Visa application

[Veronica Mc]

Hi guys...me and my partner are looking to take 6 months in Thailand southern area from Oct Nov....We are from the UK but live in Lanzarote....Can any one tell us how we go about getting the 3 month visa, and how we renew, we are not planning on working......Any help appreciated

Cheers Veronica

[duncbUK]

From the UK you can apply for a 2 month visa and then extend it a month. You then need to make 3 border runs to get 1*3 more 1 month visas. It sounds like a pain but you could travel to Malaysia for a few days, (Pennang is lovely) and then fly back. The next month a trip to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and each time you return here (by air you get 30 day visa, by land its a 15 day visa) your visa is renewed.
Its quite easy really.
Hae fun

[Song_Si]

Some consulates/embassies will issue a double-entry Tourist Visa; this gives you:

• 60 days
• then extend for a further 30 days at any immigration office within Thailand - 1900 baht
• Before this 30 days expires, you must leave the country to activate the second Tourist Visa, this can be done with a quick border crossing - walk through and back again, giving you 60 more days, and the option to extend by 30 for a further 1900 baht.

or

if you arrive on a single entry Tourist Visa as duncbUK stated, you'll get 60 days and can extend by 30 for the 1900 baht fee.

You could then fly to a neighbouring country for another tourist visa 60 + 30 days. At present Phnom Penh is a very good option, you can often get good fares with Air Asia if you book well in advance - and it's a wonderful place to spend a few days.

Penang is not a good option to apply for a second consecutive Tourist Visa if you have already extended one - plenty of stories this year of them declining people who already have a 60+30 in their passport.

[Veronica Mc]

Originally Posted by duncbUK

From the UK you can apply for a 2 month visa and then extend it a month. You then need to make 3 border runs to get 1*3 more 1 month visas. It sounds like a pain but you could travel to Malaysia for a few days, (Pennang is lovely) and then fly back. The next month a trip to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and each time you return here (by air you get 30 day visa, by land its a 15 day visa) your visa is renewed.
Its quite easy really.
Hae fun

Thanks....Its sounds great and will visit places you suggest, do you have any idea how much it costs to do the runs?...Also if we decided to extend our stay do we just continue to do the runs?

We live in Lanzarote at the moment, can you apply online for a visa, if so do you know which is the best website to do this as there seems to be a lot out there?

Thanks for all your help much appreciated Veronica

[Veronica Mc]

Originally Posted by Song_Si

Some consulates/embassies will issue a double-entry Tourist Visa; this gives you:

• 60 days
• then extend for a further 30 days at any immigration office within Thailand - 1900 baht
• Before this 30 days expires, you must leave the country to activate the second Tourist Visa, this can be done with a quick border crossing - walk through and back again, giving you 60 more days, and the option to extend by 30 for a further 1900 baht.

or

if you arrive on a single entry Tourist Visa as duncbUK stated, you'll get 60 days and can extend by 30 for the 1900 baht fee.

You could then fly to a neighbouring country for another tourist visa 60 + 30 days. At present Phnom Penh is a very good option, you can often get good fares with Air Asia if you book well in advance - and it's a wonderful place to spend a few days.

Penang is not a good option to apply for a second consecutive Tourist Visa if you have already extended one - plenty of stories this year of them declining people who already have a 60+30 in their passport.

Thats great thanks....when you say single or double what is the difference and which is the best....When we book the flight do we have to book a return flight or can we book one way, may sound dumb I know but just not sure how it all works....roughly how much return to Phnom Penh?...Do you mean we should visit Penang on our 1st visit?
Sorry all the questions and glad of your help..

Cheers Veronica

[lizziebkk]

If you get a 60 day tourist visa and extend it at a local Immigration office for another 30 days Penang generally will not give another tourist visa.

If you do that, then at the end of the 90 days fly to Phnom Penh and get another tourist visa there. Then, when back in Thailand, at the end of the second 60 days, get another extension.

A double entry tourist visa means you get 2 60 day entries. Again, extendable in Thailand by 30 days after the initial 60 days is up. Once the 90 days is up, you can cross any land border to get the 2nd tourist visa active.

Check out airasia.com for travel ticket prices

[Song_Si]

hi

Lanzarote - not known for having a Thai embassy/consulate!

