@Sheila ********

I'm in Chiang Mai but this point may well still apply:

I went to the immigration office last week for my exemption extension (two weeks in advance of the original 60 days expiring), and I took everything already printed out or photocopied:

* My TM30 registration of accommodation and my rental agreement with the landlady.

* Main photo and data double page in my passport, which I signed at the bottom of the sheet

* Page of passport with my initial visa exemption stamp from when I entered Thailand, also signed at the bottom of the photocopy

* Plus of course a correct-size photo (4cm x 6cm I think).

In terms of the TM7 application for extension form, you can get it and complete it at the immigration office, or you can download it online, print it, and complete it before you go.

And don't forget the 1900 baht.

Basically, we've found in Chiang Mai at least, that the better prepared you are with the necessary documents printed out, and the photo done, the smoother and less stressful the process.

Useful info, thanks Dave. I applied two months in advance last year, thinking they would start it from my first day on Thai soil, but they sent it to me within two weeks, with an immediate start date.

Wasn't the end of the world but I basically lost six weeks off a six-month METV!

There's a very clearly marked office window just behind the passport checker with 're-entry' and 'overstay' signs on it. Took me about 20 mins to get my re-entry stamp, with four people in front of me.

@James *******

thanks but yes, it ended in late January, and I got a 60-day stamp on re-entering the day before it ended.

@Ellie ******

that's the one, thank you. And thanks for the speedy reply - much appreciated.

Do be aware though that your six-month METV is valid from the day they issue it, and not from the day you first arrive in Thailand.

I applied too early and they issued my six-month METV six weeks before I was coming to Thailand, so it expired six weeks before I would have liked. Still, with an extension at the end, I will have wangled a pleasing seven and a half months on the visa.

@Lloyd *******

as somebody put it well on here the other month, here is the full potential with your six-month METV:

* Enter first time for 60 days = 2 months

* Extend at immigration (1900 baht) for 30 days = 1 month

Leave Thailand and re-enter

* New 60-day stamp on re-entering = 2 months

* Extend at immigration (1900 baht) for 30 days = 1 month

* Leave and re-enter Thailand just before your whole six-month visa expires

* A new 60-day stamp on re-entering = 2 months

* Extend at immigration a final time (1900 baht) for another 30 days = 1 month.

Add these up and you have a possible 9 months.

@Lloyd *******

no. Each entry stamp within the six-month period of your visa is for sixty days. After sixty days in Thailand, you must then leave and return, or extend by thirty days at the immigration office near where you're staying (for 1900 baht).

To emphasise, 6 months (on an METV) is the period of validity of the visa to enter Thailand as many times as you like. It does not refer to how long you can stay each time.

In terms of getting maximum time from it, you could re-enter Thailand on the final day before your six-month visa expires, and this gets you a fresh 60-day stamp, which takes you up to a possible eight months of being in Thailand on your six-month METV.

You could then go to your local immigration office, usually within the last 30 days of your 60-day stay, and buy one more 30-day extension (for 1900 baht), taking your total possible stay on a six-month METV to nine months.

OK, thanks Ellie. Sorry to OP if my comment wasn't relevant. And good luck getting sorted.

On your final question, it can vary, but beware applying too early.

Last summer, I naively applied 8 weeks in advance (UK citizen), thinking it would start the day I flew. I received it in two weeks, therefore losing six weeks off the duration of the visa!

This doesn't give you a precise answer - I think there may not be such a thing on this particular question - but I hope it helps give you at least some idea.

Why they don't start it from the entry date, I have no idea!