Do not qualify for METV - will this work

[Greenwich Boy]

Am back in Thailand for six weeks from early January. Normally obtain triple entry TV and do a couple of side trips to other countries.

5k will be in the bank but not for six months so assuming I only get a SETV.

Have a road trip planned which will involve crossing by land into Laos a couple of times but possibly only for a day.

Purely from a visa point of view will this be possible with a combination of extensions and visa exempt entries?

Last time I was here there was a bit of a crackdown on visa exempt entries by land.

UK Citizen and will be applying in London

[ubonjoe]

You could do it with visa exempt entries and 30 day extensions of them. The crossings to Laos are not as strict for doing them as some other crossings.

But I assume you are aware you may need a ticket out of the country within 30 days to board your flight from the UK.

Even if you could get the METV it would not be worth the trouble and cost to get one unless you are going to be back to use it before it expires.

[JLCrab]

While it was 6 years ago, I was able to buy 2 Lao Visas in Khon Kaen (same passport) for a friend of mine who was traveling overland from Thailand to Lao to China and then back into Lao on his way to Thailand. You might stop in the KK Lao Consulate and see if they would issue multiple single-entry Visas for your trip.

[4evermaat]

While it was 6 years ago, I was able to buy 2 Lao Visas in Khon Kaen (same passport) for a friend of mine who was traveling overland from Thailand to Lao to China and then back into Lao on his way to Thailand. You might stop in the KK Lao Consulate and see if they would issue multiple single-entry Visas for your trip.

But the expiration date (valid until) would be the same. They cannot post-date the visa issue date. So the 2nd visa would have to be used quickly.

Now if they could give you 180 day expiration dates from issuance vs 90 days, THEN it might be worth it to investigate the possibility of 2 separate single-entry tourist visas in close proximity of each other.

Edited November 24, 2015 by 4evermaat

[JLCrab]

From Post #1: Have a road trip planned which will involve crossing by land into Laos a couple of times but possibly only for a day.

Sure all the Lao visas -- if it is still possible -- would have the same 30 day use by date. But he said sometimes he would only be in Lao for 1 day so he might very well be able to use them up and not have to get a Lao visa at a border crossing each time.

[uptheos]

You could do it with visa exempt entries and 30 day extensions of them. The crossings to Laos are not as strict for doing them as some other crossings.

But I assume you are aware you may need a ticket out of the country within 30 days to board your flight from the UK.

Even if you could get the METV it would not be worth the trouble and cost to get one unless you are going to be back to use it before it expires.

Have the London requirements been posted on TVF?

[JackThompson]

You could also get a SETV in the UK - so easy flight-access w/o another ticket out of Thailand - then buy re-entry permits here for the 2 Lao runs. This would add up to the same cost as the now-defunct 3-Entry visa.

[Greenwich Boy]

You could do it with visa exempt entries and 30 day extensions of them. The crossings to Laos are not as strict for doing them as some other crossings.

But I assume you are aware you may need a ticket out of the country within 30 days to board your flight from the UK.

Even if you could get the METV it would not be worth the trouble and cost to get one unless you are going to be back to use it before it expires.

Thanks Ubonjoe

My flight out of Thailand is more than 30 days after I arrive so I presume a SETV is the way to go - getting to the Thai Embassy in London is no problem.

Much easier than getting extensions in Chiang Mai anyway!

To play completely safe should I delay re entering Thailand from Laos (on which will now be a visa exempt entry) until there are less than 30 days to go until I fly out and have the plane ticket with me?

All seems fine just concerned about being considered a 'border runner'

Thanks again for excellent advice.

[VBF]

You could do it with visa exempt entries and 30 day extensions of them. The crossings to Laos are not as strict for doing them as some other crossings.

But I assume you are aware you may need a ticket out of the country within 30 days to board your flight from the UK.

Even if you could get the METV it would not be worth the trouble and cost to get one unless you are going to be back to use it before it expires.

