60 day tourist visa under new temporary rules

[boatguy]

I understand there are some new relaxations on the fees for tourist visas this season,..... they waver the extra fee to get a 60 day visa??

Is it possible to get this 60 day tourist visa at the airport in BKK immigration office?

I am coming to Thailand in early Jan to visit my Thai wife of 9 years, and I want spend 2 months with her in Khon Kaen. The problem of my applying here in the USA before I come is it the holiday period and I am concerned about sending my passport off by mail to the embassy in Wash DC and getting it back in time (first week of Jan). So I wonder if i can get with an immigration officer in BKK and get the 60 day visa rather than just 30 days,...under the new relaxed visa program.
 

I'm a 73 year old retiree who is happily married to a retired Thai school teacher. We spend time there in KK and in our Florida home. At one time I was going to seek out a retirement visa there, but I got fed up with some of the 'smothering' requirements of that situation such as 1) the lack of easy come and go I am use to in the USA and the many other countries I have visited over the years, 2) the money in their banks requirements,  3) the lastest proposed health insurance rules, 4) etc, etc.
And then they want to hassle me when I come for a few months visit as opposed to 30 days. If I go thru the effort to get the longer visa before I come, then decide to go for a short trip to another country while I am there, then they start the clock all over again when I come back to Thailand. So why did I bother to get the longer visa in the first place? I wanted to make Thailand and the USA both 'my home bases', but making Thailand one of them has not agreed with my 'nature', when I compare it to my freedom to travel as a USA citizen.

[boatguy]

To clarify, I would like to get with an immigration official there at the airport in Bangkok while I wait for my flight to Khon Kaen. Is that possible now. (it has been 2 years since I have been to Thailand as she has come to USA 3 times since).

[ubonjoe]

You cannot get a tourist visa on entry to the country. You will only get a 30 day visa exempt entry that can be extended for 30 days at an immigration office.

You cannot apply for a tourist visa within the country.

If you are in Florida perhaps you could apply for the visa at the honorary consulate in  Coral Gables.

ROYAL THAI HONORARY CONSULATE-GENERAL

2525 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Suite 300

Coral Gables, FL 33134

Telephone:  (305) 445-7577 ext. 2

Toll free :     (888) 336-3384

Facsimile:    (305) 974-1287

Email: [email protected]

[Sri Shina]

I  am  Canadian  with  a  30  day  "visa free"  stamp.  Under  the  new  free  SETV  rule  am  I  able  to  renew  my  tourist  visa  for  30  more  days  without  having  to  pay  the  1900  baht?

 

I  have  read  this  site  for  years  but  have  never  posted.  I  have  to  say  Ubon  Joe  has  always  been  so  helpful  and  professional  in  all  of  his  advice.  Thank  you!

 

Please  inform  me  if  I  should  have  started  a  new  topic  rather  than  post  my  question  here.

 

Thanks.

[stevenl]

Visa is free, extension is not. Sorry, you'll have to pay 1900 Baht.

[Sri Shina]

Thank  you,  Steven  for  your  quick  reply.  It  is  appreciated.

 

 

[PoorSucker]

You can extend every entry to Thailand with 60 days if you are married to a Thai for 1900 baht.

[Suradit69]

21 hours ago, boatguy said:

but I got fed up with some of the 'smothering' requirements of that situation such as 1) the lack of easy come and go I am use to in the USA and the many other countries I have visited over the years, 2) the money in their banks requirements,  3) the lastest proposed health insurance rules, 4) etc, etc.

 

If you want to get a retirement or marriage extension, you could just show a monthly income of Baht 65,000 or Baht 40,000 baht, respectively, rather than keeping money in the bank. With a re-entry permit you'd be free to come and go as often as you please. Not really any smothering involved and I'm pretty sure most countries don't allow long-term residence by foreigners  without some paperwork and evidence of finances.  No current requirement regarding health insurance, but hopefully a world traveler like you would have medical insurance anytime he is outside the US regardless of regulations.

