Single Entry Tourist Visa for Expats Outside of Asia

[TheFullLength]

The recent METV thread reminded me that I was going to share my experience with my SETV. Definitely won't apply to everyone's interests, but I'm sharing it nonetheless.

I am an Australian expat in Egypt, and have recently been scared silly by the visa exemptions rules. I've been using the visa exempt status over half a dozen times over the past twelve months with never a problem; however, this time I'll be staying in Thailand for nearly sixty days, so I thought I'd play it safe.

It was suggested by another BM that I might have trouble applying for a SETV outside of both Asia and my home country.

Not the case. I needed:

- passport

- ticket

- passport photo

- HR letter from my work
- stamped bank statement
- letter of representation, as I couldn't get to the embassy to do all of this
- fee of LE300 (around B1,200)

My rep also suggested my fiancee's address and phone number, "in case there are difficulties". That struck me as weird, but I gave the details anyway.

Whole process was as smooth as butter, and took forty-eight hours. I have three months to enter the country, and can obviously stay for sixty days.

I can't imagine I'll have any need to risk my visa exempt usage for future trips, but it would be nice to know when that whole concept "resets". As in, if I enter the country here and there in a six month period on SETVs, can I then use some visa exempt entries?

I figure I'll just wait that one out for the policies to change again, 555