Better and Easier Tourism Visa :)

[Oukiva]

Thailand announces huge changes to Tourist visas in bid to boost tourism

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Tourism/30358483

Summary :

• Single entry visas automatically changed to double entry
• Re-entry permit, rather than new visa if visiting neighbouring country
• Unlimited visa exempt entries at land borders per calendar year
• Visa-On-Arrival free for 2 months

 

Cabinet OKs tourism package to lure more foreign tourists

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cabinet-oks-tourism-package-to-lure-more-foreign-tourists/

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a tourism promotion package aimed at attracting more foreign tourists to Thailand to meet the government’s ambitious goal  of earning two trillion baht in tourism revenue from 38 million tourists.

[davidge]

Before we get too excited, it’s a 2-month trial only. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that it’s the 2 months just before an election 

[Scuba+]

Before we get too excited, it’s a 2-month trial only. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that it’s the 2 months just before an election 

"Unlimited visa exempt entries at land borders per calendar year"

Seems it will need to be longer than 2 months for this to apply.

Immigration officers at Bangkok and Poi Pet will be spitting feathers letting unlimited VE go through

[Billy Shears]

So, a 60 day tourist visa can now be 6 months?

[davidge]

Just now, Scuba+ said:

"Unlimited visa exempt entries at land borders per calendar year"

Seems it will need to be longer than 2 months for this to apply.

Immigration officers at Bangkok and Poi Pet will be spitting feathers letting unlimited VE go through

No, it’s for 2 months. (Lack of logic in official statement not withstanding)

After that, let’s wait and see. February, and it’s aftermath, is likely to be ‘interesting ‘

[davidge]

1 minute ago, WhiteThai said:

So, a 60 day tourist visa can now be 6 months?

We have to wait for the Tourism Department to finalise details and officially announce. Agreement ‘in principle ‘ only so far 

[davidge]

This is the summary from the Bangkok Post:

[Jackie2013]

I'm just back - last week - from Vietnam and a new Single Entry Tourist Visa. 

Any news about if I can "change" this to this new 6 month Visa? (Guess not, but let me know if you heard anything) 

Does this mean that Single Entry Tourist Visas are extended to 6 months from the previous 90 days (60+30)? Seems insanely good if thats the case, but I guess I'm missing something... :)? 

[Mick Pattaya]

Where does one change this SETV into a double entry TV, at Jomtien immigration?. If a re-entry permit is being allowed for visits to a nearby country why would anyone need a double entry visa, very confusing.

[mryang]

8 minutes ago, Jackie2013 said:

I'm just back - last week - from Vietnam and a new Single Entry Tourist Visa. 

Any news about if I can "change" this to this new 6 month Visa? (Guess not, but let me know if you heard anything) 

Does this mean that Single Entry Tourist Visas are extended to 6 months from the previous 90 days (60+30)? Seems insanely good if thats the case, but I guess I'm missing something... :)? 

1. No, stamp is a stamp, unless you know the general.

2. When you apply for Visa, you will automatically get double entry. No more. No less.

So you basically get 6 months, instead of 5 months because;

a) You apply for VISA in Thai Embassy Stockholm - get the label - and go to Thailand
b) When you land, you go to Airport immigration and make sure you get the 60 day stamp
c) Within 3 days, you go to "land" Immigration and get permit of residence (mandatory for everyone +30 days)
d) Day 55 you extend your stay with 30 days
e) On day 88-90 you go border-run or similar or Philippines on natural excursion
f) When you back you get new stamp for 60 days.
g) Day 148-150 you apply for extension 30 days
h) Day 180 - Back to Sweden as the 50/50 rule still apply.

I could be wrong, but this is how I translate the Bangkok Post poster.

 

[Jackie2013]

Excellent, great review there MrYang. 

 

I'll do my trip to a neighbouring country on day 88-89 as previously planned then, so no big changes for me I guess. 

What do you mean with the 50/50 rule? 

