Typical example of a tourist Visa run

[mcfish]

Hi all, I have been comfortably obtaining 12 month multiple entry Visas from Australia which was convenient at the time however I no longer need to make annual trips to OZ so its cheaper to start doing Visa runs locally instead.

Im hearing rumors regarding some sort of a crackdown on border runs or something like that ?

I believe I can get 2x2month multiple entry visa from laos. How many times can I do that back to back? do I need to mix them up eg Laos followed by malaysia etc

[Maestro]

You mentioned that you had "12 month multiple entry Visas from Australia". Depending on the purpose for which you got these visas you may be able to get them also from the Thai consulate in Vientiane, Laos or another neighbouring country of Thailand.

The complication with back-to-back entries visa-exempt or with tourist visas for a long period is immigration's assumption that you are working illegally in Thailand, but proof that you are covering your living expenses with money brought in from abroad usually is sufficient to dispel such suspicion.

[mcfish]

I had a non 0 Visa based on proof of a 'fiancee" being a copy of her ID and a brief statement and condo ownership here. Im also on a disability pension so have income going direct to a Thai bank. Are you saying I may be able to get a 12 month multiple entry from a neighboring country based on the fiancee and condo?

So in that case i should just take the same Documentation and proof of pension I guess.

Edited June 25, 2015 by mcfish

[ubonjoe]

You will not get a multiple entry non-o visa at any location within the region for having a fiancee and a condo. I am not sure you would be able to get one anywhere now.

About the only choice is to get 2 entry tourist visas in Laos.

One option is the easy access Thailand Elite membership that would get you a 5 year multiple entry visa that gives unlimited 1 year entries that costs 500k baht. See: http://www.thailandelite.com/glimpse.php

[mcfish]

Ok thanks I get the picture now.

[eldragon]

Just to elaborate, you can extend each of those 60 days entries by 30 days for 1,900 THB a piece. So you're looking at 180 days total- with one border run in the middle- by making a trip to Vientiane or another embassy. Keep in mind, each entry is (I think) 1,000 THB, plus you gotta pay for the visa to the neighboring country. When you factor in food and accommodation, plus the risk factor of them eventually declining back-to-back tourist visas, it might just be easier to go home once a year. Although, as Joe mentioned, you might not be able to get the type of visa you'd been using anymore.

[mcfish]

Thanks for help. It looks like a downside either way I go, if I go to OZ and they knock back my yearly then its about $1000 down the drain, Airfares, accommodation etc

I think Im better off as you mention by going 60 days and then extending another 30 and just run with that.

[bbi1]

Please explain how & where in Oz are you getting your "12 month multiple entry Visas from Australia". In Sydney I believe they only issue double entry tourist visas as the max therefore giving you 6 months before you need to get another one. Curious where you can get a 12 month one from. Thanks

[mcfish]

Please explain how & where in Oz are you getting your "12 month multiple entry Visas from Australia". In Sydney I believe they only issue double entry tourist visas as the max therefore giving you 6 months before you need to get another one. Curious where you can get a 12 month one from. Thanks

There are only to offices I know of, Brisbane and Tasmania. I just send my passport via express mail from where ever I am in OZ and it goes to the Brisbane office. The turnaround is same day via a prepaid envelope so Im done in 3 working days.

Just for the record the first visit was in person 10 years ago. I went in for a 3 month visa but the guy in front of me gave a story about his GF and requested a 12 month visa. I repeated exactly the same thing and she gave me the visa on the spot and asked my to fax condo deeds and GF ID when I got back to Thailand. Of course I could have given a bar girl 500bht for it but It just so happens I was legit

Ive never seen them in person ever since, just a cheque in the mail

Edited June 27, 2015 by mcfish

[bbi1]

Please explain how & where in Oz are you getting your "12 month multiple entry Visas from Australia". In Sydney I believe they only issue double entry tourist visas as the max therefore giving you 6 months before you need to get another one. Curious where you can get a 12 month one from. Thanks

There are only to offices I know of, Brisbane and Tasmania. I just send my passport via express mail from where ever I am in OZ and it goes to the Brisbane office. The turnaround is same day via a prepaid envelope so Im done in 3 working days.

Just for the record the first visit was in person 10 years ago. I went in for a 3 month visa but the guy in front of me gave a story about his GF and requested a 12 month visa. I repeated exactly the same thing and she gave me the visa on the spot and asked my to fax condo deeds and GF ID when I got back to Thailand. Of course I could have given a bar girl 500bht for it but It just so happens I was legit

Ive never seen them in person ever since, just a cheque in the mail

So you just have to tell them you have a GF in Thailand so you want to stay there for a whole year then they will give you a quadruple entry tourist visa? Or the visa is for the full year so you don't need to leave Thailand?

What about if you rent the condo then you don't have the condo deeds. Since they gave you the visa on the spot then I presume you wouldn't need to fax the condo deed or GF's ID because you already have the visa, right?

Also you were able to get this one year visa consecutively every year for the past 10 years with no issues?

Edited June 27, 2015 by bbi1

[ubonjoe]

Please explain how & where in Oz are you getting your "12 month multiple entry Visas from Australia". In Sydney I believe they only issue double entry tourist visas as the max therefore giving you 6 months before you need to get another one. Curious where you can get a 12 month one from. Thanks

There are only to offices I know of, Brisbane and Tasmania. I just send my passport via express mail from where ever I am in OZ and it goes to the Brisbane office. The turnaround is same day via a prepaid envelope so Im done in 3 working days.

Just for the record the first visit was in person 10 years ago. I went in for a 3 month visa but the guy in front of me gave a story about his GF and requested a 12 month visa. I repeated exactly the same thing and she gave me the visa on the spot and asked my to fax condo deeds and GF ID when I got back to Thailand. Of course I could have given a bar girl 500bht for it but It just so happens I was legit

Ive never seen them in person ever since, just a cheque in the mail

Brisbane closed at the end of February so that option is gone.

There are 3 other honorary consulates other than Hobart (Tasmania) they are in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne.

I doubt very much you would get another visa for the same reason now.

[ubonjoe]

So you just have to tell them you have a GF in Thailand so you want to stay there for a whole year then they will give you a quadruple entry tourist visa? Or the visa is for the full year so you don't need to leave Thailand?

What about if you rent the condo then you don't have the condo deeds. Since they gave you the visa on the spot then I presume you wouldn't need to fax the condo deed or GF's ID because you already have the visa, right?

Also you were able to get this one year visa consecutively every year for the past 10 years with no issues?

He was getting a multiple entry non-o visa that allows unlimited 90 day entries for a year not a tourist visa.

I doubt very much that a visa based upon what he was getting it for would be issued now (see my previous post)

[mcfish]

Ubonjoe Im very glad you mentioned that. Its game over for sure now and there is no office in Perth unless it re opened in the last few years. Not surprisingly when it closed, in typical Thai style they did not pull the website down and I actually flew into perth and thought I would try for a 12 month from there as its closer and there was nothing there

Hobart is the only place that issued 12 month visas apart from Brisbane but that may have changed.

bbi1 now that I recall you dont need a condo but simply proof of long term living arrangements such as a condo lease.

[ubonjoe]

Perth reopened in April of 2013.

Contact info for the consulates is here: http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/consulate.html

Sydney is an official consulate so no chance at all of getting a multiple entry non-o there unless married to a Thai or being the legal parent of a Thai.

[chrisinth]

Just an opinion, if your request for 1 year multi non-O's over the last 10 years was for the same girl), getting married to her would expand your options considerably.

Obviously, if you were only playing the system, disregard the above.

Edited June 28, 2015 by chrisinth