Hi, can someone help to understand the new visa laws?My 2 months tourist visa will expire Oct 10th, and I'll go to Malaysia for 6 days. So, what will happen when I get back to Thailand? Will they give me a new 3 months visa, or will they send me back to Malaysia?HELP!

Satyrion: Thanks a lot, 60 days is just perfect, I'll go back to Norway December 12

I suggest you scan the Forum, there have been thousands of words written on this subject, if you want to know what people here think are the new laws. The best explanation I found is : http://www.asiatradingonline.com/visas.htm

Discussions on Saturday with a friend versed quite well in the Visa laws just made it even more confusing, however one thing he did say is the new visa rules will for sure be introduced for the 30 "dayers" that use to do a border run every month. Border runs are finished. Additionally, even tougher laws will be introduced for the granting of work permits and heavier fines for those that buck the system, for both employers and employees. This throws the responsibility on them and therefore deflects it away from the government. Count on people having to organsie their own permits in future because Thai companies wont risk a screw up with a foreigner causing them to pay a heavy fine.

The business and resident Visas however will be watered down to nearly that previous as these are not the people the new laws are meant to get.

I havent seen any of this officially confirmed and in writing by the government, once again its all just hearsay and after all the government that tried to bring in the new laws are now not around but can be contacted at the following address : Park Bench 1 - 15, Hyde Park, London. England.

gorgeous> ur point #5 is wrong. And this concern people doing "visa run" each 30 days.

u get the right to stay in thailand 90 days out of 180 days. this is the most important thing to remember.

that means basically 3 months out of 6 months.

Now, for people using the whole 30 days each time they get a stamp (called exemption visa for those coming from Europe, North America, Australia, NZ, etccc), they will reach the 90 days within 3 months. Here, u are right, they can not enter thailand without a visa from Thai Embassy/ consulate before 3 months.

Then, for those who enter 1 week, get out, then come back 3 days, get out, then come 2 weeks, all of that within, let s say 45 days, can still enter thailand witout visa. ie : 1 week = 7 days + 3 days + 14 days = 24 days. still have lots of time before the 90 days limit.

Take for exemple foerigners living in surroundings countries who are used to come to thailand for weekend leisure regularly. it would create troubles in tourism industry if u come here just 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 days in one month, then can not go back to thailand before 5 months.

so u can get as many stamp as u want within 180 days, with a limit of 90 days. So for those who do the visa run every 30 days, indeed, it will be "just" 3 stamps.