Ihave a triple entry tourist visa, at the end of the two months I have always gotten a 30 day extension . Now the ##**# at Nong Kai says I need a plane ticket showing I am leaving the country. Open ticket not good enough. "needs a booking date" . I am so much NOT looking forward to entering down the trail of a retirement visa. Anyone know a good LAWYER who could handle all the paper work ??
So I did a Loas visa run ,only to return to thailand to see at least 60 people lined up to re-enter Thailand . So I casually walked over to the VEHICLE entry point where they were glad to stamp my passport and I saved about and hour in the line up.

Yes this is true of the single entry tourist visa as well.
I have a flight booked for 27th. December so Nong Khai gave me an extension of 27 days (not 30) as that gave me a visa until then. I was puzzled as to what would happen if (for example) I would have shown them a flight dated say 1st. March. Would they have then given me a full 30 days or refused to give me anything except 7 days as my flight was after the maximum 30 days????
Oh well just happy to come back in January with a full years' non O multiple entry - no need to concern myself with the inner workings of Nong Khai for another 15 months then....

38nholding wrote: Now the ##**# at Nong Kai says I need a plane ticket showing I am leaving the country.

Maybe a stupid idea......... ........ who's to say that you are going to leave the country by air?.....maybe buy a cheap bus ticket to Cambodia or Myranmar that coinsides with the 30 day extension? they only want proof that you're leaving the country so you can get your 30 day visa...after 30 days go back again and tell them you missed the bus so had to pop across to Laos ( complete with pre-booked bus ticket for the next month).....

This thread relates to a question I have for guys who have lived in LOS forever and make frequent visa runs. How do you do your plane ticket? The way I understand it is you need a return ticket to get the first visa, then what do you do about visa extensions? 38n is right, you need a return date and besides, open end tickets are expensive and so is changing return dates on tickets.

You may find that different immigration offices seem to be operating with
a wide degree of variation on this issue. It is actually a stipulated requirement
to have a ticket for onward travel but for example, I was on a shopping trip
in BKK and went to the immig office there for my tourist visa ext., and they
didn't ask for and apparently didn't care about anyone showing air tickets.
On border runs to Cambodia, they are now selling bus tickets for 200B as
proof of onward travel. Bus tickets for a company which doesn't exist. As
far as I know they are not asking at the Nong-khai friendship bridge if you
just cross-over and come back for your 30-day stamp. Welcome to the jungle.

Tingtongfalang, the way to avoid the onward ticket issue is to avoid NK immigration!
I had a similar experience as 38n ages ago, was refused 30 days and was given 7 days for the same cost, 1,900baht
Now I just get a new tourist visa every 60 days in Vientiane and have never been asked for nor have I ever seen or heard of anyone being asked for an onward ticket.
I do know of people who have bought bus or plane tickets to Cambodia but have wasted their money.
It may be a little inconvenient going every 60 days but hey its a night off from the wife and I rather enjoy it.

Roy wrote:Tingtongfalang, the way to avoid the onward ticket issue is to avoid NK immigration!
I had a similar experience as 38n ages ago, was refused 30 days and was given 7 days for the same cost, 1,900baht
Now I just get a new tourist visa every 60 days in Vientiane and have never been asked for nor have I ever seen or heard of anyone being asked for an onward ticket.
I do know of people who have bought bus or plane tickets to Cambodia but have wasted their money.
It may be a little inconvenient going every 60 days but hey its a night off from the wife and I rather enjoy it.

Hey Roy, I found this interesting. Trying to find out what to do around here is an effort, which way to go and how and why.
Without exlpaining it all, I just had my 9-12 month 3 month activation stamped on my visa at Nong Khai after running through the loop in Vientiane, Laos. On my type o multi from what I gather I have the chance to get a bonus 3 months bringing me up to a 15 month total stay in Thailand.
If I have to go back to the States for sure I don't want to end up there in January, it's freezing cold where I came from. A few months more here wouldn't hurt.

From what you have just typed out here it looks like I would be able to stay in Thailand as long as I need to by switching to a tourist visa in Vientiane every 2 months.
No flight out to show. The time might cost an overnight stay in Laos and for a Thailand tourist visa fee, plus the tourist visa fee to enter Laos.
That would roughly add up to about 5000 baht every 2 months, may I ask?

Good to know, but hard to judge it as an infallible answer to my own problems here. But you say it has been working out for you and others.

Thanks for the tip on it, I might need it.

