I hold an Australian passport and have a 6 month METV issued in late March and with a last entry date of late September. I have travelled to Thailand twice on this visa (without needing any extensions) and plan to return again before the last entry date which would allow me to stay until late November.
Can I obtain a 30 day extension to the November date and if so do I need to travel out of Thailand (which I currently have to do within the 60 day period) before late December? Also can I get the extension, say in early November, and still leave Thailand and return using the visa extension or is it once I leave Thailand I would need to return on a 30 day visa exemption/visa waiver?
Thanks for any advice.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
An Australian passport holder with a 6 month METV can enter Thailand until late September and is considering obtaining a 30 day extension to stay until late November. It is possible to get the extension while still needing to leave Thailand, but a re-entry permit is necessary to maintain the extension upon returning. The best approach would be to enter Thailand before the last entry date to receive a new 60 day stamp, followed by a potential 30 day extension.
let's say you bounced out and back in on the 5th of Sept. You would get another 60 day stamp taking you to 3rd Nov, then you could get a 30 day extension taking you to about Dec 2nd. IF you wanted to leave and come back during that time you'd need a re-entry permit so that you would be stamped back in until the 2nd of Dec when you came back
- thanks for this. Do I obtain the re-entry permit at the airport when I leave or at an immigration office(I’ll be staying in Patong) before I go to the airport?
IF you enter the country BEFORE the "valid until" or "enter before" date on the visa (which you say is the 6th of Sept) you will be stamped in for 60 days. You can get a 30 day extension on that, BUT if you are going to exit the country and come back during that time you'd need a re-entry permit to get stamped back in until the expiration of your last 60 day entry and the 30 day extension you got on it.
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