Ways To Stay For A Year

[glenbat]

I'm thinking about a year in LOS but have no idea the visa situation so could someone please explain what options I have?

The only 1 I know of was in June this year a lad we got talking to was renewing it every 30 days by entering Cambodia for a day trip, but I understand this has changed?

I wouldn't need to work the year while there, but if it would be easier to get permission to stay then I'd be happy to work (although I know work options are limited)

Are there any 'easy' ways of staying for 12 months, without overstaying my welcome?

[lopburi3]

You could try to obtain a multi entry non immigrant O visa from a Consulate in the UK as some seem to issue for the "other" reasons that the name means. Failing that your best choice would be tourist visas and you probably could obtain a two entry that would cover your first six months (with extensions) before you travel.

[rocky]

Rules have changed since June, long term stay is not so easy at the moment.

Get a Visa before you arrive here, if applying for a non immigrant o visa, you will need to give reason, if you are over 50 reason could be going to Thailand to get a retirement visa.

If you cannot get a non immigrant o visa, then get a tourist visa before you come here. Between 1 tourist visa and then some visa runs, you would be able to stay for six months, and then in theory you would have to obtain another tourist visa.

BUT WHAT EVER YOU DO OBTAIN A VISA BEFORE YOU COME HERE

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Rules have changed since June, long term stay is not so easy at the moment.

Get a Visa before you arrive here, if applying for a non immigrant o visa, you will need to give reason.

I have heard that they are not too bothered about what reason you are giving - if you apply in the UK.

You could say you want to learn to cook thai food/massage/language.

[glenbat]

thanks people, had my passport stamped both times for two 4 weeks holidays from uk to thai in June and again in Sept is this the tourist visa you describe? I think it came with the flight (I dont remember actually applying for a visa itself?)

I want to spend more time in the country seeing other places and dont fancy popping back to the UK every few months if it can be helped

[naka]

thanks people, had my passport stamped both times for two 4 weeks holidays from uk to thai in June and again in Sept is this the tourist visa you describe? I think it came with the flight (I dont remember actually applying for a visa itself?)

I want to spend more time in the country seeing other places and dont fancy popping back to the UK every few months if it can be helped

If you don't remember applying for the visa ... then you did'nt have one ! all you had

was a stamp on arrival to stay 30 days.

As advised previously, go to the nearest Thai Consulate and apply for a proper 'Non O', or

failing that a double entry Tourist visa.

Naka.

[glenbat]

Thanks again people, I've thought about it and at presrnt its very unlikely I'd get that amount of time off work, what about the 90 day non immigrant visa (is that what its called?)

I assume I'd apply for it over here in UK from Thai consule? And it'd cover me for up to 90 days?

Reason I'm asking is my 2 friends are going out but only for 2 1/2 weeks, and i'd like to stay a little longer and see other parts of the country, other than Pattaya

Thanks again everyone

[glenbat]

You could try to obtain a multi entry non immigrant O visa from a Consulate in the UK as some seem to issue for the "other" reasons that the name means. Failing that your best choice would be tourist visas and you probably could obtain a two entry that would cover your first six months (with extensions) before you travel.

Cheers people

Lopburi3 I've been told you're the daddy when it comes to visa queries, can I get a 1 year non immigrant visa, the one with 4 entries on it? I'd like to come over for a year but struggle to make sense of the visa thing

[H2oDunc]

Hi if you are wanting to come here for a year then you need to apply to the Thai consulate before you leave the UK. You want a non immigrant O multiple entry 90 day visa. The best place I have found is the Thai consulate in Hull. You can download the forms from the site and you get your visa back in 2 days. Alternatley you can go in person as we did and fill in the form give them 2 photos and £100 pounds. Ten minutes later you have a 90 day visa for 1 year which actualy gives you 15 months. You then only have to go out every 90 days. If you get a visa on entry you will be able to do 3 30 day visa runs then have to leave the country for 3 months. Hope this helped, Cheers Dunc

[loong]

Hi if you are wanting to come here for a year then you need to apply to the Thai consulate before you leave the UK. You want a non immigrant O multiple entry 90 day visa. The best place I have found is the Thai consulate in Hull. You can download the forms from the site and you get your visa back in 2 days. Alternatley you can go in person as we did and fill in the form give them 2 photos and £100 pounds. Ten minutes later you have a 90 day visa for 1 year which actualy gives you 15 months. You then only have to go out every 90 days. If you get a visa on entry you will be able to do 3 30 day visa runs then have to leave the country for 3 months. Hope this helped, Cheers Dunc

Click on link for Thai consul in hull

http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/

Click link for other thread

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8790

[loong]

The link in prev post should have all the info you need.

