Thailand Visa Roundup! by The Soi Lawyer
Posted by TheSoiLawyer | Blog, Passport-Visa, Reader Submissions | Posted on October 27th, 2009
Well it is that time of year again, the high season is getting ready to start and many readers currently in their cubicles overseas are thinking of their time soon to be spent among the beautiful women and tropical beaches that Thailand is famous for. However, much like Shangri-La there seem to be impediments to returning to this paradise. Most notable among these obstacles is the plethora of competing visa regulations being promulgated from the ordinance drafting machine that is Thai Immigration. To add confusion to complexity, many of the regional Consulates and Embassies are running things according to their own rules in a similar manner to the way a local chieftain runs his own fiefdom.
The rules get more complicated, but the game continues. Hopefully this will provide some insight for those looking to stay in the Kingdom for a long (or short) period of time.
Thailand Visa Exemption Stamps
First and foremost on the minds of short term travelers is the issue of Thailand visa exemptions. The visa exemption stamp is the 30 day stamp given to most tourists arriving at the Airport. Currently Thai Immigration is giving 30 day exemption stamps at the airport to anyone holding a passport from a country on the exemption list (US, UK, CA, most EU, AU, NZ, etc). Technically, these stamps are supposed to be given an infinite number of times, provided the entrant is always coming through the airport. That being said, I have heard reports that this is not the case and more than about 3 entrances will get your passport heavily scrutinized (they can always turn you away as well). Currently, at land borders, entrants seeking visa exemption stamps are only given 15 days of lawful presence. This is important to note because local immigration requires at least 21 days of status to process a visa extension or conversion. Therefore, the immigration officers have effectively barred long term status to those entering Thailand via a land border without a proper visa. If you are looking to stay long term, do not go about it this way.
Thailand Tourist Visas: Free If You Can Get One
After the less than spectacular tourist numbers last year, the Thai government announced a fee waiver for all Tourist visas sought abroad. This led to something of a backlash from Consulates overseas as the workload increased and the resources decreased. However, the plan seems to have had some positive effects as there has supposedly been an increase in tourist visa applications (possibly due to the fact that visa exemptions are now harder to come by). Although initial tourist visa applications are being approved (if sometimes begrudgingly), subsequent applications are being viewed with a critical eye. The Royal Thai Consulate in Penang, the on-again off-again visa run destination for most farangs in Thailand, has made the policy that they will not issue multiple tourist visas. This seems to be the prevailing attitude throughout the region, with some exceptions. As a result, those planning on remaining longer than 1,2, or 3 months may be wise to seek a visa other than a visa exemption or a Tourist visa.
The rise of the Non-Immigrant Visa
It appears that non-immigrant visa applications are on the rise. Although tourist visas technically are classified as non-immigrant, for these purposes we are talking about B visas, O visas, and retirement visas. O visas are always popular with those staying in Thailand long term as they allow for 90 days per entry. If one obtains a one year multiple entry visa then it can be used for at least 4 entries of 90 days each. The only major downside of the ‒O” visa is the fact that work permits can be difficult to obtain if the visa was not issued due to kinship with a Thai.
The Business visa is also popular for those who may be looking at making their vacation more full time by attempting to gain employment and applying for a work permit. Obtaining a business visa can be somewhat difficult if one does not have corporate sponsorship, but it is the most versatile visa once in the Kingdom.
Finally the retirement visa: perfect for those over 50 who can prove financial resources to cover their living expenses. The only major downside to this one is the fact that employment is prohibited, but in general it is much easier to obtain than some other categories. Those interested in possible employment should look at the Business visa.
In my opinion, the non-immigrant visa categories will become more popular as the border run is slowly phased out, but then again this time next year we could be talking about how no such visas get issued anymore. Long term status in Thailand can be hard to come by in Asia, so act accordingly if you are back in your corner of the world because prior planning prevents police detention.
To learn more please see Thailand Visa.
30 Responses to “Thailand Visa Roundup! by The Soi Lawyer”
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Daywalker,That's how you'll know me at the Mango.Middle-aged bald guy ...
The first time I got to Eden, you landed at Don Maeng.
Yep - I remember walking past Eden and keep walking to the end of the ...
Trojan,You have the Mango and the Eden on your list. Just don't get t...- Soi Dog, Why on earth would you want to wear a school uniform?Lolitas...
Excellent write up, had me pissing myself.Been here 8 years and done s...
They laughed and said “No pomphem. We take care. Lelax.” Cool. Don’...
ROLLN at an AA meeting...talk about irony.- Funny stuff! I was intimidated by the Eden Club too. Don't know how I ...
