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6-7 months in SE Asia (majority in Thailand) - visa, weather, meet-up ?s

6-7 months in SE Asia (majority in Thailand) - visa, weather, meet-up ?s

Old Apr 17th, 2013, 12:29 PM
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6-7 months in SE Asia (majority in Thailand) - visa, weather, meet-up ?s

Hello,

I am a 29 year old female US resident and I am working on planning an extended trip to Thailand, as well as outlying areas by myself (Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, wherever is cheap to travel to at the time). If anyone can answer ANY of my questions below, that would be greatly appreciated. I know I have a lot!

Right now I am looking into flying from Seattle (home) to Hong Kong for a brief layover (a few days), and then to Phuket to "start" my SE Asian journey.

I have plans to start with volunteering in Phuket for around 3-4 weeks. My first questions revolve around visas. I have done a lot of reading, but I still am trying to wrap my head around the requirements:

**Will I need a Visa for my few day stay in Hong Kong? This is the one area I have not researched. If so, will I need to apply in advance?

**The agency I have requested to volunteer with indicated I do not need a non-immigrant visa, which contradicts what I have read. They are a very reputable worldwide organization so I was a bit surprised to hear that, but the volunteering would be very casual (i.e. very little supervision and my own schedule).
*I have a friend who is a US resident who works/volunteers in Chiang Mai 6 months of the year (with the proper visa) who told me he has never heard of anyone getting in trouble for volunteering w/o non-immigrant visa, unless they are volunteering to try to get an extended stay. He noted it is somewhat impossible to get this type of visa anyway.
*I just requested re-confirmation fro the agency about using a tourist visa, but can someone please help address this concern and let me know if using a tourist visa would be risky/how this is tracked by the Thai government?

**My understanding is that, if I get a Thai tourist visa in advance, it is good for 60 days, and there is the possibility of a one month extension (not guaranteed). Is this correct? Would I be able to apply for this tourist visa in the US with documentation of my plane ticket in, and then a ticket to Vietnam 2 months later? Or do I have to show documentation of a return trip to the US?

**I also plan on getting a Vietnamese visa in advance as I am 100% sure I will be making a trip there at around month 2, if my understanding of the process is correct. For my entry into Vietnam, would a round-trip ticket from Thailand be acceptable for entry, or do I also need to show documentation of return to the US?

**Do I have to 're-apply' for a visa when I re-enter Thailand from Vietnam? If so, does this need to be done in advance if I am flying, or can it be done at the time of entry?

My second question is about the wet season in Phuket. I have read it is the wet season through October. Does the rainfall taper off at the end of October since I will be there from mid-Oct through mid-November? I plan on making a trip back to Phuket in December as well for better weather if this is a bad time to go.

For my second month in Thailand, I plan on heading up to Chiang Mai. I think flight would be the best, but can someone please let me know if bus/train would be a difficult option?

My main goal in Chiang Mai is to be there for Yee Peng (lantern festival). I cannot find consistent information about how to attend this. Some websites indicate all tourists must pre-pay (as they have created a separate tourist event), and the main website for that is sold out. I would of course prefer to join the locals, so does anyone have any information about this, or should I just wait until it gets closer? I would hate to miss out because I needed to purchase a ticket.

My final "plan" is to venture to Hanoi in Vietnam at the end of December and meet a friend at Ha Long Bay. Is this something I would need to book far in advance as it is Christmas/New Year?

After Vietnam is kind of up in the air (outside of making it back to Thailand for Songkran in April) as I am trying to not over-plan this trip and would like to have the flexibility to travel to places as I learn more about the area and find cheap tickets.

Finally, if anyone is planning on being in any of these areas (Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hanoi) mid-Oct-mid December and would like to meet up, please let me know! This is my first solo trip and would love to connect with folks who will be in the area. Also, if anyone has any other suggestions of must visit places I am always open to exploring those.

Cheers!

Erin
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Old Apr 17th, 2013, 03:24 PM
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Yours is a very complex situation. You have a lot of research to do. Let me answer what I can.

1. You do not need a visa to enter Hong Kong.

2. You can get a 60 day tourist visa in advance from the Thai Embassy. You might be able to get a 30 day extension, but you will likely be required to show that you have the money in the bank to support yourself and you may need to show an onward ticket. Once you leave Thailand, your visa expires. So you can't leave after three weeks and expect you still have 5 weeks on your visa. After that, you must leave the country. If you fly back into Thailand, you will get an additional 30 days visa-free entry. If you travel overland, you will get 15 days. You cannot just leave and re-enter the country again and again like many people did in the past. This is a very rudimentary description of the process and I know I have missed many details, but it gives you an idea.

I would NOT volunteer if I did not have the right kind of visa.

weather info: www.weatherbase.com

VN requires a visa in advance or a pre-arranged visa. Halong Bay at the end of December is likely to be cold and rainy.

I think Burma is a must-visa place, but it is no longer cheap and it requires a lot of advance research and arrangements.

Cambodia is also must-see. Take a look at www.theplf.org for something to do in addition to the temples of Angkor.
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Old Apr 18th, 2013, 07:30 AM
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As Kathie says, a tourist visa expires as soon as you leave the country, period. However, if you have a non-immigrant visa, it is possible to get a re-entry permit, but this is expensive if you just have a 60 day visa, as the cost is 1,900 Baht for one entry or 3,800 for multiple. Although more difficult than it used to be, it is apparently still possible to get multiple non-immigrant visas from *some* Thai embassies and consulates. The ThaiVisa web site has an on-going thread on where the best places to get multiple non-imm visas. Regardless of what the agency says, my advice would be to get a non-imm visa, use the full 60 days, and then plan a trip out of Thailand that includes a stop at one of the easy places to get another visa.

