What is the best visa option for traveling in Thailand for 180 days?

Aug 14, 2024
3 months ago
Paul ************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hello,

Myself and my partner would like to travel through Thailand from Australia for a period of 180 days. We are trying to find out which is the correct visa. Also what the circumstances are surrounding the visa. IE: do we have to have return airfares booked? Do we have to exit and re enter Thailand, how many times? Cost of visa ?

Regards

Paul
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The best option for traveling in Thailand for 180 days is acquiring a Multiple Entry Tourist Visa (METV) before flying from Australia. This visa allows stays of up to 9 months, provided you do border runs. You may need to show onward travel during the visa application, although it is not strictly enforced upon entry. Alternatives include entering on a Visa Exemption Rule (VER) for 60 days with a possible extension and border hopping for reentry, or considering the Destination Thailand Visa that grants 180 days without extensions.
DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
Paul ************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thankyou all for your input
ไมเคิล **********
Come in under VER (60 days now), do the 30 day extension in country, bounce once and repeat... 180 days and no visa required
David *********
This may be an easy option. Fly in get 60 days on arrival then extend 30 days = 90 days. Fly to a neighboring country at 90 days then fly back to Thailand and repeat. 6 months this way ?
Barry ******
Destination Thailand visa might be also another option too. 180 days per entry. No need to visit the immigration office or do a border hop ever.
James ********
This post FROM
@Tod ********
is about the METV multiple entry tourist visa...

ATTN; MEMBERS

6 Month METV <- Multi-Entry Tourist Visa

I think we <-(as in you people applying for the METV) are confusing a few things.

First off NO thai consulate in S/E Asia will sell the METV to anyone who doesn't have legal residence in that country <- as in you live legally in that country where you're applying for the METV. This means most tourists cannot get an METV in Asia, period end of story. You get the 6 month METV from the thai consulate in your country BEFORE you wing your way here :)

Now as far as the onward travel recommendation;

There is APPLYING for the 6 month METV visa at a thai consulate in your country <- it's at this point where we recommend you show onward travel (out and back) within 60 days of your planned arrival.

This is ONLY to get the visa issued because of this warning they have on the eVisa website.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 . 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱, 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿.

Then there is USING the visa once it's issued. Now once you get the visa issued there is NOTHING making you use that onward travel you showed to get the visa approved.

Once you have the PDF issued or the visa sticker stuck in you can show up here, get the 60 days, take the 30 day extension if you want and you are free to bounce out and back by any means you want to.

We tell people to show onward travel within the number of days you will stamp IN to thailand on that visa because in the consulate's eyes there is no guarantee you will get the 30 day extension,

AND

to show you have a "genuine reason" for them to issue the visa.

Whether you do it or not, is up to you,

BUT

we are done letting posts on the group by people asking what to do, what worked for them, etc about the METV and onward travel. :( :/

MEET the requirements and you will get the visa, don't meet them, especially in the eVisa situation - don't show them you have a 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 for the METV and you could end up with a single entry tourist visa. They clearly state you lose the difference in fee (200USD for METV and 40USD for a single entry so you'd lose 160USD)

One final thing to keep in mind is a 6 month METV starts running down the 6 months the date it's issued NOT the date you enter thailand on that visa :O SO get that visa as close to when you're coming here as you can or you lose time on it not being here

Good luck to each and every one of you applying for the METV

******************************************************************
James ********
Suggest you get the METV multiple entry tourist visa in your home country before you fly to Thailand.

With it you can stay in Thailand Up to 9 months with a couple simple LAND BORDER BOUNCE entries or entries by Air ✈️ into Thailand.

Use the search 🔍 tool top of this forum page to learn about getting the METV multiple entry tourist visa..

ENTER ... METV

CLICK on it and all posts about getting it will pop up to read the posts and replies of others.
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