Permission to Stay vs Visa vs Visa Exempt

[Vince]

Hello,

Can someone give really clear examples of the difference between a permission to stay(PTS) vs a visa? 

Is a visa exemption (VE) a permission to stay with no visa? 

Specifically how do PTS timelines overlap or relate with a visa? 

Is a visa always within the time period of a PTS? 

Thanks! 

[M.O.]

Permission to stay is what the Immigration Officer grants on arrival. It is seen in the stamp in your passport. There is an entry date and expiry date.

A visa is obtained before travelling. Typically from an embassy. It gives you the right to get a permit to stay. Different visas have different periods given for the permit to stay. Eg a Tourist Visa gives 60 days, a Non "O" gives 90 days. 

[MikeV]

Visa you apply for in advance. They stamp your passport for the time frame you are permitted when you arrive.

Visa exempt bypasses this according to your citizenship and they stamp your passport accordingly when you arrive. Many get 30, others 15. Others are not eligible.

Permission to stay in the stamped period

Whether you call your 30 days on arrival exemption a Visa or visa exemption is symantics beyond a tourist visa being 60 and on arrival generally 30. 

A tourist visa can be extended by 30. An on arrival exemption can be extended by the length of time the original grant

All of it translates to a period of permitted stay which is what's is stamped on passport by immigration 

Edited January 22, 2022 by MikeV

[M.O.]

Passports from select countries allow holder to seek permission to stay without a visa. This is the Visa Exempt entry.

Edited January 22, 2022 by M.O.
Correction

[Faz]

Try this one Vince; 

 

[Faz]

30 minutes ago, MikeV said:

Visa exempt bypasses this according to your citizenship and they stamp your passport accordingly when you arrive. Many get 30, others 15. Others are not eligible.

Incorrect.
The Tourist Visa exemption scheme permits a stay of 30 days for all qualifying nationals.

43 minutes ago, MikeV said:

A tourist visa can be extended by 30.

You can't extend a Visa.

44 minutes ago, MikeV said:

An on arrival exemption can be extended by the length of time the original grant

Incorrect.

[Vince]

16 hours ago, Faz said:

Try this one Vince; 

Ok so a visa gets you to the port of entry, more or less. 

The permission of, or to, stay is the valid period you can stay. 

An extension of stay is an extension of the permission of stay. 

So visa -> permission of stay -> extension of stay 

All parts referred to by various people as "a visa" just to be entertaining and clear.  

A visa exemption is equivalent to a visa with a permission to stay without any visa or permission to stay paperwork.

So the exemption is to paperwork, not the visa / permission to stay as such? 

Close? 

[Faz]

1 minute ago, Vince said:

Ok so a visa gets you to the port of entry, more or less. 

The permission of, or to, stay is the valid period you can stay. 

An extension of stay is an extension of the permission of stay. 

So visa -> permission of stay -> extension of stay 

Correct up to there.

3 minutes ago, Vince said:

All parts referred to by various people as "a visa" just to be entertaining and clear. 

Wrongly

3 minutes ago, Vince said:

A visa exemption is equivalent to a visa with a permission to stay without any visa or permission to stay paperwork.

A Visa exempt entry is entering without a Visa.
Permission of stay is granted by the Immigration officer IF he grants you entry.

Summary_of_countries_and_territories_entitled to VE or Visa on arrival..pdf

 

[Vince]

Just now, Faz said:

Correct up to there.

Wrongly

 

Yes, see comment about being "entertaining and clear". 

 

Just now, Faz said:

A Visa exempt entry is entering without a Visa.
Permission of stay is granted by the Immigration officer IF he grants you entry.

Summary_of_countries_and_territories_entitled to VE or Visa on arrival..pdf 216.69 kB · 0 downloads

So you can get to Thailand "visa exempt" (port of entry without a visa). 

But be denied permission to stay (sent home) for whatever reason (a vlogger mentioned being challenged on excessive entries, and one commentor said there's an unofficial cap of 180 days per year for tourist visa based permission of stay).

Something like that? 

[Faz]

7 hours ago, Vince said:

So you can get to Thailand "visa exempt" (port of entry without a visa). 

But be denied permission to stay (sent home) for whatever reason (a vlogger mentioned being challenged on excessive entries, and one commentor said there's an unofficial cap of 180 days per year for tourist visa based permission of stay).

Something like that? 

Exactly. Another common reason for refusal of entry is 'insufficient funds' for your stay.

The 'official' reasons for refusing entry are listed under section 12 of the Immigration Act.
Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) ENG.pdf

 

[Mamachigawa]

On 1/22/2022 at 9:36 AM, Faz said:

Incorrect.
The Tourist Visa exemption scheme permits a stay of 30 days for all qualifying nationals.

You can't extend a Visa.

Incorrect.

Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Chile and Korea  enjoy 90 days by bilateral agreement.

[Faz]

18 minutes ago, Mamachigawa said:

Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Chile and Korea  enjoy 90 days by bilateral agreement.

Appreciated, but we were discussing entry via the 'Visa exempt' scheme for Countries that do not have a bilateral agreement.

[Mamachigawa]

1 hour ago, Faz said:

Appreciated, but we were discussing entry via the 'Visa exempt' scheme for Countries that do not have a bilateral agreement.

I don't understand the difference between visa exempt entry of 30 days as well as visa exempt entry by bilateral agreement of 90 days?  Is it a distinction without a difference? 

Summary_of_countries_and_territories_entitled to VE or Visa on arrival. (1).pdf

[Faz]

30 minutes ago, Mamachigawa said:

Is it a distinction without a difference? 

A same, same, but different situation.
Both can enter without a Visa.
For nationals of 64 Countries they can enter Visa exempt for a stay of 30 days.
For nationals who's Countries have a bilateral agreement the periods of stay can differ to that of those entering VE, as demonstrated in the chart.