I should also point out that, although rare, it is not unknown for volunteers to get in trouble for not having a work permit. The definition of 'work' in the law in quite broad, and subject to interpretation by local officials. If the volunteer work you're doing is casual, short term projects, there shouldn't be a problem, but be aware that there is a risk, however minor.
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Old Oct 24th, 2014, 09:08 PM
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Michael,
Please tell me can I still come in on the 30 day visa, then leave and return 3 times? I'm from the US.
I've booked everything for 90 days in advance. I have pd for Siem Reap and can show my tickets.I was just there in Nov and had no problems. Ugh!

I did not know things I hear have changed.
Please reply!
Ellen
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Old Nov 26th, 2014, 06:02 PM
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Firstly OP - you'll be best off if you can get a Non Immigrant "O" visa. ask at your local Thai consulate. 90 days, plus an unlimited re-entry permit - (extra cost?) - you might even get a 6 or 12 month visa - you have to re-enter every 90 days.

Failing that, try the tourist visa - 60 days.
These can be "stacked" - 2 or maybe even 3 visas.
As said each visa expires when you leave the country regardless of period of stay.

As a U.S. CITIZEN - you can enter the country for 30 days WITHOUT the need for a visa.
this applies BY LAND and BY AIR. Once in, you can get another 30 day extension for 1900 baht at immigration offices around the country.

Multiple returns without a visa: -
It now seems that immigration will allow multiple turns - their main concern is that you might not be a REAL tourist....this means "living" or "working" in Thailand without the proper documents.

Please be aware that the 30 day entry is NOT a visa - it is the result of an agreement between Thailand and about 43 countries....these countries get 30 days by air and 15 by land with the EXCEPTION of the G7 countries are allowed 30 days by land as well.
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Old Nov 26th, 2014, 06:03 PM
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I'm not sure, is there such a thing as a multiple re-entry tourist visa? I thought it was just 2 or 3 joined together
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Old Nov 26th, 2014, 06:45 PM
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khunwilko: >>Firstly OP - you'll be best off . . .
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Old Nov 27th, 2014, 06:03 PM
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I am currently in Thailand. I got a 60 day tourist visa from the Thai Embassy before my trip, so I had that in place. After coming here, I planned a lot of side trips. I was told that you get a 30 new visa if you return to Thailand through an airport. So I planned everything with that in mind.

Please check everything in advance to be sure you have the visas you need. It might be a good idea to have a few passport size photos. If you don't have them, you can have them made as you need them.

Traveling in SE Asia requires a lot more planning than traveling in Europe. In Thailand, the government strictly bars working for foreigners to reserve jobs for Thais. Be very careful about volunteering. If you are taking a job away from a Thai citizen, you can be kicked out of the country for volunteering. Many Americans do get visas to teach English, but, aside from that, if you are going to work, you will be working only online. You can get a year long educational visa if you are going to study Thai.

Research it all and prevent problems!
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Old Nov 28th, 2014, 12:51 AM
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Janis - many people thinking of visiting Thailand will search various web sites - so updating a thread as a purpose. - you'll note that the post before mine was in October this year....so that is why it was "woken up " on my profile.
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Old Nov 28th, 2014, 01:04 AM
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Lauren - what passport do you carry?

As I said above those with G7 passports get 30days by AIR & LAND - others only get 15. These are NOT visas - they are for citizens whose countries have negotiated a 30 day visa-free entry agreement with Thailand. If your country is not G7 - then you will still only get 15 days by land.

Countries such as India have a different "Visa-on-arrival" system

Carrying a load of passport photos is a good idea. - you never know when some bureaucratic will decide they need one.

as for Ed Visas they are clamping down on them and are only available for some courses - and attendance is monitored.
working in Thailand of any kind - paid or voluntary - requires a work permit. Depending on the work, is inconsistently enforced but without you do stand a risk of being thrown out.

Reaching English - you need a WORK PERMIT and VISA - the former from the dept of labor the latter from immigration - up till now this has had to be issued OUTSIDE the country - (there appear to be plans to change this).

NB - ALL work permits are job and location specific. So you can't just get a permit and travel about looking for work. You need a definite offer of a job before you can get either visa or permit.

jobs available to foreigners are listed on the immigration web site (sorry no link) - anything outside that list is for Thai nationals only....for western visitors these exclusions include virtually all casual or labouring jobs.
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Old Nov 28th, 2014, 01:06 AM
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oh janisj - i also noted that the info on the beginning of the thread was now out of date and therefore inaccurate.
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Old Dec 4th, 2014, 12:45 AM
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I carry a US passport. I just arranged a visa for myself to Myanmar by using the visa service at Julie's Guest House in Chiang Mai. They basically have someone who takes visa requests to Bangkok everyday to deal with such problems so you don't have to go there yourself.

http://altecockertravels.weebly.com/...-thailand.html

Hopefully, my experience from my mistakes will help someone else from making a similar mistake. The bottom line is that I should have just planned everything out from the US, but I didn't and got into a fix and then got out of the fix.
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