Roy,
Rumour has it (well, more than a rumour because I have actually seen one) that you can now get a multiple entry (multiple = 2) tourist visa in Vientiane now. So when first expires you just do a "bridge run" and activate the next 60 days. Hence only have to go Vientiane every 120 ish days.
Stars the multiple entry O has an expiry date on it. If you go into Laos just before that date then you can activate another 90 days on it at the border. This is where the 15 months on a 12 month visa comes from. Your cost for a trip to Vientiane are just about right... 1,500 for Laos VOA, 1,900 (from memory) for Thai tourist visa, 200 ish * 2 for taxi, room for the night & food & drink...

Thank you Bob,
On July 7th I received a 3 month activation, stay until October 4th (that makes 12 months total).
My Non 0 multi Thai visa states expiration on September 6, 2008 (this being the one year validity time to enter Kingdom).

From what you told me I am assuming that I had better get to border run before September 6th and not before October 4th to activate the 3 month bonus time.
So I end up with 14 months here.

This is so importent to know.
Can't thank you enough for this information!

STARS wrote:Thank you Bob,
On July 7th I received a 3 month activation, stay until October 4th (that makes 12 months total).
My Non 0 multi Thai visa states expiration on September 6, 2008 (this being the one year validity time to enter Kingdom).

From what you told me I am assuming that I had better get to border run before September 6th and not before October 4th to activate the 3 month bonus time.
So I end up with 14 months here.

This is so importent to know.
Can't thank you enough for this information!

Stars, Go across the Bridge & Re-Enter Thailand BEFORE Midnight on Sept 6th and you WILL get a FURTHER 90 days.....I Had an expiry on my 12Month Multi Non O at the 1st of June,I Landed at Suvanaphumi at 18.50 hrs on 1st of June and WAS Given my 90 Days.....Because as said it was before Midnight on expiry date....Hope this helps.....Alan..

It may be a little inconvenient going every 60 days but hey

and don't forget to hit duty free shop on way back. help compensate. get a bottle of most expensive thing you enjoy, usually much cheaper. example, baileys is half price in laos. 500 is better than 1000 baht a bottle.

laphanphon wrote:

It may be a little inconvenient going every 60 days but hey

and don't forget to hit duty free shop on way back. help compensate. get a bottle of most expensive thing you enjoy, usually much cheaper. example, baileys is half price in laos. 500 is better than 1000 baht a bottle.

And 200 ERA Cigarettes for 70 Baht....

I am thinking that for myself personally there has got to be a better way. Especially if I would decide that I might be better off to stay in Thailand rather than head back to the States soon.

I am married and the 2 month tourist visa switch from my type 0 multi can end up costing anywhere from 7000 baht to 10,000 baht every 4 months, depending if it is a single or multiple entry.
Also I wonder if the Thai Consulate in Vientiane or the Thai Immigration when entering Nong Khai will question why I am downgrading from type 0 marriage to Tourist visa?

This place always leave you guessing and wondering what can happen and what is the best way, out of the ways available to you, to obtain a visa to be here is.

Since I am pretty sure that if I applied for another type 0 marriage visa in Vientiane, that I can only get a single entry, and worse for my situation they require more than just a marriage certificate and wifes ID's, and passport. I remember reading that they want to see letters and bank books and all the stuff you need to get a 1 year extension on it in Thailand. That's no good for me now.

So back to the cost related to tourist visas back to back, it looks like it would be worth while to take a little trip to Singapore to the Thai consulate, where I read they are "visa friendly." All they ask for in order to get a type 0 multi entry is passport, marriage certificate and wifes house ID's.
The cost on that trip might be about 12,000 baht.

Any body have any advice on all this?

Yes the cost is about right but I normally spend about 7,000baht once I have sampled a few beer Laos'
Thanks Bob and yes you are right, a guy a met on my last trip got a multi entry. Wish they had been doing that for a while because it would have saved me having to renew my passport again after only 15 months
Now the Brit Embassy issue 48 page ones here and with the multi entry visa my passport might stretch to 3 years

Remember to get $35 for payment of the Laos visa, this will save approx. 300baht.
If you don't have $ you can change your baht just around the corner of the building you get the Laos visa from.
Strange isn't it, give them my baht and get dollar, walk 5m, give them my $, save 300baht but hey, TIL

Stars, yes it is not the cheapest method but it is the only option available to me at this time so beggars cant be choosers. Also don't forget that after 180 days on a "proper visa's" you can do 3 VOA in succession at 30 days each which cuts down the hassle if not the cost.
Can't help with the Singapore thing but I am sure you will find an abundance of info on Thaivisa if you have not looked already.