If you are looking for information on the new regulations regarding Thailand visa runs then read on.
The Kingdom of Thailand has long been known to have a rather lax policy when it comes to border crossing & visa runs that tourists have been taking advantage of for years to stay, visa-free, in the country.
Those days are over.
From the 10th of May 2014 Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has now instituted a policy whereby “tourists” can only do one border bounce and no more. Failure to adhere and you will simply find yourself stranded at the border, unable to enter.
Does this affect me?
If you have read this far, probably.
If you are on holiday in Thailand for a few weeks and leave before your thirty days are up then no. You are safe.
If however you have taken a liking to Thailand like many others have and find yourself in need of a few more days then what this means is that you are now limited to one border bounce and no more. Depending on your passport this border bounce will get either 15 or 30 more days in the Kingdom.
Who this law really affects is those people who stay in Thailand on a long term basis without a visa. There are many people that have been milking the system for years on end and are doing these border bounces every thirty days to avoid visa.
The thing is though, that these border bounces can end up quite costly so it is actually cheaper to just go to neighbouring countries Royal Thai Embassy and apply for a, 90 day or more, visa.
To be fair there are a host of reasons one might find themselves in urgent need of a quick border trip so we urge you guys to equip yourselves ahead of time.
For now the new restriction is only limited to land border crossing so you will be able to carry on doing border bounces by air should you choose (even more costly.) But even this will change on the 12th of August says the Immigration Bureau when they apply further restrictions.
What is a border bounce?
A border bounce (sometimes also referred to as a visa-run) is what many people do when they get to the end of their initial visa-free 30 days in Thailand. It is the process of driving to the nearest border post, walking out of Thailand, checking into the next country and then checking out of that country before walking back to Thailand and checking in again.
Depending on where you live this can take the entire day to do, if not longer. So we advise anyone that is planning to stay in Thailand long-term, to get the appropriate visa either at the Royal Thai Embassy in your own country or at a neighbouring country once your thirty days run dry.
Many mini-bus companies (who I suspect are now peeved) have been built around the border bounce process and offer services to get you there and back in a day.
More on the new Thailand visa rules at thaivisa.com
This is information that is going to be extremely helpful. I’m headed to Thailand as part of the first leg of my trip, but after 2 months of exploring neighboring countries I plan to return to Thailand for a few weeks and continue to travel south again to Malaysia. Sounds like I will have to find a way to Border Bounce I am assuming? How would that work exactly?
Hey @susan_aksu:disqus, thanks for your comment.
I’ll assume you are flying into Thailand initially. You have two options, rock up in the Thailand and get your thirty days for free or go to your nearest Thai embassy in the states and get a tourist visa. Since you are entering Thailand multiple times then you should go for the multiple entry visa IF you do go this route.
However, if you grab the 30 days on arrival and leave thailand via air or land ( and you’re only going to re-enter once more) then you should be safe.
Especially as a considerable amount of time would have passed (your two months in neighbouring countries.)
This new law is designed to make it difficult for people abusing the system, not people backpacking through S.E.A. The abusers usually exit Thailand and re-enter the exact same day which is highly suspicious. Obviously. (we even did this when we had to)
If you are returning to Thailand via land then you will probably still get 30 days (because you are a G7 country citizen – the rest of us get 15) and you can hang out stress free. If you fly back in you’ll encounter even less hassles. They hardly bat an eyelid for tourist flight arrivals.
Now, if you are planning to stay longer than thirty days on your second entry you are faced with another two options:
1) Get a tourist visa in one the neighbouring countries at your closest Royal Thai Embassy (quick, cheap and easy) or
2) Get your 30 days extended at an immigration office in Thailand.
Both options avoid you having to do a border bounce.
I hope I have answered you, I don’t know you specifics so I had to answer the long way – sorry!
Feel free to ask me of you need any more info 🙂
Thank you for explaining it so clearly! I think I am probably going to go with the multiple entry route to be on the safer side because I don’t think I will be staying in Thailand for more than the 30 days after my second entry. Perfect! This is all very useful and helpful!
