Thread: Canada Anyone??

Help! Im coming to Thailand next year, and I know I am supposed to apply/obtain a double-entry tourist visa from my own country. I live in Alberta, Canada....if anyone knows how to go about doing this.. a website etc would be very helpful!!! When I try search for anything, even service Canada, its all about immigration visas and tourist visas into the country etc.. not leaving. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

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Visas for Thailand have to be obtained from Thailand. You can do that in your country at a Thai consulate.

Try a Thai Immigration website for starters.

That makes sense... But then may i ask what is all the fuss about obtaining it in your own country? Without a visa you have 30 days upon arrival in Thailand, so could you not just get it there and do a couple visa runs until you get a job etc? Sorry I'm just a little confused about all of this 'paperwork' stuff..

Ugh. This Really confuses me. Is there anyone who lives/d in Canada and went through this process... details would help. I get that having the double entry visa makes sense, I'm just having the issues of 'getting there'. I guess I'll just search some more and see what I can find.

You need to go to a Thai consulate and apply for a three month tourist visa. Once you're in Thailand and you start working, you will get the residence visa and work permit from your school. You will most likely need to leave the country to do this. Just take a nice trip to Malaysia or Laos and enjoy.

Royal Thai Consulate General - Vancouver, Canada | Visas, Passports, Tourism, Culture, Trade, Thailand-Canada Relations Contact the Thai consulate in Vancouver.
Get a double entry tourist visa.
Come to Thailand.

ASSUMING you have a degree (in anything) you can find a job.
Providing you have at least 21 days remaining on your tourist entry you can change your status from tourist to non-b at immigration in BKK (without the need for a visa run). It will be good for 90 days from the date it is granted.
(you will need your degree, uni-issued transcript and possibly a police check (sometimes asked for) if you want to change your status in BKK.

AFTER you get your non-b the school should help you apply for your work permit.
AFTER you get your work permit you return to your local immigration office and extend the non-b to one year (or the end of your contract - whichever comes first).
AFTER you get your non-b extended you return to the local labor office and get the W/P extended to match the visa end date.

Every 90 days you will need to return to immigration to file your 90-day report. (there are other methods to file it as well - including by post).

If you don't have a degree then get a double entry tourist visa.
Find a job.
Do your extensions and border runs as often as necessary to stay in the Kingdom.
A non-b and W/P are not likely to be in your future.

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Thank you ttompatz!! Its unfortunate that Vancouver is where it is, i much prefer filling this type of stuff out in person as opposed to mail. I do have a degree, so i should be good with just a regular tourist visa but i will obviously apply for the double entry. Thank you!

There is a Thai Consulate in Edmonton as well. It is only open Tues, Wed and Thurs., from 10 to 12. They can do it why you wait (about 10 minutes).
I suggest you phone them first and tell them what you want, they will tell you what to bring.

Thailand has some of the most difficult immigration rules I have had to deal with. Even with my well-educated Thai wife, we struggle trying to figure out how to stop making visa runs. Such is the cost of working in Thailand. At least you get to see a few more foreign countries.