Daywalker: that was good, thanks, It would interesting to now hear abo...
Recent Comments
Translator
nice bit of understatement there (echo, echo). Now where did you say that soup kitchen was?
View all comments by Pattaya Ghost
You can also do a ED visa. Schools usually run 28,000 baht a year, no visa runs, and every 90 days you pay 1900 for an extension.
View all comments by Billy Bangkok
Whats the best option for an american looking to stay on a 6 month holiday there? the visas seem so confusing. say i arrive w/ just the 30 day stamp at the airport. now i want to stay 6 more months? fastest easy way?
View all comments by jujubeansfosho
You can also buy a non-imm B visa for 25,000 baht if you know the right person(s)…
View all comments by John Brown
I have a Ph. D. from McGill, and I’m thinking about teaching (only 1 hour a week if I can) just to be able to stay here as long as I want to. Can it be done, or should one work a minimum numbers of hours?
View all comments by katechon
Ghost,
I was trying to be as upbeat as possible, I do not know of another way of spinning the worst showing in 49 years…I wonder what a Soup Kitchen in Thailand would be like, I am sure Tom Yum would be on the menu
Billy,
I always forget to mention the ED. A good option for those already in country, but virtually no right to work and it can be a great deal more expensive than other options. Certainly something to think about.
View all comments by The Soi Lawyer
@TSL: The cost is somewhat relative. I go to class twice a week for two hours per session for a year. Cost was something around 28K. That’s 135 baht per hour and includes books plus the school handles all of the paperwork. I sort of look at it like I’m paying 28K to learn the Thai language and paying 1900 every 90 days for visa extensions (plus the original visa fee).
From that perspective it seems more comparable to other options even if it is not the absolute cheapest option. Plus with an ED visa you can get a drivers license and open a bank account with no hassle. Although you can probably find a way to do both of those on a tourist visa, you’re not supposed to be able to.
As far as work goes, it’ my understanding you can only work on a B. And if I decided to work here I would simply change my visa to a B (or get a new visa, whatever the rules are for that).
All in all, if you’re going to be here a year or more, are under 50, and aren’t going to work … the ED is a very viable option if you want to avoid the risk of being denied a exemption stamp or tourist visa.
View all comments by Billy Bangkok
Juju, John Brown, and Katechon
Business visas would probably be best, however if you are currently in country this can be difficult, if you are still back in your home country a one year visa can be more easily arranged. 25,000 is pretty steep for visas applied for abroad (we charge 4710 to prepare such application). In country, the prices go all over, I only deal with these in the context of company setups so my perspective on that issue is somewhat limited.
Billy,
Visas are good if they get the job done. Many people are quite happy to be on ED visas and I have actually referred people to schools to assist in getting these documents and studying Thai. The problems with these visas are mostly ones that usually do not come up. I understand conversions can be somewhat difficult and I have also heard (purely secondhand from those who deal with immigration directly) that immigration authorities are scrutinizing these visa holders more. Tests of Thai fluency etc. That being said it is a good option in many respects
View all comments by The Soi Lawyer
@TSL – Are you serious about passports being scrutinized at the airport with more than 3 stamps?
I have something like 20 from the past 2 yrs so should I expect them to break out the latex gloves?!
View all comments by WarCorrespondentDave
juju, go to Laos or KL; u will get a 2 journeys visa. After 60 days,u’ll have to extend it for 30 days, after which u’ll do a border run so ur second 60-days journey can kick in…u pay 1900 for another 30 days extension… U’ll thus be able to stay 6 months…
View all comments by katechon
Dave,
I have even heard of people turned away on exemption stamps. Worse still, the new 15 day exemption stamps apparently also entail multiple border runners to be detained IN COUNTRY before being deported rather than summary deportation at the border (the usual method). Both of these instances seem to have been “one off” occurrences as I have yet to hear other stories of this.
That being said, I have also heard of multiple people who have been in and out on many exemption stamps. I think one of the biggest factors is airport entries rather than multiple land border runs. The only airport exemption I have heard who was turned away was previously deported (different passport).
Katechon,
I have heard good things about Laos. KL I don’t know for certain, but I have heard second hand that multiple tourist visas are frowned upon.
View all comments by The Soi Lawyer
Good post keeping the people in the know
As we have all meet the guys who have it all fucked up simple get it done on your own back yard.
it is also best to fish about different city Consulates as one will give you one no problem and the other will fuck you about.
As a American friend found out for his yearly stay in the land of smiles the Consulate in California would not give him a non O one year visa but his mate in Texas got his.
