Today when I applied for my triple entry visa I f**ked up pretty big. A real newb mistake.

Mistake 1 - My exit flight was around 90 days after my entry to Thailand. Apperently it needs to be within 60 days.

Mistake 2 - My exit flight was round trip. They saw on the ticket I would be returning to BKK. Apperently your ticket that coinsides with your first visa run needs to be one way so they don't think you are coming back. This is stupid though, since isn't the point of a triple entry visa to exit and when you re-enter it "recharges" back to a new 60 day visa + 30 day extension.........

I had to show my bank statement as well, which I never heard of somebody having to do on their first visa request in a western country. Only in SEA on repeated visas have I heard of people needing to show bank statements. Anyhow I gave it to them hoping it would help my cause.

I had to write a letter explaining exactly when each exit and entry would be utilized. The officer said that you do not get and additional 60 days on each entry. Even with three entries the visa is valid for a max of 90 days. You don't get extra by "activating" another entry.

In the end after writing two drafts of a letter explaining my visit they accepted it along with my other documents and $120. I got a reciept and was told to come back on Friday but I have a feeling they arn't going to give me a Visa. The lady seemed like she didn't like my application and told me the officer in the back might reject my letter and ask for more documents.

If I go back on Friday and they say "Sorry no visa for you, you don't have the correct flight information prooving you will leave Thailand" will I lose out on my $120? Or will they give me back my money order?

Edited July 1, 201511 yr by hansomman

You did not made any mistake. In the past tourist visa validity was 6 months but I see that is now listed as 3 months, which makes 3 entries practically useless.

Also now listed the bank statement requiremetn, for the petty amount of $700, so not much of a problem making them happy with it.

There is no actual tickets requirement for a tourist visa, reservations would be enough. Who would buy tickets before know if the visa is actually issued.

http://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/tourist-visas/category-tr/

4. Flight confirmation/reservation

You will receive your visa normally, please report on the actual validity it will have. In the future can apply by mail to avoid feeling uncomfortable with the office clerks. There are also honorary consuls in country that will offer a much friendlier service.

http://www.guidetothailand.com/thailand-travel-information/honcon-americas.php

An educated guess, the $120 is to have your visa application decided, not for approval.

An educated guess, the $120 is to have your visa application decided, not for approval.

Yes, that is the stance taken by Thailand, unlike western countries. There are no known cases, at least on this forum, of an application accepted, fee paid and visa refused by a Thai consulate.

Edited July 1, 201511 yr by paz

Try applying at the Honorary Consulate in Essen.

Chap would have let me have my triple-entry tourist visa last year, even when I did not have a flight ticket, until he discovered I am on a pension and presented me a Non-O for 1 year. (not the one for over 50 y-o)

Well, OK, might not be on your flight route and doesn't have an airport...

Honesty is the best policy. Most genuine tourists have a return ticket home for a particular date.

I don't have a good bookmark for the DC consulate and I'm certainly not going to say the OP is not accurate as to what happened to him, but it would be a change in a couple of areas. The website for the LA consulate http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=33. still says you have 180 days from date of issuance to use a double or triple entry tourist visa. Also, LA does not require a ticket or proof of ticket for a tourist visa. Won't say that DC could not follow a different script, but they are both real consulates rather than honorary.

Does it not say on the application that fees are not refundable and not a guarantee of visa issuance? The money is gone. Paz took the words from my mouth. If a triple is now only good for 3 months it is worthless as with extensions of each entry it used to be good for 9 months of stay. Oh, well, another one bites the dust. Meanwhile here in Phuket businesses are dropping like flies and the "high" season has become the "slightly higher than low season" aka "where the hell are all the tourists season". There is a way to filter cash into an economy and tightening visa restrictions is not one of them.

I looked on the DC consulate website and it now does indeed say that the maximum validity of any TR visa, even triple entry, is 90 days.

http://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/tourist-visas/category-tr/

Period of stay:

single entry ; not exceeding 60 days
2 and 3 entries ; not exceeding 90 days

Validity of a visa: The Validity of a visa is 3 months.

I guess they changed this recently after the military junta. I have bookmarks of blogs where people applied and easily got triple entry visas good for 9 months of stay at the DC embassy.

