Help with first visa application.

Fletch in France wrote:

Greetings from France, I have been following this forum on a daily basis and realise that a lot of knowledge is contained amongst this forums members.  I visited Thailand for two months esrlier this year on a 30 day tourist visitor visa.
I intend returning on 13.9.14 and will be staying for 179 nights/days.  I am 67 yrs of age, do not want to deposit money in a Thai bank but can furnish bank statements if required.
I am going to use HuaHin as a base to travel to Vietnam and Western Australia.

Based on those facts, can anyone suggest the appropriate visa that I should obtain for my trip.
I shall have to obtain it from the Thai Embassy in Paris .

Thanks for any assistance in anticipation.

Regards to all on my first post, hopefully more to follow.

Fletch in France.

Hi Fletch
Do you intend to stay in Thailand for 179 days? Your post says you will use Thailand as a base to travel is this outside the 179 days?

I ask because if you wanted to stay here for 179 days you could arrive on a double entry tourist visa. This visa can be extended for 30 days each entry at Thai immigration in Thailand. This would give you 180 days if you time it right. You would have to exit Thailand between each 90 day period, but you can litrally turn around and come back in.

If you intend to travel from Thailand and return. You could still use a double entry tourist visa providing you exit after 60 or 90 days(if you extend it). Then return after your travels and re-enter on your second entry providing this is still within the valid date stamped on the visa when issued. Extend your second entry in the same way.

There is a Thai Immigration Office in Hua Hin.

Hope that makes sense.

BTW your previous 30 day entry was probably a visa exempt entry not a tourist visa since the latter is valid for a minimum of 60 days.

Thanks for the info., most helpful.  I am basing myself in Huahin for the six months from Sept.  I do intend to leave and return on at least two occasions before returning to France in March.

Could you please inform me of the name of the correct visa too apply for and also the simplest one, hopefully they are one and the same.

Regards.  Fletch in France.

Fletch in France wrote:

Thanks for the info., most helpful.  I am basing myself in Huahin for the six months from Sept.  I do intend to leave and return on at least two occasions before returning to France in March.

Could you please inform me of the name of the correct visa too apply for and also the simplest one, hopefully they are one and the same.

Regards.  Fletch in France.

Hi Fletch
To answer your question accurately I would need to know your schedule. By that I mean how many days in Thailand, then out,then in etc.

You might well be able to do it with a combination of TOURIST VISA and visa exempt entries. However the latter(visa exempt) is subject to new rules regarding back to back enteries from August.

If you prefer you can PM me with the schedule to keep it private.

BTW some Thai consulates/embassies will issue a TRIPLE entry TOURIST VISA. Check with Paris maybe?

Also the Thai consulates in Australia and Vietnam(part of your travels?) issue tourist visas.

Hope that helps.

Might be worth considering a quick flick into Laos to get visa renewal. Cheap flights and accommodation in Vientiane.

Thanks, all info appreciated.  Contacting Thai Embassy /visa Express tomorrow and just wanted to know what to ask for.  Can I arrive in Bangkok on airline ticket for thirty days like before and get anything to cover me for the six months from Huahin immigration office?

Fletch in France wrote:

Thanks, all info appreciated.  Contacting Thai Embassy /visa Express tomorrow and just wanted to know what to ask for.  Can I arrive in Bangkok on airline ticket for thirty days like before and get anything to cover me for the six months from Huahin immigration office?

Fletch

You could arrive visa exempt(providing you are from a qualifying nation), but you won't get anything from the HH office unless you want to extend your stay for 7 days.

There is no actual law(Police Order) covering the 7 day extension to a visa exempt entry, but most offices will issue a denial of extension, which gives you 7 days to leave Thailand.

Why not just obtain Non-Immigrant visa type O-A while in France from Thai Embassy.  Its a visa for purpose of retirement and it gives you permission to stay for one year when you arrive in Thailand.  Once in Thailand obtain multi re-entry permit at Hua Hin immigrantion and you can leave and return to Thailand as many times as needed in that year.  You only need to show income or money in French bank for this type of visa.

Thanks for that, on the face of it, very simple.  I will stsrt the process tomorrow with Paris embassy.

I thought your avatar was good, took me by surprise and had to look twice.

Refards. Fletch.

you stay is about 6 months
can you tell me when you will fly in and out of Thailand as there is a Visa crackdown at the moment
thanks

Been following the "crackdown" closely on Thai Visa.  My take on it is that it mainly effects, foreign workers and expats that constantly go back and forth on border runs.  I stand to be corrected on that one.

I have found a Coy. In London that appears to organise Visas at a price.  I have checked them out and they seem genuine and, sonfar , very efficient.  I have sent the necessary paperwork to them and they have confirmed by email that those docs., have been received and are being processed.  Also stated was the fact that should any further info be required, then they will contact me by email.

I have applied for a double entry 6 month visa, which should suit the bill.  Do you know if the first entry into LOS in 14.9.  Counts as one of the two entries into the country.

Cheers.  Fletch in France.

Just out of interest what is it costing as you could have gone to the Embassy or Consulate yourself and made application

Thaivisa is a good resource for info

double entry means 2

so the first one is counted

the crackdown is on all visa runs as the officials dont know if you are a geniune tourist or a worker

if you want to settle down then you can on the long stay non O visa

the money in the bank or the pension proof is only for a short time and then you can take the money out
but each year you have to do it

Its not expensive and most people do it themselves and get a multiple entry for about 3900 baht
you can come and go as much as you like then

hope this helps

I looked at going to the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris as I am resident in France with a British Passport.  To obtain the visa I would have to have attended the embassy in person, which would have involved three days in Paris which is both expensive and time consuming.  I also tried Visa Express in Paris who, allegedly will get the visa for you. After numerous phone calls to them, I could not get any sense in response.  Which has led me too use this other coy. In London.  The total cost is just under £200 of which £66 is for secure courier service for returning my passport to France,  if the service is good and without  problem, then I am happy with that in time saving alone.

I will report later, for the benefit of others on this forum, on the efficiency of the Coy., that I have engaged, should anyone else find themselves in a similar situation.

Regards, Fletch in France.

Ask for a triple entry tourist visa,   a double can be extended twice 60 plus 30 days, 60 plus 30 days  there is your 180 days.The extra 30 days extensions are done in Thailand for 1,900 Baht each. $70.  So a double entry tourist visa is good for you.

I think that's right