What's the EARLIEST Chiang Mai will extend a tourist visa?

[lsemprini]

Hi,

 

Mae Hong Son immigration will extend a tourist visa as early as you want (even the day you arrive in Thailand), and the extension is from the day that the visa expires, not the day you go to extend.

 

How about Chiang Mai?  When I next enter Thailand, can I head to Chiang Mai Immigration and extend from 60 -> 90 on the very same day I enter?

 

This is something that has changed at least ten times in the years I have been in Thailand, and varies by office, so I am looking for RECENT EXPERIENCES and CHIANG MAI ONLY.

 

Searching the forum I have found people who recently did it 2 WEEKS before expiration in Chiang Mai, but nobody tried earlier than that.  I would like to know if I can extend on the same day as arrival in the country.

 

I have a METV if that makes a difference.

 

Thanks.

 

[lsemprini]

Correction for Mae Hong Son: just heard from Baeng Soucy, who volunteers for Mae Hong Son immigration and has helped people regularly for months or years, that for Mae Hong Son "You can apply for extension 29 days before the expiration date on your entry stamp.  Extension starts from entry stamp expiration.  Not from extension application." 

 

But my goal is to find the same info for Chiang Mai.  I know the answer has been different for different offices on many, many occasions in the past so I definitely do not trust that all offices are the same (even if technically the law is the same, TIT).

 

Thanks again.

 

[David Walden]

If you have a METV check that if you extend it for 30 days after the 1st 60 days you may invalidate further extensions (I think so?), you would only need a 90 day tourist visa to do this if you only wanted to stay 90 days (really it's a 60+30 day tourist visa).  You are allowed to extend a METV 3 times (adds up to 8 months, 60 days on arrival three 60 day extensions)) but you must leave the country and return to get these 60 day extensions, yes each time.  Usually you would only obtain the 30 day extension at end of the 8 month period, thus extending a METV to a total of 9 months.  Getting a 30 day extension on a Tourist visa can take all day you need more forms, more photos etc. etc. and you must do it in the province you are resident in "we have rules and rules cannot be broken in Thailand".  We all know about rules in Thailand??......good luck

[lsemprini]

Hi,

 

59 minutes ago, David Walden said:

If you have a METV check that if you extend it for 30 days after the 1st 60 days you may invalidate further extensions (I think so?)....

 

Thanks for the warning.  I have been looking into this and heard on other forums that this extra requirement (only being able to extend an METV once per visa, not once per entry) is only enforced at SOME Immigration offices, though so far nobody has named a specific office where they were denied (if you know one, it would be useful to name it).  Someone reported being able to extend their METV 3 times (once on each of 3 entries of the same visa) at some combination of the Bangkok and Chiang Mai immigration offices, so that is good news.  Another person who monitors Chiang Mai expat groups closely says he has never seen a single report of this issue in Chiang Mai.

 

Getting back to the main point of the thread though, on that other forum I heard from a reliable forum regular that "In Bangkok & Chiang Mai you can apply for an extension when you have 45 days or less left on your current admitted until stamp. Other offices do it at 30 days or less."

 

So that seems to settle it for Chiang Mai: cannot do it on first day but can do it 15 days later.

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, David Walden said:

If you have a METV check that if you extend it for 30 days after the 1st 60 days you may invalidate further extensions (I think so?),

That is not correct. Each 60 day entry can be extended for 30 days at any immigration office.

[elgenon]

Whenever I asked I was told that the application had to be within 2 weeks of expiration of the visa. But I applied as early as two weeks into the 60 days and never got turned down. Your mileage may vary.

[TerryLH]

" You are allowed to extend a METV 3 times (adds up to 8 months, 60 days on arrival three 60 day extensions)) but you must leave the country and return to get these 60 day extensions, yes each time."

 

Also not correct.  

You get an unlimited number of entries of 60 days each for every entry as long as the visa is valid.

 

[David Walden]

8 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That is not correct. Each 60 day entry can be extended for 30 days at any immigration office.

Hmmmmmm?  That means a 6 month METV can be extended for 12 months   haven't heads that one yet.  That adds up to 30 days on arrival and each extension another 30 days=12 months????

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, David Walden said:

Hmmmmmm?  That means a 6 month METV can be extended for 12 months   haven't heads that one yet.  That adds up to 30 days on arrival and each extension another 30 days=12 months????

No

A METV allows unlimited 60 day entries for 6 months from the date of issue. Each entry can be extended for 30 days. Two entries and extensions allows about 6 months of total stay. If an entry is done on before the visa expires (enter before date on the visa) to get another 60 days and then extend it for 30 days you can almost 9 months of total stay.

