The Multiple Entry Tourist Visa Topic (METV)

[JimboJ]

2 minutes ago, DUS said:

You do not have a METV.

I take it that METV stands for multiple entry tourist visa.  I have a visa for tourists, which allows multiple entries.  Could you tell us all the correct name for it?

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, JimboJ said:

I take it that METV stands for multiple entry tourist visa.  I have a visa for tourists, which allows multiple entries.  Could you tell us all the correct name for it?

You already wrote what it is. It is a often called a multiple entry non-o visa I assume it is for retirement if you are 65 or over and getting a state pension.

18 minutes ago, JimboJ said:

The actual visa says Non-immigrant, category O, No. of entry M.  Cost 125 GBP.

 

[JimboJ]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

You already wrote what it is. It is a often called a multiple entry non-o visa I assume it is for retirement if you are 65 or over and getting a state pension.

I am over 65, but no proof of state pension was required.  Perhaps it was just assumed.

I just checked the Thai Consulate London website and it says that for non-immigrant type O a pension statement is required if the applicant is a pension earner.

 

I was over 65 when I got a visa in London last year, but was simply given a multiple entry tourist visa - two entries for 50 GBP.  This is no longer available.  The new METV also costs 125 GBP but only allows 60 days initial stay, which can be extended for an additional 30 days.  Also, it is only valid for 6 months, whereas mine is valid for a year.

 

If it is a retirement visa, do I have to leave after 90 days, or can I just get it renewed?

 

I did not ask for a retirement visa.  But the easy availability is good news for the over 65's, especially if the 90 days can be renewed without doing a visa run.

 

[ubonjoe]

41 minutes ago, JimboJ said:

If it is a retirement visa, do I have to leave after 90 days, or can I just get it renewed?

You have to go out of the country every 90 days. 

You could apply for a one year extension based upon retirement if you can meet the financial requirements during the last 30 days of any of the 90 entries.

I think they gave you the non-o visa since the fees are the same for both visas and felt the non-o visa was better suited for your needs.

[darkavatar]

For those obtaining METV's from home after having done several SETV & Visa Exempts - what has been the attitude of the IO's at the airport? I'm looking to obtain an METV shortly and am hoping that when I fly into Phuket that I am not flagged by immigration (which I probably will be). Would anyone recommend that instead of flying into Phuket, that it might be better to fly to Penang/KL and take a bus across the border?  

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, darkavatar said:

For those obtaining METV's from home after having done several SETV & Visa Exempts - what has been the attitude of the IO's at the airport? I'm looking to obtain an METV shortly and am hoping that when I fly into Phuket that I am not flagged by immigration (which I probably will be). Would anyone recommend that instead of flying into Phuket, that it might be better to fly to Penang/KL and take a bus across the border?  

 

I would steer clear of immigration at Phuket airport. There have been some ugly reports from there. However, I see no evidence that there is a problem for regular visitors entering through Suvanabhumi. This can be subject to change, of course, but in your position I would return through Bangkok (clearing immigration there) and get a domestic flight into Phuket.

[heliorod]

Hi guys,

I have just spend at least few hours learning and researching about this "new" (haven't been in Thailand for almost 2 years) METV Visa.
My point was to find out how to be able to stay ALMOST 9 months with this METV and I came up with a basic example that I believe it's correct but would appreciate if you could double check and "approve it" :-) Hopefully it will be helpful to everyone who plans on long stays.

Please note that the dates might not be exact "30 days" or "60 days" but this is just an example with approximate numbers

05/10 - VISA "METV" APPROVED AND ON THE PASSPORT (October 5th), ENTRY BEFORE 05/04 (April 5th)
08/10 - FLY TO THAILAND. GET 60 DAYS STAMP
08/12 - EXTEND FOR 30 DAYS
08/01 - VISA RUN! GET 60 DAYS
08/03 - EXTEND FOR 30 DAYS
04/04 - VISA RUN! GET 60 DAYS (ONE DAY BEFORE 05/04 - "ENTRY BEFORE" DATE ON VISA)
04/06 - EXTEND FOR 30 DAYS
04/07 - FLY OUT

Looking forward to hear from you and hope it helps.

Cheerio

Edited November 26, 2016 by heliorod

[heliorod]

UPDATED POST, PLEASE IGNORE PREVIOUS ONE.

