3 ms·
Common around the world? I'd be curious what other countries require this, pretty much everywhere else I know has you renew your status within the country (incl
by aveao 1mo ago
Common around the world? I'd be curious what other countries require this, pretty much everywhere else I know has you renew your status within the country (incl. US), and they give you some form of proof of residence that takes the place of a visa (excl. US).
In many cases I've seen this is either a sticker on your passport (incl. possibly a visa) or a physical card, and does not require traveling abroad for it for "consular processing". This is the case for Schengen countries, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, Thailand, etc.
- y-curious 1mo agoThailand explicitly requires you to leave the country. There are companies that specialize in bussing expats to nearby countries.
- jpgvm 1mo agoThe so called "visa runs" are for getting around not having the appropriate visa. I was on a proper employment visa 8 years, never needed to leave the country.
- aveao 1mo agoNo, you can extend your visa at the local immigration bureau if you have the appropriate type (that lets you work, though even tourist visas are extendable¹) and pay the cost². People who do visa runs are doing so to extend their tourist visas for cheap. ¹: I've done it before at Si Racha Immigration Bureau. In my case it was more expensive than doing a visa run or paying the fine for 3 days of overstaying, but it was less hassle and left a positive/neutral mark on my passport, not a suspicious one. ²: This can sadly also require bribery just to get them to do their job, even if you do everything by the book. People around us were bringing bribes in form of food. We weren't asked for a bribe, probably because the person I was traveling and applying with had an official passport.
- mlrtime 1mo agoHong Kong and the UK at least when I lived there, had to leave and come back, easy in HK to go to China and come back with a fresh stamp.