Have NON-OA extension to stay, left/came back, didn't automatically get another year

[RocketDog]

My current NON-OA retirement extension to stay allows entry until May 22,2019.

I left the country last July 2018 and returned on Nov 1,2018, as my passport is clearly stamped. 

 

I went to the Thayang IO soon after arriving and did my 90 day report just to safe even though I understood that I didn't have to until 90 days after my return. I expected the new extension to allow entry until late October 2019,instead of late May 2019, the previous date. Instead I was told it would be extended on my next 90 day report, which was today. 

 

I thought that after leaving and returning the new 'enter until' date was ONE Year, less a few days, from the day I returned.  

 

 

I was told TODAY that it would be automatically extended until late October 2019 (approx 1 year) on my NEXT 90 day report, now due April 22,2019. The IO lady seemed to be saying that the 1 year extension to stay would be granted automatically on my next visit without the need for income verification or border crossing again. I am suspicious that this is untrue. 

 

My Thai GF was with me and understood my belief. She questioned the IO person and then relayed the answer above to me. 

 

I under that the 90 Day reports are a separate issue from the 'admitted until' extension to stay date, but the IO is seemingly linking these in some manner.

 

I also understand the new income requirement rules and have in excess of 800k baht already well seasoned in my account whenever I need it for renewal of the extension with minimum brain damage. 

 

So simple question: 

Does leaving and returning the country by air get you an automatic one year extension to stay, from the date of re-entry, or not? 

 

Pictures from my passport are attached. 

 

Thanks to the usual experts for the answer.

I truly tried to search the archives for this seemingly easy answer but couldn't find it. I even used a Thai gov web link that UbonJoe provided in one forum, but failed at that as well. 

 

If one of the experts can provide a gov link in English with these rules I swear to download it and print for future reference. 

 

Thanks again

[ubonjoe]

You apparently have an extension of stay you applied for at immigration not a OA visa. You got stamped in correctly to May 22, 2019 according to your re-entry permit.

If you had a valid OA visa issued by a embassy or consulate it would of allowed another one year entry. 

[Toosetinmyways]

Could it be possible to pin photographs of all the various immigration stamps so people can see what they really have before asking for advice.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, RocketDog said:

Does leaving and returning the country by air get you an automatic one year extension to stay, from the date of re-entry, or not? 

Only if you enter with a valid Non-Imm OA. It would be a Permit to stay rather than an extension.

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by jacko45k

[RocketDog]

33 minutes ago, Toosetinmyways said:

Could it be possible to pin photographs of all the various immigration stamps so people can see what they really have before asking for advice.

I pinned the stamps I thought relevant. I guess I thought wrong. Sorry. 

[NancyL]

Rocketdog, here is what an O-A visa looks like:

 

 

This person would have been stamped in with permission to stay for one year for any entry before 12 August 2009.  After that time, he would need a re-entry permit to keep that permission to stay "alive".  Once that final permission to stay expired, he could obtain a new one-year extension at his local Thai immigration office by submitting a TM-7 application form and demonstrating the appropriate financial income or savings in Thailand.  

 

What you showed in your original post were one-year extension of stay stamps, not an O-A visa.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, RocketDog said:

I under that the 90 Day reports are a separate issue from the 'admitted until' extension to stay date, but the IO is seemingly linking these in some manner.

 

In the world of Thai Immigration that we're all familiar with, 90 Day reporting has NOTHING to do with changing or extending a person's permission to stay until date.

 

And that applies equally if you're on a one-year validity extension of stay stamp from Thai Immigration.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

18 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

I pinned the stamps I thought relevant. I guess I thought wrong. Sorry. 

 

No, the prior poster's suggestion wasn't directed at you.

 

It was because, there's continuing and repeated confusion by many posters here in the forum on the differences between O-A visas issued by Thai Consulates and Embassies in other countries vs. extensions of stay issued by Thai Immigration offices inside Thailand.

 

The two have some similarities, but also many differences, including the periods of validity of stay provided by each. So his suggestion of pinning images of such stamps/stickers here on the forum was, I presume, aimed at remedying that confusion.

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[RocketDog]

Thanks to all for the fast replies. 

 

If I understand correctly then what I have is simply a `permit to stay`, not an `extension of stay` based on my original OA retirement visa, which expired June 2018. I made a border crossing to Burma in late May 2018 which gave me another "permit to stay" until May 2019.

 

Now I understand that the extension and permit are not the same thing. I didn't understand the distinction. 

 

Now this raises a second question.

