Tourist Question: Getting Another 30 Days on my 30 Days Visa Exemption – Easy?

[henrik2000]

Hi, my plan is to enter Thailand with a 30 days visa exemption. I want to get another 30 days shortly after arrival (so a total of 60 days, the extension costs 1900 THB). In the first few days after arrival in Thailand, i will be in Pattaya and i know where to find the immigration office in Jomtien. In weeks 2 – 4 of my trip i might be in the boondocks and might have problems locating an immigration office.

So my questions:

• Can i get a 30 days extension of my 30 days visa exemption just 2 or 4 days after arriving in Thailand, applying in Pattaya/Jomtien?
• When i apply for another 30 days exemption and pay 1900 THB for that, will they ask for an outbound flight ticket at the immigration office?

Thanks for your real-life experience!

PS.

- I have entered Thailand many times and applied for 10-days extended visa exemptions at least thrice without ever being asked for an onward ticket anywhere, but things might have changed.

- I am aware of the 60 days single entry visa to be bought before gong; but this is very complicated for me because i live far from the city. Also the form for that visa required me to show an outbound ticket and so far i have none.

[expatbrit]

You can extend a visa exempt entry by 30 days at any immigration office and no outward bound ticket is required.

It is doubtful if any office would provide an extension within the first week of arrival but you could ask.

If you were to say where in the "boondocks" you plan to be someone will know where the local immigration office is to be found.

Be aware that the airline may deny you boarding if you are not in possession of a visa or a confirmed flight out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival.

[henrik2000]

Expatbrit, thanks. I don't know where i will be exactly on weeks 2 - 4. I understand it's easy to find out the location of other immigration offices, i think they are also listed in the guide books (still using current, printed guidebooks). It would just be most convenient to do it in Pattaya on a working day and forget about it.

On the other hand, last time in Pattaya i had to wait 1,5 hours. So if chances are that they refuse the extension because i just arrived in country, i would love to avoid this wait.

Wondered if anybody has experience on the ground.

Thanks!

[ubonjoe]

I don't think immigration at Jomtien will do the extension that early. Probably best to do it later someplace else.

This should help you find an immigration office: Address and Google Map location of immigration offices

[torpedo1970]

I have been down this rabbit-hole once or twice before.

The answer is very easy..... or so they told me.

The 30 day extension application is from the date of handing it in, so they do not let you choose that you want it from.

[ubonjoe]

I have been down this rabbit-hole once or twice before.

The answer is very easy..... or so they told me.

The 30 day extension application is from the date of handing it in, so they do not let you choose that you want it from.

All extensions start from when your current permit to stay ends not the date of application.

Not sure who gave you that wrong information.

[ThaiWai]

I have been down this rabbit-hole once or twice before.

The answer is very easy..... or so they told me.

The 30 day extension application is from the date of handing it in, so they do not let you choose that you want it from.

Epic post failure. Fortunately UJ corrected it or someone may have believed you.

[Suradit69]

I have been down this rabbit-hole once or twice before.

The answer is very easy..... or so they told me.

The 30 day extension application is from the date of handing it in, so they do not let you choose that you want it from.

"I have been down this rabbit-hole once or twice before.

The answer is very easy..... or so they told me."

Either you're speaking from personal experience (down the rabbit-hole before) or conjecture ( or so they told me), which is it?

Although it's doubtful an extension of a visa exempt entry will be allowed before the last week or so of the permission to stay, any extension granted is just that, an extension of your current permission to stay, i.e. added onto your current permission. Nothing is lost by applying early and the date you hand in your application is irrelevant in that regard..

[henrik2000]

Hi all, thanks for new comments, and Ubon Joe, thanks for the links to Immigration!

It seems that nobody actually tried this on the ground - getting another 30 days of visa exemption just a few days after arriving in Thailand with a usual initial visa exemption for 30 days tourists.

On another forum someone that *his friends* tried this and were refused an extension of their visa exemption in Phuket and Pattaya when they applied just a few days after touch-down in Thailand. He says they were told to apply only on the last few days of the initial 30-days-period.

It's clear that getting a 60 days tourist visa beforehand saves you some headache, also with the airline, but the logistics are difficult in my case. (Aware of postal option.)

[hawker9000]

I did one about 10d before the expiration of mine (at CW) and no one batted an eye. As I recall the wait wasn't that bad but I was careful to have my application properly filled out in advance and to go during recommended hours and on a recommended day. (And there are some public holidays coming up...)

[henrik2000]

Hawker9000, thanks for that experience! Did you (have to) show an outbound ticket (flight, boat, bus)?

[hawker9000]

Hawker9000, thanks for that experience! Did you (have to) show an outbound ticket (flight, boat, bus)?

Nope. Had that & other documentation with me in case, but 'wasn't asked for anything.

[henrik2000]

Hawker9000, thanks for that experience! Did you (have to) show an outbound ticket (flight, boat, bus)?

Nope. Had that & other documentation with me in case, but 'wasn't asked for anything.

Hawker, thanks for the update! Sorry, can i ask what "CW" stands for? Googling "CW Thailand" brought up Central World. I guess i should know it, but i don't.

[ubonjoe]

It is Chaeng Wattana immigration in Bangkok.

[henrik2000]

Joe, thanks!

[hawker9000]

It seems there's a new requirement that's been added on ( I know, what a shocker, eh?)

You might want to review this thread if you haven't already seen it:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/870049-new-proof-of-address-requirement-for-30-day-extension-on-triple-entry-tv-today-at-chonburi-jomtie/

I would assume, but do not know, that this new proof-of-address reqt would apply to at least all 30d extensions, whether of visa exempt entries, or entries on a tourist visa. And I would further assume you need to be requesting the extension at the immigration office LOCAL TO the proof-of-address you're going to be presenting.

(Yes, before the smugettes get started, I KNOW it's "always been the rule; only just now started being enforced". Spare me. It would take a knowledge of thai legal minutiae going back a hundred years to be aware of all these legal gotchas just waiting for some technocrat deciding to enforce them and oozing out of the woodwork.)