Maybe via Kuala Lumpur is an option unless you have somewhere closer to where you are now, good embassy there they do a 'next day' service for Tourist Visas, eg apply in the morning on day one, collect after 2.30pm on day 2. I love Penang - but to get there you'd likely have to fly via KL anyway, more expense, though it is easy to get a minivan from there back to southern Thailand/Phuket.

How much to Phnom Penh? really depends on how far in advance you book, we were there 4 weeks ago , having booked last December and got cheap tickets at 580 baht return that's 13 Euro, but to have booked the week before would have cost 6000 return.

There are road options, many travelers take the bus or train from Bangkok east to the border at Aranyaprathet/PoiPet into Cambodia, bus from there with stopover at Siem Reap/Angkor Wat and on on PP, depends how much time you have, and some people don't like bus travel. I'm a huge fan of PP, our next trip in Nov we'll go there first then head down to the south coast at Sihanoukville and back into Thailand by bus.

When you say "Thailand southern area" - how far south?

[Veronica Mc]

Originally Posted by Song_Si

hi

Lanzarote - not known for having a Thai embassy/consulate!

Maybe via Kuala Lumpur is an option unless you have somewhere closer to where you are now, good embassy there they do a 'next day' service for Tourist Visas, eg apply in the morning on day one, collect after 2.30pm on day 2. I love Penang - but to get there you'd likely have to fly via KL anyway, more expense, though it is easy to get a minivan from there back to southern Thailand/Phuket.

How much to Phnom Penh? really depends on how far in advance you book, we were there 4 weeks ago , having booked last December and got cheap tickets at 580 baht return that's 13 Euro, but to have booked the week before would have cost 6000 return.

There are road options, many travelers take the bus or train from Bangkok east to the border at Aranyaprathet/PoiPet into Cambodia, bus from there with stopover at Siem Reap/Angkor Wat and on on PP, depends how much time you have, and some people don't like bus travel. I'm a huge fan of PP, our next trip in Nov we'll go there first then head down to the south coast at Sihanoukville and back into Thailand by bus.

When you say "Thailand southern area" - how far south?

Hi

We are looking to come to Hua Hin and not really sure how long for, we are definitly coming 6 months but if we like will hopefully stay another 6 months if we are aloud......I think maybe its best we apply for a double entry visa, can we do this online or do we have to do this in person and go to UK embassy which I think maybe the nearest to Lanzarote ?...Can we just buy a one way flight ticket or do we have to buy a return? Its just we do not know when we will be leaving HH (or maybe you can buy a open ticket)

Regarding the runs maybe its best to book as soon as we arrive in HH for lower flight costs....We dont mind bus travel and will have lots of time on out hands as just looking to come to Tha for a long holiday

Thanks you have been a great help Veronica

[Veronica Mc]

Originally Posted by lizziebkk

If you get a 60 day tourist visa and extend it at a local Immigration office for another 30 days Penang generally will not give another tourist visa.

If you do that, then at the end of the 90 days fly to Phnom Penh and get another tourist visa there. Then, when back in Thailand, at the end of the second 60 days, get another extension.

A double entry tourist visa means you get 2 60 day entries. Again, extendable in Thailand by 30 days after the initial 60 days is up. Once the 90 days is up, you can cross any land border to get the 2nd tourist visa active.

Check out airasia.com for travel ticket prices

Thanks lizziebbk, now I am understanding the 60 day tourist visa, was a little baffled before about the different visas you can get....So all in all we can quite easily stay for 6 months with just 1 run to Phnom Penh...do you know were about is the Embassy to get another tourist visa? If they ask us questions like were have we been living etc is it ok to say we have been in HH for last 3 months?
1 last question, can I apply on line for the visa if so what is the best website, I am from UK but live in Lanzarote ,we have no Embassy here to go in person

Gonna check out Air asia now, thanks for the info you have been a great help, much appreciated....Any tips on living there please share

Veronica

[Oneday]

Hi Veronica,
You have to apply to the Thai Embassy if you want the visa before you go to Thailand.
Because I live in England the last time I applied for a 3 month visa I went to the Thai Embassy in London.
I had to submit my passport and application form with the payment fee and I went back a few days later to collect my passport with the visa attached to a page inside the passport.
I have just viewed the Thai Embassy London website and it says you have to apply for the visa in person and pay the fee in cash, then collect the visa 2 days later.
If this is a hassle you might be able to apply for the visa while you are in Thailand.