How to get your 6 month Thailand tourist visa

[KTMphil]

For this new 6 month Thailand tourist visa, it's become confusing what is needed.

Great write up from some people that just got theirs, this is what they needed:


Here's a short list of what you'll need to get a 6-month multiple entry visa if you're a married couple like us:

• 
  [*=left]Visa application filled out for both of you
  [*=left]Two money orders for $200 each, Cash is not acceptable.
  [*=left]Two passport photos
  [*=left]Both of your passports (valid for over 6 months)
  [*=left]Photocopy of the first page of each passport
  [*=left]Both of your bank statements showing $5,500 each or one bank statement with both of your names on it showing $11,000.
  [*=left]Two copies of your airline ticket reservations
  [*=left]Two copies of your hotel reservations (ours was for a week, so there really isn't any minimum stay)
  [*=left]Two letters from your employer stating your job title and annual income

All went well. We were a little stressed out for the afternoon, but we returned at 3pm and got our visas within a half hour.




More Tips:
Here's a link to the visa application if you're going to the Thai Consulate General LA in Larchmont: http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/pdf/visa_application.pdf
We got our money orders at 7-Eleven for around $4 (not including the cost for the money orders, of course).
We got our passport photos done at Walgreens for around $12 each person.
We got photo copies done at the local Fedex print center.
We got our airline tickets through SkyScanner, an app that helps you find the cheapest prices.
We got the hotel reservations through Expedia.
Here's the template we used for our employment letter.
Big thanks to Johnny FD for the example he used as I just copied what he put but put our own names, numbers, and logo using Canva. Here's the example he provided from his post: http://www.johnnyfd.com/2016/01/6-month-multiple-entry-thai-visa.html





Full story in the link below:


http://trevorjfenner.com/how-we-got-our-thailand-6-month-multiple-entry-tourist-visas/

 

[Captain_Slash]

I hope to get mine shortly at the Thai Consulate in Hull and will report on it then.

http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/pdf/v4-rtc-hull-visa-application-pack-2016.pdf

 

[Capss]

I hope to get mine shortly at the Thai Consulate in Hull and will report on it then.

http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/pdf/v4-rtc-hull-visa-application-pack-2016.pdf

I looked into that at Hull, they wanted 5 grand in the bank for at least 6 months.....Even though I have money every month I don't have that just sat about
I think it would be better if they did an either/or option. Been here since Feb and been managing fine on my Pension

Wayne

 

[Captain_Slash]

Hull, the other Consulates and the Thai Embassy all want to see that amount for at least six months on consecutive bank statements.

Fortunately for me I use Santander as my main bank current account and as they are happy to pay 3% interest tax free on balances up to £20,000 I am happy to maintain that amount in my current account so not a problem

 

[Gnasher328]

AFAIK Hull cannot issue 'multies' any more. The new requirements are closer to an O-A, and I am sure I saw that evidence also had include a medical cert and to be 'notarised' adding more expense although that seems to have changed now. After mulling over the alternatives I decided just to get a single entry tourist and spend the cash saved on a trip to VTE or Vietnam then get another one.
Keeping an eye open for alternatives to Thailand but it still seems to be the best compromise for winter sun;-)

 

[Captain_Slash]

Tim, Hull can issue the METV but you need to apply in person, its only the Thai Embassy in London that can issue it by post.

I was on the phone to the Hull Consulate last week and they were very helpful as is their policy.

Read this for their criteria http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/pdf/v4-rtc-hull-visa-application-pack-2016.pdf which is slightly easier if you are self employed then what the Embassy require from you

 

[Gnasher328]

Just got my SETV. would reather go to VTE or 'Nam than Hull:-) You still need to do 60 day border runs anyway. With the current border chaos a flight probably! Pity, last year it looked like SEA might be opening up more but now it seems to be going in reverse. I might look into converting to a retirement O-A over there, it is a lot easier and cheaper than doing it here.
But if things continue to go downhill, South America for future winter sun?

 

[Captain_Slash]

Got the METV today from the Hull Consulate, it was a very easy experience and if it means I now have to visit Hull once a year so be it.

It was a 4am start in the cold and dark and I arrived there at 8.45am, handed the paperwork in at 9 and was out and on the way home by 10, a round trip of just over 500 miles/800 km.

Thanks for the accommodation paperwork Phil

 

[Jethro69]

I'm here myself with a METV. The bad news first, it's almost double the price than the good old triple entries.
On the other hand you don't have to worry to much when to leave the country, only when it comes to the end of the visa. and respecting the 60 days of course. Living 6 clicks from the next crossing, that should be possible to manage.
In the initial application I said retired, (well I retired myself, so no pension fund or something similar), so I changed that to unemployed. I have sufficent funds in one account. I printed out the statements of the last 6 months for two other accounts too, where I get monthly payments for renting out property, so they could take their pick.
I rent a house here, but before getting through all the misery to get an invitation letter, I just booked hotels on Agoda, actually I used only the first one (3 days in BKK), the others I cancelled without cost. Actually, they say they need proof of accomodation for at least half of the stay, so I did a nice itineray, for approx 4 months. I guess only Thais would believe that you book hotels for 4 months in advance, so absolutely ridicoulus.
A flight out of Thailand is needed as well, in the past I booked a Thai flight back to Europe, as cancellation fee was only 2000 bath, and I could change it multiple times without fee. Thai raised the cancellation fee to 3000, so this time I took a AirAsia to Phnom Penh, which I'm actually planning to take to get another SETV, if I stay away for 3 weeks in PNH, it might actually turn out that I need this time only the METV, and a SETV (from PNH) and my year is covered, as I usually return 2 months back home in summer. So after all, the METV might be a winner.

 

[KTMphil]

Has anybody figured out the law on renewing one of these 6 month visa's? IE is there a gap needed or can you fly home and back-to-back them?

 

[KTMphil]

You can ONLY get the 6 month Thailand tourist immigration visa at a Thai Consulate or Thai Embassy in the country where your passport is issued.

 

[Jethro69]

Has anybody figured out the law on renewing one of these 6 month visa's? IE is there a gap needed or can you fly home and back-to-back them?

You better check those questions on Thaivisa or similar, but if it helps I'm on my second METV now, had one SETV in between from PNH. I sneaked in without any issues, but the rumor is that if you have a long history inside Thailand, you might be pulled aside by immigration and questioned. Make sure you have +20000 bath on you, eventually a return ticket (AirAsia, somewhere nearby for 30$) you might need that for the visa application anyway. If you wire money from abraod, or statements from Atm with a foreign card would be a benefit if ever questioned.