What the New Rules for Tourists Visiting Thailand Will Mean to You

Thailand is doing a major overhaul of its visa system. The overhaul has been going on for the last year, but every month new regulations are enforced meaning that Western tourists coming to Thailand are going to have more restrictions and be able to stay in the country for a shorter period of time.

Thailand's new visa regulations are extremely confusing. Even some of the companies that provide 'visa runs' (where you cross over the border into Cambodia or Laos and then come right back, thus getting another 30 day stamp for Thailand) are confused about the new laws. They change weekly, and new regulations are added all the time. Here is a quick rundown of what you will have to do if you are coming to Thailand for longer than 30 days.

1. Apply for a tourist visa at a Thai embassy in your country. A tourist visa will give you an initial 60 days in Thailand. If you want to stay longer, you can extend it for another 30 days at an immigration office in Thailand. After the 90 days are up, you will have to do a visa run to Cambodia, Laos, Burma or any of the other neighboring countries. When you come back to Thailand, you will be stamped in for another 30 days. You are then allowed to do two more visa runs which, total with your tourist visa, will give you 180 days in Thailand. After this, you will have to leave the country.

2, If you do not have a tourist visa. Under Thailand's new visa regulations, if you do not have a tourist visa, you will be stamped into Thailand for 30 days when you arrive. (You will sometimes have to show immigration a plane ticket leaving Thailand, but this seems to be hit and miss.) On the 30^th day, you will be required to leave Thailand.