Hi guys,

I have just spend at least few hours learning and researching about this "new" (haven't been in Thailand for almost 2 years) METV Visa.
My point was to find out how to be able to stay ALMOST 9 months with this METV and I came up with two basic examples that I believe are correct but would appreciate if you could double check and "approve" them. :-) Hopefully it will be helpful to anyone who plans on long stays.

Please note that the dates might not be exact "30 days" or "60 days" but these are just examples with approximate numbers.

OPTION 1

05/10 - VISA "METV" APPROVED AND ON THE PASSPORT (October 5th), ENTRY BEFORE 05/04 (April 5th)
08/10 - FLY TO THAILAND. GET 60 DAYS STAMP
08/12 - EXTEND FOR 30 DAYS (1900BAHT)
08/01 - VISA RUN! GET 60 DAYS (1300BAHT, CHIANG MAI-MAE SAI)
08/03 - EXTEND FOR 30 DAYS (1900BAHT)
04/04 - VISA RUN! GET 60 DAYS (1300BAHT, CHIANG MAI-MAE SAI) (ONE DAY BEFORE 05/04 - "ENTRY BEFORE" DATE ON VISA)
04/06 - EXTEND FOR 30 DAYS (1900BAHT)
04/07 - FLY OUT

COST 8300 BAHT (2 VISA RUN + 3 EXTENSIONS)

OPTION 2

05/10 - VISA "METV" APPROVED AND ON THE PASSPORT (October 5th), ENTRY BEFORE 05/04 (April 5th)
08/10 - FLY TO THAILAND. GET 60 DAYS STAMP
08/12 - VISA RUN! GET 60 DAYS (1300BAHT, CHIANG MAI-MAE SAI)
08/02 - VISA RUN! GET 60 DAYS (1300BAHT, CHIANG MAI-MAE SAI)
04/04 - VISA RUN! GET 60 DAYS (1300BAHT, CHIANG MAI-MAE SAI) (ONE DAY BEFORE 05/04 - "ENTRY BEFORE" DATE ON VISA) 
04/06 - EXTEND FOR 30 DAYS (1900BAHT)
04/07 - FLY OUT

COST 5800 BAHT (3 VISA RUN + 1 EXTENSION)

Cheapest option would be depending on how far are you from the border. Obviously the calculated costs (approx) does not include the METV cost (around 5500 BAHT) This example is for people who stay in Chiang Mai. 

Looking forward to hear from you and hope it helps.

Cheerio

[BritTim]

Your plan is close, but you need to be careful when counting your 60-day stays. Recognize (i) this is not the same as two months; and (ii) day 1 of your 60-day stay is the day you arrive and day 60 is 59 days later.

 

If you arrive 8 Oct 2016, your 60-day permission to stay ends 6 Dec 2016.

 

Assuming to plan to apply each time for the 30-day extension, the easiest way to approach this is to add 89 days to each entry date. Do not worry about calculating the 60-day stay and 30-day extensions separately. You will, in practice, apply for the extensions several days early anyway (you lose no time by doing so). You can use https://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html to check your math. You may also want to plan leaving a day early, just in case some unexpected glitch interferes with your travel plans.

 

Possible approach:

Fly in 8 Oct 2016

Border run 4 Jan 2017 (88 days later)

Leave 2 Apr 2017 (88 days later) for a mini holiday in a neighboring country) returning 4 Apr 2017

Plan to leave Thailand on or before 1 Jul 2017 (88 days later) or make plans for a border hop for a visa exempt entry/single entry visa in neighboring country.

 

 

[heliorod]

Great tips BritTim thank you so much for that input you're a genius!! :-)

Found also other website for these calculations http://www.convertunits.com/dates/daysfromnow/89

I'm sure your advice and tips will help many people!!!

Cheers

[heliorod]

BritTim, do you know about the Non-Immigrant Visa "O" (accompanying spouse / dependant)?
I found some infos online but not sure if it's up to date (http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en/services/2886/34923-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O"---Accompanying-sp.html)

Since my wife will be working in Thailand next year I think this would be a better (and cheaper) option than the METV, do you agree? I'm not planning to work.

If you have some info about this type of Visa please let me know (cost, duration, requirements, etc)

Thank you again

[elviajero]

15 minutes ago, heliorod said:

BritTim, do you know about the Non-Immigrant Visa "O" (accompanying spouse / dependant)?
I found some infos online but not sure if it's up to date (http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en/services/2886/34923-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O"---Accompanying-sp.html)

Since my wife will be working in Thailand next year I think this would be a better (and cheaper) option than the METV, do you agree? I'm not planning to work.