Probably the best option for you would be 1 year multi "O", especially if you want to pop into neighbouring countries. If you have a tourist visa it will be cancelled as soon as you leave Thailand even if it has only been in force for a few days.

Remember it is vaid for one year from date of issue - not date of first entry

[astral]

If you have a tourist visa it will be cancelled as soon as you leave Thailand even if it has only been in force for a few days.

This is not true.

You can apply for a re-entry permit on any kind of visa, so that you can leave and then

return to make use of the remaining time on the visa.

[glenbat]

Remember it is vaid for one year from date of issue - not date of first entry

Whats the chances of them refusing a year visa request and saying 'you can only have 3 months'? Is this something that could happen or is it a definate YES or NO to the year visa?

If its been known for them to only offer a shorter term I'll save my applying for nearer the time, but if they usually OK a year I could apply say 1 month before I go? Or is this leaving it a bit fine?

Thanks everyone

[astral]

Remember it is vaid for one year from date of issue - not date of first entry

Whats the chances of them refusing a year visa request and saying 'you can only have 3 months'? Is this something that could happen or is it a definate YES or NO to the year visa?

If its been known for them to only offer a shorter term I'll save my applying for nearer the time, but if they usually OK a year I could apply say 1 month before I go? Or is this leaving it a bit fine?

Thanks everyone

Give them a phone call and find out what the latest news is.

[glenbat]

Thanks astral, for some wierd reason I was thinking I'd get through to a thai with very little english and struggle to explain what I was after doing (dont ask me why)

cheers

[thaihome]

If you have a tourist visa it will be cancelled as soon as you leave Thailand even if it has only been in force for a few days.

This is not true.

You can apply for a re-entry permit on any kind of visa, so that you can leave and then

return to make use of the remaining time on the visa.

Actually you will get the time remaining on the original entry stamp, not the visa. could be big difference.

You could have 30 days validity left on a tourist visa (issued with 90 days validity gving you 60 day stay), but if you left on the 59 day after entry (assuming no 30 day extension), a re-entry permit would only give you 1 day on return, not 30 days.

The OP really needs to read the pinned thread at top on Thai visa nomenclature.

TH

[lopburi3]

Actually the re entry permit only keeps your current permitted to stay date alive. If you are permitted to stay until January 24 that will be the new permitted to stay stamp when you return - if you do not return by that date it is of no use.

[onebir]

Hi if you are wanting to come here for a year then you need to apply to the Thai consulate before you leave the UK. You want a non immigrant O multiple entry 90 day visa. The best place I have found is the Thai consulate in Hull. You can download the forms from the site and you get your visa back in 2 days. Alternatley you can go in person as we did and fill in the form give them 2 photos and £100 pounds. Ten minutes later you have a 90 day visa for 1 year which actualy gives you 15 months. You then only have to go out every 90 days.

Just to clarify this, judging from the Hull documentation it seems NO real documentation is needed to apply for one of these.

On the 'Visa application completion notes' (http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/pdfs/Ab%20%20Visa%20Application%20Pack.pdf) page 2 it says:

Visa required: Circle TOURIST or NON-IMMIGRANT

If NON IMMIGRANT state type:

“B” for conducting business, attending business conferences or working

“ED” for partaking in education/study courses (religious, teaching English,

scuba diving, Thai boxing, attending school/university, etc) or for

working as a volunteer

“O” for visiting friends/family or for extended stay

Then a bit lower down:

Extra evidence, as detailed below, is required only for Non-Immigrant Visas Categories “B” and “ED”

ie not for "O"

The 'Additional pack for for Visa for Education Course / Volunteer Work' seems to confirm that no real (ie external) paperwork is needed for an "O":

(http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/pdfs/Ad%20%20ED-Visa%20(Education%20and%20Volunteer)%20Information.pdf)

On the Application Form for “Evidence substantiating purpose of visit” write in “Sponsor Letter from Education Course Organiser attached” or “Sponsor Letter from Volunteer Organisation attached” and attach a copy of that letter to the Application Form.

