Need help and new to all this

[Stevemcl]

I am currently in Thailand and have already done 2 border runs and 2 extension and I'm on my last 30days on a tourist visa! How do I go about staying longer?? I'm currently 32 I'm not working and have Thai gf! I like to see more of the country ! I don't want to stay indefinitely but would like to stay longer! There probably is threads but to much info can over load the brain!

 

 

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[ubonjoe]

If you have gotten two 30 day visa exempt entries at a land border crossing this year you will not be able do anymore until next year.

You can get a single entry tourist visa at a nearby embassy or consulate.

Where did you apply for your current tourist visa?

[YetAnother]

Interesting that the new Thai policy limits the land border crossings to 2 per year

if this really ever was a problem then we're going to have a lot of people just like this original poster

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

Interesting that the new Thai policy limits the land border crossings to 2 per year

if this really ever was a problem then we're going to have a lot of people just like this original poster

The 2 crossing is only for visa exempt entries at land borders. It has been in effect since January 1st.

There are already other people that have reached 2 of them already.

It has  not wise to plan on staying here using only visa exempt entries for a long time now.

[JackThompson]

OP - Barring more expensive options, you are going to need to get Tourist Visas from nearby consulates, each of which gives you 60-days, and can be extended for 30.  You will need to spread these around different consulates, because if you just use one, they will put a "special-stamp" on your TR visa saying "This person travels to Thailand frequently on Tourist Visas....", which makes it impossible to get another one from them, or even from some of the other consulates.

 

Each consulate makes up its own rules on what you need to qualify to get a TR Visa from them - usually proof of where you will stay (online booking will work), and/or proof of 20K Baht worth of money in a bank-account (can be in your home country - just a printout), and/or proof of an air-ticket out of the country to be used at the end of that visa's validity.  Vientiane requires none of that, but be aware you can only get 3 or 4 max from them, before they add the special-stamp.

 

When you run out of consulates who will issue you TR Visas, you get a new passport from your Embassy, and start the process over, as the consulates will advise.  You might get 2+ years out of each passport, if you spread the Visas out in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Penang, etc. 

 

See the forum on marriage after you have done this for a couple years, if the GF turns out to be a keeper.

[Stevemcl]

If you have gotten two 30 day visa exempt entries at a land border crossing this year you will not be able do anymore until next year.
You can get a single entry tourist visa at a nearby embassy or consulate.
Where did you apply for your current tourist visa?

I applied for single tourist 60 day in the uk!


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[Essecola]

I would go to Vientiane or Phnom Penh for the next 60 day tourist visa as in Penang there may be the odd person gets a red stamp on the 2nd tourist visa even if it is their first one from that consulate. Please do count this as info I "heard" only. Hard to say what triggers the red stamp being put in a persons book if it isn't yet their 3rd 60 day visa. It could just be based on how the consulate staff feels that day (maybe their spouse called then a bad name before they went to work?) , then they look at your 2 exempt entries + the one 60 day visa and think ok I am giving this guy the red stamp. Vientiane or Phnom Penh seem safer for not getting a red stamp earlier than necessary. All the above just my opinion. If you do get another 60 day tourist visa you may be wise not to enter the Kingdom at an airport.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Essecola

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, Essecola said:

I would go to Vientiane or Phnom Penh for the next 60 day tourist visa as in Penang there may be the odd person gets a red stamp on the 2nd tourist visa even if it is their first one from that consulate. Please do count this as info I "heard" only. Hard to say what triggers the red stamp being put in a persons book if it isn't yet their 3rd 60 day visa. It could just be based on how the consulate staff feels that day (maybe their spouse called then a bad name before they went to work?) , then they look at your 2 exempt entries + the one 60 day visa and think ok I am giving this guy the red stamp. Vientiane or Phnom Penh seem safer for not getting a red stamp earlier than necessary. All the above just my opinion. If you do get another 60 day tourist visa you may be wise not to enter the Kingdom at an airport.

