Thailand visa advice?

[jopperdepopper]

Hi,

I'm leaving for Thailand for a couple of months to travel/dive and get my IDC, so I'm hoping to stay for several months.
First: I don't want to get myself in trouble with Thai authorities, and for now, I don't plan on working (with or without permits)

Also, I want to stay in Malaisia and/or Indonesia inbetween (could be longer periods), but sort-of have Thailand as a 'base-camp'...


I know I can stay in Thailand for 30 days, without a visum. If I want to stay longer I need a tourist visum of 2x60 days or 3x60 days (leave country inbetween periods)

I was wondering how things are when I come without a visum, leave Thailand after 30 days, and re-enter again after say 1 day? Could I do it like this, and can this be repeated, or is this a risky approach to things?

Also, does anyone know if I get a 3x60 days visum, so in total half a year, can I get another 3x60 visum right after the first on expires? (In case I want to stay longer?)

Would be great to hear from more experienced Thailand-goers-and-or-stayers !

Thanks, best,

Job

 

[MoonWrasse]

Visa runs are a regular business in Thailand and advertised near tourist areas.

 

[buksida]

As said above you can pretty much come and go every 30 days as often as you like.

Regarding the 3x60 TR visa, what you actually get is a 2x60, with each entry extendable by 30 so in effect its a 2x60 (plus 2 30's) = 2x90 with one exit and two extensions. I think it costs 1,900 baht for the extension.

More info on visas can be found on thaivisa.com

 

[jopperdepopper]

Hi guys, thanks for the input.

For each entry/exit, will you get stamps in your passport? Will you not run out of pages in your passport pretty quick this way?

Also, I'm still not sure about the 2x60 (extended or whatever the exact details are)
What happens when that period is over? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that a visum valid for the 3x60 is valid WITHIN a 1 year timespan... so that would mean that after the visum expires, I have to wait 6 months to get back in...
In that case it's better to re-enter every 30 days of course...

I'm checking www.thaivisa.com and can't find anything, I guess I will have to take this up with my consulate...
If anyone knows about this, please let me know!


UPDATE: Almost feel sorry for bugging you with this... I'm diving deeper into www.thaivisa.com and man! I thought the Dutch were heavy on rules, regulations and forms! Going in & out every 30 days seems by far the simplest! I'll need 30 days alone to digest thaivisa.com...

 

[Quero]

Don't waste time with the consulate. Just come here and talk to people. After one or two months you'll work out what the best visa option for you involves.

I know people who have been here for 20 years and still go out (or send their passports out) every 28 days for the visa run. The visa run business is an entire industry here. And the system is labyrinthine! I just got my 1-year visa last month (and it's valid for only eight months because my first visa application was four months before the approval date). It's amazing to me that this visa is only good for one entry unless I buy a secondary multiple entry visa allowing me to go out and come back in without re-applying. In addition, I had to buy secondary visas to use with each of the other, temporary, visa extensions I was being given while my one-year application was being considered. Confused? I suspect that only the paralegals who mediate between visa seekers and the immigration department really know how to navigate the system in an efficient way. Part of that knowledge consists of knowing how and when to do small favors, such as offering tea money.

 

[stevenl]

Hoi Job,

Just don't forget: if you come in by plane, you officially need either a visa or a ticket out of the country within 30 days. The immigration officlas are not bothered with this, some of the airlines are, since they are responsible for 'illegal aliens' and have to pay for the trip back again.
That means, that on some airlines, you will be refused to board if you don't have a ticket out of the country or a valid visa.

Easiest solution: get a multiple entry 90 days visa, and see from there. After the one year expires, you can still get in visa exempt.

Compared to the Dutch, the red tape is big here in Thailand. I'm from Holland myself (used to live in Delft BTW) and living here now on one year visa. And I don't even have to leave the country anymore to get it renewed!

 

[jopperdepopper]

Thanks guys... I think I'll go for the 3x60 days, and see from there...

Steven: I bookmarked your site, if I make it to Phuket I'll drop by, and we can muse about Delft over a cold one!

 

[jiveturkey]

If you're willing, you may not even have to leave the country. There are "travel agents" who take multiple passports across the border and back everyday. You take a chance but surprisingly, it's relatively secure. You may even get a receipt.

 

[MoonWrasse]

If you're willing, you may not even have to leave the country. There are "travel agents" who take multiple passports across the border and back everyday. You take a chance but surprisingly, it's relatively secure. You may even get a receipt.

I thought I read recently the gov was cracking down on such operations in Bangkok.

 

[jiveturkey]

That may be. But my experience has been on the islands where the long arm of the law doesn't always reach. As more Thais become instructors and dms you'll probably see the police crack down more. And so they should if they're competing with locals. Right now, the authorities recognize the importance of foreign dive professionals because the supply of local dive pros doesn't meet the demand. Still, they come around and "check things out" from time to time.