Hi there,

I'm in Chiang Mai. I have a double entry visa (60 and 60), I extended the first entry for 30 days at immigration, costing me 1900 baht.

Traveled to Mai Sai 5 days before the final date on the extension. Crossed to Burma.

On return I was told by the Thai official that I had over stayed my visa, I told her no, I had an extension, and she told me I know you had extension, but the visa is not the 'same' as the extension, and your visa has expired, so my second 60 day entry was cancelled and I was given a 15 day visit.

Now I've got 13 days to find the best place to get a double entry visa, I'm thinking bus to Savannakhet. Pretty annoying that somehow I lost my second 60 day entry.

so the lady was right, you tried to activate the second entry after the visa's expiry date, is that correct?

what was the enter before date on your visa ?

Can you post a copy of the visa on here ? (with all personal details removed of course)

You have to use your second entry before the enter by date on the visa. People often get caught out by this.

I did that once too, was a day late because I looked at the admitted until date and not the enter before date on the actual visa, my own fault, proper annoying though!

countless threads on here about this. Here's a classic:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/817154-was-immigration-officer-correct-re-double-entry-tourist-visa-problem/

whenever a seal goes on yer passport, or an Immigration officer writes a note on it. Read it carefully and understand what it says. If you are not sure about anything ask immediately, not after.

Visa Info-

Date of Issue-18th May

Enter Before- 17th Aug

What I did-

Entered Thailand- 1st June

Extension- 29th July-29th Aug

Fail of a Visa Run - 25th August

Yes, I suppose I didn't understand the 'enter before' date, I thought that meant enter Thailand before then (for the first time). Also I believed the extension was an extension of the visa, so I assumed my double entry would go like this-

60 days +30 extension

VisaRun

60 days +30 extension

Thanks for the replies, this place is nice and active.

Visa Info-

Date of Issue-18th May

Enter Before- 17th Aug

What I did-

Entered Thailand- 1st June

Extension- 29th July-29th Aug

Fail of a Visa Run - 25th August

Yes, I suppose I didn't understand the 'enter before' date, I thought that meant enter Thailand before then (for the first time). Also I believed the extension was an extension of the visa, so I assumed my double entry would go like this-

60 days +30 extension

VisaRun

60 days +30 extension

Thanks for the replies, this place is nice and active.

yes, this is a common trap, many people fall victims.

the visa validity expired on Aug. 17th

my guess is that they do this on purpose to maximize fee revenue.

I made the following explanation regarding visa/permission to say as some people have problems in understanding them.

Hope that it would help IO clearly understandi the differnces.

Although "visa" and "permission to stay" are often mixed with by many travellers, they are very different and each has its own expiring date. I hope that the following explanation is of help to understand these diffrences.

If you are staying legally in Thailand, you have recieved such an authorization from an immigation officer when you allowed to cross the immigration line at a port of enrty. What you obtained from immigration at the port of entry, that is called "permission to stay", would make your stay in conformity with the relevant laws and regulations.

Your visa can not make your stay legal since visa is designed to have the following characteristics:

a ) a kind of letter by an embassy/consulate outside of the county to immigration at a port of enrty, that are formated suitable for passports (this means that visa should be valid when presenting to an immigration officer, not the whole duration while your pemission to stay is valid);
b ) a kind of certificate that is obtainable if the applicant have passed the first screening conducted by the embassy/cunsulate in order to tentatively qualifiy the applicant for perfoming intended activities during his/her planned stay in the contry; and
c ) a high level of assurance that is given to the visa holder who is very likely to be allowed to enter into the country, and thus obtains a certain level of visibility in his/her travel planning.

If a visa holder gets a pemission to stay from an immigration officer by showing your valid visa at a port of entry, it meams that the holder have passed the second and final screening and the immigration officer has authorized his/her intended activities in accorance with the immigration law (Section 34). In other words, you have obtained "qualification to stay" for performing your intended activities in the country. Sometimes, it can be called "reasons to say" for easier understanding.

Even if your visa expires or becomes invalid while you stay in the country, your status of qualification to stay, that have become definitive through the authorization by the immigration officer while your visa was still valid, is absorbed into your pemission to stay. It means that your qualification to stay is valid until the date your permission to stay expires.

Thanks for all the replies, I really didn't know anything about visas before coming to Thailand, so have learnt a bit here!

Now fingers crossed for my Savannakhet trip..

You should go to Vientiane, Laos - not Savannaket for another 2 Entry Tourist Visa...

When immigration gave the extension, they should have informed the tourist.

Not very professional of them!

When immigration gave the extension, they should have informed the tourist.

Not very professional of them!

Immigration officers are not child minders.

If asked they will answer any reasonable question

When the extension is done and your passport is returned by Immigration, may be attach a small slip of paper to the passport as a reminder saying "if you leave thailand, you must re-enter before the "enter before" date to activate second part of tourist visa, Otherwise you will forfeit it.

Small slip of paper: is used to remind us the 90-day reporting due date, so immigration could easily do the same for this scenario also.

When immigration gave the extension, they should have informed the tourist.

Not very professional of them!

Immigration officers are not child minders.

If asked they will answer any reasonable question

Nobody expects them to be child minders.

Actually, also nobody expects them to be professionals.

When you pay 1.900 baht for a stamp, you may however expect a word of explanation.

You should go to Vientiane, Laos - not Savannaket for another 2 Entry Tourist Visa...

Yeah thats what I was thinking initially, but the posts on this recent thread has me thinking otherwise.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/823134-proof-of-residence-financial-income-in-vientiane/?p=9465976#entry9465976

Savannaket seems like it will have less people and more chance of a smooth transaction.