If I leave the country BEFORE my Permit to Stay expires and reenter AFTER it has expired then if I don't obtain a re-entry permit before I leave Thailand then I'll have to start the whole process again from my home country via a Thai consulate. . That is, obtain a new VISA. Please verify this for me. 

 

Thanks Nancy; you made it crystal clear. Yes, my original visa that I got while in America from the Thai consulate in Los Angeles looks exactly as you showed. 

 

I don't feel so bad about wasting all of your time as this post may clear up this issue for others. 

 

I try to be very vigilant in all the visa stuff as I value my life here. Hence I read these topics religiously and thought I understood it all. 

 

So I will appear again at IO a week before the 'permit to stay' expires in late May this year with the proper documents, photos, and bank records in hand. I'm glad I started aging the 800k two months ago! I don't like to do border crossings and don't plan a return home until 2020.

 

Cheers to all again! I am thankful for your knowledge and kindness. 

[RocketDog]

11 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

In the world of Thai Immigration that we're all familiar with, 90 Day reporting has NOTHING to do with changing or extending a person's permission to stay until date.

 

And that applies equally if you're on a one-year validity extension of stay stamp from Thai Immigration.

 

Yes, understood. That's what I was trying to say. Thanks Tall! 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

With an extension of stay from Thai Immigration, you basically get a one year permission to stay that, if you want to leave the country during that year, needs to be kept alive by also obtaining a re-entry permit from Thai Immigration. It's basically a one year at a time permission.

 

With an O-A visa from one of the Consulates or Embassy locations, you get a one-year visa that gives you a additional one year permission to stay stamp any time you re-enter the country during that initial year. But, if you then want to leave again after the initial year of the visa has passed, you then need a re-entry permit to keep the permission to stay alive until its completion. So at its maximum, an O-A visa's permission to stay can last almost 2 years in total if you depart Thailand and re-enter just before the first year ends.

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

Yes, understood. That's what I was trying to say. Thanks Tall! 

 

Now, what your IO was talking about in that regard, and what she was trying to say, I have no idea!!!

[RocketDog]

25 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

With an extension of stay from Thai Immigration, you basically get a one year permission to stay that, if you want to leave the country during that year, needs to be kept alive by also obtaining a re-entry permit from Thai Immigration. It's basically a one year at a time permission.

 

With an O-A visa from one of the Consulates or Embassy locations, you get a one-year visa that gives you a additional one year permission to stay stamp any time you re-enter the country during that initial year. But, if you then want to leave again after the initial year of the visa has passed, you then need a re-entry permit to keep the permission to stay alive until its completion. So at its maximum, an O-A visa's permission to stay can last almost 2 years in total if you depart Thailand and re-enter just before the first year ends.

 

Yes, yes. That all makes sense now. I was conflating extension of stay and permit to stay. I guess my dreams of becoming a lawyer must be scrapped! 

 

As long as you're on a roll TallGuy, please verify that if I have a valid permit to stay, get a reentry permit to keep it alive, leave the country then return after it has nominally expired, that my previous permit to stay will still be valid, at least for a while. 

 

I have nightmares of being turned back home at Swampy because I missed something in the 'small print' 

 

Thanks so much. I'm going to print this forum and put it in my immigration paper folder. 

 

Wait, wait. I think I just confused myself again. 

I'm now guessing that the 'keep alive' thing ends whenever the permit expires. If I return after the permit's nominal expiration, with or without a reentry permit, I've still blown it and must start over with a new visa application, horror of horrors! 

 

If true, then I better be damn sure to return before the permit expires. 

Edited January 23, 2019 by RocketDog
Clarification

[Sophon]

There are some missing pieces.

 

The extension of stay stamp pictured in the OP is a tourist extension that expired in May 2017, so that is not relevant. There is also an entry stamp from the 23rd of May 2018 giving a permission to stay until 22nd of May 2019 based on a Non Immigrant OA visa, so I don't think the OP is here on an extension of stay. At some point he must have been given an OA visa which is the basis for his current stay. His OA visa is probably expired (but we can't know for sure until we know when he applied for it), so his current permission of stay was protected by the re-entry permit in the second picture. This means that he was correctly given the same permission to stay (until 22nd of May 2019) that he had before his trip.