If you have some info about this type of Visa please let me know (cost, duration, requirements, etc)

Thank you again

Assuming your wife isn't Thai.....

 

If she is going to be working in Thailand you should both get Non-immigrant Visas. You wife would need a Non 'B' sponsored by her employer. You can get a Non 'O' as her husband. Once in Thailand your wife can apply for a 1 year extension of stay based on her work and you can get an extension of stay as her husband.

[heliorod]

..

Edited November 26, 2016 by heliorod

[heliorod]

Thanks for your input elviajero.

No, my wife is not Thai! :-)
So how long I can stay and how much would be this Non "O" for me? Do I still have to leave and come in after 60 or 90 days? What about the METV comparing to this Visa? Which one is "better" (when it comes of staying for long time without extensions or visa run) and which one is cheaper? Apparently I can choose between those 2 visas.
Please let me know if you have more details
Cheers

Edited November 26, 2016 by heliorod

[elviajero]

3 minutes ago, heliorod said:

Thanks for your input elviajero.

No, my wife is not Thai! :-)
So how long I can stay and how much would be this Non "O" for me? Do I still have to leave and come in after 60 or 90 days? What about the METV comparing to this Visa? Which one is "better" (when it comes of staying for long time without extensions or visa run) and which one is cheaper? Apparently I can choose between those 2 visas.
Please let me know if you have more details
Cheers

• You don't say in which country you're applying in, but a Single Entry Non Immigrant Visa costs around 2,000 baht.
• Both you and your wife would get 90 days on entry. Within the last 30 days your wife, with the support of her employer, can apply for a 1 year extension of stay for 1,900 baht. At the same time you can also apply for an extension for 1,900 baht.
• If you don't apply for an extension you have to leave after 90 days and get a new visa.
• Once you and your wife have been granted a 1 year extension of stay, neither of you need to leave the country, but you have to report to immigration every 90 days.
• As long as your wife qualifies for a Non-immigrant Visa and extension of stay it would be better and cheaper for you to get a Non-immigrant Visa too.

[heliorod]

Thank you so much elviajero you seem to know everything about this stuff! You saving people's lives here :-)
We will be applying from Germany where we are based. So as you said we will start with a Single Entry Non Immigrant for 90 days and 30 days before it ends my wife will apply for 1 year extension and then I apply too (Can this be done in Chiang Mai or only in BKK?)
This definitely sounds much easier than the METV. And cheaper! (3900baht each). The METV itself its now 150EUR!!! (around 5600 baht, excluding visa runs, extensions and time!).
I was not aware of this Non Immigrant O Visas, seems to be the best option in our case.
 

[elviajero]

10 minutes ago, heliorod said:

Thank you so much elviajero you seem to know everything about this stuff! You saving people's lives here :-)
We will be applying from Germany where we are based. So as you said we will start with a Single Entry Non Immigrant for 90 days and 30 days before it ends my wife will apply for 1 year extension and then I apply too (Can this be done in Chiang Mai or only in BKK?)
This definitely sounds much easier than the METV. And cheaper! (3900baht each). The METV itself its now 150EUR!!! (around 5600 baht, excluding visa runs, extensions and time!).
I was not aware of this Non Immigrant O Visas, seems to be the best option in our case.

You will need to apply for the extension at the immigration office that covers the area you're living in. So if living in Chiang Mai you can apply there.

 

The METV is meant for frequent short term tourism as opposed to non-immigrant visas and extensions that are designed for people living/working in Thailand.

[heliorod]

2 hours ago, elviajero said:

You will need to apply for the extension at the immigration office that covers the area you're living in. So if living in Chiang Mai you can apply there.

 

The METV is meant for frequent short term tourism as opposed to non-immigrant visas and extensions that are designed for people living/working in Thailand.

Thank you so much again! I'm sure it will be helpful for other people too.
Cheers

[Briggsy]

This is Multiple Entry Tourist Visa thread.

 

Please take discussions related to Non-immigration visas to other threads.

 

Thank you.

[fullofmax]

Hey guys,

 

I hope I get some help here.

I fly back to germany over the christmas time to visit my family.

Ive been in thailand on tourist visas for the past 2 years.

I would like to get myself a METV instead of a SETV when I got the opportunity since im in germany.

However I tried that already 2 years ago at the german embassy in berlin and they refused because I had no outgoing flight.

My plan is now to book 2 outgoing flights to proof that I will leave thailand within the 3 month timeframes per entry.

Im a little worried though if that will work.