Have the London requirements been posted on TVF?

Several times!

I started this thread http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/870290-metv-from-london-embassy/ and, because there were so many METV threads running and causing confusion,

UbonJoe closed it in favour of this one http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/870548-the-multiple-entry-tourist-visa-topic-metv/

Edited November 24, 2015 by VBF

[steve187]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

[Greenwich Boy]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

Thought I had all bases covered but had not even considered a re entry permit. That way I won't be at the whim of an immigration officer who is having a bad day.

Thanks a lot.

[gk10002000]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

hmmm. Multi entry re-entry permit on a Single entry Tourist Visa. I like the sound of that. So you can hop in and out during the period the Visa is valid eh? Do you use up the first 60 days when you first exit or can you keep those full first 60 days regardless of when you hop in and out, and then the 30 day extension feature will also be available later?

[BritTim]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

hmmm. Multi entry re-entry permit on a Single entry Tourist Visa. I like the sound of that. So you can hop in and out during the period the Visa is valid eh? Do you use up the first 60 days when you first exit or can you keep those full first 60 days regardless of when you hop in and out, and then the 30 day extension feature will also be available later?

Not sure I understand your question. Say you entered on 1 November 2015. You will be given a 60-day permission to stay until 30 December 2015. If you add a multiple re-entry permit, you can leave and reenter Thailand as many times as you like before 30 December 2015. You can also extend the original permission to stay for an additonal 30 days until 29 January 2016. I am unsure if the multiple re-entry permit applies to the extension, however. Logic says that the re-entry permit was until 30 December 2015, so a new re-entry permit would be probably required to leave and come back between 31 December and 29 January.

[Suradit69]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

hmmm. Multi entry re-entry permit on a Single entry Tourist Visa. I like the sound of that. So you can hop in and out during the period the Visa is valid eh? Do you use up the first 60 days when you first exit or can you keep those full first 60 days regardless of when you hop in and out, and then the 30 day extension feature will also be available later?

A re-entry permit is tied to the permission of stay given you when you first arrive in Thailand, not the expiration printed on the visa.

If you enter on a SETV you are given a 60 day permission to stay. If you get a re-entry permit, it will expire on the same date as your permission to stay ... you don't get any extra days by using a re-entry permit, it just preserves your original permission to stay for the original 60 days.

If you choose to get a 30 day extension of your tourist visa entry, you would need a NEW re-entry permit tied to the extension and it would expire on the same day that your 30 day extension expires.

In either case, with a multi-re-entry permit, you could exit and return as often as you like, but you would neither gain nor lose anything from the 60 day permission or 30 day extension you were given by immigrations. Those "must leave by" dates would remain the same.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Suradit69

[siam2007]

I know of several honorary consulats that do not require the 5K to be on your account for 6 months (no European national with a brain would park 5K on a current account as it is dead money there).

On the recently updated website of the Thai consulat in my home town, it is stated that you just need to show proof of 5K, so basically you could deposit the 5K just the day before you visit the consulat.

Those honorary consulats usually apply a common sense as they know the actual real life scenarios of the citizens of the respective countries.

I could send you the link, but as it is not in English, I doubt it will be of much help

[flyingdoc]

Not only would a European not park £5,000 in a current account, but until the requirements were published on November 13th, they would even know that was going to be required. Are Brits now meant to be telepathic as well as being penalized under the new rules? There is no way I can think of, as to how someone can park £5,000 in an account retrospectively for the previous 6 months, of you never dreamt that was going to be asked for !

[gk10002000]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

hmmm. Multi entry re-entry permit on a Single entry Tourist Visa. I like the sound of that. So you can hop in and out during the period the Visa is valid eh? Do you use up the first 60 days when you first exit or can you keep those full first 60 days regardless of when you hop in and out, and then the 30 day extension feature will also be available later?

A re-entry permit is tied to the permission of stay given you when you first arrive in Thailand, not the expiration printed on the visa.

