Wife and I want to go Thailand for 4to 5 months in the winter what's our best options for a visa ?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
To stay in Thailand for 4 to 5 months, the best options include using the visa exemption that allows a 60-day stay for UK passport holders, which can be extended for an additional 30 days at a local immigration office, and then exiting Thailand to re-enter for another 60 days with a new exemption. Alternatively, obtaining a multiple entry tourist visa allows for multiple 60-day stays with brief exits to nearby countries. It's important to also check the latest rules as immigration policies are subject to change.
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Last year we entered for 60 days, then left for Vietnam for 30 days and reentered for another 60 days and one 30 day extension then home. We had all airfares booked but never requested to see them.
Depending on where you’re coming from, at least I know from the US you can only come for two months and then file for an extension in the second month for one month. No, 4 to 5 months anymore.
This year, immigration denied me a visa extension of 30 days : they only allowed 7 days, because i had a extension last year.
A friend of mine, after two months in Thailand, went to Laos for a month. Upon returning, he had a lot of difficulty getting back into Thailand and obtaining a 60-day exemption.
So, it's your own situation who will tell what you have to do.
Never come ? Ok
Or have some visa run or extension in passeport : make a visa retirement
Louie Manini No, a 30 day extension is for tourism entry stamps only. There is the usual 12 month extension which requires meeting the financial requirements (Thai bank account and seasoned funds or visa income affidavit) or, for some, the 60 day Visit Thai Family extension.
We went to extend our stay by 30 days yesterday all set too change we were told even immigration people couldn’t tell us as they said they don’t know. So I’d hold fire
MMMMMM Interesting. So i get a FREE 60-day visa in Thailand then skip to Laos and Cambodia for say 30 days. Then i can come back into Thailand for another FREE 60 day visa then get a PAID 30 day extension if need. As long as i don't spend more than 150 days in Thailand in a calendar year. CORRECT??
David Gapper There is no magic number of days. Your plan is typical tourist pattern and should be fine except for adding an extension. I personally would not add an extension. If you want to spend another 30 days then visit some of the other amazing countries in the region.
I used to alternate between Langkawi in Malaysia 90 days and catch the ferry to Koh Lipe and check into Thailand and get 60 days and travel round Thailand and then back to Langkawi for another 90 days visa
Thailand is an amazing place just not a sex hub. I agree with a lot of people that are not everybody goes there to be a whore anyway you can go 60 days you an extension for another 30 while you’re still in the country and then you just leave the country and then you can get another 60 days stamp and then you can get another 30 days extension so technically you can stay there for six months with no paying extra Visa cost if you plan on staying more than six months then yeah you need to get a tourist visa which will grant you another 90 days for 200 and something dollars. I forget how much but you can technically stay a whole nine months without spending a lot of money and the paperwork minimal you just need to have at least I believe don’t quote me but I think 20 or ฿40,000 proof of income
As of right now, on your UK passport you have visa exemption on arrival 60 days. Can be extended another 30 days. Go to Laos for a few weeks, then come back to Thailand for the same.
Did the same exact thing in 2025. 90 Days + 3+ weeks in Vientiane + 90 days, then went home.
Philip Rossignol but would they let you do two extensions on the METV to get the full 180 days? My plan is to get the METV and leave Thailand for a week or so in two occasions (need to get the timing right) and that resets the visa back to 60 days each time. From what I read on the embassy website this should be allowed with the METV but I don’t know if they will do two 30 day extensions ie just before 60 days extend, leave at 90 days and go to a neighbouring country , re enter after a few days, extend just before 60 days and go home before or on expiry of the 6 months (the visa activates on date of issue not arrival date so we may not actually get the full six months). I’m hoping this works.
Peter Tulloch They no longer do more than one 30 day extension the second one you apply for will only get you 7 days and this is only with air arrivals not land border crossings
Philip Rossignol just curious, was it always like this? Or more recent? Just curious as in my early 20s in the 2000s, many of my peers talked about backpacking there for several months and these VISA issues didn't seem as big of a deal then. Though maybe they just hopped around enough to avoid the limit.
No visa required. Two 60 day visa exempt entries are no problem at all. I would suggest spending 2-4 weeks visiting some of the many other amazing countries in the region as well. So 60 days Thailand, 15-30 days outside, 60 days Thailand.
Mike Harrison not true. I am doing it now. NON O retirement . Then EOS. . Will be extending 45 days before my EOS expires. Get your Reentry permit when you leave. Come back and do it again. Remember to do your 90 day report when you come back.
Mike Harrison that’s not true at all. I’m here on month 5 as we speak. And have done every year the past 5. They have been more strict now, but not about just 1 reentry and 1 extension. You dont know what you’re talking about bud. None of the new more strict rules apply until AFTER 150 days. After 1 reentry and 1 extension is when it’s possible to run into issues.
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