Tourist Visa

[Billfo]

Hi guys,

As I understand the new tourist visa is valid for 3 months with 3 entries. Does that mean you have to do a visa run twice (not including arrival at the airport) to keep it valid?

And say after 1 month in Thailand you decide to cross the border into Cambodia and spend a month there, do you still have 2 months left on your Thai visa or would it only be 1 month remaining.

Hope that makes sense!

Thanks

[lopburi3]

Your understanding is wrong. A tourist visa, that you obtain from a Royal Thai Consulate, allows entry during a 3 month period from date of issue. It is single entry unless more were requested and paid for. You are stamped for a 60 day if from most countries and can extend for 30 days more at an immigration office but only at an additional cost of 1,900 baht. There has been no change in tourists visas. Once you leave Thailand the visa is history (although you could purchase a re entry permit for 1,000 baht to keep it alive if you wanted to do so). But most people can obtain a 30 day stay without visa so they would return using that facility.

[Billfo]

Your understanding is wrong. A tourist visa, that you obtain from a Royal Thai Consulate, allows entry during a 3 month period from date of issue. It is single entry unless more were requested and paid for. You are stamped for a 60 day if from most countries and can extend for 30 days more at an immigration office but only at an additional cost of 1,900 baht. There has been no change in tourists visas. Once you leave Thailand the visa is history (although you could purchase a re entry permit for 1,000 baht to keep it alive if you wanted to do so). But most people can obtain a 30 day stay without visa so they would return using that facility.

cheers for that,

'But most people can obtain a 30 day stay without visa so they would return using that facility' so by this you mean you can keep doing the visa runs every month to get a new 30day tourist visa?

Edited December 14, 2006 by Billfo

[Mahout Angrit]

'But most people can obtain a 30 day stay without visa so they would return using that facility' so by this you mean you can keep doing the visa runs every month to get a new 30day tourist visa?

No The 30day stamp is a Visa free entry, the new rules allow a maximum of 90 days in country using this method (30days per entry) but you can enter as many times as you like provided the total is not more than 90 days in any 180 day period.

WRT your original post.. Do you have a single entry or triple entry Tourist Visa?

Edited December 14, 2006 by Mahout Angrit

[Billfo]

WRT your original post.. Do you have a single entry or triple entry Tourist Visa?

Well this isn't for me. I'll hopefully have a non imm b visa once I get my sponsorship letter. The question is for my friend who is having around 7 weeks in Thailand and 2-3 weeks of that in Cambodia.

She's undecided on which visa to get. Could she get a 30day visa on arrival, toward the end of the first 30 days go into camboida for 2 weeks, come back into Thailand and get another 30 days then do another visa run to get the final 30 days?

Hope you can understand my crap explanation!!

thanks

[lopburi3]

She should have a tourist visa or she risks the airline saying they will not fly her as her onward flight would be later than the max time allowed by a visa free entry. A visa removes that concern for the airline.

[Mahout Angrit]

She's undecided on which visa to get. Could she get a 30day visa on arrival, toward the end of the first 30 days go into camboida for 2 weeks, come back into Thailand and get another 30 days then do another visa run to get the final 30 days?

She could do that and Lopburi's point above is very valid. However if as might be the case she has an open return ticket then she should be able to convince the airline at check in she was returning in say 3 weeks if asked. She should have no problem entering Thailand.

[lopburi3]

When the airline gets concerned open tickets do not make it. They want to see ticketed confirmed travel within the 30 days allowed. But have noticed IATA warnings to airlines has been softened in the last few months to suggested rather than required, although it is always advisable to have a tourist visa in such a case.