 

To address some of the OP's questions:

• While your OA visa was still valid, you would be given a new one year permission to stay every time you enter Thailand. That is why you were given a permission to stay until May 2019 when you entered in May of 2018.
• After your OA visa expires you no longer have a valid visa, so you will not qualify for a new one year permission to stay. However, you can protect your existing permission to stay (until May 2019) by applying for re-entry permit. You correctly did this, so when you re-entered Thailand your permission to stay until May 2019 was "reinstated".
• 90 day reports are entirely separate from your permission to stay in Thailand. Your first 90 day report was due 90 days after you re-entered Thailand. Since you reported again today, your next report will be due in 90 day from now. But as mentioned, neither 90 day report has anything to do with your permission to stay.
• Within the last 30 days of your current permission to stay, so somewhere between the 23rd of April and the 22nd of May, you will have to go to Immigration again to extend your permission to stay. It is not "automatic" and you will have to show THB 800k in your Thai bank account. When you do, you will be given a new permission to stay until 22nd of May 2020. If you don't want to go to immigration for a new extension, you can alternatively go back home and get a new Non Immigrant OA visa.
• If you time it correctly, you will be able to do your extension and 90 day report on the same day, but they are two separate processes.

Hope this helps.

 

Sophon

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

28 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

As long as you're on a roll TallGuy, please verify that if I have a valid permit to stay, get a reentry permit to keep it alive, leave the country then return after it has nominally expired, that my previous permit to stay will still be valid, at least for a while. 

 

A re-entry permit does not extend the permission to stay date granted by a one-year extension of stay permit.

 

All it does is mean that your extension of stay permission doesn't get CANCELLED prematurely should you leave the country and re-enter during the one year extension of stay period.

 

With the re-entry permit AND a valid extension of stay, you can leave the country and return during the period of your extension of stay, and the original permitted to stay until date will remain valid.

 

On the other hand, if you have an extension of stay with a one-year permission to stay, and you don't ever plan to leave Thailand during that entire year period, then you have no need for a re-entry permit. Your extension of stay alone would be fine... again, provided, you never leave and then try to re-enter the country during that one year period.

 

BOTTOM LINE - you need to do something before your current May 22, 2019 permission to stay date expires to get you some new basis for remaining beyond that date. As mentioned above, a new extension of stay from Thai Immigration, or, some kind of visa issued abroad by a Thai consulate/embassy.

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[RocketDog]

17 minutes ago, Sophon said:

There are some missing pieces.

 

The extension of stay stamp pictured in the OP is a tourist extension that expired in May 2017, so that is not relevant. There is also an entry stamp from the 23rd of May 2018 giving a permission to stay until 22nd of May 2019 based on a Non Immigrant OA visa, so I don't think the OP is here on an extension of stay. At some point he must have been given an OA visa which is the basis for his current stay. His OA visa is probably expired (but we can't know for sure until we know when he applied for it), so his current permission of stay was protected by the re-entry permit in the second picture. This means that he was correctly given the same permission to stay (until 22nd of May 2019) that he had before his trip.

 

To address some of the OP's questions:

• While your OA visa was still valid, you would be given a new one year permission to stay every time you enter Thailand. That is why you were given a permission to stay until May 2019 when you entered in May of 2018.
• After your OA visa expires you no longer have a valid visa, so you will not qualify for a new one year permission to stay. However, you can protect your existing permission to stay (until May 2019) by applying for re-entry permit. You correctly did this, so when you re-entered Thailand your permission to stay until May 2019 was "reinstated".
• 90 day reports are entirely separate from your permission to stay in Thailand. Your first 90 day report was due 90 days after you re-entered Thailand. Since you reported again today, your next report will be due in 90 day from now. But as mentioned, neither 90 day report has anything to do with your permission to stay.
• Within the last 30 days of your current permission to stay, so somewhere between the 23rd of April and the 22nd of May, you will have to go to Immigration again to extend your permission to stay. It is not "automatic" and you will have to show THB 800k in your Thai bank account. When you do, you will be given a new permission to stay until 22nd of May 2020. If you don't want to go to immigration for a new extension, you can alternatively go back home and get a new Non Immigrant OA visa.
• If you time it correctly, you will be able to do your extension and 90 day report on the same day, but they are two separate processes.

Hope this helps.

 

Sophon

Sophon, you are entirely correct in all of your assumptions. 

With my new knowledge graciously bestowed by you and others here I also agree with all your forward advice. I fully intend to keep up with my 'Permits' and am ahead of the game because I cautiously backed myself up by putting and keeping in excess of 800k in my account over 2 months ago because I am never really sure what I understand about these issues. 

 

You have summarized brilliantly and I am sure this post will serve as guidance for other confused souls. 

Thank you so much! 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, RocketDog said:

Sophon, you are entirely correct in all of your assumptions. 

With my new knowledge graciously bestowed by you and others here I also agree with all your forward advice. I fully intend to keep up with my 'Permits' and am ahead of the game because I cautiously backed myself up by putting and keeping in excess of 800k in my account over 2 months ago because I am never really sure what I understand about these issues. 