****If you are not able to provide such a letter you will need to apply for a “Non-Immigrant Category “O” Visa and under “Evidence substantiating purpose of visit” on the application form write “Self-Certificate Guarantee Form attached” and attach the Self-Certification Guarantee Form duly completed.****

All the "Self-Certificate Guarantee Form" calls for is a promise that you have enough money to support yourself & if necessary repatriate yourself.

If they're actually giving these out back-to-back - and I do recall reading that some European consulates are less generous than others - the ex 30 day visa runners just need to do 1 'home country run' every 12 - 15 months. (I imagine this would be at similar cost to the 12 border runs it would replace).

Uncertainty about future consulate behaviour aside, is it really that simple for UK citizens to get long term visas for Thailand? Or am I missing something? :s

[jcoston]

"You can apply for a re-entry permit on any kind of visa, so that you can leave and then

return to make use of the remaining time on the visa. "

I'm entering Thailand on January 23rd with a triple entry tourist visa. I'd like to be able to visit neighboring countries while I'm here.

What is the process for obtaining a "re-entry permit" on my current Visa? Is that routinely done at the border upon re-entry or is something else needed?

Thanks in advance

[Jared]

Mate give the Hull consulate a call or email and apply for a non O non immagration mulitiple entry visa for around £100 as stated before in previous posts. I applyed for mine with 7 days before flying out and got it back 2 days later. I left it late because the visa starts from the day it is registered. Ive been here 6 months now, done one visa run to the cambodian casinos, was about to do my next one but thought I would try and get an extention and because im now married I can get a extra 60 days on top of my 90 days for each entry. If your not married I think you can get a 30 day extention on each vist although when i went to get the 30 days they only offered me 7days before realising we were married and offering me 60 days.

[RAZZELL]

Mate give the Hull consulate a call or email and apply for a non O non immagration mulitiple entry visa for around £100 as stated before in previous posts. I applyed for mine with 7 days before flying out and got it back 2 days later. I left it late because the visa starts from the day it is registered. Ive been here 6 months now, done one visa run to the cambodian casinos, was about to do my next one but thought I would try and get an extention and because im now married I can get a extra 60 days on top of my 90 days for each entry. If your not married I think you can get a 30 day extention on each vist although when i went to get the 30 days they only offered me 7days before realising we were married and offering me 60 days.

I remember your posts Jared...Glad to see the little one's turned out ok

How's married life and the 3-d/work stuff going???

RAZZ

[Mahout Angrit]

"You can apply for a re-entry permit on any kind of visa, so that you can leave and then

return to make use of the remaining time on the visa. "

I'm entering Thailand on January 23rd with a triple entry tourist visa. I'd like to be able to visit neighboring countries while I'm here.

What is the process for obtaining a "re-entry permit" on my current Visa? Is that routinely done at the border upon re-entry or is something else needed?

Thanks in advance

You dont say how long you want to be in Thailand or how many times you want to leave and enter but with a triple entry visa you can enter Thailand 3 times without the need to get an re entry permit, each time you enter you will be given 60 days to stay in Thailand. If you leave before the 60 days is up then the remaining time on that entry is cancelled unless you apply for a re entry permit before you leave Thailand at any Immigration office for B1000. In that case you will be able to re enter and stay until the original date of expiry of that entry. You can also extend an entry in country at an immigration office which will give you an extra 30 days without having to leave the country. Your final entry must be before the expiry date of the visa which is usually 6 months after the date of issue. Edited January 4, 2007 by Mahout Angrit

[Jared]

Mate give the Hull consulate a call or email and apply for a non O non immagration mulitiple entry visa for around £100 as stated before in previous posts. I applyed for mine with 7 days before flying out and got it back 2 days later. I left it late because the visa starts from the day it is registered. Ive been here 6 months now, done one visa run to the cambodian casinos, was about to do my next one but thought I would try and get an extention and because im now married I can get a extra 60 days on top of my 90 days for each entry. If your not married I think you can get a 30 day extention on each vist although when i went to get the 30 days they only offered me 7days before realising we were married and offering me 60 days.

I remember your posts Jared...Glad to see the little one's turned out ok

How's married life and the 3-d/work stuff going???

RAZZ

Hi Mate

Yeah everythings going great, got married about 5 months ago, the little one was born 2 months ago and work is going great, so everything has been worthwhile. Were going to spend a few more years here before deciding if the little one will grow up in Thailand or England, Ill be taking him back to England for a month in the summer with the wife to see how they like it.

Jared