Extending a stay in paradise

Posted by Full mooner on October 14th, 2011 filed in Tourist tips, living here

Koh Samui visitors often find that they want to extend their stay or, in some cases, never want to leave this heavenly island. Unfortunately due to visa regulations in Thailand this is not possible without either extending the permit to stay or obtaining a new visa.

There are a number of options that tourists can choose to prolong their visits. The most convenient is to pop down to the immigration office near Nathon town and get a visa extension. Those who entered Thailand on 60-day tourist visas need two passport photographs and 1,900 Baht for a 30-day extension of stay. Those who entered on 15 or 30-day visa on arrivals will be given a 7-day extension for the same fee.

Ranong on the opposite side of the Thai peninsula is the easiest option for people who wish to activate additional entries on multi-entry visas. Getting a re-entry here requires people to cross the River Chan estuary on a long-tail boat to Kawthoung in Myanmar. The cost the last time I did this two years ago was around 50 Baht each way on the boat plus US$10 for the Myanmese visa. The dollar bill needs to be nice and crisp or payment might be required in Baht. The exchange rate is never in the tourist’s favour.

Holidaymakers wishing to get a new visa can obtain one in Malaysia. There are Royal Thai consulates in Georgetown on Penang Island and the town of Kota Bharu which issue visas. The latter is probably not a great option at the moment as there has been some unrest in the region of Thailand opposite it. The Thai embassy in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur has another visa issuing office.