 

So basically I have my flight to thailand then and 3 months later a flight out and another 3 months later another flight out.

Would that be reasonable or will I run into trouble ?

 

Thank you very much for your advice and help !

[DUS]

 

Quote

 

So basically I have my flight to thailand then and 3 months later a flight out and another 3 months later another flight out.

Would that be reasonable or will I run into trouble ?

 

Thank you very much for your advice and help !

 

I cannot speak on behalf of the Thai Embassy in Berlin nor do I have direct experience in dealing with them when it comes to applying for the "new" METV. That said, I applied for 2 METVs with a honorary consulate in Germany.

 

Generally speaking, an outbound flight (ex TH) is not a requirement for the METV and as such I didn´t have to show proof of a flight ex TH (just an inbound flight to TH). If I were you I wouldn´t buy 2 outbound tickets unless you are now 100% sure you´d want to use them precisely on those dates you are buying them for. If you are unsure, the only way to go ahead is to call Berlin. 

 

PS: In your position, I´d be probably more concerned about the other requirements set for the (new) METV (employment, cash in bank etc).

 

PPS: The visa you applied and got rejected for 2 years ago was not the METV we are discussing here in this thread. 

Edited November 29, 2016 by DUS

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

FYI re the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles, last week I wrote them an email asking what about an METV application by someone who is retired with good income, but does not have an "employer" or "employer letter". I specifically asked if they'd accept or want to see pension statements and such instead...

 

Here's what I asked:

"So my question is, for an METV application, will you accept some other form of documentation other than an employer letter -- such as bank statements, tax returns or anything else?"

 

Got this email response back from the Visa Section today:

 

Quote

 

If you do not have an employer, please state in the application form that you are retired and that you are not employed. However, you have to present a copy of your financial statement of at least USD7,000 including other requirements in the list below

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=32

 

Visa Section

 

 

So it certainly appears that at least the Los Angeles Consulate is willing to consider METV applications from those who are retired of decent means, but who do not have employee verification letters.

 

Edited November 29, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[roger101]

Does the validity of a METV start from the day its issued or the day that you  arrive in Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, roger101 said:

Does the validity of a METV start from the day its issued or the day that you  arrive in Thailand?

The visas 6 month validity starts from the date of issue.

[roger101]

25 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The visas 6 month validity starts from the date of issue.

Thanks for that but my friends METV was issued on the 30th November 2015 and it stated that entry must be made before 29th November 2016.

When he came 8th July 2016 it was stamped 'admitted to 7/7/2017. When he came this week it was stamped 'admitted to 4th January 2017 (1 month). He is confused and asked me to find out.

[ubonjoe]

33 minutes ago, roger101 said:

Thanks for that but my friends METV was issued on the 30th November 2015 and it stated that entry must be made before 29th November 2016.

When he came 8th July 2016 it was stamped 'admitted to 7/7/2017. When he came this week it was stamped 'admitted to 4th January 2017 (1 month). He is confused and asked me to find out.

It does not appear he had a METV. It seems he may of had a NON-OA visa that is valid for one year from the date of issue and allows a one year entry.

If he entered after November 29th his visa was expired already which is why he only got a 30 day visa exempt entry. He should of gotten a re-entry permit before he left the country to keep his last entry valid.

 

 

[roger101]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It does not appear he had a METV. It seems he may of had a NON-OA visa that is valid for one year from the date of issue and allows a one year entry.

If he entered after November 29th his visa was expired already which is why he only got a 30 day visa exempt entry. He should of gotten a re-entry permit before he left the country to keep his last entry valid.

 

 

Thanks again Joe. I'm seeing him tomorrow and I'll check his passport.

[donaldinho9]

Has the status quo changed recently regarding visa runs? Once you need to leave the country (every 60 days, or 90 after an extension) is it still possible to do the various same day minivan visa runs to Cambodia or do we now need to fly out/in? If so, do we now have to be out of the country for a minimum time period (24-48 hours) before we return??


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[scubascuba3]

Has the status quo changed recently regarding visa runs? Once you need to leave the country (every 60 days, or 90 after an extension) is it still possible to do the various same day minivan visa runs to Cambodia or do we now need to fly out/in? If so, do we now have to be out of the country for a minimum time period (24-48 hours) before we return??

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No change, i did a visa run last week. Same old crazy drivers

[Fireyfish]

I want to live alternate 3 months Thailand and 3 months Australia ongoing ... what  Visa should I apply for ... I'm on the Australian age pension?