You’re welcome but as said, even if you don’t get the M.E. visa beforehand, you should be totally fine because of the amount of time between your entries.
It’s going to be interesting how this effects not just travellers, but the countries tourism in the long-term. It’s be a shame to see fewer people going to such a beautiful country, but in the efforts of restricting people abusing the visa system then it’s certainly fair.
Agreed, although I don’t think it will do much to slow the inbound tourism. What will probably happen is that a few local economies will be impacted (especially the people that have set up entire companies to provide the visa-run service to foreigners.) In honesty though, visa-runs are a huge schlep and I hope to see Thailand offering better visa options to foreigners wanting to live but not work in the Kingdom. Thanks for your comment.
Good tips thanks so much. Going back soon and was planning to See Myanmar too. In fact with the current coup, I may be more keen to see Myanmar only (maybe also Cambodia!). There is a great article I found with more info on Myanmar – http://www.travelindochina.com/blog-articles/welcome-to-burma – may be of use to fellow South East Asia travellers.
Pleasure Coby, hope you enjoy the trip! PS, even though there is a coup Thailand is still worth visiting.
Thanks. Was just a bit worried but should be good !
Hey just wondering if this information is still valid or have things changed? I plan to go to Thailand within the next week or so and will likely make one visa run to stay an extra month (two months total).
Hi Aiden, yes, this is still brand new information. One visa run / border bounce is perfectly acceptable. The new ruling is to dissuade those who abuse it, from abusing the system.
Starting from the 29th July the VOA, visa on arrival, can be extended at the immigration office for 30 days more (1900thb). Before was only 7 or 15 days. You can have easily 60 days without living the country.
I normally live in thailand for 6 months of the year then leave for 6 months. I usually have a 3 trip tourist visa. Each one for 60 days. And is all i need for 6 months. Will the new rules affect me.
By the sounds of it, no. Because you have six months worth of visa. I’m no authority however. The guys at thaivisa.com will probably be able to provide further clarity on that. Best of luck!
It seems that it’s very hard now, almost impossible, to obtain more than a 2 trip visa, plux extensions.
Thanks for your information Manu! You rock. Hope life in Samui is going wonderfully! Love to Marco from us!
We are both fine. I’m a bit in trouble with the school because of the new ED visa rules, but it’s not a drama, yet 😉
Hope it all gets sorted out Manu 🙂
@hat about if you have multiple entry visa’s in the past and have had 2 visa exempts from previous visits? ive been back in the UK since Jan 2014 and have a 3 week trip booked for end of Aug, can i still get a 30 day stamp at the airport? So confused right now!
I’m sure you could Xbecks, as said earlier, this is mainly to prevent frequent border bouncers from abusing the system. I fall into a similar category as you and wouldn’t expect to have to get a visa for a short trip. Try thaivisa.com for more information.
Cant really find out
Been Thailand 30 days feb 2014 Then phillipines 5 days Then 30 days Thailand and a 7 days extension and 3 Week in June and now Want 30 days in sept and phillipines 8 days and 30 days in Thailand. Is that a problem for me. ???
Plz advice
Hmmm, i’m not sure. It seems like this will vary according to the immigration person you land up with. If you are flying into Thailand then i’m sure this is perfectly OK but if you are going in by land then I suggest getting a tourist visa at the Royal Thai Embassy in the Philippines. They are really easy to get hold of.
we are planning a visa run, but we are a bit confuse ‘cos at the imm.off.in samui the first lady told me to cross the border and comin back and get 30 days cos g7 contry.
second women told me, not possible cos you cross the border and back you get 3 days???/// only, but you go to the embassy and they release a visa. But if is true, how long it will take?
One more lady told me that: extention after VOA cost 1900 for 7 days only e non chance to extend more ‘cos VOA.
