular/consular_check/ - that is different from the visa exempt 15 day stamp, I think.

When I get my documents from my uni, they are only valid for a certain period of time. I do not want to be in a situation where I come back to Bangkok with a 60 day and be unable to change to Ed visa because I have to wait for the 30-15 day point.

So, if I got and get the 15 day stamp, then extend it to 30 days so that I am within the 15 days, proving I have the documents from uni - I should be able to make the change then?

[nzexpat]

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On this website it seems to suggest that you can apply for a 30 day tourist visa in Vientianne - http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/vientiane/en/consular/consular_check/ - that is different from the visa exempt 15 day stamp, I think.

When I get my documents from my uni, they are only valid for a certain period of time. I do not want to be in a situation where I come back to Bangkok with a 60 day and be unable to change to Ed visa because I have to wait for the 30-15 day point.

So, if I got and get the 15 day stamp, then extend it to 30 days so that I am within the 15 days, proving I have the documents from uni - I should be able to make the change then?

I am not sure what it is you are reading but there are no 30 day Tourist Visas available in Lao or anywhere else.

I would suggest you follow the advice given by Ubonjoe.

[ubonjoe]

The only 30 day visa is a transit visa.

You can apply for a change to a non immigrant visa from a 60 day entry at any time during the entry up to the last 15 days. There is no last 30 days requirement for it. Only when applying for an extension of stay is there that requirement.

You can do the application for a non immigrant visa after getting the 30 day extension. Immigration does that all the time when a person has a visa exempt entry with less than 15 day left on the entry. The even will even let you apply for the 30 days and then apply for the non immigrant visa in the same trip to immigration.

[Dannyc123]

Ok, so basically I have to get another 60 days if I go past the 15 day point on my current one - however I can do that in one trip, after crossing the border to get my 15 days entry t start the process again.

I just need to hope that if I do get my uni documents they will not expire before I am in that 3-15 day period of my new non im 60 days visa.

Have I missed anything?

Thanks for your patience!

[ubonjoe]

Ok, so basically I have to get another 60 days if I go past the 15 day point on my current one - however I can do that in one trip, after crossing the border to get my 15 days entry t start the process again.

I just need to hope that if I do get my uni documents they will not expire before I am in that 3-15 day period of my new non im 60 days visa.

Have I missed anything?

Thanks for your patience!

Not sure where you are getting 60 days from. The 15 days from a border run and then a 30 day extension is all you would get.

Basically you will have 30 days to apply for the non immigrant visa (same as a non-ed) from the date you enter the country at a border. The non immigrant visa will give a 90 day entry as soon as immigration stamps it your passport.

I don't really understand why it is taking so long for the University to get the paperwork together. Normally that only take a few days.