Hi,

I have a few queries - thanks in advance for your help! 

 

1. In order to get a SETV at Vientiane, do I need to show proof of onward travel out of Thailand? If so, would it have to be within the 60 day period, or 90 day (if I can get an extension)? 

 

2. Once I have a SETV, upon leaving Thailand and applying for a Re-entry permit at the airport: what is the validity of the re-entry permit (single or multiple)? Is it only for the 60 days? If I get a 30 day extension on that SETV, will the re-entry permit, be that single or multiple, still be valid on the extended 30 days? 

 

3. If leaving Thailand to travel to another Asian country, let's say Japan, with a valid SETV with a re-entry permit, will airlines require proof of my departure flight from Thailand before allowing me to board a plane into Thailand?

E.G.     BKK  -  Tokyo          (with valid SETV with re-entry permit) 

            Tokyo - BKK             (Will airlines at Tokyo need to see onward travel proving when I will leave Thailand?)  

 

So, If you have a tourist visa will airlines ask for onward travel or is it only when you're trying to enter with VE or visa on arrival? 

 

Thank you!

1. No onward ticket needed.
2. A re-entry permit doesn't give extra days. They are valid for the remainder of your current permission to stay. If you leave after 20 days of your 60 day stay, stay out of the country 15 days, you will be granted the remaining 25 days on re-entry.
3. No proof of departure is needed if traveling/entering with a visa.

To clarify on point 2, no the re-entry permit would only be valid for the initial 60 days, if you extend for 30 days and wanted to keep this valid, then you would need another re-entry permit, however, if you are from a Country that can enter on a 30 day visa exempt, then there would be no point in getting a re-entry permit for the extension period, in fact, there would be little or no point to get one after the first 30 days of the original entry for the same reason, as you would gain nothing.

1 hour ago, Mattd said:

To clarify on point 2, no the re-entry permit would only be valid for the initial 60 days, if you extend for 30 days and wanted to keep this valid, then you would need another re-entry permit, however, if you are from a Country that can enter on a 30 day visa exempt, then there would be no point in getting a re-entry permit for the extension period, in fact, there would be little or no point to get one after the first 30 days of the original entry for the same reason, as you would gain nothing.

Decent points, but does overlook one point. Without a visa or reentry permit, the airline is quite likely to check for an onward flight out of Thailand. If you already have one, that is no issue. If, however, you are planning to leave Thailand by land, the need for an onward flight ticket might be annoying, and you might prefer the reentry permit. Also, someone spending serious amounts of time in Thailand might not want to use visa exempt entries, as it leads to greater scrutiny on whether you are a genuine tourist.

@BritTim - Fair comments, been too long on extensions and forget the ticket stuff sometimes!

Thanks for the useful info. I can get a visa exempt, but am trying to avoid it. I've already had 3 exemptions this year and have had 2 SETV from Nov. 2016.

 

1. Do you know if there's any difference or advantage in getting the re-entry permit at the airport or     immigration office? 

 

2. In your experience where is best to do a Visa run from BKK? I'm doing Vientiane for the first, but have to plan for the second in approx. 90 days. Haven't been to Malaysia so that could kill two birds. 

 

Thanks.

 

 

16 minutes ago, T4Travel88 said:

Thanks for the useful info. I can get a visa exempt, but am trying to avoid it. I've already had 3 exemptions this year and have had 2 SETV from Nov. 2016.

 

1. Do you know if there's any difference or advantage in getting the re-entry permit at the airport or     immigration office? 

 

2. In your experience where is best to do a Visa run from BKK? I'm doing Vientiane for the first, but have to plan for the second in approx. 90 days. Haven't been to Malaysia so that could kill two birds. 

 

Thanks.

 

 

Just out of curiosity, how many of your visa exempts this year were by air and how many at land borders?

are you aware of the 2 visa exempt entries per year at a land border

Edited June 1, 20179 yr by Doiger

7 hours ago, T4Travel88 said:

Thanks for the useful info. I can get a visa exempt, but am trying to avoid it. I've already had 3 exemptions this year and have had 2 SETV from Nov. 2016.

 

1. Do you know if there's any difference or advantage in getting the re-entry permit at the airport or     immigration office? 

 

2. In your experience where is best to do a Visa run from BKK? I'm doing Vientiane for the first, but have to plan for the second in approx. 90 days. Haven't been to Malaysia so that could kill two birds. 

 

Thanks.

1. Personally, I have always done my reentry permits at the airport, as I need to be there anyway, and can just allow an extra half hour or so to get it done. If I happened to live near a quiet immigration office, I might do it there, just to have it out of the way, but traveling there and back plus queuing does not seem worth it otherwise. There is no substantive difference to the process.
2. There are many threads on this. To some extent it depends on your budget. Vientiane combines economy with easily satisfied conditions, but is very busy. Hong Kong is more expensive, but a very pleasant experience. Savannakhet is cheap, but there are conditions that must be satisfied, and most find it a very boring town. Yangon and Penang are OK. Avoid Singapore, Manila and Kuala Lumpur. In Phnom Penh, unless you use an agent, it takes two days longer than at the other locations I mention.