How often can I visit thailand without a visa?

[VFV]

How often can I visit thailand without have to get a visa, if you repeat it over and over I mean?

[filibuster]

Until such time as an immigration officer questions whether the purpose of your visits is actually "tourism".  

[VFV]

That is kind of diffuse. It could then happen even I visit thailand only once a year, while they may never care even if I go there once a week? It surley have to be some sort of guidelines.? Is one month apart enough or is 2 month enough etc?

[Goolabert]

There is no official limit. If you are coming from your home country by air each time you should never have an issue.

 

The people that are more likely to have problems are the ones that make multiple entries at land borders especially when they exit and immediately re-enter. 

[vivid2]

How often can I visit thailand without have to get a visa, if you repeat it over and over I mean?

Depends what country you're from. Visitors from the USA get a 30 day visa exemption on arrival, with a maximum of 3 visits per year.

 

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/mobile//service/thai-visas-for-americans.html

[VFV]

There is no official limit. If you are coming from your home country by air each time you should never have an issue.

 

The people that are more likely to have problems are the ones that make multiple entries at land borders especially when they exit and immediately -reenter. 

 

Well I may not always come from my home country, and I do not plan on immediately reenter, more like a month or so between and I will take lfights.

[JABL]

Depends what country you're from. Visitors from the USA get a 30 day visa exemption on arrival, with a maximum of 3 visits per year.

 

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/mobile//service/thai-visas-for-americans.html

not trying to dispute what you are saying ..but I visited Thailand 5 times in 2013 and 4 times last year....maybe I have been lucky not to have been pulled over....

[vivid2]

Depends what country you're from. Visitors from the USA get a 30 day visa exemption on arrival, with a maximum of 3 visits per year.

 

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/mobile//service/thai-visas-for-americans.html

The above is not quite right....you are now allowed more than 3-30 day visa exemptions, as long as you don't spend more than 90 days out of a 6 month period in the Kingdom.

 

http://www.travelfish.org/visas/thailand

[pbangalore]

If you are from a visa waiver country (like myself from the US) there is no limit to number of entries and they don't care where you fly from, I almost always fly from India, never once have they even asked where I came from, only matters what passport you carry. As long as you aren't in the Thailand for more than 90 days over a six month period, you are within the rules. I did six entries last year.

 

I suppose if you did something odd, like visit every other day for a month, at some point it might look suspicious and raise questions, but that wouldn't be unique to Thailand I don't think.

[Scumbag]

That is kind of diffuse. It could then happen even I visit thailand only once a year, while they may never care even if I go there once a week? It surley have to be some sort of guidelines.? Is one month apart enough or is 2 month enough etc?

It is frustrating but it is the way that it is. I would treat any information that definitively tells you otherwise with suspicion. They seem to be applying the rules differently this year.

 

What are you plans? How much time per year do you plan on being in Thailand and how many entries? How often will you go back to the US? Are you 50 years old or older?

[jerry]

Well I may not always come from my home country, and I do not plan on immediately reenter, more like a month or so between and I will take lfights.

 

I have been doing one month Thailand one month Cambodia over the last year and a half .

Only during the visa run crackdown last year one officer told me it would be better getting

a TR visa but never been denied or even pulled over for questioning .

As long as you don't spend more than 50% of the year in Thailand they won't give you a

problem using visa waivers .    

[Goolabert]

Depends what country you're from. Visitors from the USA get a 30 day visa exemption on arrival, with a maximum of 3 visits per year.

 

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/mobile//service/thai-visas-for-americans.html

 

That information is now out of date and no longer applies. The limits were removed quite awhile ago. That website also doesn'y have the new information that a 30 day visa-exempt entry can now be extended for 30 additional days

[momo5]

That information is now out of date and no longer applies. The limits were removed quite awhile ago. That website also doesn'y have the new information that a 30 day visa-exempt entry can now be extended for 30 additional days

Seems a bit silly to go to US Embassy for info on entry to Thailand - it's bound to be second or third hand information. Why don't people just go to the primary source, in this case, Thai Immigration?