I think we will got to Malesia by train or bus to butterforth or kota baru, or fly in kuala lampur and get one more Visa On Arrival?
then i read here and i found that: “”Starting from the 29th July the VOA, visa on arrival, can be extended at
the immigration office for 30 days more (1900thb). Before was only 7 or
15 days. You can have easily 60 days without living the country””
please some one reply back to clear the fog in our brains!!! amazing thailand:)
Hi Roberto – I’m sure I replied to you before but my answer seems to have gotten lost. Sorry about this – did you get sorted out?
Hi there is any body help me regarding passport valid to go in Bangkok
Sorry, I don’t understand this.
I have 5 month and 20 days valid of passport.can I inter the Thailand?
I’m not 100% sure on that – check out thaivisa.com for info.
Can you still border bounce with a 3 x multi entry tourist visa? so stay for 60 days, extend for 30 at immigration and then border bounce (minibus) for second entry? or would I need to fly out of thailand and then back in for the second and third entries?
Hi Will, I don’t think that qualifies as a “border bounce” that sounds more like a perfectly legitimate re-entry. Which is what you paid for 🙂
i hvae a double entry visa obtained from thai embasy
i used 60 days extended 30 days..
can i fly out go back same day get new 60 days?
or will this be a problem ?
was thinking fly phuket – kuala lumpur and back easy =)
It sounds like it should be perfectly ok Tommy – you haven’t “border bounced” at all if you just extended it.
If I were planning to move to thailand, or at least wanted to be there for a year, what would be my best approach?
Best approach would be to get an extendable multiple entry tourist visa. You would probably only need two or maybe three of these while you are there. To renew just fly out into a neighbouring country and re-apply at the nearest Royal Thai Embassy.
If I apply for a year multi entry visa in NYC, why do I still have to leave every 90 days? Is this the best long term option? I’m a freelancer and will eventually be getting a work visa, but the process is long and would prefer to push the tourist visa as long as possible.
Not sure why you have to leave every 90 days if you have a year long visa – but this definitely sounds like the most hassle-free way of going about it. Even if you do have to leave, you won’t have to sit in Royal Thai Embassies and re-apply like we used to do.
I have just got a job with a western company and have a Visa, but my girlfriend is coming with me from the UK and doesn’t have one. What’s the best Visa for her to apply for and what is the maximum length of time she can stay in Thailand in these circumstances?
She can apply for a travel visa with multiple entries. She can stay up to three months at a time before exiting and then re-entering. When the re-entries run out she can just hop over to Malaysia and apply for another multiple entry travel visa – she can do this as long as she likes because it’s technically not a border bounce or border run.
I am going to Thailand for 28 days, on the 28th day I will fly to Vietnam for about 2 weeks. Then I will fly back to Thailand, for one week before I fly back to Australia.. Will I be safe without a Visa?
Hey Jasmin, yes,you’ll be perfectly fine. They say you are allowed one “border bounce” but in your case you are leaving Thailand for two weeks and not just the one or two nights that most people leave for. So you won’t raise any red flags at all.
Hi,
I think i follow the post but would like to double check.
I have booked a return flight to Thailand from the UK. This is about 53 days apart.
I plan to travel the South until my 30 days is up, cross the border into Malaysia and then back to Thailand to do the North.
I plan to only stay in Malaysia a day or so to extend my Visa for another 30 days.
Therefore only one ‘bounce’. Is this okay?
Is this just a simple bus/train journey?
Can i only be out the country for 1 day and that is fine?
Would you recommend flying back to Bangkok from a Malaysian airport or bounce back on the same bus/train and then fly from a Southern Thai Airport?
Thank you for the post
Hi Chad, Yes you should be perfectly fine. You can go back in over land or flying – whichever you choose. As a British citizen you get the same 30 days whether you are coming in via air or road so you don’t need to worry about that.
There are lots of visa run companies set up for this visa-run service so just ask your nearest travel agent once in Thailand (there is one on every corner.)
One day is perfectly ok. Sometimes you don’t even need to spend the night. You literally just drive to the border, get stamped out of Thailand, walk into Malaysia, get stamped in and then walk to the next queue and get stamped out of Malaysia. Then you walk back into Thailand, get stamped in and drive back to wherever.