[David Walden]

Are you saying now that you can have 3 X 30 day extensions on each 60 day re-entry extension?.  I was always under the impression that to extend your METV you had to leave and return to Thailand, you can do this 3 times and get a 60 day extension on arrival.  At the end of the 3rd extension period (8 months) you can then get a 30 day extension in Thailand by going to immigration, providing the required application form and photos and paying Bt1900 to receive this extension.  I have been getting the 60 day+30 day extension tourist visa on my recent trips to Thailand and applied for the extra 30 days.  It's a dogs dinner getting the 30 day extension

 

If you take the 30 day extension option after the 1st 2 months period with a METV it seems to me you may invalidate further 60 day extensions.  I stand corrected.  When I last last applied for a 30 day extension with my 60 day +30 day tourist visa the Immigration officer stamped it to stay for 35 days and said  "I give you a few more days to leave the country in case you get delayed, but you must leave then" I wonder if this is the same for a METV???  TIT

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, David Walden said:

Are you saying now that you can have 3 X 30 day extensions on each 60 day re-entry extension?.  I was always under the impression that to extend your METV you had to leave and return to Thailand, you can do this 3 times and get a 60 day extension on arrival.

Not sure how you were able to read into my post that you could get 3 extensions for the 60 day entry (it is not an extension) from the visa.

You get a new 60 day permit to stay for each entry from the METV that can be extended for 30 days. The 60 days is not an extension of any kind.

[David Walden]

23 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

No

A METV allows unlimited 60 day entries for 6 months from the date of issue. Each entry can be extended for 30 days. Two entries and extensions allows about 6 months of total stay. If an entry is done on before the visa expires (enter before date on the visa) to get another 60 days and then extend it for 30 days you can almost 9 months of total stay.

The activation time allowed for a METV is 90 days from the day of issue, you have 90 days to arrive in Thailand to activate it.  When you arrive you will be given a stamp which will allow you to reside in Thailand on that visa for 60 days.  With a METV you must leave the country at the end of each 60 day period.   When your return you will receive a further extension of 60 days.  I believe you can do this extension 3 times after the first 60 day period.  At the end of now 8 months you can extend you METV a further 30 days by applying for a an extension at Thai immigration pay Bt1900 thus allowing you to stay a total of 9 months.  If you apply to extend your METV at the conclusion of any of the 1st 3 extension periods, your METV would now lapse.  I believe you can only get the 30 day extension of the the METV when it is about to expire.  Perhaps I'm wrong?  I was advised that if you take the 30 day extension at the end any period you would need to obtain a new METV to return to Thailand even if you left after 3 months.  Perhaps that is not true.

 

Your Post above suggest:-

A METV allows unlimited 60 day entries for 6 months from the date of issue. Each entry can be extended for 30 days. Two entries and extensions allows about 6 months of total stay. If an entry is done on before the visa expires (enter before date on the visa) to get another 60 days and then extend it for 30 days you can almost 9 months of total stay.

 

Mostly nothing is quite clear when it comes to visas in Thailand and rules can vary from Immigration Office to Immigration Office

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, David Walden said:

The activation time allowed for a METV is 90 days from the day of issue, you have 90 days to arrive in Thailand to activate it.

The METV is valid for 6 months from the date of issue not 90 days. A single entry tourist visa only valid 90 days for entry.

When you enter the country with any visa you you get a permit to stay not an extension. Extensions are only applied for at immigration.

 

[David Walden]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

The METV is valid for 6 months from the date of issue not 90 days. A single entry tourist visa only valid 90 days for entry.

When you enter the country with any visa you you get a new entry not an extension. Extensions are only applied for at immigration.

 

I agree but a METV can be stretched to 9 months if you wish but you need to leave the country 3 times to do this and include a 30 day extension in Thailand at immigration which you can get at the end of 8 months.  Each 2 month period you can walk across the boarder and back or a quick trip to and from KL (cost about Bt2500). 

 

I presume you get a new stamp in your passport for your 2nd, 3rd,and 4th arrival if you are arriving on the original METV.  My understanding is that you could obtain a 30 day extension at the conclusion of any 60 day re-entry stamp period if you wish but if you did that after only one 60 day period your METV would be then concluded after 90 days only.  If you left Thailand now after the now 90 day period you would have to start all over again and apply for a new METV as your METV would now be finished.  METV cost in Aus $275. or Bt 7250. 90 day tourist visa cost $55.