I know in the UK you avoid London as it is a two day job
i always post my to Birmingham two special delivery envelopes and you have your non O back in two days..
View all comments by Farang Ting Tong
“type-o” visa are for retired people and for people that have a kinship with a Thai person. That rules it out for anyone that is under 50 years old or not married, right?
@jujubeansfosho – Triple entry tourist visas (60 days x 3 entries) are easy to get in the USA and are currently being given away for free. I’d recommend that as a simple and free way to get your 6 month visit to thailand.
View all comments by Mango Fanboy
I,AM VERY LUCKY I CAN GET A B VISA.SO I HAVE A EASY TIME JUST SENDING IT TO HULL AND GETTING IT ALL BACK A FEW DAYS LATER.SEE YOU NEW YEARS EVE IN BKK
View all comments by geoff davies
Fanboy,
Type “O” visas are truly a catch-all category as “O” denotes “Other.” It is basically a non-descriptive long-stay non-immigrant visa. Subcategories of this category are: Retirement and Kinship. That being said, I do not really recommend them if there is even an inkling of a possibility that one may need to find employment because work permits can be somewhat difficult to obtain under this category.
A client who is related to a Thai and got an O visa based upon this relationship (not marriage), was made to leave the country and get a “B” visa before Ministry of Labour would issue him a work permit. This is one of many reason why I steer people toward a “B” if they may want to work.
View all comments by The Soi Lawyer
Am I correct in saying the longest tourist visa is 2 months (which you can then extend for 1 month at cost within Thailand)?
It’s just comments like above ‘Triple entry tourist visas (60 days x 3 enrties)’ make it confusing for me.
I am assuming this poster is saying that you can exit and re-enter 3 times within a visa validity period of 60 days (2 months) as opposed to a visa which is valid for 180 days (6 months)?
View all comments by Billy
A couple more questions.
Is there any way you can get a tourist visa if do not have a full blank page in your passport? Mine only has odd gaps left (sufficient for visa exempt stamps on arrival).
I need a tourist visa next to bide me over until I go back to UK/Aus next year for Non Imm but don’t really wish to pay the inflated cost of a new passport from the British Embassy here.
Regarding getting the tourist visa can anyone let me know what the turnaround time is in Laos/Penang. Can you go to the Thai consulate in the morning and get your passport back the same day (i.e. fly in and out the same day) or do have to stay overnight and if so how many nights?
Thanks
View all comments by Billy
@mangofanboy or who ever else knows the answer, thanks but for the double or triple entry visa,it says on the application form here in America that you need proof of round-trip airfare.
obviously i am just getting a one way ticket as i don’t know of the exact day 6 months i am going to leave.
My current plan was to show up and get the 30 day exempt visa stamp. after the 30 days go to laos to get the double entry. this would in theory be good for 7 months. my only questions is that would it matter that i used up my 30 day exempt visa already, and/ or are there are any wholes in this process? like should the first 30 days i spend there effect the double entry visa application? Reading thaivisa is obviously crazy, there area stories about people being red stamped + denied entry etc.
View all comments by jujubeansfosho
Billy,
You are correct, they are issued as a single entry visa with one month extendability. Again, this is why I recommend other non-immigrant categories because it could possibly work out to be cheaper in the long run and less hassle. Cost of triple entry tourist visa: free (if granted, and that can be a BIG if for triples as most posts that I have heard of do not like to issue these). However, it costs 1900 THB to extend with the Immigration police in country (this must be done three times). Then, you still have to do a border run, stamp out, stamp into the other country (which may charge for a visa on arrival), and then turn around stamp out of the foreign country, and stamp back into Thailand.
On a non-immigrant visa, a border run will likely be required every 90 day, but there are no extensions with Immigrationin Thailand, so no 1900 THB every 2 months. Also, Thai Immigration in Bangkok has moved out to Chaeng Wattana, if you can even call that Bangkok, and as a result going to get a visa extended for expats in BKK could be time consuming.
Make the assumption that they will need a full page in your passport. I believe the turn around time in KL is now a day if you get there early enough. I was told this by a client who used the post to process a non-immigrant visa. That being said, a year ago when I used the Embassy there it took 2 day, wen in the morning on day one, returned in the morning on day two.
I believe Penang processes in two days, but this information is secondhand. According to other secondhand accounts, Vientiane is a two day affair: drop off on morning 1, pick up on morning 2.
View all comments by The Soi Lawyer
Juju,
Your situation could be dealt with in a number of ways. If you would like some personalized information send me an email at info@integrity-legal.com
View all comments by The Soi Lawyer
Soi L, cheers. I was plannong to go back to UK or Aus in January to get a new Non O/B but messed up my last 3 month visa run on my present Non O last week.