​If I go to the website for the LA embassy it still lists the period of stay as 60 days for EACH entry. The way it should be. Why is DC being a hard ass and making all tourist visas pretty much useless? I can fly in with a US passport and get a automatic 30 days and then extend again for 30 days at immigration for 1900 baht.

I will report on Friday if they even issue me a Visa or just keep my money.

I really wish I knew DC was a worthless consulate before going. Any good story you read about it is probably very old and not relevant any more. I think on Friday after I get the final decision I'll write a report thread so it can go into the recent reports list. I would hate for any other people looking for long stay TR visa to waste their time messing with DC.

NY is not that far from DC and while they were not giving Triples last I went Doubles were a piece of cake. Just the form and the fee, no Q&A. I left a self addressed Priority mail envelope with them and they mailed it too me in 2 days.

There is no Royal Thai Honorary Consul General office in Washington, D.C. OP must have been dealing with the Thai Embassy ... not a consulate.

Honorary Consul Generals are most often much better to deal with.

People who book solid flight reservations without verifying exactly how the visa is going to work - timing .. start - stop dates are just shooting themselves in the foot.

Such as -- having found out the problems in D.C. ... OP could have opted to fly to Bali for a 3 Entry Visa with a 6 month term/validity ... but ...

Or planned a flight to stop at one of the Royal Thai Honorary Consul General offices in Dallas or Portland which are known for their helpful ways...

Getting 1/2 to 3/4 of the way into a trip planning and flight commitment before verifying Visa details and requirements ALL DONE BEFORE asking questions on TVF is just the wrong way to do it ... MEANT for future readers of this post.

I have gotten TR visas from the Washington, DC embassy in the past and each time I had to submit some kind of banking statement showing I had funds available in the bank. It was never a problem as I would just show a copy of my latest banking statement and that would work. I have read on this forum others who say it is not a requirement to show financials for a TR visa but for me each time I got one (total of 5 TR visas over the course of several years) I had to show some kind of financial statement showing I had some money.

The last time I applied for a TR visa I was rejected by the embassy in Washington, DC. They said that living in New Jersey I had to apply at the consulate general in NYC rather than in DC. Not a big deal although it did mean I had to eat the $20 for USPS Express Mail which was required for return post from the Thai embassy in DC.

The Thai embassy in DC is known as an "unfriendly" place.

If you are looking for a triple entry tourist visa.....at least according to their web site the royal Thai Royal Thai honorary consulate in Portland , Oregon will give you a triple entry tourist visa with no tickets required.

• Just a U.S. passport with at least 6 months validity left
• Application form
• Two photos
• $40 for each entry, or $120 fee for 3 entry
• make appointment if done in person at Thai consulate
• can be done same day if appointment made
• pay fee in cash or money order
• check the list of holidays that they are closed for July and/or August before you call them for appointment.

I am only giving you what is on their website.....I have never been there myself.

I looked on the DC consulate website and it now does indeed say that the maximum validity of any TR visa, even triple entry, is 90 days.

http://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/tourist-visas/category-tr/

Period of stay:

single entry ; not exceeding 60 days

2 and 3 entries ; not exceeding 90 days

Validity of a visa: The Validity of a visa is 3 months.

I guess they changed this recently after the military junta. I have bookmarks of blogs where people applied and easily got triple entry visas good for 9 months of stay at the DC embassy.

​If I go to the website for the LA embassy it still lists the period of stay as 60 days for EACH entry. The way it should be. Why is DC being a hard ass and making all tourist visas pretty much useless? I can fly in with a US passport and get a automatic 30 days and then extend again for 30 days at immigration for 1900 baht.

I will report on Friday if they even issue me a Visa or just keep my money.

I really wish I knew DC was a worthless consulate before going. Any good story you read about it is probably very old and not relevant any more. I think on Friday after I get the final decision I'll write a report thread so it can go into the recent reports list. I would hate for any other people looking for long stay TR visa to waste their time messing with DC.

"I really wish I knew DC was a worthless consulate before going"

It's an embassy offering consular services, not a consulate. Hard to generalize, but in most countries that have Thai consulates in addition to an embassy, the consulates are more accommodating.

Tourist visas are not designed for long stay, although a triple entry tourist visa valid for six months could net you 270 days. For someone who wants to travel in SE Asia and make several entries to Thailand without the need for extensions of stay, a triple entry visa usable over three months would not be "worthless." It would allow them three entries to Thailand without bothering with extensions or re-entry permits.