I think Malaysia is worth a night or two though. We live in Malaysia now so i can definitely recommend it. An alternative option for you is to fly from Surat Thani to Kuala Lumpur and spend a day or two in the city (awesome) and then fly back to Northern Thailand. (less hours spent driving and more fun)
Thank you very much for your response.
I plan to be at around the Trang Islands near when my time is up, so i presume i can sort it out at either Trang or Hat Yai or Padang Besar?
Would you recommend traveling all the way down to Kuala Lumpur, or just the simple cross over and back straight away? And then fly from Hat Yai to Bangkok
Sorry for all the questions, i just don’t want to get stuck somewhere for a few days or having to travel far if there is a simple option
Regards
It depends on whether you want to see Malaysia at all. I would recommend taking two days to see Kuala Lumpur because it’s awesome and why not? But thats just me. If you aren’t keen then just do the in and out trip. Yep, if you just do the border bounce from Trang then it makes sense to fly to BKK from Hat Yai, the whole trip from Trang shouldn’t take you more than a few hours. Just make sure you can get a trip from Trang to the border and then to Hat Yai (usually these trips are Trang – Border – Trang. It might be a better plan to go to Hat Yai and then do the border bounce with a company there.
I am an American heading to Thailand for two months this summer. I don’t have a tourist visa, and plan on leaving the country after about 20 days to explore Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam. I may leave the country once more before these 60 days are up. Will I be OK without a visa?
Hi. I have extended my 30 day visa for 30 days. So now I’ve been in Thailand for 60days. Can I fly to Cambodia stay there for two days and then fly back to dmk.?
This is my first say Thailand.
Hi Vaughan,
My family and I are planning to go to Thailand for
three months early next year. We’re going to apply for the 60-day
tourist visa with multiple re-entries. Will this change in affect us? Do
we need to apply for a new visa in the country we fly to or do we get
an automatic extension upon arrival back in Thailand?
Cheers,
Aidan.
Hi Aidan, sorry for the delay. This will definitely not affect you. You guys will be totally fine.
We are travelling from Hungary to Thailand this November and fly back after 35 days!
After a few days we will fly to vietnam and then go back to bangkok and the same day fly to yangon! From there we would fly back to Bangok and stay in thailand for 2 more weeks!
In this case we would enter the country 3 times, never would stay longer than 30 days, and all together we would not spend 30 days in Thailand either!
So what do you think, do we require visa, if yes what type? Or are we Ok without visa?
Thanks a lot!
Anna
My son and his girlfriend are going travelling this week and have just discovered due to a flight change tha they will be staying in Thailand for thirty one day they havnt got a visa and are panicing they will not be aloud to complet thier traveling experience what can they do please they are going thursday
It’s ok. The easiest thing is for them to just pay the overstay fine of 300 Baht when they leave. Many people do this, including us. Not to worry at all.
We are planning on being in Thailand for the 30 day stay and I was wondering what would happen if we stayed like one day past that 30 day limit? Also we will fly back into Thailand after being in Vietnam for 40 days and since we will already have stayed our 30 day free visit, will we have to do anything else if we are just flying into Bangkok to fly back home?
Hey Aliyah, you should be ok – but you’ll need to pay a fine for the overstay. It’s not much though (I think we paid about 300 Baht per day) When you return to Thailand to fly home, you’ll be fine because you get a new 30 days every single time you fly in.
Hi Vaughan could you please help me if this forum is still active. I am an Irish citizen I flew into Thailand got my 30 day visa left by land to loas then had to fly back unexpectedly. Again I got my 30 day visa then flew to Vietnam before it was up. I spent a month in Vietnam then 3 weeks in Cambodia. I now want to spend a further 30 days on the Thai island’s. As an Irish citizen do I need to fly back in from Cambodia or can I travel by road even though there is over a month inbetween. Technically it’s not a visa run.