If you enter on a SETV you are given a 60 day permission to stay. If you get a re-entry permit, it will expire on the same date as your permission to stay ... you don't get any extra days by using a re-entry permit, it just preserves your original permission to stay for the original 60 days.

If you choose to get a 30 day extension of your tourist visa entry, you would need a NEW re-entry permit tied to the extension and it would expire on the same day that your 30 day extension expires.

In either case, with a multi-re-entry permit, you could exit and return as often as you like, but you would neither gain nor lose anything from the 60 day permission or 30 day extension you were given by immigrations. Those "must leave by" dates would remain the same.

Thanks. You answered my question. I was concerned that once you left Thailand during the initial 60 days they might chop off the 60 day time. As you wrote, no part of that initial 60 days is lost and nothing is gained by exiting and entering.

Thanks

[Suradit69]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

hmmm. Multi entry re-entry permit on a Single entry Tourist Visa. I like the sound of that. So you can hop in and out during the period the Visa is valid eh? Do you use up the first 60 days when you first exit or can you keep those full first 60 days regardless of when you hop in and out, and then the 30 day extension feature will also be available later?

A re-entry permit is tied to the permission of stay given you when you first arrive in Thailand, not the expiration printed on the visa.

If you enter on a SETV you are given a 60 day permission to stay. If you get a re-entry permit, it will expire on the same date as your permission to stay ... you don't get any extra days by using a re-entry permit, it just preserves your original permission to stay for the original 60 days.

If you choose to get a 30 day extension of your tourist visa entry, you would need a NEW re-entry permit tied to the extension and it would expire on the same day that your 30 day extension expires.

In either case, with a multi-re-entry permit, you could exit and return as often as you like, but you would neither gain nor lose anything from the 60 day permission or 30 day extension you were given by immigrations. Those "must leave by" dates would remain the same.

Thanks. You answered my question. I was concerned that once you left Thailand during the initial 60 days they might chop off the 60 day time. As you wrote, no part of that initial 60 days is lost and nothing is gained by exiting and entering.

Thanks

PS. Each time you return to Thailand, on your arrival card write the re-entry permit number, not the the SETV number (which will have been marked "used" after your original entry) and draw the immigration officer's attention to your re-entry permit.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Suradit69

[JackThompson]

if you got a setv, giving you a 60 day permission to stay stamp, you could get a multi entry re-entry permit (3800baht) that would cover you for all in and outs, and not have to worry about on visa exempt entry rules. a single entry re-entry permit (1000 baht) may do, with maybe a second if required. save a few baht but more trips to local immigration

hmmm. Multi entry re-entry permit on a Single entry Tourist Visa. I like the sound of that. So you can hop in and out during the period the Visa is valid eh? Do you use up the first 60 days when you first exit or can you keep those full first 60 days regardless of when you hop in and out, and then the 30 day extension feature will also be available later?

A re-entry permit is tied to the permission of stay given you when you first arrive in Thailand, not the expiration printed on the visa.

If you enter on a SETV you are given a 60 day permission to stay. If you get a re-entry permit, it will expire on the same date as your permission to stay ... you don't get any extra days by using a re-entry permit, it just preserves your original permission to stay for the original 60 days.

If you choose to get a 30 day extension of your tourist visa entry, you would need a NEW re-entry permit tied to the extension and it would expire on the same day that your 30 day extension expires.

In either case, with a multi-re-entry permit, you could exit and return as often as you like, but you would neither gain nor lose anything from the 60 day permission or 30 day extension you were given by immigrations. Those "must leave by" dates would remain the same.

This is why I suggested purchasand 'single' re-entry permits (above), rather than an 'multiple' re-entry permit. Multiple is 3800 Baht. Single is 1000 Baht. Depends on how many exits you plan to do which makes more sense, ultimately, but a multiple applied to the 'permission to stay' of the first 60 days, would not be valid during the 30-day extension.