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I am Danish and my boyfriend is American. As such we both could get a 30 day stamp upon entry in Thailand. Here's the problem: We want to stay in Thailand for up to 90 days, but since we are already traveling and have been traveling for a while, there is no way either of us can or could have obtained a tourist visa before arrival, since that has to be done in our respective home countries.

  1. We have not booked a flight out of Thailand yet. Do we need to book one within 30 days of arrival, even if we find a way to stay longer?

  2. Is there any way we can obtain a tourist visa (60-90 days) after arrival?

  3. If not, are there other ways to stay in Thailand? I heard the border hopping rules have changed…

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It is possible to apply for a Tourist Visa for Thailand at Thai Embassies other than your home country, however when applying abroad the embassy may require more documentation of your intent, such as planned itineraries, bookings for accommodations, etc. Too many folks have been scamming the system to live in Thailand without proper long term visas.

In regard to a departing flight, if you are flying into Thailand, the airline will be required to check that you have the correct entry permission, so if you are coming on the 30 day Entry Permit, they might prohibit you from boarding without a confirmed outbound flight. If you are coming in overland, it will be at the immigration official's discretion to ask to see your outbound info (they also have the right to ask you to produce proof of support in the form of 10,000 baht cash / US$325).

Once in Thailand, you can not apply for a Tourist Visa, but you can now apply for a 30 day extension to your 30 day Entry Permit .... but only once and the fee is as high as a tourist visa in the first place.

The changes on border crossings have been primarily in regard to visa runs type crossings. Immigration officials are looking for folks who routinely cross the border for a short while then return simply to extend their stay. If you cross into Laos, Myanmar, etc for a few days then you should have no issue.

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  • Just wanted to note that it looks like the visa extension is 60 days for some: thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/45
    – Frank Schwieterman
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 22:56
  • @FrankSchwieterman Nope, that is typical poorly worded Thaiglish. You get a 30 days visa exemption if you are from the designated countries, plus you can apply for a 30 day extension before the initial entry stamp expires, for a total of 60 days "staying in country". You then have to leave the country. You can come right back and start another period under the visa waiver scheme, but the government is watching for too much of that. Also the 30 day exemption is not a guaranteed extension, immigration can turn you down or they can choose to only extend your stay by a week or two.
    – user13044
    Commented Nov 23, 2015 at 1:42

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