On my 4th TR visa (total) in my passport, and only my 2nd from Phnom Penh (ever), they gave me the warning-stamp.  I would suggest getting Only One from each nearby country, then begin a 2nd round.  My mistake was going back to Phnom Penh a 2nd time, instead of new countries where I did not have any. 

 

Note that some consulates ignore this stamp from other consulates (Savanakhet only cares if it is from Laos consulates), but Vientiane's current policy is to reject you no matter who put in the warning-stamp.   Save your Visa-Exempt entries for the odd-case where you cannot get a TR visa, for whatever reason.

[NoshowJones]

That is one of the main things that is wrong about this country.

 

They are making things harder for decent, honest, tourists to remain here long term.

[NoshowJones]

16 hours ago, JackThompson said:

OP - Barring more expensive options, you are going to need to get Tourist Visas from nearby consulates, each of which gives you 60-days, and can be extended for 30.  You will need to spread these around different consulates, because if you just use one, they will put a "special-stamp" on your TR visa saying "This person travels to Thailand frequently on Tourist Visas....", which makes it impossible to get another one from them, or even from some of the other consulates.

 

Each consulate makes up its own rules on what you need to qualify to get a TR Visa from them - usually proof of where you will stay (online booking will work), and/or proof of 20K Baht worth of money in a bank-account (can be in your home country - just a printout), and/or proof of an air-ticket out of the country to be used at the end of that visa's validity.  Vientiane requires none of that, but be aware you can only get 3 or 4 max from them, before they add the special-stamp.

 

When you run out of consulates who will issue you TR Visas, you get a new passport from your Embassy, and start the process over, as the consulates will advise.  You might get 2+ years out of each passport, if you spread the Visas out in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Penang, etc. 

 

See the forum on marriage after you have done this for a couple years, if the GF turns out to be a keeper.

What a lot of hassle for under fifties tourists who do not want to get married. There must be other ways rather than treating long stay tourists like this.

[mduras01]

13 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

That is one of the main things that is wrong about this country.

 

They are making things harder for decent, honest, tourists to remain here long term.

Umm, have you tried staying in the US this long? Not happening - at all. If he wants to expatriate he should go for non-immigrant visas, but it's that elusive line people choose to walk between being a tourist and an expat that seems to be getting clamped down on.

[tonray]

29 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

What a lot of hassle for under fifties tourists who do not want to get married. There must be other ways rather than treating long stay tourists like this.

Yes.. Called Elite Visa. They want well heeled visitors not skint backpackers

[NoshowJones]

27 minutes ago, tonray said:

Yes.. Called Elite Visa. They want well heeled visitors not skint backpackers

Pay 500.000 Baht for five years, and nothing back at the end of it and still do ninety day reporting, when you may only come for the occasional three months, or

even three months of the year??

 

Long stay tourists are not always backpackers, Skint backpackers are probably only in a small minority.

[JackThompson]

35 minutes ago, tonray said:

Yes.. Called Elite Visa. They want well heeled visitors not skint backpackers

There is a wide-margin between those two extremes,  Many people who can contribute foreign-capital to the Thai economy cannot plunk down between 500K to 1M Baht of their life-savings for a temporary visa.  I don't think "they" - those making it harder for people who can support themselves with foreign-sourced funds to stay here - want ANY Farangs coming in, but are simply willing to take a large cash handout (who knows where / how the Elite payments are distributed) to permit a few to come in.

 

54 minutes ago, mduras01 said:

Umm, have you tried staying in the US this long? Not happening - at all. If he wants to expatriate he should go for non-immigrant visas, but it's that elusive line people choose to walk between being a tourist and an expat that seems to be getting clamped down on.

There is no logical-comparison between Thailand and the USA (or Europe), where wages are higher, where the vast-majority of immigrants are a financial-drain on govt-services, and where they cause a labor-glut that drives down wages for locals.  Economic-migrants do not move to places where wages are lower.  By and large, people with their own foreign-sourced money come here from the West, because they like living here, and because they can live better here on the same income than back home.   Therefore, it is not logical to assume the immigration policies of Thailand would in any way reflect those of the USA or European nations.

