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Using Thailand As A Base To Visit Other Countries?


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I'm thinking of spending about a month in SEA in June next year and perhaps visiting Singapore (zoo + bird park), Myanmar and Laos (if Coss still there). Will I be able to do that by just getting a 30 day visa on arrival every time I enter LOS, e.g., arrive LOS (30 day visa on arrival), stay one week, go to Singapore, back to LOS (30 day visa on arrival), stay one week, go to Myanmar, back to LOS (30 day visa on arrival), stay one week, go to Laos, back to LOS (30 day visa on arrival), stay another week, leave. Or do I need to get a multi entry visa before travelling?

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The "visa on arrival" is actually a visa exemption and it gives you 30 days to stay in Thailand if you arrive by air.

If you arrive by a land crossing... for example from Lao, you only get 15 days.

Fly to Sillypore, fly back... 30 days.

I'm fairly sure you can do that a number of times, it used to be indefinitely, then only 3 consecutive times before you had to get a real visa.

Last I heard it had changed again... :dunno:

I hardly think it will bother you for a month's holiday though.

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Malaysia (90 days on arrival) and Sillypore (30 days, even if you are only in transit) would have to be the two most easygoing countries for multiple entry in my limited experience. No-one hassled me in Laos or Cambo, but having to actually get a visa is annoying after having it so good in other countries. I flew in and out of Malaysia several times in KL, and crossed by land in Johor, and no-one batted an eyelid : only weird part is that the stamp in Johor restricted me to peninsular Malaysia. I guess they have a problem with people jumping ships to go to M'sian Borneo and chase Orangutans or something. :clown:

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Malaysia (90 days on arrival) and Sillypore (30 days, even if you are only in transit) would have to be the two most easygoing countries for multiple entry in my limited experience. No-one hassled me in Laos or Cambo, but having to actually get a visa is annoying after having it so good in other countries. I flew in and out of Malaysia several times in KL, and crossed by land in Johor, and no-one batted an eyelid : only weird part is that the stamp in Johor restricted me to peninsular Malaysia. I guess they have a problem with people jumping ships to go to M'sian Borneo and chase Orangutans or something. :clown:

 

It's a perceived sovereignty thing where the Sarawakians see themselves as something other than Malays. Even with the more relaxed immigration status in Malaysia I know a few people who tried to settle there

but preferred the Thai immigration hassle to what they saw as a a cultural undercurrent that was less friendly. I think the religious bias played a part as well. I spent a lot of time there in the mid 90's, couple of Malay muslim girlfriends, all well and good at the time but on reflection Thailand was by far the better fit for me. The only times I had any dealings with Malay cops I found them much more obnoxious than their Thai counterparts. Never had any issues in Thailand with immigration and cannot see why there would be for the "legitimate" tourist.

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Philippines used to be pretty good, visa on arrival which could be renewed in-country for up to 12 months.

Then you just shot over to HK or Thailand for a few days then started again.

 

Get a tourist visa before you arrive, then even when you cross by land, the first two entries (by air or land) will be 90 days.

 

IF you enter with a normal visa on arrival when you visit Coss in Laos the land entries in Thailand all give you only 15 days, UNLESS you have a existing Tourist Visa issued to you from an Embassy or consulate somewhere abroad.

 

These are free now or will be I hear recently. You don't want to have visited Coss and then re-enter Thailand for 15 days only. It'll take that long to get over the hangover at least.

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IF you enter with a normal visa on arrival when you visit Coss in Laos the land entries in Thailand all give you only 15 days, UNLESS you have a existing Tourist Visa issued to you from an Embassy or consulate somewhere abroad.

 

 

Again, it is NOT a 'visa on arrival' - its a visa exemption. Semantics, maybe, but anyone who has the full-page visa in their passport will know the relative economy of a single stamp entitling you to stay in the Kingdom for 30 days (or whatever it is by land). The visa are very pretty, no question, but an Oz passport costs over $200 atm, and you get to sit on your hands for over a fortnight waiting for it to be issued. Every page of my passport is precious :xmsgrin:

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