The information about the validity of the visa does seem to be there, so it's not as if they were hiding the fact.

Period of stay:

single entry ; not exceeding 60 days

2 and 3 entries ; not exceeding 90 days

Validity of a visa: The Validity of a visa is 3 months

I have received many triple-entry tourist Thai visas in USA and have never been asked to produce anything but my passport and visa application: No flight ticket or reservation; no itinerary; no financial statement.

http://www.thai-or.com. Link for the Portland OR honorary consulate. Last year, they were sending out passports with visa the day after receipt. The website does not address how long a tourist visa is valid.

I looked on the DC consulate website and it now does indeed say that the maximum validity of any TR visa, even triple entry, is 90 days.

http://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/tourist-visas/category-tr/

Period of stay:

single entry ; not exceeding 60 days

2 and 3 entries ; not exceeding 90 days

Validity of a visa: The Validity of a visa is 3 months.

I guess they changed this recently after the military junta. I have bookmarks of blogs where people applied and easily got triple entry visas good for 9 months of stay at the DC embassy.

​If I go to the website for the LA embassy it still lists the period of stay as 60 days for EACH entry. The way it should be. Why is DC being a hard ass and making all tourist visas pretty much useless? I can fly in with a US passport and get a automatic 30 days and then extend again for 30 days at immigration for 1900 baht.

I will report on Friday if they even issue me a Visa or just keep my money.

I don't think that has nothing to do with the junta as things remained pretty much the same anywhere else..

One can ignore whatever they say about "period of stay" because it is not their decision, it is set by MfA and immigration regulations that apply to all visa. Just present ticket reservations, not bookings, that are with the dates the consulate wants.

In reality most consulate functionaries are very ignorant of the extension regulation.

Note that not all tourist visa are useless, as 1 and 2 entries can still be used for a stay of respectively 90 and 180 days even with a validity of 3 months. And the single entry cost approx Bt. 1,000 Bt as opposed to the extension of 1,900.

As mentioned above I think you will receive the visa. And the fee is never retained if you don't.

Edited July 2, 201511 yr by paz

Try applying at the Honorary Consulate in Essen.

??? The OP is in the USA.

An educated guess, the $120 is to have your visa application decided, not for approval.

Yes, that is the stance taken by Thailand, unlike western countries. There are no known cases, at least on this forum, of an application accepted, fee paid and visa refused by a Thai consulate.

What nonsense. This (fee for visa processing, not necessarily for approval) was first started by western countries and after many years, the asians are following suit. In 2013, for a 10 year business visa from UK Embassy in Bangkok, i had to shell out 32000 baht in advance, non refundable if rejected.

I don't have a good bookmark for the DC consulate and I'm certainly not going to say the OP is not accurate as to what happened to him, but it would be a change in a couple of areas. The website for the LA consulate http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=33. still says you have 180 days from date of issuance to use a double or triple entry tourist visa. Also, LA does not require a ticket or proof of ticket for a tourist visa. Won't say that DC could not follow a different script, but they are both real consulates rather than honorary.

Same as my experience w LA. But I thought it was an honorary. I thought the website said you need to present a ticket though I have never been asked for one.I know you used to have to present a ticket. A tip of the hat to Bernard who works there.

No bank statement needed. But was listed as needed.

Edited July 2, 201511 yr by elgenon

My exit flight is always around 90 days.

Nothing here from ubonjoe, trust you are well.

We had a friend (operative word, had.) Proof of God's love. They were going to spend a month on holiday with the Mrs. in Thailand.

They are rude, arogant and self-important. Without speaking to me she considered herself invited. Our treat.

She sent her documents to DC Thai Embassy, with everything they requested. We were on a schedule. The thing to do was use the consulate in Miami, Fla.

We could have driven there had it done on the spot. After a few days the VISA didn't arrive back as this lie of a woman said they told her it would.

So she thought hate phone calls would be helpful. The Mrs. phoned them, they told her the same thing they told the lie of a woman. It would be here in a couple of days. I was standing by. I suggested to ask if that were in fact true. The kind Thai on the other end of the telephone said, probably not. There are a lot of other people in the world besides this hate filled woman.

My Mrs wasn't sure what to do. I was very sure. I said, send her a message maybe she can visit another time. My wife being the sainted woman she is didn't think she could do that. I said, hand me your telephone. I sent the message.

