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How can I stay in Thailand for 6 to 9 months with a tourist visa?

Thai visa rules Single entry tourist visa Multiple entry tourist visa Visa extension Long-term stay in Thailand Visa application process Entry regulations

Mar 3, 2024

8 months ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

Good day all,

I'm hoping someone can please help as I'm new to travelling to thailand, I have been there only once on single entry tourist visa. For reference I have an Australian passport.  

I would like to return to CNX for the period of 6 to 9 months (9 preferred). From some research it seems like you are able to do this on Single entry tourist visa or multiple entry tourist visa. From my understanding:

1. Single entry tourist visa - 60 days, +30 day extension. Go to neighbouring country before 90 days expire, for 1 or 2 days e.g., Laos, and apply for another single entry visa at the local thai embassy. Repeat every 3 months. Are there any potential complications with this process, like to be refused entry to thailand, or processing delays in Laos etc (how long does it usaully take to get the stamp?). I have never done this before, any advice here is appreciated. Do people usaully bring their checked luggage when going for the new visa or just leave it inside your thai accommodation?

1. METV - It is valid for 6 months and you can stay for 90 days each. Does this mean you can stay for 6 months total as long as you exit and re-enter after 90 days? Is there any way to use this visa to stay longer than 6 months? Really appreciate if someone can explain this cause I don't understand this visa.  

Any advice or corrections will be highly appreciated. 

Very new to the process but I have family in Thailand i would like to live with/visit.

Please leave a comment or send me a personal message. 

Thank you

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The user is seeking advice on how to stay in Thailand for 6 to 9 months, having previously visited on a single entry tourist visa. They are exploring options with both single and multiple entry tourist visas, inquiring about the complexities and processes involving visa extensions, potential refusals at border crossings, and the logistics of applying for a new visa after exiting the country. Community responses emphasize the limitations on obtaining multiple visas in a year and provide insights on how a six-month METV could theoretically allow for a stay of nearly nine months.

Bob **********

You can stay almost 9 months just exit before it expires and get another 60 +30

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Bart **************

Method 1 might not work. You would normally have problems getting a third single entry tourist visa if you have just stayed in the country for six consecutive months on tourist visas. Although some get away with that, you can't plan for that luck. Go with method 2.

Edit: method 2 gives you theoretically close to 9 months. I say theoretically: you get 180 days from the moment you apply, and as your flight to Thailand is required for the submission, you may want to have a little bit of slack between the projected visa approval date and the flight. So that cuts a few days off. You may also want some slack avoiding day 180 (let's say you'd make it day 179) on your last entry, and then that day counts as part of the visa validity period as well as the final allowed stay. Realistically you'd have roughly 8 months and 3 weeks maximum if you plan tightly but with enough slack.

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Vlad *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

Thanks, planning to leave the country a few days or a week in advance of expiry to be safe in case of unexpected issues. Not thinking to do 6 months continously, rather 3 months each leave for a weekend come back etc, perhaps less issues this way, but still total ~8.5 months. When applying for this visa what you should say is your return date for the embassy document? in 6 months or 9 months. cheers for the help @

@Bart *************

@Jan *****************

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Bart **************

within 60 days, and then another ticket back into the country after.

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Jan ******************

@Bart *************

Depends if the Embassy demands several inbound and outbound tickets and if he already has made his plans for the trip. Practice varies and in Norway they accept just one inbound and one outbound ticket. For Australia I don’t know. But it seems as it not mandatory

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Jan ******************

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Jan ******************

I would choose a ticket within six months with possible to change the date.

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Jan ******************

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Jan ******************

@Bart *************

And I know people who even managed to do a boarder bounce after 9 months and managed to get a visa exemption 30 + 30 days with a visa/transport company.

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Jan ******************

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Jan ******************

But a six months METV gives you possibility for to stay up to nine months if used the right way. It’s valid for six months and each entry gives you 60 days with possibility for 30 days extension at the local immigration. If you do your last entry close to the six months (even the last day) you’ll anyway get 60 + 30 days.

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Vlad *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Jan *****************

Thanks for your comment. So basically stay 60+29 days, leave country, come back for 60+29 days, leave country and come back for 60+30 days? Then home. Have I understood that correctly and does this work no questions asked?

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Brandon ************

No one can say it's "No questions asked" because the immigration officer you are standing in front of always has final say on if you are allowed to enter the country or not. But you have much better odds with this visa than trying to do it without a visa and making a bunch of visa exempt entries

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Jan ******************

@Brandon ***********

The question regarding METvisa will be asked at the embassy at home when you apply for your visa. You have to document your funds minimum 200K thb and regarding inbound and outbound tickets the practice varies between different embassies. But it’s in the nature of this visa to do multiple entries within six months and no questions should really be asked at the border.

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Brandon ************

@Jan *****************

someone spending 6 months continuously and then leaving and returning immediately is going to raise some eyebrows. Especially if they have a history before getting the METV. But the odds are better than without

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Jan ******************

@Brandon ***********

You’re basically right but several people have used METV this way for many years and for a person with limited history in Thailand it’s no reason to worry.

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Bart **************

@Brandon ***********

are there records of people being refused entry on their METV shortly before expiration after 6 months continuous stay?

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Graham ******

@Bart *************

Probably because prior to this 6 month stay there was a long history of staying in Thailand on Tourist Visa or Visa Exempt entry stamps

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Bart **************

I see. Then aan IO could reject entry, without doing injustice to the fact that the person in question was approved for the visa by an Embassy, and argue that after 6 months, the METV has been sufficiently consumed, but shouldn't qualify for more entries in light of the cumulative travel history.

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Graham ******

@Bart *************

Yes, the Immigration Officer has the power to reject entry to anyone if he/she considers they are abusing the system i.e. using tourism entries to stay long term in Thailand and possibly working

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Jan ******************

Agree and then it’s not even worth mentioning and give any worries as the thread starter states that’s he is “new to travelling to Thailand”.

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Jan ******************

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Andi ***********

Yes that is how you get the 9 ish months from a METV. It works, many posts confirm this. No questions asked as it is legit.

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Jan ******************

yes it’s correct

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Vlad *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

Legends, thanks so much.

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Vlad *******

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Brandon ************

Most of the Thai embassies near Thailand now limit you to 1 tourist visa in a rolling 365 days, to prevent people from trying to stay long term in Thailand without a long term visa. You won't be able to get a bunch of tourist visas that way.

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Vlad *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

Thanks for the heads up.

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Vlad *******

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