Visa for Chinese

[formulaic78]

My Chinese wife and I (Irish) will be coming to Thailand in about a month, ideally for 3 to 4 months. Wondering if anyone knows best combination of visas to get? I believe I can get 30 days VOA and then apply for further 30 days within Thailand which gets us to 2 months. My wife however only seems to be able to get a 15 day VOA and then a further maybe 7 to 15 days extension. So I'm thinking I should apply for a 60 days Tourist visa for her. Only problem is she's in UK now on a UK visitor visa and the Thai visa page says you must apply from within your country of residence. I can put her current location as UK, but it then says application can take at least a month (and I worry they'll decline it for some technical reason). Any suggestions for me? 

[Faz]

Certainly no problem for 90 days.
You should both apply for a Tourist Visa, which grants a stay of 60 days on entry and can be extended for a further 30 days at a local Immigration office.

Beyond 90 days, you'd have to exit and re-enter the Country again.
As an Irish national, you're permitted to enter without a Visa (Visa exempt entry) and permitted to stay for 30 days. Your wife however would either have to apply for a Visa on arrival (VOA) which only grants a stay of 15 days, or apply for a further Tourist Visa at a local Thai Embassy/Consulate.

You could extend the 30 day VE entry for a further 30 days, but your wife cannot extend the 15 days from a VOA entry.

[formulaic78]

2 hours ago, Faz said:

Certainly no problem for 90 days.
You should both apply for a Tourist Visa, which grants a stay of 60 days on entry and can be extended for a further 30 days at a local Immigration office.

Beyond 90 days, you'd have to exit and re-enter the Country again.
As an Irish national, you're permitted to enter without a Visa (Visa exempt entry) and permitted to stay for 30 days. Your wife however would either have to apply for a Visa on arrival (VOA) which only grants a stay of 15 days, or apply for a further Tourist Visa at a local Thai Embassy/Consulate.

You could extend the 30 day VE entry for a further 30 days, but your wife cannot extend the 15 days from a VOA entry.

Thanks Faz, very helpful. Do you know if my VE entry can be extended twice? Because to get the tourist visa I believe you need to have a flight booked out within 60 days, even though we plan to stay for 90 days. That means it must be refundable or the dates must be changeable, which costs more than a non-refundable or changeable flight (and I've just found a great non-refundable price on premium economy that I want to take advantage of). So, to avoid having to buy two refundable flights and then refund them after the visas are approved, I was thinking maybe just doing that for my wife and then getting VE for myself and extending twice (this also avoids the hassle of having to apply for my visa, although maybe the hassle of extending twice is greater).

Do I also have to have a 60-day hotel booking for the tourist visa? Or, is there no hotel booking requirement?

[Faz]

No, if you enter Visa exempt, you can only extend your stay one time for an additional 30 days.
You need a Tourist Visa for a 90-day stay.

The Thai Embassies are well aware you can extend your stay for 30 days.
A return flight ticket within 90 days should be acceptable.
You will need confirmation of a hotel booking, preferably on arrival, but not for the duration of your stay.

 

Required Documents 

For tourism and leisure activities

For Single Entry (stay up to 60 days) 

• A current passport with validity not less than 6 months and at least 2 blank pages. Applicants must fill in online visa application with their given name(s) and surname as appear in their passports.
• Printout of visa application form submitted online, with bar code
• Travel booking confirmation
• Proof of accommodation in Thailand e.g. hotel booking, invitation letter from family or friend in Thailand
• Financial evidence e.g. bank statements, proof of earnings, sponsorship letter
• Confirmation of legal residence in the UK or Ireland (if applicants are not nationals of these countries) e.g. long stay visa, residence permit, BRP card

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84451-tourist-visa?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

[formulaic78]

29 minutes ago, Faz said:

No, if you enter Visa exempt, you can only extend your stay one time for an additional 30 days.
You need a Tourist Visa for a 90-day stay.

The Thai Embassies are well aware you can extend your stay for 30 days.
A return flight ticket within 90 days should be acceptable.
You will need confirmation of a hotel booking, preferably on arrival, but not for the duration of your stay.

Required Documents 

For tourism and leisure activities

For Single Entry (stay up to 60 days) 

• A current passport with validity not less than 6 months and at least 2 blank pages. Applicants must fill in online visa application with their given name(s) and surname as appear in their passports.
• Printout of visa application form submitted online, with bar code
• Travel booking confirmation
• Proof of accommodation in Thailand e.g. hotel booking, invitation letter from family or friend in Thailand
• Financial evidence e.g. bank statements, proof of earnings, sponsorship letter
• Confirmation of legal residence in the UK or Ireland (if applicants are not nationals of these countries) e.g. long stay visa, residence permit, BRP card

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84451-tourist-visa?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

thanks again!