visa exemptions or tourist visa for a 6 month stay ?

[mrnike]

Hello Guys, 

i'll been leaving for thailand for 6 months and a half and i'm hesitating on how to proceed. 

 

Please note that i already stayed in Thailand from mid january to october 2016 using 3 visa exemptions at a row and then

2 tourists visas (Vientiane and Penang) extended each to 3 months.

 

I'm now wondering whether i should do the same, i.e., 3 visa exemptions first, and then one tourist visa in Vientiane or Penang, 

or should i rather avoid visa exemptions and ask for a tourist visa before leaving home (which seems to be a bit complicated here

in Switzerland) and then get another tourist visa when necessary ?

 

I'm asking this, because i read something during my 1st trip, about immigration not liking too much visa exemptions, and as i have

already 3 in my passport from my 1st trip less than a year ago.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Nico

 

 

[ubonjoe]

You should get at least a single entry tourist visa before starting your trip.

Attempting to stay on visa exempt entries is not advisable. At land border crossings they are now limited to 2 per calendar year.

[BritTim]

Avoid visa exemptions, except as an emergency fallback, such as when a visa application is unexpectedly denied.

[novo58]

Tourist visa 's exist for a reason . If you plan to come as a tourist ...even for an extended stay as a tourist , then a tourist visa is the best way...you can later look into your options for extensions or changes to other permission to stay methods.

[mrnike]

Ok, thanks for your replies guys. So i see that visa exemptions does not seem the way to go.

 

Actually, i've been thinking a bit after i wrote this thread, and was wondering, if i would arrive

normally, pretending to stay less than a month (with my flight to Vientiane within

29 days, ready to show), and so get my visa exemption at Subarnabhumi, and then, just

before it expires, fly to Vientiane and get my SETV there.

 

Actually i'm a bit afraid to get my SETV in my home country bcz:

 

1) My planned departure is withing 2-3 weeks and i read that the processing time for

SETV in Bern was about 2 weeks. I would like to avoid to travel later in July, bcz the good

flight (TG) are way expensiver.

 

2) I heard the embassy in Bern was quite strict and i'm afraid they would make problems

if i present them a cheap airasia return ticket, instead of my intercontinental ticket

which they know i have.

 

So, do you think guys the 1st visa exemption on arrival would still be acceptable and

will probabely not cause me any trouble, or you think i should avoid even this one, especially

as i have already 3 in my passport from about a year ago ?

 

Thanks in advance.

[ubonjoe]

The embassy in Bern is not the only place where you can apply for the visa. The honorary consulates in Basel,  Geneva and Zurich are quicker and easier I am sure.

Links to their websites can be found here: http://thaiembassy.ch/Weblink

[BritTim]

Would there be any way of traveling out via Munich and using the honorary Thai consulate there to get your single entry tourist visa? In the short term, using a visa exempt entry is unlikely to be a problem, but you are making it more likely that a future visa exempt entry attempt will land you in trouble. It seems likely from your posts that you might want to spend a lot of time in Thailand in the future. It behooves you to retain as much flexibility as possible for future entries if this is indeed true.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Would there be any way of traveling out via Munich and using the honorary Thai consulate there to get your single entry tourist visa?

You must been doing your post when I posted mine. There are 3 of them in Switzerland.

[mrnike]

Ok, guys.

i think the SETV before departure looks a little bit compromised, as

 

1) it seems i can only apply at the Bern embassy, as each consultate seems to serve specific cantons or provinces only.

2) the requierement to show in and outbound ticket makes me think that presenting an inbound intercontinental TG

ticket and an outbound air asia ticket might awake suspiscions and/or lead to additional questions and delays or even visa denial .

 

So i hope that this time i'll be ok entering the Kingdom under the visa exemption programm.

 

But do you think having too many visa exemptions might be a problem for getting my next 2 visas, or those are rather only frowned on

by immigration officiers ?

 

 

I'm not worring to much for my next trips, as i am a double national (swiss and french). The next times, I'll use my french passport which is empty.

 

 

 

[johnsjourney]

I think whichever way you do it will be fine.  If I was in my home country I'd apply for tourist visa even if there was half a chance of denial.  All there is to lose is the fee and a couple of passport pages.  It might be more trouble getting one in a long queue in Laos for example.

 

If you're coming from home country I think it's ok for a month in Thailand, visiting another country and having another month with no visas, that would be normal tourism.  Once the pattern is longer term, I'd continue with tourist visas or land border visa exemptions, since land crossings are limited to two a year they are automatically less risky to immigration as cannot be used forever.  I haven't yet been questioned doing these and my passport is full of tourist visas.

 

I don't think the Air Asia flight would be a problem, a normal way to travel around.

 

[johnsjourney]

Apparently there is a limit of 6 flight arrival visa exemptions, even in a multi-year period, to avoid extra questioning and showing money or even possible refusal, so I avoid using these myself as it doesn't seem to be a good long term strategy.  If doing this then next year you may need to carry more evidence to be safe.

[JackThompson]

I agree with the earlier posters that you should get a Tourist Visa if possible.  In any case, due to your coming here frequently and staying for longer periods, be sure to have 20K Baht worth of cash or travelers checks if arriving with a Tourist Visa, or 10K Baht worth if coming in to try to enter Visa Exempt.  If questioned, "helpfully" show the cash right away.

[ubonjoe]

16 hours ago, mrnike said:

1) it seems i can only apply at the Bern embassy, as each consultate seems to serve specific cantons or provinces only.

Did you find that on one of the consulate websites? I looked at 2 of them and found no mention of it.

I suggest you contact one of them about it.

[mrnike]

Quote

Did you find that on one of the consulate websites?

Yes, you're right. Actually it's a bit unclear (like many things in Thailand 55). The embassy  webpage states it, but not the consulate's...

 

But finally i'll give a try to the exemption solution for my first 30 days, and then will get visas in Vientiane and Penang. 

 

Im not worring too much about having too many exemptions in my swiss passport on my next trips, as i'll use my french one which is still virgin :).

 

 

 

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, mrnike said:

Im not worring too much about having too many exemptions in my swiss passport on my next trips, as i'll use my french one which is still virgin :).

Using the French passport may well resolve future problems. However, do not rely on that 100%. If they can, Thai immigration will link your Swiss and French passports in their computer system. We are not really sure of all the methods they use to try to create that linkage.

[ubonjoe]

A inflammatory post has been removed. A repeat of it will result in a formal warning.