Any info would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks very much
David
Hi David, I believe that as a member of a G8 country you can simply travel by road. Kind regards,
Vaughan
Flying to Thailand and getting 30 day visa exemption then extending it for another 30 days then flying to Vietnam for a week returning flying to Thailand and getting another 30 day visa exemption possibly extending again for another 30 days. Will this work
Hi Vaughan, I am hoping that this forum is still active and you may be able to help me. I am flying to Bangkok (from the UK – I’m Scottish) where i will be spending 3 days before i join a tour taking me through Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos before coming back to Thailand approximately 20 days later. I will then spend another 5 days on the tour in Thailand. From what i understand i will be granted a 15 day visa at the Laos/Thailand border, however i was planning on flying to Phuket to Island hope for a couple of weeks after the tour. Obviously my 15 day visa will not suffice – is it possible to go to the embassay in Thailand and extend this 15 days? from what i can tell the multiple entry visa costs £135, which i would rather save if i can pay a smaller fee to extend the 15 day visa. Unfortunately poor timing means we wont be able to acquire a cheap tourist visa in any on the countries i am visiting.
I hope you can help as the Thai embassy is giving me mixed advice!
Many Thanks
Sean
Hi Sean, sorry for the delayed response. Firstly, you should be totally fine as I think you may be given 30 days in Thailand when driving in due to being part of the United Kingdom (G12 countries get 30 days when coming into Thailand overland when last I checked.) However if this is not the case and indeed if 30 days is still not suffice then yes, you can go to an immigration office in Phuket and extend your stay for 14 days if I remember correctly for a much small fee – I can’t remember the exact figure but it is a few thousand baht. Of course the alternative is simply to overstay your visa and pay the 500 baht fine per day when you eventually exit Thailand. We overstayed for a few days and it was a very simple procedure to pay. It’s also extremely common. Hope this helps. V
I am a foreigner living in Malaysia and my Thai girlfriend wants me to visit her for few days because of her birthday. I am only visiting for less than a week. I don’t think i have to apply for a visa but then again, i am not eligible to travel to Thailand without a visa. What do you think i can do?
Of course you can go to Thailand without a visa. They give you one when you land and it is valid for 30 days. 🙂
hey i want to fly from chennai – bangkok and i want to fly from bangkok -vietnam on the same day.So,should i take separate visas for two countries ?? And is it cheap to apply for vietnam visa in bangkok..But i heard it might take up to two days!!
Hi Vaughan. Is it possible to actually trip to and from Thailand every 30 days for as long as possible? Cheers.
Hey Greggo, that’s what people used to do but the Thai government doesn’t want that anymore so you can do it twice, before getting penalised, as far as I know.
What do you mean by “twice?” Twice over what period of time? Twice in a 12 month period or ?????? Thanks!
Can I do a visa run to Laos by plane as many times as I want? I’m from Spain
Hi! Gud day! I’m anagil from philippines can I ask about tourist visa 29 days in thailand. .I visit my fiance in thailand his working there..what is my requirements in immigration here in philippines. .it is not difficult to there without Visa. .thanks. .and hope you reply my question. ….
For just 29 days you won’t need a visa. You should just be able to fly there and get 30 days on arrival 🙂
Hi after my intial visa runs out after a few months can I apply for another in Laos or maybe Cambodia at one of the Thai embassy’s there.
Hi, I am living in Sydney holding Nepalese passport and my boyfriend in Thailand wants me to visit him because of his birthday which is next week. I already got the return ticket. The problem is I am not eligible to travel to Thailand without visa but when I tried getting visa from Royal Thai consulate they said its gonna 21 days to get Thai tourist visa. What can I do in this case?
Hi Thanks for this forum. Would just like confirmation that I don’t need a multi-entry visa. I have round trip tickets to BKK from Los Angeles for a 17 day visit. After about 9 days I want to travel to Cambodia and Laos for a few days in each country, then return to BKK for my trip home. Will this be a problem for me or not?
No Problems! 🙂