The reality of the story, in the USA in Thailand, worldwide, the peope with the rubber stamps, they can do anything they want to. They do for me and not just because I'm so incredibly handsome. I already know I'm not the only person in the world.

Maybe this is just a tribute to my beloved wife. She's the one who taught me.

I have received many triple-entry tourist Thai visas in USA and have never been asked to produce anything but my passport and visa application: No flight ticket or reservation; no itinerary; no financial statement.

See posts like this are very misleading.

Please post where you got your Visa from in the USA and what year it was when you got it. Pre 2014 it seemed like getting one anywhere was super easy. Now in 2015 everything is different.

The Thai embassy in DC is known as an "unfriendly" place.

If you are looking for a triple entry tourist visa.....at least according to their web site the royal Thai Royal Thai honorary consulate in Portland , Oregon will give you a triple entry tourist visa with no tickets required.

• Just a U.S. passport with at least 6 months validity left
• Application form
• Two photos
• $40 for each entry, or $120 fee for 3 entry
• make appointment if done in person at Thai consulate
• can be done same day if appointment made
• pay fee in cash or money order
• check the list of holidays that they are closed for July and/or August before you call them for appointment.

I am only giving you what is on their website.....I have never been there myself.

I've seen other reports on here and another forum claiming the Portland consulate is very efficent and friendly. I will probably try them via mail next time I need a Visa.

Even the application form is MUCH easier (attached to post) and nicer than the one from DC. On the form it even lists explicitly 60 days per entry - select 1,2,3. On the website it lists good news as well:

http://www.thai-or.com/visa-information

I wish I could go back in time and use this one instead of DC. Live and learn. With my luck by the time I need to apply again the Portland consulate will be in "unfriendly" mode like DC.

Visa+Application.pdf

Edited July 2, 201511 yr by hansomman

What nonsense. This (fee for visa processing, not necessarily for approval) was first started by western countries and after many years, the asians are following suit. In 2013, for a 10 year business visa from UK Embassy in Bangkok, i had to shell out 32000 baht in advance, non refundable if rejected.

I think you missed the meaning of what I said. Western countries one can pay and be refused, Thailand - doesn't happen. Or prove otherwise.

are the rules different between the uk and usa in terms of visas and flights? I have just been given a tourist visa within the last month which is valid for 6 months and allowing me to enter twice. I have only booked a one way flight to Thailand as im not sure when I want to come back. would they ask me to produce a return flight proof at immigration in Thailand or here at heathrow? I was planning on booking accordingly whilst I was out there. Any info appreciated.

are the rules different between the uk and usa in terms of visas and flights? I have just been given a tourist visa within the last month which is valid for 6 months and allowing me to enter twice. I have only booked a one way flight to Thailand as im not sure when I want to come back. would they ask me to produce a return flight proof at immigration in Thailand or here at heathrow?

With a visa no outgoing ticket is need to board a flight to Thailand.

Even with a proper visa some airlines insist on you having an outbound ticket and can deny you from boarding - if you don't demand the waiver paper for letting the airline go off the hook, if you're denied entry to the country. Otherwise the airline is responsible to haul your ass off of the country with their own cost.

Even with a proper visa some airlines insist on you having an outbound ticket and can deny you from boarding - if you don't demand the waiver paper for letting the airline go off the hook, if you're denied entry to the country. Otherwise the airline is responsible to haul your ass off of the country with their own cost.

That is incorrect because both Thai law and offiial airline regulation says that with a visa you don't need an outgoing ticket.

Check http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=280649

In case of trouble just ask to speak to a supervisor.

Even with a proper visa some airlines insist on you having an outbound ticket and can deny you from boarding - if you don't demand the waiver paper for letting the airline go off the hook, if you're denied entry to the country. Otherwise the airline is responsible to haul your ass off of the country with their own cost.

That is incorrect because both Thai law and offiial airline regulation says that with a visa you don't need an outgoing ticket.

Check http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=280649

In case of trouble just ask to speak to a supervisor.

In Finland they check your itinerary upon applying for the visa - if you don't have a reservation your application will be denied - upon check-in they'll want your itinerary - upon boarding you will get queried where is your next stop by the airline should you go without a package plan - if you have none they will either make you produce a ticket out of the country - buy one - or if you're adamant and demand the form - and sign it, they'll let you board - welcome to Finnair