 

I just entered Thailand for my second time with a new single tourist visa (i've not entered the country without an visa for the last 2 years). Got battered at immigration if I was working and/or having a girlfriend in Thailand. I guess I was quite naive expecting I wasn't to get this hassle when I "followed the book" and applied for a Tourist Visa outside of Thailand. 

Doing it again in 90 days so....fingers crossed. 

 

[Taa_Saparot]

24 minutes ago, Mick Pattaya said:

Where does one change this SETV into a double entry TV, at Jomtien immigration?. If a re-entry permit is being allowed for visits to a nearby country why would anyone need a double entry visa, very confusing.

Who knows.

But, what I thought No.2 in the Bangkok Graphic above meant was when you go to the border with a single entry in your passport, they will treat it as a double entry and give you 60 days rather than 30.

[davidge]

It’s all very unclear but I think they’re trying to be slightly flexible about people who travel around SE Asia. So, if you get a SETV you can enter Thailand, travel to a neighbouring country, then re-enter Thailand on the same visa.

It’s not meant to allow you to stay longer each visit. 

Similarly, what was reported as ‘unlimited visa exempt entries’ is actually for people who live and work in neighbouring countries to visit Thailand when they want.

In any case, this is only in place for December & January as things stand.

[mryang]

13 minutes ago, Jackie2013 said:

Excellent, great review there MrYang. 

 

I'll do my trip to a neighbouring country on day 88-89 as previously planned then, so no big changes for me I guess. 

What do you mean with the 50/50 rule? 

 

I just entered Thailand for my second time with a new single tourist visa (i've not entered the country without an visa for the last 2 years). Got battered at immigration if I was working and/or having a girlfriend in Thailand. I guess I was quite naive expecting I wasn't to get this hassle when I "followed the book" and applied for a Tourist Visa outside of Thailand. 

Doing it again in 90 days so....fingers crossed. 

 

I hope you understand there is a difference between Single Entry Visa and Visa On Arrival.

a) Single Entry Tourist Visa is a Visa you have to apply for in the embassy. You will get this color label and your passport with a number and it will grant you 60 days.

b) Visa On Arrival, is when you get a stamp at the border for 30 days.

If you currently have (a) - it will be treated as a double entry visa so you can go out and get another 60 days.

The 50/50 rule is that you must be out of the country 50% of the time over a calender year meaning, you can't stay in Thailand more than 183 days/year unless you have another Visa such as WP, MV, RV etc.

[Ru4Real]

12 minutes ago, mryang said:

I hope you understand there is a difference between Single Entry Visa and Visa On Arrival.

b) Visa On Arrival, is when you get a stamp at the border for 30 days.

No it's not.

• Visa on Arrival is 15 days, is a real visa (which you get at Swampy if you are from specific countries) and costs 2000 Bhat.
• 30 days stamp is a visa waiver (free) that you get at the border if you are from specific countries

 

[davidge]

31 minutes ago, Jackie2013 said:

Excellent, great review there MrYang. 

 

I'll do my trip to a neighbouring country on day 88-89 as previously planned then, so no big changes for me I guess. 

What do you mean with the 50/50 rule? 

 

I just entered Thailand for my second time with a new single tourist visa (i've not entered the country without an visa for the last 2 years). Got battered at immigration if I was working and/or having a girlfriend in Thailand. I guess I was quite naive expecting I wasn't to get this hassle when I "followed the book" and applied for a Tourist Visa outside of Thailand. 

Doing it again in 90 days so....fingers crossed. 

 

PLEASE don’t make any plans based on that post!

[Ru4Real]

50 minutes ago, mryang said:

c) Within 3 days, you go to "land" Immigration and get permit of residence (mandatory for everyone +30 days)

Can't say I've ever heard of that.

[mryang]

23 minutes ago, Ru4Real said:

No it's not.

• Visa on Arrival is 15 days, is a real visa (which you get at Swampy if you are from specific countries) and costs 2000 Bhat.
• 30 days stamp is a visa waiver (free) that you get at the border if you are from specific countries

 

 

There is no such thing for Swedish people. They always get 30 days. Let's not confuse a swedish guy with rules for Ukraine.

