How many tourist visas can I apply for in a year in Thailand?

Yeah, been going in and out for 7 months, with 2 extensions.

My experience so far, is never a problem at Suvarnabhumi airport.

At Don Mueang airport, it got increasingly more strict with more stamps and this many entries.

1st time no questions or proof of anything, 3rd entry, just more stern questions and stamped. 4th entry here, got seated in the separate area to purchase and show forwarding ticket.

So Don Mueang seems more strict and also get the feeling female immigration officers tend to be more strict, not sure if that's true or not.

You can apply for as many as you like. Whether they are granted, and whether immigration will honour them us another matter. Unfortunately there's no hard and fast rule. If immigration believes you are attempting to live long term in Thailand on short term tourist entries, you could run into problems. Probably better to get the METV from your home country, which will give you up to nine months in Thailand with two strategic border bounces.

We that live in Vietnam do visa run 4 times per year, never a question asked.

I’ve done 1 and come in a couple of times without each year. Just applied for METV. Came back in 24 hours.

Going for 50 days next month then back early Nov. It runs out on Dec 20 so will have a week in Vietnam or Malaysia returning 16Dec maybe and should get 60 days on returning. An option if you are leaving Thailand for a good few weeks in between trips.

In theory there's no limit, but embassies in the region have recently started to apply a maximum of one per year. That's a fairly strict interpretation and embassies elsewhere will typically give you more, but if you extend and maximize your stay I wouldn't anticipate more than two. If you need more, go for the multiple entry variant, then de facto you have three of them.

The quick math says a maximum of 6

**** In theory, no limit. In practice, immigration officer will check your passport for abuse of the system and likely refuse entry at some point. After how many? Who knows, luck of the draw.

**** “How long can I stay in TH on visa-exempt entries?" is like asking "how long is a piece of string?"

NOW read it HERE - the classic reply of Tod Daniels to the neverending question “how often can I enter Thailand”:

“You can keep doing it until you can't.

After the first 1-2, it becomes a gamble. It all depends on which IO you're dealing with. Some people have been ok on just visa-exempt entries (and extensions of said stamps) for periods of over 6 months or even a year.

However, in the past year or so they've really been cracking down on people with back-to-back tourist visas & visa exempt entry stamps. Especially those with long ago Covid extensions.

We RARELY let posts prevail, where people ask if they're going to have a problem getting in get posted on this group and we get a LOT of people wanting to post questions like that.

It's not that we deny those posts because we don't want to answer/help you, the reason we don't let them on is because there are WAY too many variables in that answer and truth be told there is NO real correct answer.

Things that factor in to you entering Thailand successfully are

-previous entry / stay history

-what airport you fly into

-whether you were here over Covid

-whether you have an old ED or Volunteer visa in your passport

Unfortunately the real deciding factor is the officer you're standing in front of when you go to stamp in - and that is beyond your control.

There is NO rhyme or reason on why some people with extensive entry stay histories skate in and other people are pulled aside and grilled after one entry

There doesn't appear to be any specific nationality they're targeting, no number of days in Thailand, no previous number of entries, although ED and Volunteer visa. Especially those b/s back door ones people got during Covid and those Covid extension stamps are considered "stamps of death"

When flying in with extensive entry/stay history airport choice DOES seem to factor in to it. BOTH Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK) seem much harder on people than say Phuket or Chiang Mai (which has no reported denial of entries)

All you can really do is be prepared by having

*** proof of funds (20K baht or the equivalent in CASH)

*** proof of onward travel within the number of days you will get stamped in for - that means if you're comin' in free stamp for 30 days have onward travel IN 30 days (because that "I've got onward travel in 60 days because i going to get a 30 day entension" line doesn't always work

*** proof of lodging for the time you're here (at least for a week)

They (officers at passport control) CAN ask for any of those things, all of those things OR none of them. Please remember the fact you were never asked does NOT mean those are requirements to enter, nor does it mean no one is asked, it just means you weren't asked

Also remember the fact you have a tourist visa doesn't guarantee you get in (especially with an extensive entry/stay history) all having a tourist visa guarantees is IF you get in, they stamp you in for 60 days.

A new passport doesn't "wipe the slate", your entire entry/extension/stay history is available to every officer at every entry point to Thailand with a click of a button.. Now it can help for them just paging thru the passport but IF they wanna really see how much you've been coming here, a new passport isn't gonna help that much.

There are more than a few 'fast track' or 'safe entry' services out there (and I believe the company that owns this group even offers it)

Make sure whoever you contact about it, knows your WHOLE entry/stay history. Fudging your history to a company that's gonna help you get in is not a good idea. That's about people. Just wanted you to know why we don't let those "will I get in okay" posts on this group very often (if at all).

"How long can I stay in TH on tourist visas" is like asking "how long is a piece of string".

No official limit; you can do it until you can't.

But that "until you can't" point *will* come, sooner or later.

Wrong visa for staying long time.

When is a tourist not a tourist 🤔million dollar question, answer sought by many and discovered the hard way by even more.

And the next question is how many entrances can you do on a tourist visa within a year before it gets turned down by the immigration. No official limit, and you could probably do a couple, but if you maximise two and spend 180 days, I guess you could risk problems with entering on a third one at least at the airports.

There isn’t a limit. However it depends on where you apply for it. Some consulates will only issue one per year from that consulate. Others may impose their own rules saying you can’t have more than X in a year.