Formalities
The section covers paperwork formalities upon entry or exit from the Kingdom of Thailand.
FAQ’s
Can you leave your boat in Ko Lanta while you check in to Krabi – Yes, Mini-vans leave from Old Town every hour and will drop you near to Customs and Immigration.
How long can my boat stay in Thailand? You will normally be given 3 – 6 months by Customs when you arrive, this can be extended for up to 12 months in total.
Can I leave Thailand without posting the 20,000 baht bond to immigration? Yes, if you are not registered as crew, or if you have a proper visa, you do not need to post the bond. (more on this below)
How long can I stay if I arrive without a visa? If you check in as crew/captain, you will be given a visa waiver for 30 days but if you check in as a passenger you may only be given 15 days. If you want to stay longer than this it is better to get a visa.
Visas
There is a lot of misunderstanding about Thai Visa regulations, partly because the Thai authorities like to change things a lot, without any real explanation. Below, we try to give you the bare bones facts…
Visa exemption/waiver.
This is not a visa at all. Foreign nationals from many countries can arrive in Thailand without a visa whereupon they will be given a ‘visa exemption stamp’ in their passport, allowing them to stay for 15 days or more. If you arrive by plane you will normally get 30 days and if you arrive by land or sea port you will be given 15 days. This visa waiver can be extended 1 time for a maximum of 7 days (1,900 baht)
It is only permissible to get 4 consecutive 15 day visa waivers, after which you must either fly in (and get 30 days) or obtain a visa from an embassy outside the Kingdom.
Tourist Visas.
It is possible to get a 60 day tourist visa from any of the Thai embassies in neighbouring Countries. This is a single entry visa and can be extended 1 time for and extra 30 days (1,900 baht) giving you 90 days in total. These visas have been issued free for the last few months but the normal charge is the equivalent of around 2,000 baht. (Latest News – period of issuing free visas has been extended to March 2010)
If you arrive by boat with a tourist visa you will not need to pay the immigration bond (20,000 baht) if you exit the Kingdom without your boat.
From your home Country it is possible to get many different types of visa at a reasonable cost. A 1 year, multiple entry visa is quite common.
Non-imm ‘O’ or Non-imm ‘B’
These visas can be issued in neighbouring Countries or your home Country and can be continually extended as long as you meet the criteria (usually financial) These visas are for Marriage to a Thai national, work permits, educational visits, or retirement visas.
For the latest information and FAQ’s check on ThaiVisa.com.
Check in/out (Krabi)
If you are arriving from Malaysia (or anywhere else) and this is your first entry into Thailand, you will need to complete formalities with Immigration, Customs and the Port Authorities (in that order).
All have offices in Krabi town and all are very helpful. Most of the Immigration Officers speak good English and the other 2 departments can speak some English too.
There are quite a lot of papers to be filled in for each department, and they all like lots of photocopies (but don’t offer copier facilities)! All the forms are written in both Thai and English and are fairly easy to fill in and there is usually a completed ’sample’ to follow.
It is quite acceptable for you to leave your boat in Ko Lanta and travel by mini-bus to Krabi to complete the formalities. Both Immigration and Customs are in the center of Krabi town but the port authorities are out of town and you will need to take a taxi/tuk tuk/motorbike taxi to get there and back.
Important point to remember when dealing with officialdom (and in general in Thailand) – Smiles work! Raised voices, displays of anger and frustration do not!
Other pages you may be interested to visit:
