Thailand confirms new 6-month visas for tourists

[buksida]

Thailand’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) has confirmed that it will be launching a new six-month multiple-entry tourist visa (METV) in November.

In a notice posted to the Thai MFA’s Facebook page Monday, it said: “Thailand will soon grant multiple-entry visas to visitors to facilitate the forthcoming ASEAN Community and to boost Thailand’s tourism industry.”

The introduction of the new visa represents something of a U-turn by Thailand’s military government, which tightened visa rules across the board following the May 2014 coup.

The visa, costing 5,000 baht (US$139), will be available from November 13 this year. “It will grant travelers multiple entries during a 6-month period, for up to 60 days per entry. All foreign nationals are eligible to apply for METV,” the statement said.

The METV was announced in August, and was officially confirmed this week following its publication in the Government Gazette.

The new visa will allow visitors to enter and leave the country as often as they want over the six-month period. It also means tourists can effectively stay in Thailand for six months with the visa, though they will have to leave the country every 60 days to keep the visa valid. In/out ‘border hops’ are a fact of life for many people residing in Thailand, even those with valid, long-term visas.

Thailand’s military government is looking to bolster the country’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry after a sharp fall-off in visitors after last year’s coup.

Source: Asian Correspondent

[STEVE G]

That might come in handy. I would like to get into a situation of working about two months away and having two months in Thailand as I get older and if you timed it right, three of those visas would last you two years, so at 5,000 bt a go, it wouldn't be a bad option.

[Pleng]

This then essentially gives you 9 months.

One entry of 60, extend by 30 days at immigration
Another entry of 60, extend by 30 days at immigration
Then leave and re-enter the country just before your visa expires and get another 60 days, extend by 30 days at immigration.

It's basically as good as a triple entry tourist visa, which normally costs 3000bt, but is very difficult to obtain.

It's over double the price of a double entry tourist visa (2000bt), and gives you 50% longer before having to renew.

[Nereus]

The full account is not yet posted, but the way I read it I doubt that there will be any 30 day extensions with it.

[jumusman]

I also doubt that its extended past the 6 months. It specifically says

"The new visa will allow visitors to enter and leave the country as often as they want over the six-month period"

I don't know how you are reading anything else into this. That sentence is quite specific and clear.

[dtaai-maai]

I also doubt that its extended past the 6 months. It specifically says

"The new visa will allow visitors to enter and leave the country as often as they want over the six-month period"

I don't know how you are reading anything else into this. That sentence is quite specific and clear.

The crucial wording is entering the country during the 6-month period. Remember the difference between a visa and an entry stamp. You can enter the country on the last day of the visa's validity and will, presumably, be given leave to enter for 60 days.

The question is whether these 60-day stays will be eligible for extension at local immigration offices.

In terms of pure tourism, i.e. not the long-stayers who don't qualify for retirement or marriage extensions, the only people this will really benefit is those who want to travel around SE Asia for 6-8 months, using Thailand as a base, and only then if they want to stay in Thailand for more than 30 days at a time.

[Pleng]

If it's just a new class of tourist Visa then I don't see why they wouldn't give 30 day extensions. However, if they don't then it's really no better for long-stayers than a current double entry... you could theoretically get 8 months use from the visa by re-ntering just before it expires, but if you're only getting 60 days at a time you'd have to enter [and hence leave] Thailand 4 times (once every two months) to get the maximum use out of it, as opposed to twice for 6 months on a double-entry.

Another question is where are these visas going to be available from? Will all consulates be issuing them? Or will, some stick to only issuing single entry visas (like Penang does at the moment)?

[hhinner]

The notice says the METV will be available from Thai embassies, main consulates and honorary consulates worldwide. The notice also states a single stay as being no more than 60 days and mentions nothing about availability of extensions.

[buksida]

New 6-month visas begin Nov 13, but limit stays
Thailand’s new six-month, multiple-entry tourist visas will become available Nov 13, but will limit stays to 60 days at a time.

The Foreign Ministry on Friday told all embassies, consulate-generals and honorary consuls worldwide to begin preparing for the visas, regulations for which were approved by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in August and published in the Royal Gazette on Sept 14. The ministry publicly released details of the new visas on its Facebook page Tuesday.

Unlike current tourist visas, which offer from one to three entries, the six-month multiple-entry visa will allow unlimited border crossings during the validity period. However, to prevent foreigners from basically living in Thailand on tourist visas, each entry will be limited to 60 days.

The new multiple-entry visa will cost 5,000 baht, versus 1,000 baht for a single-entry, 60-day visa, which can be extended in-country for up to 30 days for an additional fee.

Border checkpoints frequently have been known to reject foreigners using consecutive tourist visas to permit lengthy stays in Thailand. And, amid the immigration crackdown that followed August's Erawan shrine bombing, immigration agents on the Cambodian border and in Kanchanaburi reportedly have stopped even those travellers with valid tourist visas from immediately leaving the country and re-entering to activate additional entries.

The same border crossings already had stopped issuing additional 15- and 30-day visa-waiver stamps to "border runners" not holding tourist visas.

It's unknown if the border problems currently plaguing tourist-visa holders will continue into November when the new six-month visas become available. But the tourism and foreign ministries are eager to get the new travel documents up and running to spur tourism, which was impacted by last month's bombings.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... imit-stays

[Pleng]

There seems to be a lot of assumption in the articles I've read. So far I have seen nothing to indicate that you won't be able to extend each stay for an additional 30 days (although I aknowledge that there is some assumption on my part when reaching this conclusion..!)

While it's true that there is no explicit mention of the ability to extend a stay for thirty days, neither (as far as I can tell) is there any explicit mention that you will not be able to extend it. But as extensions are not officially part of the visa specification and subject to change at any time (and hence they're not covered in great depth in any official guidelines I could find, such as the UK Thai Embassy's official information on tourist visas, which simply states that any extension - no mention of length - is solely at the discretion of the immigration officer).

The article quoted above states that "stays will be limited to 60 days", and later compares it to a single entry tourist visa which allows you to stay for 60 + 30. But You're not really getting 60 +30 days on a single entry. On a current tourist visa you get, on entry, a stay which is limited to 60 days. Currently you are able to extend that by 30 days at an immigration office (used to be 7 days not so long ago...) and, as far as I can see, you'll be given the same 60 day stamp when entering on the new multiple entry visa - so why would it not be subject to the same set of rules in relation to extensions??

[mudcat]

Important to note that visa fees are shared between the MFA and the issuoing embassy/consulate so the immigration police lose out on extensions and re-entry permit income. The benefit of not visiting immigration - priceless.

[Elena]

The full account is not yet posted, but the way I read it I doubt that there will be any 30 day extensions with it.

Guys, here it says: "The new multiple-entry visa will cost 5,000 baht, versus 1,000 baht for a single-entry, 60-day visa, which can be extended in-country for up to 30 days for an additional fee."

So, extension is possible.

[Pleng]

In that particular text they're referring to the single entry being extendable, and suggesting that the METV stays may not be

[Name Taken]

I wonder how long it will before this new 'METV' visa gets abolished due to people 'abusing' it to stay in Thailand long term.
I give it 1 year, 2 years max.

[hhinner]

I suppose abuse could be possible, but a tad inconvenient. It has to be applied for in home country or country of permanent residence. Plus other financial proofs are required, such as bank account with specified deposits in country of application.