17 minutes ago, Ru4Real said:

Can't say I've ever heard of that.

Are you dick-measuring? Please - let us step above two levels and make this forum useful and friendly shall we?

Maybe it is not called Permit of Residence - But they need Proof of Address. Anyhow, you need to do it within 3 work-days or you get fine. I have only been doing it in Jomtien, so rules might be different in other cities - I don't know.

But if you have never heard of it, it is obviously not the same thing as it doesn't exist.

For the record - I have been in and out of Thailand on a regular basis for the last 8 years. I just say what Immigration have told me to do. Not necessarily the same rules everywhere in Thailand, but as the guy asking is from Sweden - and so am I - I assume he must do the same thing.

[Ru4Real]

19 minutes ago, mryang said:

There is no such thing for Swedish people. They always get 30 days. Let's not confuse a swedish guy with rules for Ukraine.

This isn't a forum specifically for Swedish guys therefore stick to facts so as not to confuse anyone.

19 minutes ago, mryang said:

Are you dick-measuring?

No, I'm trying to clarify facts for the sake of all members.

19 minutes ago, mryang said:

Please - let us step above two levels and make this forum useful and friendly shall we?

Yes, lets. Facts are useful, specifics are useful, the correct terminology is useful, please stick to them.

19 minutes ago, mryang said:

Anyhow, you need to do it within 3 work-days or you get fine.

Again, lets stick to facts. What do you base this statement on? There is no such rule in place that I have heard of. I can only assume you are talking about TM30s in which case you are misleading our readers. If not, what are you talking about? 

19 minutes ago, mryang said:

For the record - I have been in and out of Thailand on a regular basis for the last 8 years.

I'm happy for you, I truly am.

[Scuba+]

The 50/50 rule is that you must be out of the country 50% of the time over a calender year meaning, you can't stay in Thailand more than 183 days/year unless you have another Visa such as WP, MV, RV etc.

This is another strange one, I've not heard of any official rule about 50/50.

Europeans get a 30 day "visa exempt" on arrival if you have no visa. It's not "visa on arrival"

[dave01]

2 hours ago, Scuba+ said:

 

 

This is another strange one, I've not heard of any official rule about 50/50.

Europeans get a 30 day "visa exempt" on arrival if you have no visa. It's not "visa on arrival"

 

Yeah it's a myth... might be pulled out once in a while as an "excuse" to deny people entry that they just don't want here...  Makes no sense at all, when they are talking about unlimited visa waivers in the report...
Also:
As for this being an election thing?  That is indeed strange... which group of voters would this apply to? None...  I see it as a genuine attempt to up tourist numbers... tourism is down, mainly because of safety concerns from the Chinese after the boat went down in Phuket, killing many Chinese...

They have just opened up a way for those with little cash to stay here long term....
 

[Ru4Real]

6 minutes ago, dave01 said:

That is indeed strange... which group of voters would this apply to?

The ones in the tourist industry that are seeing their business' struggle due to the downturn in tourist arrivals ... if I had to guess 

[dave01]

Just now, Ru4Real said:

The ones in the tourist industry that are seeing their business' struggle due to the downturn in tourist arrivals ... if I had to guess 

Maybe....  but I just don't see the election as being relevant to this, just a differing opinion is all...

I wonder if some of the hysterics we read about immigration rules and implementation will subside.  This is actually a very good thing.. for many.

[article22]

Does anyone know when these rules will be applied in Thai Embassys across the world?

I need to get a SETV or METV and these changes would make my life easier for sure...

[davidge]

56 minutes ago, article22 said:

Does anyone know when these rules will be applied in Thai Embassys across the world?

I need to get a SETV or METV and these changes would make my life easier for sure...

Not yet. Tourism Ministry is meant to confirm details. It’s only going to be trialled for 2 months in December & January.

I don’t think there’ll be any changes at Embassies/Consulates anyway. I’m guessing they’ll just issue an SETV as normal but Thai Immigration will let us use the visa twice.