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[uncle_davros]

According to the news in Thailand that was announced today, you will no longer to be able to do visa runs. If you have done three, you will not be able to return to Thailand for 90 days

[whereshegoes]

Any idea of why this has come about?

[uncle_davros]

No, but I was speaking to a friend of mine in the Kok this morning and he alerted me. I personally feel, that instead of issueing a free entry visa, they will go the way of the majority of SEA countries and charge people for the visa.

Just my thoughts

Once I find out more, I will update

[Paul]

No, but I was speaking to a friend of mine in the Kok this morning and he alerted me. I personally feel, that instead of issueing a free entry visa, they will go the way of the majority of SEA countries and charge people for the visa.

Just my thoughts

Once I find out more, I will update

Hi, I am away from home at the moment but have also heard that news. For most travellers that shouldn't be a problem and for the many of us that have been staying in Thailand via the visa run loophole, well it is either time to get a married/work/retired visa or leave. To be honest that is quite fair. I don't think they will start charging for the 30 day tourist visa that many nations get free, although they may, but I do think that mainly they do want to regain a little control over who is living in their country.

[uncle_davros]

No, but I was speaking to a friend of mine in the Kok this morning and he alerted me. I personally feel, that instead of issueing a free entry visa, they will go the way of the majority of SEA countries and charge people for the visa.

Just my thoughts

Once I find out more, I will update

Hi, I am away from home at the moment but have also heard that news. For most travellers that shouldn't be a problem and for the many of us that have been staying in Thailand via the visa run loophole, well it is either time to get a married/work/retired visa or leave. To be honest that is quite fair. I don't think they will start charging for the 30 day tourist visa that many nations get free, although they may, but I do think that mainly they do want to regain a little control over who is living in their country.

It is a funny one considering how much you pay for a Laos, Cambodian or Thai visa. They could make a lot of money, or go down the Indian route and make you buy a six month visa, and if you want another within 12 months, leave the country and charge double

[Paul]

No, but I was speaking to a friend of mine in the Kok this morning and he alerted me. I personally feel, that instead of issueing a free entry visa, they will go the way of the majority of SEA countries and charge people for the visa.

Just my thoughts

Once I find out more, I will update

Hi, I am away from home at the moment but have also heard that news. For most travellers that shouldn't be a problem and for the many of us that have been staying in Thailand via the visa run loophole, well it is either time to get a married/work/retired visa or leave. To be honest that is quite fair. I don't think they will start charging for the 30 day tourist visa that many nations get free, although they may, but I do think that mainly they do want to regain a little control over who is living in their country.

It is a funny one considering how much you pay for a Laos, Cambodian or Thai visa. They could make a lot of money, or go down the Indian route and make you buy a six month visa, and if you want another within 12 months, leave the country and charge double

Yeah the process and cost of getting into Thailand is so much easier and cheaper than surrounding countries, which I think is a great reflection of the Thai culture and people. I hope and also think they won't go down the path of making things harder and more expensive for a while yet. I don't think the recent changes are so much about making money, but more about a concern over the enormous amount of illegal and semi legal people that are staying in Thailand. With the upgrading of the airport, the Thais will want to remain a popular stop over hub in the region and the free 30 day visas fits in with that very well.

[uncle_davros]

Can you keep us updated if you here anymore please Paul

[Paul]

Hi. OK, things are not as bad as they first appeared re Thai visas. I finally got a look at what the 2IC of Immigration was saying.
You can still go over the border after 30 days and come back and get a new visa stamp. But you can only do this 3 times in a 6 month period or 90 days. After that you need to go to an embassy and apply for a visa to continue your stay.
The reason for this is just so as there is some control over who is in Thailand. In the past a terrorist or drug runner or whatever could live in Thailand for 100 years and just simply keep going over the border every 30 days where they would do a quick check of his/her passport and let them in. Now someone will get checked over a bit more thoroughly every 90 days to ensure they are no Isama Bin Laden or George Bush or whoever. It isn't designed to hurt the average tourist or expat but just to control things a little more.

On Wednesday afternoon I posted my visa application from Melbourne to the Thai consulate in Sydney. They rang me on Thursday morning. WOW! Well done to Australia Post and the Thai consulate. Extremely efficient. They said I didn't need a transit visa and would send my money back for that and i got the impression my tourist visa would be approved despite me being in Thailand for far more than 90 days in the last 6 months.

So that all seems pretty good. I was worried for a bit though.

[uncle_davros]

Paul

Thanks for the update

[krisraym]

I was relieved to find this thread as I had heard the news about "no more border runs" BUT I'm still confused about how the visa thing works (I've never been in a country longer than 30 days, so I've never had to deal with this kind of thing before). I'll be heading to Thailand in January of this coming year, however, and I'll most likely be there for 30+ days (hopefully many more). Do I need to apply for a visa while I'm still in the US--or will I be handed one when I get off the plane??--Can I apply for a visa or some kind of extension from within Thailand? AND what's this I hear about tourists from the US having to show some kind of proof that they will be leaving the country upon arrival? Any kind of "Thai Visas for Dummies" advice would be greatly appreciated (what can I say? I'm beginning to feel kind of dense since I'm still struggling to obtain an understanding of visas). Thanks all.

Kristen

[uncle_davros]

When you arrive, you will be handed a 30 day tourist visa. You can apply for a 60 day visa befoe you go, or, once in the country, you can leave on the 30th day, exit and enter the same day, and be granted another 30 days. You can do this 3 times before you have to leave for a certain amount of time

[senorbrian]

Anyone Have any further information on the "visa" situation after the military coup a week ago? Since the constituation is being redrawn etc... Any chance its going back to how it was or more extreme?

[lisartw]

When you arrive, you will be handed a 30 day tourist visa. You can apply for a 60 day visa befoe you go, or, once in the country, you can leave on the 30th day, exit and enter the same day, and be granted another 30 days. You can do this 3 times before you have to leave for a certain amount of time

But is it not correct that some airlines will not let you board a flight to Thailand if you don't have the correct visa to enter the country? I don't mean to open a can of worms but we're flying to Thailand and have been warned of the dangers of not having a flight out of the country within 30 days, which I believe is a condition of entry on the free 30-day-on-arrival-visa. I've been told that trains/buses for onward journeys do not count - hense us getting a 60 day tourist visa before we arrive to avoid any such issues.

[Paul]

Hi. It depends which airline and which country you come from. Australia tends to be strict on that rule, but I have previously used train tickets to get around it. Oh, sorry I should explain - the thing they are strict on is you having a ticket out of Thailand. They aren't concerned about your visa. And when you arrive in Thailand the Thais aren't concerned about you having a ticket out.

Regarding the question about the coups - unlikely to change things.