[biggles]

"Seems a bit silly to go to US Embassy for info on entry to Thailand - it's bound to be second or third hand information. Why don't people just go to the primary source, in this case, Thai Immigration? "

 

Unfortunately, as with most things in Immigration offices in Thailand the answer you get depends on who you talk to there. Come back the next day, talk to someone else and you get a different answer. One of the main reasons why dealing with them is so frustrating.

[VFV]

Thanks for the answer, then it should be safe to spend a month in thailand every third month or so.

[Sick Water Buffalo]

That is kind of diffuse.

It surley have to be some sort of guidelines.?

 

 We're talking about the same Thailand, right?  

 

As Filibuster says, you're good until you get an Immigrations officer who questions your travel frequency.  

 

From what you describe, sounds like you may be doing some sort of 'offshore' work?

When the visa-run crackdown happened, a lot of offshorers were worried, but my understanding is that it's been little/no problem for them.

The Thai authorities are looking for the visa-runners, guys who pop over to Cambodia or Laos for a day or two and come right back - because those are the guys who are suspected of working in the Kingdom illegally or living there without getting the 'proper' long-term visa (retirement, marriage, etc).

[Scumbag]

 We're talking about the same Thailand, right?  

 

As Filibuster says, you're good until you get an Immigrations officer who questions your travel frequency.  

 

From what you describe, sounds like you may be doing some sort of 'offshore' work?

When the visa-run crackdown happened, a lot of offshorers were worried, but my understanding is that it's been little/no problem for them.

The Thai authorities are looking for the visa-runners, guys who pop over to Cambodia or Laos for a day or two and come right back - because those are the guys who are suspected of working in the Kingdom illegally or living there without getting the 'proper' long-term visa (retirement, marriage, etc).

I know people who are regular visitors (not border runners) who have had issues with entering many times with no visa. I have also seen a couple of similar reports on this forum.

[filibuster]

I know people who are regular visitors (not border runners) who have had issues with entering many times with no visa. I have also seen a couple of similar reports on this forum.

What issues have they had? Refused entry? Held in the IDC and deported?

[timbota]

Depends what country you're from. Visitors from the USA get a 30 day visa exemption on arrival, with a maximum of 3 visits per year.

 

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/mobile//service/thai-visas-for-americans.html

 

Wrong.  Not even close.

 

The above is not quite right....you are now allowed more than 3-30 day visa exemptions, as long as you don't spend more than 90 days out of a 6 month period in the Kingdom.

 

http://www.travelfish.org/visas/Thailand

 

Wrong also.  Immigration tried doing this a few years back and quickly gave up.  Immigration officials hated this rule.  Too much work for them.

 

 

My passport was recently issued (January 2015).  Looking at stamps in my passport, I have entered Thailand a total of 10 times without a visa since the end of January.  I have been doing this to varying degrees since 1993.  I travel for business purposes.  When I am not working, I spend my time in Thailand.  I have never had any problem getting a 30 day visa exempt from immigration.  Never.  Nor does Thai immigration check for an onward ticket.

 

When they came up with the 90 days within a 6 month period rule, the immigration officer often got frustrated when trying to figure out how many non-visa days I had spent in Thailand.  The officer would send me to the immigration office where they would count the days and then give me my 30 day exempt.  I was never turned down although I was sometimes spending more than 90 days/6 month period.  This rule was intended to stop people from doing quick border runs and basically staying in Thailand without a visa for extended periods of time.  It was pretty obvious that I was not doing runs to renew my 30 day exempt.  I was sometimes exiting Thailand after only a few days.  I was traveling to Auckland and returning in less than a week.   Only an idiot would do this solely for the purpose of renewing their 30 day exempt entry.

 

My passport is full of Thai entry stamps. No visa.  No problem.  But it apparently is pretty obvious to immigration officials what I am doing.  If I was making quick border runs then it might be a different story.

[roger buttmore]

.. it should be safe to spend a month in thailand every third month or so.

 

Yes.

 

Had you just said that in the first place you would have perhaps prevented people pondering upon your proposed plans.

[Scumbag]

What issues have they had? Refused entry? Held in the IDC and deported?

They have spent time being asked questions at immigration and told to have a visa when they come next time.