Confused About New Visa Rules

[Dawoofer]

Hi

I am a US and UK citizen living in the US and want to visit Thailand for 6 months.

I am confused about the visa situation and unfortunately didnt get much help from the local consulate here except some cryptic reply to my email!

Basically I want to stay for 6 months but during this time I will be making some short trips out of the country.

1. I understand I can get a 90 day visa before I arrive. Its not clear to me whether this is a 60 day extendable by another 30 days or if this is a straight 90 days.

2. If I were to get the 90 day visa with multiple entries (for example 3 entries) is it 90 days PER entry? For example can i stay for 90 days, then leave thailand, then return for another 90 days and so on until my number of entries run out? Or is it just one 90 day period of validity in which i must make my entries in and out?

3. One possibility I see from reading some of the posts here is to get the 90 day visa, and then for the remaining 3 months just do border runs every 30 days. But I really want to avoid this latter running around if i can.

Any help very much appreciated. thanks in advance....

rgds

Woofer

[lopburi3]

1. If a tourist visa (which can be one, two or three entry) it is 60 days extend-able for 30 days.

2. Up to 90 days for each entry but the visa is only valid for six months from date of issue.

3. Believe you would be better off with valid visa entry. Use of 30 day entry is now limited to 90 days in any six month period so it would be best to only use if needed.

[jbaldwin]

You should be able to get a triple entry tourist visa in the US. This is valid for six months from issue. This means that your last entry using this visa must be within the six month period. Each time you enter Thailand will will be granted a 60 day stay, which can be extended in Thailand for another 30 days. If you make your final entry just before the visa expires, you will get a total of 9 months (ie 3 times 60+30 days)

[tropo]

Hi

I am a US and UK citizen living in the US and want to visit Thailand for 6 months.

I am confused about the visa situation and unfortunately didnt get much help from the local consulate here except some cryptic reply to my email!

Basically I want to stay for 6 months but during this time I will be making some short trips out of the country.

1. I understand I can get a 90 day visa before I arrive. Its not clear to me whether this is a 60 day extendable by another 30 days or if this is a straight 90 days.

2. If I were to get the 90 day visa with multiple entries (for example 3 entries) is it 90 days PER entry? For example can i stay for 90 days, then leave thailand, then return for another 90 days and so on until my number of entries run out? Or is it just one 90 day period of validity in which i must make my entries in and out?

3. One possibility I see from reading some of the posts here is to get the 90 day visa, and then for the remaining 3 months just do border runs every 30 days. But I really want to avoid this latter running around if i can.

Any help very much appreciated. thanks in advance....

rgds

Woofer

You might even have some problems with a 3-entry tourist visa. The reason being is that if you bounce in and out of Thailand on short trips you will use up your 3-entries. Once you've used them up, you'll only get 30 day stamps for a period of up to 90 days.

One solution would be to enter on a 30 day stamp and do your short trips as many times as you like until you've exhausted your 90 day limit, then hop over to Penang and get a single entry visa to get you to the full 6 months. You could incorporate Penang, or KL for example, into your short trip itinerary as they are great places to visit.

[Dawoofer]

Hey lopburi, jbaldwin, and tropo

Thanks alot for your speedy replies. It helps a great deal to hear the inside scoop from the experienced, rather than the official and sometimes not so clear line.

Very helpful. Next thing i got to do is try and find a furnished apartment in BKK for 6 months, but I'll post on the the real estate section. But if youve got any suggestions, would be welcome.

For the side trips, Im planning on maybe visiting Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong and maybe Laos.

I did think about spending a couple months in Penang or KL but really dont know much about these places and whether they will be as hospitable and amenity friendly as BKK.

Thanks again! Appreciate the help...

rgds

Dawoofer

[tropo]

Hey lopburi, jbaldwin, and tropo

Thanks alot for your speedy replies. It helps a great deal to hear the inside scoop from the experienced, rather than the official and sometimes not so clear line.

Very helpful. Next thing i got to do is try and find a furnished apartment in BKK for 6 months, but I'll post on the the real estate section. But if youve got any suggestions, would be welcome.

For the side trips, Im planning on maybe visiting Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong and maybe Laos.

I did think about spending a couple months in Penang or KL but really dont know much about these places and whether they will be as hospitable and amenity friendly as BKK.

Thanks again! Appreciate the help...

rgds

Dawoofer

You might want to reconsider your plans regarding Penang. The infrastructure is probably better than Bangkok and it's a very tourist friendly place. One major bonus is that most people can speak English very well and have a better level of education than Thais and have a much more international attitude.

Malaysia offers the 90 entry stamp on arrival, so staying there should be a breeze.

It's a very nice island and the cost of living is probably about the same as in Bangkok. If the visa situation in Thailand becomes too cumbersome, I'll be looking to relocate there.

[cooL_guY_corY]

just to clear something up with the 30 day visas on arrival, its by days right now by stamps? so if i want to jump in and out a lot its not an issue.. its just 90 days with in 180 days (via visa on arrival) right?

[Nam Kao]

>>>It's a very nice island and the cost of living is probably about the same as in Bangkok. If the visa situation in Thailand becomes too cumbersome, I'll be looking to relocate there.

What the Penang nightlife like? and how is the girl situation, easy hunting?

thanks

nam

[tropo]

>>>It's a very nice island and the cost of living is probably about the same as in Bangkok. If the visa situation in Thailand becomes too cumbersome, I'll be looking to relocate there.

What the Penang nightlife like? and how is the girl situation, easy hunting?

thanks

nam

Good question Nam.

It's not a girl hunting country like Thailand. If you're single it's much better to stay in Thailand. I'm looking at Penang as a place to settle with a steady girl.

Coolguycory:

They count days, not stamps, so if you need to bounce in and out of Thailand frequently, it's the best way to go unless you want to spend more than 90 days out of 6 months in Thailand.