Extending Visa Exemption

[RCer]

What's the current rules on doing visa runs for a visa on arrival? When I did it in 06, you could do 2 visa runs, has it changed?

[PeteC]

I think we need to clarify terminology. What you're getting RCer I believe is a "visa exemption" given to certain countries, whose citizens can enter without any visa for a certain period of time. There's no visa involved like there is for people arriving from certain countries who need to get an actual visa on arrival. Rules different.

We need to change the thread title once we clarify.....

[PeteC]

For the moment let's assume we're talking about a "visa exemption" and how many of those you can get in a row by exiting the country than coming directly back in. I don't know the answer so await some input from others.

There's also the possibility that a "visa exemption" can be extended at an immigration office. Need input on that also.

[RCer]

What I'm getting at is the visa you get when you arrive at BKK airport. Last I knew, it was called a Tourist Visa and commonly known as Visa on Arrival. It's good for 30 days.

Either way or whatever name you care to use for it.

The question is, how many times in a row can you exit Thailand and come right back in?

[PeteC]

I took the below off of the US Embassy website. I've found nothing yet about the in/out how many times over a period of time, or if air vs land crossings are still an issue as they have been in the past.

Visa Exempt Entry

"U.S. citizens carrying a tourist passport and in possession of an onward or return airline ticket do not require a visa to enter Thailand. The passport must have at least six months validity remaining to be allowed entry. Upon entry, Thai immigration officials will place an immigration stamp in the passport permitting a 30-day stay in Thailand if arriving by air or land. This time limit may subsequently be extended for an additional 30 days by paying a 1,900 baht fee to the Thai Immigration Bureau office. The headquarters of the Thai Immigration Bureau is located at Government Center Chaengwattana Building B, No. 120, Moo 3, Chaengwattana Road, Tungsonghong Sub-District, Laksi District, Bangkok 10210, 66-2-287-3101 through 66-2-287-3110."

[lomuamart]

You can do two border runs a year getting 30 day visa exempt entries each time. Both of those can be extended for a further 30 days for 1,900 THB.
It might be possible that Imm will be more lenient on the number of entries at the airport but I wouldn't count on it.

[Nereus]

What I'm getting at is the visa you get when you arrive at BKK airport. Last I knew, it was called a Tourist Visa and commonly known as Visa on Arrival. It's good for 30 days.
Either way or whatever name you care to use for it.
The question is, how many times in a row can you exit Thailand and come right back in?

You don't get a "visa" on arrival, unless you have very dark skin and come from some place on a list of countries.
The stamp a US and other exempt people get put in their passports is a "permission to stay".

[GroveHillWanderer]

What I'm getting at is the visa you get when you arrive at BKK airport. Last I knew, it was called a Tourist Visa and commonly known as Visa on Arrival. It's good for 30 days.

A visa on arrival allows you to stay for 15 days, costs 2,000 Baht and is only available to citizens of the following countries: Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

When you come into the airport and get a cost-free permission to stay for 30 days, it is not a tourist visa or a visa on arrival, it is a visa exempt entry - that is, an entry with no visa required or given.

There is a recently published guideline (since 2018, I think) that a person is only allowed two visa exempt entries by land, per year. There is no similarly stated restriction for visa exempt entries by air so theoretically you can do unlimited numbers of them but there have been reports of people with too many visa exempt entries, even by air, being refused entry. Nobody knows how many is too many (it's up to the individual IO) but it seems to be that often when a person trying to get a visa exempt entry is turned away, it's been on the basis that they've already spent a total of 180 days or more in the kingdom within a 12-month period.

[PET]

I know someone who has been arriving/departing by air around 6 times a year for sometime, but was recently advised this would no longer be acceptable and he would need to get a 'residence' visa' in future.

As GHW above suggests it would appear to be spending more than 180 days in any one year ,in Thailand that is the issue

[Big Boy]

I too know somebody who was refused entry after flying to and from Singapore on a visa run.

In the end, he was allowed 13 days entry to collect his belongings, but not until he had purchased an onward ticket to Italy, proving intent of departure within 13 days.