What are the benefits of applying for a 60-day tourist visa versus visa exempt with an extension in Thailand?

Less border crossings ( = cheaper), with 60 days tourist visa + 30 days extension.

And look better in your immigration history.

When going to Thailand for 31 - 60 ( 90 )days, the 60 days touristvisa is the best option.

It is cheaper than visa excempt + 30 days extension.

No need of a onward ticket ( 90 days 1 onward ), if returnticket within 60 days.

It is easier to apply from the comfort of your home.

thaievisa.go.th

Not wasting holiday time to find, go to and waiting at a immigration office ( 90 you would need that ).

Then no need to leave Thailand in up to 90 days.

Should be possibel to get Touristvisa in 20 days, since most embassies, proces according to departuredate.

But take a look at the embassy website, and see what they recommend

There are various benefits of having a 60 day visa. An obvious one is the possibility to extend it to 90, which won't work with exemption and requires a border run. An equally obvious benefit is not having to extend if 60 days is the target. A less obvious advantage is that you do not require proof of onward travel within 30 on exemption, which your airline may pre-check and refuse boarding for. Another less obvious one is that a visa *should* qualify for entry (immigrations will have a last say but the embassy is supposed to decide if your travel history and visa application docs qualify for entering Thailand). On exemption, the check is done by immigrations, so if you have extended travel history to Thailand on tourist visas or exemptions, using an Embassy to get a tourist visa is safer.

In other cases there's even a fifth advantage: the cost. But in your case that doesn't apply if you get your SETV from being downgraded from the METV.

Arrive visa exempt you then need to go to an immigration office near where your staying line up and hopefully you have everything they want to see then pay 1900baht can only extend once giving 60days total. Advantage of visa as Brandon said is you get 60 days on arrival and can extend another 30 if wanted. Tr60 better option don't need to go to immigration to get 60days.

If you haven't got all the documentation ready to submit then you would be cutting it close to your departure date, but that would depend on your embassy's current processing time and whether they use the eVisa system as that may save you a few days.

Visa exempt is 30 days, with a 30 day extension possible. A tourist visa is 60 days, with a 30 day extension possible. There's a 30 day difference.

Also tourist visa entry is looked on slightly more favorably if you have been in Thailand for an extended period of time without a long term visa.