 

The only exception to the rule are a tiny group of visitors who come here to teach English and a few water-sports.  To protect Thai-wages in those fields, permits should only be granted when/if no Thai can be found for the job - preferably with a Thai-trainee required to partner with them so they can be replaced by Thais - and any foreigners who work illegally should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

 

What we have now, is a tiny group of illegal-teachers being held up as an excuse to accomplish the "real goal" of a tiny minority of Thais, which is to reduce the number of Farangs living in Thailand, no matter the wishes of, or financial-cost to, the vast majority of Thais.

Edited June 24, 2017 by JackThompson

[NoshowJones]

53 minutes ago, mduras01 said:

Umm, have you tried staying in the US this long? Not happening - at all. If he wants to expatriate he should go for non-immigrant visas, but it's that elusive line people choose to walk between being a tourist and an expat that seems to be getting clamped down on.

I agree with the Thai authorites about making sure that people are not coming here to work illegally, but they are going about this in the wrong way.

They should be clamping down on the schools and factories etc, who are employing these people.

[tonray]

7 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Pay 500.000 Baht for five years, and nothing back at the end of it and still do ninety day reporting, when you may only come for the occasional three months, or

even three months of the year??

 

Long stay tourists are not always backpackers, Skint backpackers are probably only in a small minority.

Anyone can stay as a tourist for 3 months.  60 day with 30 ext. They don't want tourists who want to stay all year effectively residing here on tourist visas

[edwardflory]

ONE THING TO ALWAYS REMEMBER:  you can be denied entry into ANY country even WITH a valid visa.  I have seen it happen.  Entry officers can find hundreds of reasons to deny entry.  In your case, if you exit Thailand to get a new visa, when you reenter Thailand, I think you should have:

 

a minimum of 20,000THB CASH in your pocket, as well as credit / debit cards to "refresh" your money ( you will want to extend your stay )
 possibly a plane ticket OUT of the country.

 

I base the information above: on personal stories heard from friends, your possible age, and the stamps IN YOUR passport now.

 

Personal opinion only!!!  Hope it works out for you.

[Essecola]

At time of entry I am always sure to have the 20000 baht in cash, onward ticket, and some document from where I live.. contract or last rent reciept or a hotel booking  And since I have been getting ongoing dental work I keep the receipts from the dental clinic with me. It at least shows some evidence of non work type of stuff and money spending etc. To be frank, if you have an SETV in your passport and have cash, plane ticket, and accomodation document with you, it's fairly unlikely you will get refused entry unless you say something weird to them if they interview you. I have never been interviewed entering the country ever in more than a decade of coming here. Once at the airport a male Imm. Officer asked me "what are you doing here?". So I told him. Last time I entered I was asked "where are you going?" and "you have visa?". Not the most unreasonable questions ever. And it wasn't an interview, just those 2 short questions.  Him asking me if I had a visa seems to suggest having the SETV satisfies 90% of whatever they may be concerned about anyway.

 

Even when I had the stupidity to go to the awful Poipet border for an exempt stamp last year, a male IO told me I wouldn't be allowed back in probably but I would have no problem there if I had an SETV. And that is Poipet which is about the worst border point to enter at. The mistake cost me a 2000 baht taxi ride down to Kamrieng (Ban Laem) where I was stamped in for 30 days, and an even more expensive taxi back to Bkk. I admire other travellers who are able to wade through all the confusion at a place like that and get into a minivan to Chantaburi or Bkk. I was just happy to see a green taxi sitting there and departed with him for Bkk immediately.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Essecola

[JackThompson]

50 minutes ago, Essecola said:

At time of entry I am always sure to have the 20000 baht in cash, onward ticket, and some document from where I live.. contract or last rent reciept or a hotel booking  

I have not heard about anyone ever being denied with a TR Visa due to not having an outbound-ticket, but agree 100% on the cash and proof of where you will be staying.  But if you have a ticket, it can only help.