How many times can you apply for a tourist visa in a row?

[Dubravka]

I have entered Thailand on a double entry tourist visa, and then flew to Singapore on a visa run, after three months, but I was late for the date so they wouldn't let me enter Thailand again and told me that my second entry is not valid anymore.

Then I had to fly back to Singapore and apply for a new tourist visa, where the lady at the embassy told me that she is doing me a favor of giving another tourist visa, because "it is not allowed to apply for a new tourist visa as soon as your last one expires". She told me that I would have to go back to my home country (Croatia), stay there for two or three months and THEN apply for a new tourist visa.

Does anyone know where I can check these rules because I know that people have stayed in Thailand on double entry visas before and renewed them four times in a row in the same passport?

[ubonjoe]

You went to the wrong embassy to get your visa. You were certainly fortunate they issued you another visa. The are well known not to be friendly.

You could go to Vientiane or Savannakhet Laos and get a 2 entry tourist visa without a problem. They will normally do 3 of them back to back.

[VIPinthailand]

that s bullshit, there is no rule....you can stay 2 to 3 years in Thailand, after disappear for 2 to 3 weeks and reapply again for tourist visa.

[bbi1]

that s bullshit, there is no rule....you can stay 2 to 3 years in Thailand, after disappear for 2 to 3 weeks and reapply again for tourist visa.

How can you stay 2-3 years in Thailand? I thought every 3 months you need to fly out (or via land) & if you have a double entry the total stay for that visa (after flying in/out at 3 months) is 6 months.

Edited August 6, 2015 by bbi1

[Dubravka]

You went to the wrong embassy to get your visa. You were certainly fortunate they issued you another visa. The are well known not to be friendly.

You could go to Vientiane or Savannakhet Laos and get a 2 entry tourist visa without a problem. They will normally do 3 of them back to back.

Thank you for answering!

I heard later on that Singaporean and Dubai embassies are quite strict.

How about the embassy at Kuala Lumpur?

They made me buy an airplane ticket to show them that I will leave Thailand in 60 days, so I bought a ticket to KL.

As I have it know, I am thinking to use it

If it is a bad idea to apply for a third tourist visa in KL, maybe I can take the bus from KL to Penang and apply there?

Do they issue tourist visas in Penang and are they friendly as Laos..?

[redandyellow]

It's a bitch - I know

Hope you get it sorted asap

Best

[Dubravka]

that s bullshit, there is no rule....you can stay 2 to 3 years in Thailand, after disappear for 2 to 3 weeks and reapply again for tourist visa.

there certainly has to be some kind of a rule. where can you find out how many visas does this or that embassy issue - ask the embassy directly or there is a website with some regulations...? maybe officers in immigration now..? it's very confusing.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Dubravka

[bwpage3]

that s bullshit, there is no rule....you can stay 2 to 3 years in Thailand, after disappear for 2 to 3 weeks and reapply again for tourist visa.

there certainly has to be some kind of a rule. where can you find out how many visas does this or that embassy issue - ask the embassy directly or there is a website with some regulations...? maybe officers in immigration now..? it's very confusing.

Every Immigration Office seems to make their own rules. Some of much easier than others. Vientiane was putting a red stamp in the passports for a while stating no more tourist visas

[nowretired]

that s bullshit, there is no rule....you can stay 2 to 3 years in Thailand, after disappear for 2 to 3 weeks and reapply again for tourist visa.

there certainly has to be some kind of a rule. where can you find out how many visas does this or that embassy issue - ask the embassy directly or there is a website with some regulations...? maybe officers in immigration now..? it's very confusing.

Every Immigration Office seems to make their own rules. Some of much easier than others. Vientiane was putting a red stamp in the passports for a while stating no more tourist visas

Immigration offices are only found within Thailand !

Do not confuse Embassy and Consulate staff with "Immigration" they are very different beings !

[ubonjoe]

You went to the wrong embassy to get your visa. You were certainly fortunate they issued you another visa. The are well known not to be friendly.

