To get a Thai visa or do visa run?

Hello!

I've heard Thai immigration recently changed the time allowed without a visa to 15 days to make it more difficult to do visa runs. I understand most people do this to stay in the country as long as they wish, but would it just be easier to get a visa to stay longer?

We probably want to stay for at least 2 months. I'll be arriving in a few weeks, so still have time to sort out paperwork if necessary

Any suggestions?

Thanks

You're in luck!

To promote tourism, after the airport fiasco, Thailand has dropped the fees on many non-immigrant visas. I believe you can get a 60 day visa without charge.

You get a free visa upon arrival, 30 days only, but many tourists like to go out of the country for a couple of days, and go back to Thailand. Visit Angkor Wat, Laos, or a trip to Malaysia. When you return to Thailand, you get another visa for another 30 days (Just make sure that the entry point will issue one) Poi Pet in Cambodia for sure. I wanted to make sure I would have a visa coming back fromCambodia, so I went to my embassy and paid for one, about 15 euros for 30 day-visa. Turned out I did not need it. Good luck in your travels!

apply for visa now!

So...the replies are all over the place, and I am continuing to search the net for a definitive answer. The free 60-day visa rumor is on someone's blog, but that's all I can find on that (no "official" website). I'm worried I've waited too long...is 2 weeks enough time to process a tourist visa if that's what I decide to do?

Cheers

Whether the "rumors" are true or not really has little bearing on your situation.

Flying into Thailand, you will still receive the 30 days without visa (presuming you are carrying a US passport).

But, you wish to stay "at least 2 months". This means that you will either have to get a visa (free or not), make visa runs for 15 day extensions (no longer 30 days), or plan 37-B.

Where's the confusion?

You can contact the Royal Thai Consulate for details:

611 N. Larchmont Blvd., 2nd Floor ,
Los Angeles , CA 90004

323-962-9574

Sweet, thanks for that.

Put your mind at ease and simply apply for a Tourist Visa, easy to get.... and quick and cheap - then if you fancy extending your stay beyond 2 months - a month extension is also easy to have.