Beakersful

I'm looking at taking a training course in Chiang Mai, with a little holiday before it. Approximately 35 days in total.

What visas are available for this period of time and when/where/how do I get it? (Brit, flying in from KSA)

carolina212

No need for visa if one's stay is under 30 days + Thai embassy in Riyadh (Royal Thai Embassy, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) if that is needed/helps

Beakersful

I'll contact them here then via their website, thanks. For some reason everyone I work with didn't think they had an embassy here due to strained relations.

nonthaburi

Get a tourist visa from the embassy in Riyadh. That will give you 60 days on arrival. The visa is valid for a period of three months from the date of application.
The Thai embassy is located in the Diplomatic Quarter, very close to the UK embassy, near roundabout 10 I think.
There are strained relations between the two countries but this works in your favour because there is hardly anyone in the embassy so waiting time is non-existent. You apply in the morning and pick it up the next day.

Beakersful

On their website I saw a 30 day tourist visa, then a 90 day non-immigrant visa which wants documents supplied. The time I've got till the course means getting that paperwork together may prove problematic. I've sent an email to them requesting information yesterday, but if I don't receive any reply with the next two days I'll head in there during working hours to see them in person.

I can manage a 30 dayer if necessary, but getting Eid in first there, relaxing and seeing a lot of green whilst sipping a few drinks over ribs is in order

bakedbean

What's that about then?

nonthaburi

If you're British you get 30 days on arrival visa-free, so no need for a visa, which saves you a lot of hassle. For a Non-immigrant you normally need a lot more documentation, which without knowing what you're up to there is difficult to say whether you'll get it. Also, how helpful the place in CM is in providing letters etc.
If you overstay the first day is free and it's 500 Baht a day after that.

Beakersful

So, 40gbp for a 5 day overstay if the worst comes to the worst. Is it hassle at passport to control to pay such a fine? They're not going to get grumpy, simply take the cash, stamp passport and say goodbye?

nonthaburi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Diamond_Affair
Quite an interesting saga really. There used to be about 3-400,000 Thais in KSA, but as a result of this there are now only about 10,000 as work visas are very hard to come by.

bakedbean

Thanks Nonthaburi. I'd never heard of that. Quite a saga.

nonthaburi

Should only take 5-10 minutes, when you check out at immigration it will flag up and then someone will take you over to the overstay desk where you pay your fine. It will get marked in your passport but no big deal really. All they want is your cash at the end of the day. Immigration queues can be long generally though so allow time for that

nonthaburi

Thai police, reliably corrupt.