Stay of 120+ days in Thailand?

[Riffs 0]

I am heading back to Thailand for knee surgery sometime in Feb. I will be needing about 3 months of rehab. So I will be in Thailand for about 4 1/2 months.

 

What is the best way to do that? Tourist Visa for 60 days then extend it? Request a permission for extended stay? Tourist visa, or stamp and do the Cambodia run every 30 days or when needed?

 

Your thoughts on this please or perhaps you have a better way. On a side note, I work in Iraq so rehab out here will not work nor going back to the states. Tax reasons, plus the surgery in the states will be 10times or more than it will be in Thailand. And Thailand is much more fun

[joekicker 53]

You can't legally do that on a tourist visa without leaving at least once.

 

You should ask your hospital for the best advice on how to deal with Immigration on this. Immigration are permitted to give extensions based on medical need, and I'm sure the hospital will have this problem aced.

[bigdelta 46]

I am heading back to Thailand for knee surgery sometime in Feb. I will be needing about 3 months of rehab. So I will be in Thailand for about 4 1/2 months.

 

What is the best way to do that? Tourist Visa for 60 days then extend it? Request a permission for extended stay? Tourist visa, or stamp and do the Cambodia run every 30 days or when needed?

 

Your thoughts on this please or perhaps you have a better way. On a side note, I work in Iraq so rehab out here will not work nor going back to the states. Tax reasons, plus the surgery in the states will be 10times or more than it will be in Thailand. And Thailand is much more fun

 

60 day dual entry visa may be the way to go.Extend for 30 days after the initial 60,and after 90,make the visa run. And repeat for a total of 180.I've had 2 on my left knee involving the ACL.

If I may ask,what level of knee surgery would require 3 months of rehab?

Good luck w/visa and surgery.

Edited July 28, 2008 by LTGTR

[jacko 8,814]

60 day dual entry visa may be the way to go.Extend for 30 days after the initial 60,and after 90,make the visa run. And repeat for a total of 180.I've had 2 on my left knee involving the ACL.

If I may ask,what level of knee surgery would require 3 months of rehab?

Good luck w/visa and surgery.

Agreed...but you could check with your embassy to see how many entries you can get on a tourist visa. I used to get a triple entry visa. I made an 'entry' just before the visa expired (6 months) and hence got 60 days beyond the life of the visa. I still had the option of another extension, and even an entry without visa (30 day stamp) if needed. Edited July 29, 2008 by jacko

[CheshireTom 1,377]

60 day dual entry visa may be the way to go.Extend for 30 days after the initial 60,and after 90,make the visa run. And repeat for a total of 180.I've had 2 on my left knee involving the ACL.

If I may ask,what level of knee surgery would require 3 months of rehab?

Good luck w/visa and surgery.

 

 

The rule of thumb is 90 days in any 180 as the max on a tourist visa unless, as Joe said, the hospital can swing it. The days of of repeating 60+30 on tourist visas/visa exemption stamps are long gone.

[Riffs 0]

thanks for the info, I will contact the hospital and see what they can help with.

 

For my knee, I have a torn quadriceps muscle from the patella. It happened over a year ago and the doctor did not diagnose it right. When I was on vacation in Thailand a month ago, I went to the hospital and they did MRI and found the tear. Imagine a muscle that was allowed to atrophy for over a year. Stretch it back out then rehab. Luckily it isnt a weight bearing muscle, but will restrict my bending of the knee for quite a while. Doctor says because of the delay in diagnosis, I will only get 70% back, better than 0 as it is right now.

 

Currently I can't run, or do biking for very long. Walking does get painful at time. Weight lifting is real tough for the legs because the muscle that is torn allows me to straighten the leg and a few other controlled movements. Guess I will have to fight through the pain in Pattaya.

[Emil 0]

If you're over 50 you can geta retirement visa.

[redwood13 56]

The rule of thumb is 90 days in any 180 as the max on a tourist visa unless, as Joe said, the hospital can swing it. The days of of repeating 60+30 on tourist visas/visa exemption stamps are long gone.

 

Maximum stay is 90 days out of 6 months using 30 day exemption stamps with no such restrictions on tourist visas. Of course Thai Embassies and Consulates may choose to deny issuance of a tourist visa if they suspect you are attempting to live in Thailand using tourist visas.

 

Vientiane has a relatively generous tourist visa policy with double entries currently available.

 

-redwood

[bigdelta 46]

The rule of thumb is 90 days in any 180 as the max on a tourist visa unless, as Joe said, the hospital can swing it. The days of of repeating 60+30 on tourist visas/visa exemption stamps are long gone.

Tom,why do you say that?I asked for and was granted a 2 entry toursit visa,each good for 60 days plus 30 day extensions,per the consulate.Each extension is 1900 b.

Edited August 14, 2008 by LTGTR

[jacko 8,814]

Tom,why do you say that?I asked for and was granted a 2 entry toursit visa,each good for 60 days plus 30 day extensions,per the consulate.Each extension is 190o b.

Don't worry. Tom should have said 90 days in any 180 as the max on 30 day stamps unless...........

 

A 30 day stamp being what nationals of many countries get when they arrive in Thailand WITHOUT a visa in their passport..

Edited August 13, 2008 by jacko

[bigdelta 46]

Don't worry. Tom should have said 90 days in any 180 as the max on 30 day stamps unless...........

 

A 30 day stamp being what nationals of many countries get when they arrive in Thailand WITHOUT a visa in their passport..

Whew-thanks for that.