The tourist visa for Thailand is one of the most used and issued visas in Thailand. With the change in rules as to how long you may stay on a visa on arrival many have moved to obtaining a tourist visa before they enter Thailand. This visa is for the purposes of tourism and cannot be used for anything else. Note that this is a 60 day visa and valid for the 60 days once you enter Thailand.
Once in Thailand just before the 60 days ends you can go to Thai Immigration in Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket and have this visa extended for a period of 30 days at the cost of 1,900 THB. Once extended you can again extend this visa but only for 7 days again at the cost of 1,900 THB.
The visa on arrival has changed over the past 3 years. Before when you enter Thailand most people obtain 30 day visa waiver (visa on arrival) when entering. This is now only when you arrive on an international flight. Border crossings into Thailand only gets you 15 days visa waiver in Thailand irrespective of the country. If you are touring Asia and you are going to go through Thailand then it is best to obtain the tourist visa in your home country before you arrive in Thailand. The visa will allow you 60 days stay in Thailand irrespective if you arrive via a border crossing or an international flight.
If you are not certain which visa is best for your visit to Thailand then speak to us online or walk into any of our offices in Thailand. Note that the tourist visa cannot be changed to a business visa or obtaining a work permit on a tourist visa. The timeline to change a tourist visa for a work permit is just over 2 months or the length of the visa itself. Most times you would have to leave the country and obtain the correct visa.
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