 

PS... If you obtain a 90 day tourist visa (it's really a 60 day +30 day visa) or a METV you have to arrive in Thailand within 90 days of issue or it will lapse for the 1st entry date.  It's only good if you start using it in that time.

 

[ubonjoe]

This is my last post in this discussion.

If you had a multiple entry tourist visa you could enter the country and get a 60 day entry and stay for 2 weeks and then leave for 2 weeks and use the visa to enter the country and get another 60 day entry if you wanted to up to the enter before date on the visa. There is no limit on the number of entries you can do and there is no requirement to get the 30 day extension unless you want to.

There is certainly no requirement to use the visa within 90 days of issue. You could have it for 5 months and 30 days if you wanted to and still make the first entry on it.

[David Walden]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

This is my last post in this discussion.

If you had a multiple entry tourist visa you could enter the country and get a 60 day entry and stay for 2 weeks and then leave for 2 weeks and use the visa to enter the country and get another 60 day entry if you wanted to up to the enter before date on the visa. There is no limit on the number of entries you can do and there is no requirement to get the 30 day extension unless you want to.

There is certainly no requirement to use the visa within 90 days of issue. You could have it for 5 months and 30 days if you wanted to and still make the first entry on it.

I believe your comments is just confusing.  My tourist visas issued in Australia have always stated "must be used with in 90 days of issue".  I believe this means that if I arrive in Thailand 91 days after the date of issue stamped on it, the visa would have lapsed being NBG  (this means "no bloody good") ...perhaps thing have changed so I stand corrected. (I don't think so? )    

Getting 4 (four) 30 day extension on a METV which amounts to a possible 12 month stay in Thailand never heard of that either.  I stand corrected also ( I don't think so?)   

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, David Walden said:

I believe your comments is just confusing.  My tourist visas issued in Australia have always stated "must be used with in 90 days of issue".  I believe this means that if I arrive in Thailand 91 days after the date of issue stamped on it, the visa would have lapsed

You are confusing single entry visas and the multiple entry visa.

Quote

Tourist       - Single entry / validity of 3 months       - Multiple entries / validity of 6 months

55 AUD 275 AUD

Source: http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/Home/visa

8 minutes ago, David Walden said:

Getting 4 (four) 30 day extension on a METV which amounts to a possible 12 month stay in Thailand never heard of that either.  I stand corrected also ( I don't think so?)

The visa is not extended. The 60  day permit to stay is extended.

Not sure how you are getting 12 months or 4 extension from what I wrote. First entry 60 days plus a 30 day extension and then the same for the 2nd entry totals to 180 days (about 6 months). Then a new entry before the visa expires (6 months from the date of issue) which gives another 90 days of total stay. That is only about 9 months not 12 months.

[David Walden]

When I went to school (1)60+30=90, (2) 60+30=90,  (3)60+30=90, (4) 60+30=90 which add up to 360 days.  Which your description suggest you can do ???...  But 60+60+60+60+30= 270 or approx 270 days or 9 months. You can continue with a METV stamp which you get when you leave the country and return each 60 days you can do this 3 times in addition to the 1st entry. (you must leave the country and return if you wish to continue with a METV) This adds up to 240 days, at the end of 240 days you can apply in Thailand at immigration without leaving the country and receive a 30 day visa extension by paying Bt 1900 and a new application form, passport pics, plus about half a day at the immigration office where you are resident.  As far as I know you can get only (1) one 30 day extension at Thai immigration on any tourist visa.  Usually at the end. 

 

 

 

y 

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

That is only about 9 months

 

24 minutes ago, David Walden said:

which add up to 360 days.  Which your description suggest you can do ???

No. Where does it?

 

26 minutes ago, David Walden said:

As far as I know you can get only (1) one 30 day extension at Thai immigration on any tourist visa.  Usually at the end. 

No. Per entry on an METV.

Adds up to max. 270 days as has been tried to explain repeatedly.

180 + 60 + 30 = 270 ~ 9 months (180 under ideal conditions, using visa on first day of issue).

Your posts are confusing and misleading.

Get informed and think before you write.

Otherwise I think it's time to close this.

 

 

 

[David Walden]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

No. Where does it?

 

No. Per entry on an METV.

Adds up to max. 270 days as has been tried to explain repeatedly.

180 + 60 + 30 = 270 ~ 9 months (180 under ideal conditions, using visa on first day of issue).

Your posts are confusing and misleading.

Get informed and think before you write.

Otherwise I think it's time to close this.

 

 

 

Yes all this is confusing but TIT.  As always in Thailand visas especially Tourist visa applications are as clear as mud.