 

If you just want to freely come and go without a long term commitment, get a currently  "free" tourist visa in the US before you come here. Visas are not issued inside Thailand. Or just get a 30 day "free" visa exempt entry when you arrive. 

Edited December 17, 2016 by Suradit69

[Andrew65]

18 hours ago, Sri Shina said:

I  am  Canadian  with  a  30  day  "visa free"  stamp.  Under  the  new  free  SETV  rule  am  I  able  to  renew  my  tourist  visa  for  30  more  days  without  having  to  pay  the  1900  baht?

 

I  have  read  this  site  for  years  but  have  never  posted.  I  have  to  say  Ubon  Joe  has  always  been  so  helpful  and  professional  in  all  of  his  advice.  Thank  you!

 

Please  inform  me  if  I  should  have  started  a  new  topic  rather  than  post  my  question  here.

 

Thanks.

I too have had good advice from UbonJoe.

 

I don't think it's possible to do what you state. I've done it very many times myself. I think the free visa deal only applies to visas acquired outside of Thailand.

 

Joe might know differently.

[Altalake]

As always, Ubon Joe is the Visa Guru.

 

All he says is "Certified Gospel".

[flyingdoc]

I would have thought that the Visa exempt stamp would be best, then just renew for a further 30 days at any Immigration Office for 1,900 baht!

Edited December 17, 2016 by flyingdoc
one typo!

[SaratogaRay]

I used USPS for a visa in NY and my passport was lost or stolen as it arrived at the Thai Consulate, l would only use UPS overnight. So now l have to find a service to

go out of Thailand as my new passport arrived one day before my departure. l can't find one to Cambodia only Laos which is 4 days, can anyone advise a service.    Thanks 

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, SaratogaRay said:

I used USPS for a visa in NY and my passport was lost or stolen as it arrived at the Thai Consulate, l would only use UPS overnight. So now l have to find a service to

go out of Thailand as my new passport arrived one day before my departure. l can't find one to Cambodia only Laos which is 4 days, can anyone advise a service.    Thanks 

Are you asking about a visa run service to get a tourist visa. I don't think there are any making the runs to Cambodia.

In Laos you apply the morning of one day for your visa and pick it up the next afternoon. This company offers the service to Vientiane Laos. http://www.thaivisaservice.com/

[SaratogaRay]

Thank you, l found the thaivisaservice ad which is the 4 day service, a day each way to Laos

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, SaratogaRay said:

Thank you, l found the thaivisaservice ad which is the 4 day service, a day each way to Laos

I thought you were writing it was 4 days to get the visa after applying for it.

Their trips are actually one night to get to Vientiane, apply the morning you arrive, then return the next afternoon after you get your passport back. It works out to a little less than 60 hours total.

If you wanted to do it yourself. It is possible to take a early morning flight from Don Mueang to Udon Thani, then take a van a van from the airport to the bridge in Nong Khai, cross the bridge to Laos and apply for the visa that morning. Then return the next evening after you get your passport back.

[thetruth revealer]

On 16.12.2016 at 2:58 PM, PoorSucker said:

You can extend every entry to Thailand with 60 days if you are married to a Thai for 1900 baht.

is this in context of the OP?

[PoorSucker]

8 hours ago, thetruth revealer said:

is this in context of the OP?

The OP states he is married to a Thai for 9 years....

[ray richards]

Just get a 60 day tourist visa in USA any Thai Embassy /Consolate ,apply in person & issued while you wait, it takes only 30 min to complete & now its free.

[boatguy]

Since I now live in St Augustine FL, I tried contacting the Miami (Coral Gables) consolate as was told I could only get that visa by appearing in person, not by mail. Have you ever seen that traffic mess in Miami (or southern Fl for that matter),...no thanks.

The alternative was to express mail my passport to Wash DC, and pay for the express mail back.Lets see that was about $50 by itself (24 each way if I recall correctly.). And even then you need to be concerned about it getting lost in the Christmas mail.

I once had my passport lost by the Passport service when I mailed it in for renewal. They treated me like I was brand new to the system and had to get an original/certified copy of my birth certificate and start all over again !!