My 3 month stamp from my last run expired on 23 Oct and I flew to Penang on 20 Oct thinking I was set up to get a final 3 months to see me through to mid January.
In departure at Swampy I looked at the main Non O visa in my passport and noticed it had to be ‘utilised’ by 20 Oct!!!
I religiously diarised the 3 month visa run periods but forgot to check/diarise the end date of the main visa.
I wonder if any others have made this mistake?
Therefore, I could only come back from Penang on a 30 day stamp on arrival. I couldn’t even go to the Thai Consulate in Penang to get a tourist visa to tide me over to next year as not got a full blank page in my passport for a visa.
To get me to mid January I will need to make more trips which will cost money whereas if I had flown to Penang the day before I would have been ok for a final 3 month stamp on my Non O.
Oh well sh.. happens
View all comments by Billy
juju, u will need a visa to enter LOS if u dont have a return ticket.
View all comments by katechon
Mango Fanboy
maybe things have changed now but i remember to get my non O in the UK all i had to do is fill in the box
reason for stay and put seeing girlfriend but i am talking about 7 years ago
now i have the kid and there is no problem..
View all comments by Farang Ting Tong
all that i know is what me and my friends did for the first non O sent the application to Birmingham have heard Hull is just as good now this is in the UK cant speak for other country’s
got the first one no problem been young free and single
with that one in the bank opened a bank account and left some cash in it when i went back to the UK
second one put the bank book showing funds in Thai bank account again no problem still young free and single and still in my late 20s
third one same script
don’t be afraid to tell i small white lie as reason for coming
ie drinking and fornicating with the locals every night…
View all comments by Farang Ting Tong
I just booked a return flight Bkk Kuala-lumpur for 1800 TB… with Air Asia, for April 2010. Seems like good value for money…
View all comments by katechon
If you are an Aussie look up APEC business cards. They cost you $aus200 and take about 2 months to process. But they give you unlimited 3 month entries into 13 countries at the airport (or land borders) without applying for a visa within or outside Thailand or the other countries you apply for. (excuding the good ole USA).
The big pluses are you get to use special immigration lanes at the airport that fast track entry and exit and you pay no visa entry charges.
For examnple I went to Ho Chi Minh last week. It costs $US25 for a visa for visitors. I go in and out with no charges whatsoever.
Same for Laos. No fees whatsoever. The card is good for 3 years.
It pays for itself within 1 year of no visa costs and everytime I enter LOS I get 3 months, no questions asked, and no bullshit about how many times I have entered the country.
View all comments by docsmith
Quote: Worse still, the new 15 day exemption stamps apparently also entail multiple border runners to be detained IN COUNTRY before being deported rather than summary deportation at the border (the usual method).Unquote.
So, it is now illegal to visit Thailand more than a number of times, and you can be arrested? I wonder if any other country has laws that prevent you being a repeat visitor.
View all comments by Barry
So is the catch that type-o visas are unpredictable to get? (excluding the non marriage, non retirement visas)
I don’t understand why people play the tourist stamp/visa game indefinitely when a type-o visa can be obtained. Seems like “to visit my girlfriend” is an excuse we can all use to get the type-o visa.
Nice to know. Thanks for the info TSL, FTT and all.
View all comments by Mango Fanboy
Doc,
That card is a major benefit to a lot of Aussies I know. I’m not certain on this, but I believe that it is categorized as a non-immigrant visa, but it cannot be extended the same way other such visas can. This is speculation, but I know it is really useful for business travelers.
Barry,
I have not dealt with this personally, but it is apparently possible. The people they are targeting are those who really have abused the system. Long story short, stay away from land border exemption stamps unless absolutely necessary. In my opinion, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.
Fanboy,
Type O’s can be tricky, but the other problem with them is that sometimes the Ministry of Labour refuses to authorize employment if the bearer is not related to a Thai.
View all comments by The Soi Lawyer
@ EVERYONE ….
The Soi Lawyer … is a really “stand up guy” – honest, respectful and ethical human being — just go an see him —
He is not going to charge you an “arm and leg” —
But more importantly, he has “your back” because – lets face it — sometimes “shit happens” – not your fault!
He “paves the road” for you to walk down in the event you have a problem …..
I suggest – you come to Thailand — give him a call and let him know you are here — get on his “RADAR SCREEN” ….
You are only doing yourself a favor by doing this!
This guy “took care of me” – not an easy task —-
I know the most important attribute he possesses is his calmness and ability to get things done in a very calm way with the Thais!
View all comments by JDH