 

You have summarized brilliantly and I am sure this post will serve as guidance for other confused souls. 

Thank you so much! 

 

So then what you're planning to do is apply for a new extension of stay based on retirement from your local Thai Immigration office via their TM-7 form. The 800K baht maintained in a Thai bank account will satisfy their financial requirement. They'll want a color photo of you pasted to the form, signed copies of your passport main page and stamped pages, a copy of your airport departure card, original bank passbook showing your deposit amount updated the day of your application and a confirming letter from the bank dated a day or so before, and depending on the particular Immigration office, sometimes some other things. Best to check ahead with your local office on their particulars.

 

[RocketDog]

7 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

A re-entry permit does not extend the permission to stay date granted by a one-year extension of stay permit.

 

All it does is mean that your extension of stay permission doesn't get CANCELLED prematurely should you leave the country and re-enter during the one year extension of stay period.

 

With the re-entry permit AND a valid extension of stay, you can leave the country and return during the period of your extension of stay, and the original permitted to stay until date will remain valid.

 

On the other hand, if you have an extension of stay with a one-year permission to stay, and you don't ever plan to leave Thailand during that entire year period, then you have no need for a re-entry permit. Your extension of stay alone would be fine... again, provided, you never leave and then try to re-enter the country during that one year period.

 

BOTTOM LINE - you need to do something before your current May 22, 2019 permission to stay date expires to get you some new basis for remaining beyond that date. As mentioned above, a new extension of stay from Thai Immigration, or, some kind of visa issued abroad by a Thai consulate/embassy.

 

 

 

As you say:

 

"A re-entry permit does not extend the permission to stay date granted by a one-year extension of stay permit." 

 

That answered my question perfectly. I suspected as much so I added the last part to my post. 

 

I think that's what the IO person was trying to tell me about timing the 90 report and permit to stay at the same time. I think I can apply for the permit to stay one month before expiration and file my 90 day report up to 2 weeks late. If correct then I have a comfortable overlap to work with. 

 

I am confident that I understand now. 

 

Thanks so much TallGuy. You are a gentleman and a scholar. I wish I could buy you a beer, 

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, RocketDog said:

I think that's what the IO person was trying to tell me about timing the 90 report and permit to stay at the same time. I think I can apply for the permit to stay one month before expiration and file my 90 day report up to 2 weeks late. If correct then I have a comfortable overlap to work with. 

You can apply for the extension up to 30 days early. You can do the 90 report up to 15 days early or 7 days after the report date including that day in the count.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

I think that's what the IO person was trying to tell me about timing the 90 report and permit to stay at the same time. I think I can apply for the permit to stay one month before expiration and file my 90 day report up to 2 weeks late. If correct then I have a comfortable overlap to work with. 

 

 

Depending on the IO for your area, you can apply anywhere from 30-45 days in advance for a new extension of stay, ahead of the upcoming expiry date for your current permission.

 

Depending on your Immigration office, you may also be able to submit your 90 day report either by mail or online.

[RocketDog]

6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

So then what you're planning to do is apply for a new extension of stay based on retirement from your local Thai Immigration office via their TM-7 form. The 800K baht maintained in a Thai bank account will satisfy their financial requirement. They'll want a color photo of you pasted to the form, signed copies of your passport main page and stamped pages, a copy of your airport departure card, original bank passbook showing your deposit amount updated the day of your application and a confirming letter from the bank dated a day or so before, and depending on the particular Immigration office, sometimes some other things. Best to check ahead with your local office on their particulars.

 

Precisely correct. I have several color photos, made several copies of the relevant passport page, signed them, the departure card copy. I'll take my bank book with a copy showing dates of all balances, and I've done the bank confirmation letter on the day I go to IO before. 

 

I went thru those hoops last May when I naively thought my bank balance and social security letter would serve as income verification. That's when I found out that I needed an embassy confirmation of income letter. So off to Burma I went and then back to the IO to see if I'd screwed anything up. Again, I'd left a time margin so the trip to Burma wasn't an issue. We all know now that embassy letters from America are worthless. 

 

Your list of requirements rounds this forum out quite well though. Hopefully it will serve as a template for others. I will certainly download it, make a PDF and a hardcopy. These topics come up with local expats and instead of talking out my b*tt I can just email them the real answers. 

 

Thanks again. 

[RocketDog]

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can apply for the extension up to 30 days early. You can do the 90 report up to 15 days early or 7 days after the report date including that day in the count.

Ah, I was close but still no cigar. 

Thanks for the real numbers. 

This forum is just getting better and better. 

