Recent experiences with visa on arrival and extension?

[frdx]

I am planning to travel to Thailand next month and am eligible for a 30 day visa on arrival (my country is on the list).

Has anyone traveled and made use of the 30 day visa on arrival lately? Did you run into any problems?

And has anyone managed to extend their visa on arrival?

I tried to find some information online about this, but the information is sometimes conflicting and could be out of date.

 

If someone could share their recent experience, that would be great :)

 

[dreaminneonblue]

There are agents you can find online who will manage a covid extension for you

[LASportsNut]

Your request is too vague without your country of origin.

Each country has different rules.

 

[solun]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:05 PM, LASportsNut said:

Your request is too vague without your country of origin.

Each country has different rules.

 

I had no idea. I'm on a New Zealand passport. I have a 6 month condo lease and am doing border runs to extend my stay

[LASportsNut]

On 8/28/2023 at 10:18 AM, solun said:

I had no idea. I'm on a New Zealand passport. I have a 6 month condo lease and am doing border runs to extend my stay

New Zealand rules are here in this LINK.

[solun]

Thank you for that.

So it turns out you can do 2 border runs per calendar year on a visa waiver - but immigration is cracking down on this.

Next time around I will apply for a multi-entry tourist visa giving me 60 days and can be extended by 30 days.

I think I can do a border run before it expires and get another 60 days - otherwise I will re-enter on a visa exemption 30 days and extend by 30 days.

That would give me between 5 and 6 months in Thailand - though I couldn't open a bank account with this visa configuration.

A bit dumb of me not to prepare before arriving this time 😕

I will go home after my current 60 day visa exemption expires and return next year better prepared.

One thing I don't understand - do you need to book your incoming and departing flights before applying for your visa? What happens if your a denied a visa?

[LASportsNut]

1 hour ago, solun said:

Thank you for that.

So it turns out you can do 2 border runs per calendar year on a visa waiver - but immigration is cracking down on this.

Next time around I will apply for a multi-entry tourist visa giving me 60 days and can be extended by 30 days.

I think I can do a border run before it expires and get another 60 days - otherwise I will re-enter on a visa exemption 30 days and extend by 30 days.

That would give me between 5 and 6 months in Thailand - though I couldn't open a bank account with this visa configuration.

A bit dumb of me not to prepare before arriving this time 😕

I will go home after my current 60 day visa exemption expires and return next year better prepared.

One thing I don't understand - do you need to book your incoming and departing flights before applying for your visa? What happens if your a denied a visa?

Some banks will allow with the lease only.  However, some will want a lease and the visa showing they match up. 

You may want to consider trying a few of the banks, and just tell them you are in the middle of applying for a longer visa.

Or just hire an agent.

[bobblobfish]

1 hour ago, solun said:

One thing I don't understand - do you need to book your incoming and departing flights before applying for your visa? What happens if your a denied a visa?

If you get denied a visa, you can try to get a refund for the flight (or change dates). With most fares these days, you're unlikely get most of your money back.

Consulates don't give a damn about applicants wasting money with no reason, even in cases where visas acceptance rates are low and a ticket is a huge burden to the applicant. In fact, some bureaucrats take delight in causing such discomfort.

To minimize the risk/loss, you could get a flight out of Thailand to a neighboring country, rather than a long-haul one.

[solun]

>

35 minutes ago, bobblobfish said:

To minimize the risk/loss, you could get a flight out of Thailand to a neighboring country, rather than a long-haul one.

This is a good idea, is a bus to Cambodia (or somewhere close by road to BKK) cheaper than a flight? Would that be acceptable to immigration?

I booked a return flight back to Australia this time and had to change the date, it cost almost as much as buying an entirely new ticket.

Edited September 4, 2023 by solun

[Wilson5206]

It's very cheap to just take a flight to Cambodia or Vietnam, have fun for a few days or 1 night and return.  I did this one my last trip.

[ricktoronto]

On 9/4/2023 at 10:53 AM, solun said:

One thing I don't understand - do you need to book your incoming and departing flights before applying for your visa? What happens if your a denied a visa?

Lots of people will use a travel agent to book a ticket without paying for a day or two and then using that flight confirmation as proof of travel. Or book refundable tickets.

You are better off not boarding than being refused entry, which can be brutal. 

[bobblobfish]

On 9/4/2023 at 8:24 AM, solun said:

This is a good idea, is a bus to Cambodia (or somewhere close by road to BKK) cheaper than a flight? Would that be acceptable to immigration?

It's cheaper, but it's unclear whether it's acceptable.

If you're flying in, you'd need to convince both the airline check-in agent (which sees nothing about a bus in their system and can't verify it) and potentially immigration if they ask (they usually won't).

Generally, when dealing with officials, even if you're technically within the rules, you don't want to get too creative and be "that guy" which stands out and they have to consult their higher ups about. Often, their first instinct is to just refuse you. If well prepared, maybe you can convince them to check further, but more likely you'll just miss your flight or be refused entry, and appealing it afterwards is no fun.