Which visa should I choose for my stay in Thailand: SETV or METV?

If you think you are going to make a habit of trying to stay in Thailand long-term by getting SETVs in neighbouring countries, the METV would push out the point at which you would need to start doing that.

There is no formal limitation on how many SETVs you can get, but there are informal limits, and the METV would cover you for up to 9 months, while to get equivalent duration in SETVs would involve one before you come and then two from a neighbouring consulate such as Vientiane.

Result: after nine months, if you wanted to stay longer, with the METV you might be going to Vientiane for your first SETV (no problem), with the SETV+ 2 local SETV you might be going for your third (maybe ok, maybe a problem).

None of this really impacts at all if you are planning on travelling around and not trying to stay here long-term, if you are a genuine tourist and you are going to be popping in and out and not staying here continuously you don't really need anything. But if you were considering that it is worth bearing in mind. I'd get the METV personally just for the flexibility.

If you think you will be flying in and out to other countries in the region where you actually stay for as much time as you stay in Thailand and clearly won't look like you are trying to "live" here, then you wouldn't even need any visa necessarily, you could just do visa exempt- the 2 limit is only for land entries (and note it resets with the calendar year, so if you came on a visa exempt, and even did two land border runs Nov and Dec, (easier to extend, but just hypothetical) that would use up your 2 land entries for 2017 but would reset Jan 1 and wouldn't count against possible land entries in 2018.

Forget about the re-entry permits, they are technically possible on a tourist visa but there is almost no situation in which they would make sense. Re-entry permits are for people on a longer term visa or extension that don't want to cancel that. No point on a tourist visa as you get as much if not more for free visa exempt coming back anyway.

Only if you're entering by land on exempt visa which are limited to 2 per year. Other than that... go nuts!

At the airport on the day of travel or an immigration office beforehand

Sarita just want to come from October to January, not stay here long term so both optíons are ok, exemption visa or setv

@Oscar *****************

those are visa exempts and yes if you really wanted to you could fly in and out again but I would doubt anyone really would do that.

Of course is an option, read what I said again, two entrys without visa. And anyway the two entrys no visa allowed per year is only by land or sea, but no limit by air.

Only allowed two per year so don't really an option.

So forget the METV, the SETV is enough. Or even forget any kind of visa if you want. You can come without visa and have a 30 days exemption visa stamp, extend 30 more days and after these 60 days go out for a border run and come back again without visa and a new 30 days stamp.

What is your nationality? This is important to give you a correct answer.

@Sar***

, you seem to be confusing two different things. Extending a visa means going to an immigration office inside Thailand and paying to extend your stay for another 30 days beyond that granted by whatever visa you have (60 days for an SETV/METV). Doing a visa run means going to a consulate outside Thailand to get another visa.

Single entry means you can only enter the country once (unless you get a re-entry permit). If you want longer than the 90 (=60+30) days you need either an METV or multiple SETVs. With the former you would then need to do a border run every 60 days (or 90 if you extend a stay) but don't need to visit a consulate and can re-enter on the same visa (as the name suggests).

You can extend your visa by 30 days at any immigration office in Thailand, there's no need to leave the country, after the 30 days though you will need to leave the country be it to do a visa run or whatever yours plans are.

The cost is 1900 baht to extend and the necessary form needs to be completed, photo copies of your visa page and main info page signed, a photo, and you pick up same day.