What are the best visa options for a 94-day stay in Thailand?

Jul 15, 2022
2 years ago
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We are coming to Thailand for 3 months (94) days

What is the best option the O visa ?

and jump through all the hoops and don’t have to worry

Or 30 day visa exempt (Canadian) and then keep getting extensions? (Do you have to do border run?

Or 60 day tourist visa and do a border run ( we will be in Lipe around that time so a quick trip to Langkawi?

Thanks for any advise
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user asks for advice on the best visa option for a 94-day stay in Thailand, comparing several types including the NON-O visa, the 30-day visa exemption, the 60-day tourist visa, and potential border runs. Comments suggest that the best option may be to obtain a 60-day tourist visa with a subsequent extension or border run to maximize time in Thailand. Several commenters discuss the limitations and requirements of each visa type, with recommendations leaning towards the tourist visa for easier management.
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Jim ***********
60 day TR then border run
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thanks for all you advice

I am revising my dates so we will be 90 days

So we will get the 60 day visa and a 30 days extension or border run
Paul *********
Easy! Get ya 2 month tourist, when in Lipe, go to Langkawi, get 30 days on arrival on the way back to TH, 1 week before your 30 days is up in TH, go to immigration, pay 1,900 and get another 30 days.
Peter ****************
As
@Bra****
says
@Tammy *************
, SO much 'problems' for those extra 4 days !! Why not just 90 days (you say you haven't book y'r ticket yet). But.....maybe you have y'r reasons 🤷‍♂️
Brett **********
As others have said, if you've booked already 94 days is not ideal. One option, if you're over 50 is the o-a visa if you really want to remain in thailand the whole time and don't want to bother with immigration visits. The best alternative would probably be 60 day tourist, a few days in Vietnam or Cambodia and then re-enter again on visa exempt
Edwin ********
How about Indonesia, Malaysia, or Laos, which are also nice, I hear, and cheap. Especially Laos and the major university towns in Indonesia (the latter info from a cultural affairs attache in the Indonesian consulate in Songkla, southern Thailand).
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Brett **********
@Tammy *************
i'm not sure what the costs are in Canada but you'd probably be looking at about $200 for the o-a visa and $40 for the tourist visa. O-A also requires a medical and a police check which will cost you. All for essentially just 3 days. I'd personally think the money would be better spent on a few day at Angkor Watt or similar
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brett *********
Love Angkor been twice and would go again

We haven’t been to the Philippines yet so maybe just spend a month there
Brett **********
@Tammy *************
Hoi an near Da Nang in Vietnam is very nice for a few days as well
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brett *********
Been to Mui Ne, Saigon, Phu Quoc. But wanted to go to Hoi An and Da Lat
Brett **********
@Tammy *************
there are direct flight to da nang from bangkok. I believe there used to be from Chiang Mai as well but not currently
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
The other option was the retirement visa good for a year , just might be the easiest
Brandon ************
@Tammy *************
the only year long retirement you can get before you travel to Thailand is the OA.

If you get an O it's only 90 days and you have to extend for 1 year in Thailand. Not worth all that for 4 extra days.
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
We haven’t booked our flights yet maybe we should just go to Vietnam / Malaysia or Philippines for a month and just stay 60 days in Thailand.

Next year I might just have to do Mexico because it is easier
Brandon ************
@Tammy *************
if your country has evisa, just get a single entry tourist visa. Easy 90 days, you just need to visit immigration for your 30 day extension.
Tammy **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
I thought the non immigrant Retirement O-A was good for a year but you need $800k in a Thailand bank account and have a monthly income of $65k

Plus a insurance requirement
Helen ********
@Tammy *************
Also Canadian and did this exact thing last year. You don't need to put 800,000thb in a Thai bank account. We both got a Non O e-visa prior to departure... Vancouver Consulate were really helpful with our questions. For Canadians you have the option to get an income verification letter from the Canadian Embassy or Consulate. All you need to do is print off the Statement of Income from CRA. We also got them to verify our status as married so that I was able to be a "trailing spouse" on my husbands yearly extension. It was very, very easy to do. You can PM me for more details if you'd like.
Brandon ************
@Tammy *************
I said the OA is good for a year. Also it's not both, it's either have money or have income. And it's not a Thai bank account, it's money in your own country.

You're mixing up requirements for OA and O.
Stuart *********
The 90 day non O will give you just that. 90 days. It’s not extendable unless you want to do so for a year and meet the financial requirements. You can only get one extension off a tourist visa or visa exempt entry. Sure you can hop to a nearby country and get another tourist visa or enter exempt again. Will probably be easier than applying for a non O, which wouldn’t give you the time you want anyway.
Brandon ************
You picked a trip duration that basically guarantees you'll need to do a border run.

If you get a Tourist visa before you come to Thailand, you will get 60 days in Thailand and you can get a 30 day extension, giving you 90 days, but then you would need to leave and re-enter to get more time.

If you just come without a visa and do visa exempt, you will get 30 days in Thailand which you can extend for 30 more days, then you would need to leave Thailand and re-enter to get 30 more days, which you could extend again at immigration.

If you get a Non-O before you come, it will only be valid for 90 days and you'll either need to apply for a 1 year extension, or leave and re-enter the country.
Christina ****
@Brandon ***********
if you get the 60 day tourist visa (extendable to 90), when you make a border run, can you get 60 days again or just 30? I heard somewhere that visa can be used 3 times, so 90x3 days of stay assuming you extend each time and border run in between
Christina ****
Ok thanks. Good to keep in mind
Christina ****
Interesting. You can squeeze 3 90’s in and maybe go to Singapore and get another one of those visas. Do you know how suspicious they are of visa runs these days? For example if you did border runs over a period of 2-3 years, will you get the stink eye eventually?
Bobby ********
@Christina ***
Eventually you would probably be denied entry, and that goes on your immigration record. Never think for one moment you can pull the wool over the eyes of Thai immigration. There's a reason they take your photo and fingerprints each time you enter. They know exactly how long you've been in the country
Brandon ************
@Christina ***
if you have a single entry tourist visa you'll have to apply for a new tourist visa when you go to a neighboring country. Easier in some than others.

If you are able to get a multi-entry tourist visa before coming to Thailand then you can used it unlimited number of times within 6 months that it's valid. So people can do 60+30, leave and return, 60+(less than) 30, leave and return right before it expires for the final 60+30.

Not every consulate sells multi-entry tourist visas though.
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