Can I enter Thailand on a visa exemption and later return with a Non-O visa?

@Dennis ********

it is for me. I have two, somtimes 3 us passports. I travel a lot for work and need certain visa’s. Some take a while to get so the state department lets you have more than one.

@สก็อต ********

no that makes more sense is correct! You should say "that makes more sense" because "more" is the correct adverb to use for comparison, not "better". "Better" is the comparative form of "good," while "more" is the comparative form of "well" and is used with verbs like "make".

Correct: "That makes more sense."

Incorrect: "That makes better sense."

Why: The adverb "more" modifies the verb "makes" to show a greater degree of sense, whereas "better" would be used to describe something that is "good". For example, you would say "This is a better idea," but "This makes more sense".

@Peter *********

it’s a policy at the consulates. It’s not illegal and you aren’t breaking any laws of Thailand. Find something else to try and scare people. Illegal LOL.

@Peter *********

oh really may want to check cause ed-visa works that way even do in-country conversions its a non-o visa - you can do out of country application and enter the country in process

@Jim ******

talking rubbish pal you have a valid visa use it end of

@Marc ********

No one can say for sure. But it's more about the total time in Thailand than it is about number of entries. Generally people start running into issues once they've been in Thailand for 90 days in a 6 month period, and 6 months within a 12 month period.

@Marek *********

back before the switch to 60-day exempt, I used to get a tourist visa, do a border run to Vietnam, and then come back to Thailand for the 30-day exempt (and then leave for Indonesia and come back for another 30 days a month later). So, I think you'd probably be fine. The one concern I'd have is that people have been reporting challenges when they try to enter repeatedly with an exemption now, especially if they've done extensions in the past.

Personally, I decided to just do a multi-entry tourist visa for my upcoming trip, so I won't have to stress over it. The consulate in HCMC took 2 business days to get back to me with a request for a newer photo and an itinerary (I had only made reservations for my first 60 days of flights and hotels), and then took another two business days to approve me.

So, if you're just doing one exempt entry, I doubt you'll have any issues (but I'd defer to the experts). If you're planning multiple visits after, I think you can take the anxiety out of the process if you do a border run to HCMC, apply for a tourist visa, and include a proposed itinerary in the PDF of your plane & hotel reservations.

@Marek *********

If you haven't spent a lot of time in Thailand as a tourist over the previous year, then it should be fine to do that.

@Marek *********

it is possible, but why would anyone do that? That would void your Non-O visa. How would that benefit you?