What are the best strategies to extend my stay in Thailand for up to 12 months on a tourist visa?

@Craig *******

tourism is your purpose. Under 50. Well funded. No need for 5 years. But happy with 2. You don’t want to ‘live’ in the kingdom, you want to be a tourist in Kingdom. Or under 50 unmarried partner of a person on retirement visa.

Obtaining the right visa is lovely. However we are all aware there are gaps in the system. So the correct visa may well be 60 day tourist visas. Or repeated border bounces. As not everybody fits in the box.

@Todd ********

Tourist is 30‘days with an option of a few more days. everything else is not tourist - whatever you want to call it.

don’t take things so personal - live your life.

@Jan ******

take it personal lol? Ya, you nailed it. To keep things mildly factual for your benefit a tourist visa is 60 days, extandable by another 30. You are welcome

@Todd ********

yes i know - but for the … people in need here - as a reminder … the question was how to stay 6 to 12 months … your welcome, glad to be able to help you coming back to topic

@Jan ******

ah 😂 back to the subject that you have failed several times to answer. The poster has a good answer in his intial post, but can bring you up to speed.

Enter on a 60 day TV, extend by 30 day. Border bounce, receive 30 days visa exempt. Extend by 30. You have now completed 150 days. Then fly out and obtain new 60 day TV at nearby nation. And repeat the process for a total of 300 days. Glad to help you understand

@Todd ********

if you are in Thailand for an entire year then you are living here.

@Craig *******

then you need a job at immigration, because that is definitely not how they see it. Do you know if the cutoff is at 365 days or 366?

@Greg **********

could you share a single post from that group where a 30 day extension has been denied to someone who eligible

@Alistair *********

I don't see ANYTHING that contradicts what I have been posting here. Like Tod, I say that your fate is totally upon discretion of the officer and how he interprets the rules. Regardless they might be aware of the 90-in-180-days rule or not - you just cannot expect to "misuse" visa-exempt entries for a long stay in Thailand. Period.

@Alistair *********

im memoriam

nobody is "elegible. Hundreds have been denied the extension and received the obligatory 7-days "leave the kingdom" stamp. What makes you think the 7-days stamp is for? For EXACTLY this purpose

@Greg **********

maybe if you actually read the posts in the visa advice group you'd know or understand. Tod Daniels has said the exact opposite of what you claim many times

@Greg **********

can you find a report of someone being denied a 30 day extension that met the requirements? Because I've never seen one. Only those who don't meet the requirements and apply for a 30 day extension that get rejected (already had one 30 ext, passport doesn't qualify etc.)

@Greg **********

then you should read more of his advice. Or would you like to tell him he's wrong. He also uses the term "qualify" to mean meet the requirements, the same way I did.

@Greg **********

then ask him about 90 day / 180 day rule and about being denied a 30 day extension if you meet the requirements. Because I have yet to see one.

@Alistair *********

I got a text written up by Tod, somewhere on my hard disc, from 3 years ago, about this. He says exactly what I am repeating here. Ok?

@Alistair *********

I don't see ANYTHING that contradicts what I have been posting here. Like Tod, I say that your fate is totally upon discretion of the officer and how he interprets the rules. Regardless they might be aware of the 90-in-180-days rule or not - you just cannot expect to "misuse" visa-exempt entries for a long stay in Thailand. Period.

@Greg **********

they get it because they aren't eligible. They don't meet the requirements. Please post me someone with the right passport and documents and meets the requirements who was denied

@Alistair *********

after 9 months with the multi entry Tourist Visa, it is OVER for a while. You cannot do visa exempt entries right after these 9 months on a METV. You will most probably be denied entry.

@Gregor *********

of course you can, go via a land border with a company.

@Alistair *********

😎😁Good Luck in trying!

@Gregor *********

plenty of people do and succeed, because they use a company. They won't let you cross if you won't get back in.

@Paul *******

i doubt that immigration will allow you METV consecutively and close to each other but you are free to try 🙃 🙂 🙃 I want to see somebody who really cares, Mister Mordue

@Paul *******

yes, its every calendar year. So January 1 it resets

@Paul *******

every 60 day tourist visa can indeed be extended by 30 days. And then border bounce for 30 days which can also be extended 30 days.

@Paul *******

ah ok. For METV, it can be played to maximize. I have never done it with METV and know there are some very experienced guys on this page with METV. Will let them answer so I don’t add any confusion

@Paul *******

6-month multi entry TOURIST VISA - HOW do I get the most out of the visa?

If you make the most of a 6-month multi-entry tourist visa, you can get up to almost 9 months of stay. This visa allows you unlimited entries into Thailand for the duration of the visa validity which is 6 months from the date of issue.

So firstly, you should fly as soon as possible after receiving your visa - the six-month validity of the visa (6 months!) starts on the day it is issued.

When you enter the country you receive a 60-day “admitted stay permit”

These 60 days can be extended by 30 more days on Immigration for 1900.- THB.

But you can also take a trip to a neighboring country before the 60 days are up. And will be stamped upon re-entering, for another 60 days

If you extend your stay by 30 days, you have to leave before the end of the total of 90 days. Either follow up with a longer holiday trip to one of the neighboring countries, or exit, enter the neighbor country, turn around and enter Thailand again (border bounce)

When you re-enter the country, you will receive another 60-day “admitted stay” stamp.

These 60 days can theoretically be extended by 30 days at immigration for 1900.- THB, again

As close as possible to the expiry date of the 6-month validity period of the visa, you do a border run for the last time in order to activate 60 days of stay for the last time. And when you apply for a 30 days extension onto these last 60 days, it means you can theoretically achieve close to a 9 months stay with this visa.

But before you do a joyful Immelman Loop, let’s first check the financial requirement for the application to the multi entry tourist visa

Good Luck!

@Mitchell ******

every country has rules. And nobody has to like them. But it’s worth understanding them. There MAY be an issue at some point if your pattern is suggestive of living in the country versus travelling. And each individual circumstance is different. If you are backpacker on your 7th consecutive exemption they are gonna ask questions. But not the same for everyone

@John **********

Yeah I know. But there is no crisis and "the border is secure".

Ya can't make up this BS

@Robert **********

no you cant brother, cant fix stupid. Why do you think I'm not there. I can't bear to watch the stupidity anymore 😕

@John **********

I hear ya. 18 months and I am done. Just closing up some loose ends.

@Jan ******

6 month visa?? What visa gives you 6 months?

@Jan ******

what’s the problem in getting a 6 month visa?? There is NO such thing lol.

@Todd ********

As far as i know you can simple’s buy an elite visa for a specific time. so that would be the legal version of staying in thailand longer than tourist visa allows right ?

@Jan ******

elite visa minimum is 5 years. And starting at 900k baht. So not for everybody. If you want to stay longer than your 60 day TV + 30 day extension, you can simply exit and get a new one. Or re-enter tourist exempt. All very legal.

@Todd ********

Legal ? then we have a different view in what is legal and what is not. either you are a tourist - entry free for 30 days - or you stay longer - then you have to pay a fee. with border hopping you avoid taking your part in financing society. i wouldn’t call that “legal” - for me that’s cheating.

@Jan ******

umm yes. Legal. Very legal. Yes, we appear to have a different perspective. I understand it and you don’t. Tourists come in many visa varieties in Thailand. Tourist exempt, tourist visa, METV, elite… most of those can also be extended for 30 days more in country. Border bouncing and visa runs are very much part of the fabric or tourism here. And a great revenue generator for the government. People should be happy to support Thailand

@Todd ********

Iam sure i read somewhere about a one year version … but iam far from being well informed 🙂