"Enter before" date clarification needed on METV

[Requiem]

Hi,

 

I know there has been similar posts before, but laws here are changing quickly and things might have changed.

 

I really need an expert knowledge on this "enter before" date matters concerning Multiple Entry Tourist Visa, because what I've been told contradicts with what I had in mind.

 

Here's my situation:

 

- I have an METV, got it in my home country in EU. I believe the visa is valid for 6 months.

- Date of issue: Sep 12, 2016

- Date of 1st entry to Thailand: Sep 25, 2016

- Entered again on Nov 26, 2016 and admitted till January 24, 2017.

- Enter Before: March 11, 2017
 

Now since it's a multi entry visa, I can enter as many times as I want. That's pretty clear.

 

My question is: Can I enter Thailand on March 10, 2017 and does this entry allow me to stay in Thailand for 2 months, till approx. May 8, 2017?

 

My doubts on this are because the METV is valid for 6 months, and since I entered 1st time on Sep 25, it should expire on March 24, right?

 

Appreciate expert info on this.

 

Br,

Req

[Upnotover]

Yes, you can enter on March 10.  You will get 60 days entry.

[ubonjoe]

A multiple entry visa allows unlimited  60 day entries on or before the enter before date on the visa. Enter before means just that not the amount of time you can be in the country.

You can get a 30 day extension for the last entry which would allow almost 9 months of total stay from the visa.

[BritTim]

Like many, you fail to appreciate that the visa and the permission to stay are completely separate things. The visa is not a permission to stay. It is a permission to enter. It allows you to enter Thailand for six months from the issue date. Regardless of which date you enter, the immigration official will give you a 60-day tourist entry, allowing you to stay 60 days in Thailand. This can, optionally, be extended by a further 30 days.

 

Once you get your head around the fact that the visa has nothing to do with your right to be in the country, only acting as a kind of voucher with an expiry date allowing you to enter, everything becomes much less confusing.

[Requiem]

Awesome, it's clear now. Appreciate it! :)