You could go to Vientiane or Savannakhet Laos and get a 2 entry tourist visa without a problem. They will normally do 3 of them back to back.

Thank you for answering!

I heard later on that Singaporean and Dubai embassies are quite strict.

How about the embassy at Kuala Lumpur?

They made me buy an airplane ticket to show them that I will leave Thailand in 60 days, so I bought a ticket to KL.

As I have it know, I am thinking to use it

If it is a bad idea to apply for a third tourist visa in KL, maybe I can take the bus from KL to Penang and apply there?

Do they issue tourist visas in Penang and are they friendly as Laos..?

KL is unpredictable as far as getting a tourist visa. It seems to depend upon the day you go. You might have to show financial proof to get the visa and again a ticket out of the country.

Penang will do a single entry tourist visa without a problem.

[flyingdoc]

As Ubonjoe remarks, the whole issue is riddled in ambiguity and confusion. Even those people who have never stepped a foot out of place but come to Thailand quite often on a Visa exempt

30 days, are now being challenged with monotonous frequency; not at Suvarnabhumi but at entry airports like Phuket. Why? The idea for limiting a number of entries within a 6 month or

12 month period was scrapped some time ago, but is being implemented by some immigration officials on a completely arbitrary basis. For what reason? If the persons concerned are retired, they cannot be accused of working in LOS, surely?!! On the one hand LOS is always wanting to increase tourism and its related income, then on the other hand they are making certain entries feel most uncomfortable.

[dave_boo]

As Ubonjoe remarks, the whole issue is riddled in ambiguity and confusion. Even those people who have never stepped a foot out of place but come to Thailand quite often on a Visa exempt

30 days, are now being challenged with monotonous frequency; not at Suvarnabhumi but at entry airports like Phuket. Why? The idea for limiting a number of entries within a 6 month or

12 month period was scrapped some time ago, but is being implemented by some immigration officials on a completely arbitrary basis. For what reason? If the persons concerned are retired, they cannot be accused of working in LOS, surely?!! On the one hand LOS is always wanting to increase tourism and its related income, then on the other hand they are making certain entries feel most uncomfortable.

Even Swampypoo...arrived September of last year with VOA and extended that with border runs, one trip down to Indonesia, and a couple of trips to NakWan immigration. Finally left in March and on my return end of July the kind lady directed me to another officer who told me I had been entering too much and would need a tourist visa next time. I assume that my next trip in November should reset the clock.

[Shiver]

I've asked the same question on here, and general consensus is 3 times if you keep your affairs in order, but also (untested by me so far), if you can show income from outside the country then 'theoretically' you could keep on repeating, as it appears they're looking to make sure you're not working rather than having an issue with being a tourist.

I'm looking out for news on this proposed 6 month visa that was published yesterday, as if it is real then that could make things a lot more relaxed.

[lkv]

Would not go to KL if I was you

12 months ago they wanted to see letter of employment from a Malaysian company???? I was like....what are you talking about? I don't work in Malaysia. They would not even issue a single. This was happening a few months after the scandal with the fake visas from KL.

Perhaps the situation has changed, but I would avoid it.

You went to the wrong embassy to get your visa. You were certainly fortunate they issued you another visa. The are well known not to be friendly.

You could go to Vientiane or Savannakhet Laos and get a 2 entry tourist visa without a problem. They will normally do 3 of them back to back.

Thank you for answering!

I heard later on that Singaporean and Dubai embassies are quite strict.

How about the embassy at Kuala Lumpur?

They made me buy an airplane ticket to show them that I will leave Thailand in 60 days, so I bought a ticket to KL.

As I have it know, I am thinking to use it

If it is a bad idea to apply for a third tourist visa in KL, maybe I can take the bus from KL to Penang and apply there?

Do they issue tourist visas in Penang and are they friendly as Laos..?

KL is unpredictable as far as getting a tourist visa. It seems to depend upon the day you go. You might have to show financial proof to get the visa and again a ticket out of the country.

Penang will do a single entry tourist visa without a problem.