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Of course you are prepared when you go and travel to Thailand.
You have your ticket, your passport your vaccinations.
Everything. But did you know that you need a visa when you want
to stay for a longer period in Thailand, and what is the validity
of your passport? You can check it on this page, where we collected
some information on documents and visas for you. A good and detailed
site is the site of the Royal Thai embassy of Washington DC: (www.thaiembdc.org/consular/visa/visa.htm).
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Passport
Entry into Thailand requires a passport valid for at least six
months from the time of entry. If you anticipate your passport
expiring while you are in Thailand, you should obtain a new one
before arrival or inquire from your government whether your embassy
in Thailand can issue a new one after arrival.
Visas
Whichever type of visa you have be sure to check your passport
immediately after stamping by a immigrant officer (at the airport).
Overworked officials sometimes stamp 30 days on arrival even
when you hold a longer visa. If you point out the error before you
leave the immigration area, the officials will make the necessary
corrections. If you do not notice this until you have left the area,
go to Bangkok and pled your case at the central immigration office.
Once a visa is issued, ti must be used within 90 days. Check the
Royal Thai embassy for more and detailed information.
Transit and tourist visas
The Thai government allows people of 57 different nationalities
to enter the country without a visa for 30 days without charge.
People of 78 other nationalities, can obtain a 15-day Transit visa
on arrival, but must pay a fee (check the Thai embassy).
A few nationalities must obtain a visa in advance of arrival or
they will be sent back. Check with a Thai embassy or consulate in
your country in advance to be sure.
Non-immigrant visas.
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The Nonimmigrant visa is good for 90 days, must be applied
for in your home country. It is not difficult to obtain if you
can offer a good reason for your visit. Business, study, retirement
and extended family visits are among the purposes considered
valid. If you want to stay longer then six months, this is the
one to get.
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The nonimmigrant business visa (non-B) allows unlimited entries
to Thailand for one year. The only thing is that you must leave
the country at least once every 90 days to keep the visa valid.
Visa extensions and renewals
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Sixty day Tourist visas may be extended by up to 30
days at the discretion of Thai immigration authority. You can
apply at any immigration office in the country -every province
that borders a neighboring country has t least one. Check the
Thai embassy website for the fee and bring along one photo and
one copy of you passport personal information page and the visa
pages.
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The 30-days no visa stay can be extended for 7 to 10
days. You can also leave the country and return immediately
to obtain another 30-day stay. There is no limit on the number
of times you can do this, nor is there a minimum interval you
must spend outside the country.
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Extension of the 15-day, on-arrival Transit Visa is
only allowed if you hold a passport from a country, that has
no Thai embassy.
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If you overstay your visa you have to pay a penalty when you
leave Thailand. The usual penalty is a fine of 200 Baht each
extra day, with a limit of 20.000 Baht. But the prices can change,
check the embassy site on this.
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Extending a Nonimmigrant visa very much depends on
how the officials feel about you - if they like you then they
will extend it. Other than the fee for extension. You must collect
a number of signatures and go through various interviews, which
may result in a provisional extension. Then you may have to
report to a local immigration office every 10 to 14 days, for
the next three months, usual the actual extension comes through.
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Becoming a monk does not necessarily mean you will get a longer
visa - again, it depends on whom you see and how they feel about
you.
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Retirees of 55 years of age or older may extend the 90-day
Nonimmigrant visa by one year at a time. To do this you
will need to bring the following documents to the immigration
bureau: a copy of your passport, one photo, the money for the
extension fee and proof of your financial status or pension.
The requirements for the latter is that foreigners aged 60 or
older must show proof of an yearly income.
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Foreigners with Nonimmigrant visas who have resided
in Thailand continuously for three years - on one-year extensions
- mat apply for permanent residence. When you receive the permanent
residence you must carry an 'alien identification card' at all
times
Re-entry permits and multiple entry visas
If you need to leave and re-enter the country before your visa
expires, say for a trip to Laos, you may need to apply for a reentry
permit at Thai immigration office.
You will need to supply one passport photo, copies of your passport
(personal information and the visa-page) and there is a fee to be
paid (check the site of the embassy for the right price).
There is no limit to the of reentry permits you can apply for and
use during the validity of your visa.
Other than the Non-immigrant business visa, Thailand does
not issue multiple-entry visa. If you want a visa that enables you
to leave the country and then return, the best you can do is to
obtain a visa permitting two entries; this will cost double the
single-entry visa.
An alternative is to apply for a reentry permit (or the multiple
reentry permit, if established as proposed by Thai immigration)
after you are already in Thailand as described previously.
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