Q: I have heard that some Thai embassies and consulates abroad are now giving three-year visas with multiple entries. I would very much like to have one of those so how do I go about obtaining one? I asked the embassy in Kuala Lumpur but they said they had never heard of it.
A: The Foreign Affairs Ministry announced some years ago that they would introduce a three-year visa, with multiple entries, specifically for businessmen coming and going regularly to and from Thailand. We never saw many of them, and to obtain one you needed the support of a major Thai employer or Board of Investment. It was never intended to apply to retirees, tourists, etc.
Five-year visa
Q: There was publicity recently about a new five-year visa. I think you needed to pay two million baht to get hold of it. Why was it so expensive when you can obtain a one-year visa for retirees so much more cheaply?
A: You are referring to the government’s re-launching of the Elite Card which does cost two million baht as a one-off fee and an annual service charge of 20,000 baht. However, it’s not just a visa but offers a wider range of incentives and attractions, according to the website. Holders are subject to an annual police clearance check. The Elite Card has had a checkered history, so I suggest you read up on it first to see if it fits your visa requirements.
90-days query
Q: I hold a one-year retirement visa which expires in October this year. I am due to report my 90 days (address confirmation) on August 4, but I am leaving the country to go to Siem Reap in Cambodia on August 5. Do I need to report my 90 days at Immigration or not?
A: No. but you can if you want. The regulation is that you can report your 90 days within a three-week window, i.e. two weeks before and one week after the scheduled date. So you are OK. Your next 90-day clock starts ticking on the day you return to Thailand whether by land, sea or air.
One-day overstay
Q: My visa runs out on July 30 but I go to the airport on July 31 for a flight on August 1. Do I need to pay overstay in these circumstances or should I get a seven days extension at the Immigration?
A: There is a convention that if you check in at the airport (or border post) on the day following the expiry, there will be no overstay fee. However, the free one-day overstay does not apply if you have a longer overstay. As long as you check in on July 31 you will not pay. Check in on August 1 and you will pay for two days overstay, i.e. 1,000 baht. The key factor is the date when you check in and pass through Immigration, not the timing of your flight after midnight.
Brits and 2016
Q: I keep hearing that the ASEAN Economic Community starts at the start of 2016 and that I will no longer need a visa to come to Thailand for a long-stay holiday. I am a British national, so can you confirm that is true?
A: The AEC is a free-trade zone of 10 Asian nations. Of itself, the AEC will not make any difference to you as a British national. But there are growing signs that some AEC-member countries are introducing visas which allow the holder, of any nationality, to visit two or more member countries. For example, there is already a tourist 60-day visa which can be used for entry to both Thailand and Cambodia. Check with the Thai embassy or consulate in UK.
Fake stamp?
Q: I suspect that I may have a fake extension stamp in my passport after visiting a fly-by-night agent who no longer answers his phone and has moved from his office address which is now a closed unit. What shall I do?
A: It’s best to get the matter checked now at Immigration. If the stamp is in fact a fake, your extension will not have been recorded on the Immigration Bureau’s computer system. Get this sorted now rather than risk a major problem at the airport when you try to leave.