Beginning around July 15 2024, the number of countries offering Thai visa exemptions was increased and the exemption period was extended from 30 days to 60 days. Since then, many people have been asking if there is any reason to get a single entry tourist visa, good for 60 days, when the visa exemption is good for 60 days. Both the visa exemption and the single entry tourist visa can be extended by 30 days.
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And here's a link to the video in which I describe how to stay for more than a year on a Thai Multi-entry Tourist Visa:
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First, if you think there is something in your past immigration record that would cause your visa exemption to be denied on arrival, then you are better off getting a visa. If that visa is denied, then at least you are getting denied before you make the trip to Thailand. I suspect that this situation applies to very few people. You probably know if you have something like this in your immigration history.
Let’s assume from now on that you don’t have this problem of a bad immigration record.
Then, If you are planning to stay in Thailand for 90 days or less, I can think of no reason to get a tourist visa. Just use a visa exemption.
If you are staying for more than 90 days then there are a number of factors to consider and the analysis is a bit complicated, so hang in there.
Immigration places a limit on the number of visa exemptions you can use within a calendar year. When you re-enter Thailand on a visa exemption after having entered initially on a visa exemption, you may be given a warning not to use another visa exemption during the calendar year. Sometimes this warning will be given on your first re-entry into Thailand, and sometimes it’s given on a subsequent re-entry. It’s difficult to predict.
If you enter on a single-entry tourist visa, this means that you are saving one visa exemption of the number of exemptions you are allowed for the calendar year. When you re-enter Thailand after expiration of the visa, you will be using your first visa exemption for the year. So, by entering Thailand on a visa, you give yourself an additional 90 days before you start using visa exemptions. If you plan to stay for a while, then this extra 90 days might be a good reason to enter on a tourist visa.
If you are planning to stay over a year in Thailand, then you might want to get a multi-entry tourist visa. The METV will allow you to stay ALMOST 270 days before having to use a visa exemption to re-enter. Then each visa exemption you use will give you an additional 90 days. In total, this will give you significantly more than a year in Thailand. I made a video describing how to stay long-term on an METV. I put a link to that video in the description of this video.
So, arriving on an SETV can give you an additional 90 days in Thailand before you start using your visa exemptions. Arriving on an METV can give you almost an additional 270 days before you start using your visa exemptions. This is an important consideration if you want to stay long-term in Thailand.
When you are in Thailand on a visa exemption and you try to leave and re-enter Thailand the same day on a visa exemption, the officer may tell you that you must remain outside of Thailand for some period of time. People are often told that they should stay out of Thailand for three days before returning. This is a ‘guideline’ and the enforcement is very inconsistent. It happens more often when re-entering by land.
If you arrive in Thailand on a single-entry visa, and re-enter on a visa exemption, it is unlikely that the officer will complain about you not spending enough time outside of Thailand before re-entering. If you really want to avoid this problem of having to spend time in neighboring countries, get a multi-entry tourist visa. With this visa, there is no requirement to spend any time outside of Thailand before returning.
To further complicate matters, the limit on the use of visa exemptions is ‘per calendar year’. So, if you enter on a visa exemption in August, and you re-enter on a visa-exemption in November, and you get a warning, that warning would have no meaning since the next time you re-enter will be in a new calendar year.
So, in summary. Apply for a visa if you think that there is some reason why your visa exemption will be denied on arrival.
Otherwise, if you are staying 90 days or less, enter Thailand on a visa exemption.
If you are staying more than 90 days, then the answer can be complicated and you need to look at all the factors that I’ve described in this video.
And, finally, immigration officers can do whatever they want. The officer is the final arbiter of the rules.