I will save and distribute this forum when my expat friends ask the inevitable questions again. 

[steve187]

2 hours ago, Toosetinmyways said:

Could it be possible to pin photographs of all the various immigration stamps so people can see what they really have before asking for advice.

no we like looking at the threads and the see the mess some people get into

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

Your list of requirements rounds this forum out quite well though. Hopefully it will serve as a template for others. I will certainly download it, make a PDF and a hardcopy. These topics come up with local expats and instead of talking out my b*tt I can just email them the real answers.

 

 

Just be aware, the specifics of what different Immigration offices want for extension of stay applications can sometimes vary by office (not less, but sometimes more/other docs). So check with others who may use your same office and/or check with your local office in advance re their document requirements for extensions of stay based on retirement. Some offices seem to have document checklists available.

 

[RocketDog]

16 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Depending on the IO for your area, you can apply anywhere from 30-45 days in advance for a new extension of stay, ahead of the upcoming expiry date for your current permission.

 

Depending on your Immigration office, you may also be able to submit your 90 day report either by mail or online.

Agreed, and UbonJoe weighed in on this also. 

Thanks to all the helpful replies my loins are girded for battle and I feel golden! No more restless nights now. 

[RocketDog]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Just be aware, the specifics of what different Immigration offices want for extension of stay applications can sometimes vary by office (not less, but sometimes more/other docs). So check with others who may use your same office and/or check with your local office in advance re their document requirements for extensions of stay based on retirement. Some offices seem to have document checklists available.

 

I always take everything in my IO folder when I go just in case they need something I've forgotten. Next time I go I'll ask for a checklist though. 

The Thayang office is very nice and helpful and I always present clean, courteous, nicely dressed, and with a smile. 

 

Cheers

[RocketDog]

I always take everything in my IO folder when I go just in case they need something I've forgotten. Next time I go I'll ask for a checklist though. 
The Thayang office is very nice and helpful and I always present clean, courteous, nicely dressed, and with a smile. 
 
Cheers

As partial repayment for all the kind and erudite replies, I did as I said I would. I compiled all the questions and responses in a document and then created a summary of the discussions.
Once verified I will post it here again as an upload for other's reference.

Here is what my summary says:
SUMMARY:
 
1.     An ‘Extension to Stay’ is allowed only following the first use of the actual NON-OA immigration VISA, issued by a Thai consulate office from your home country. It effectively expires on the ‘Enter Before’ date on the VISA.
2.     If you leave the country and come back before the original VISA expires you qualify automatically for the Extension to Stay. This assumes that you have obtained a ‘Re-entry Permit from the IO or at the airport before you depart.
3.     It can only be used once with the VISA and a 1900Baht fee applies.
4.     If it is used to extend the stay after 364 days of original VISA, then effectively you have gotten a two year stay for the price of one!
5.     A ‘Permit to Stay’allows one to stay after the original VISA has expired and is effective for one year only. It is used after the original VISA and/orExtension to Stay has expired.
6.     The Permit to Stay must be applied for before the original VISA or Extension to Stay has expired.
7.     The Permit to Stay is granted only upon verification of financial resources as discussed many times in other forums. For a few western countries this means money in the bank or leaving the country since those embassies Income Verification letters are not accepted by Thai immigration offices.
8.     The Permit to Stay may be applied for form 30-45 days in advance of expiration, depending on local IO operating procedures.
9.     A list of documents needed for the application is supplied on other forums and in this document by one of the respondents, TallGuyJohninBangkok.
 
=============================

Will somebody here please reply with any corrections or clarifications to ensure that I don't muddy the water for other poor souls.

As soon as I hear I will edit and post it as a PDF file.
Thanks again to all who contributed; you guys are unsung heroes.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[JackThompson]

I hope this helps:

 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

Here is what my summary says:
SUMMARY:
 
1.     An ‘Extension to Stay’ is allowed only following the first use of the actual NON-OA immigration VISA, issued by a Thai consulate office from your home country. It effectively expires on the ‘Enter Before’ date on the VISA.

1. Each time you enter the country using a Non-OA Visa (hereafter "Visa"), obtained from a Thai Consulate in your passport-country, while the Visa is valid, you receive a 1-year permitted-stay beginning from the date you enter Thailand.

 

1b. The Visa is valid for use for 1-year after it is issued.  It's expiration date is labeled "enter before" or "valid until" on the Visa-sticker.

 

1c. If you leave Thailand and return while your Visa is still valid, you receive a new 1-Year permitted-stay beginning from that date of entry.

 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

4.     If it is used to extend the stay after 364 days of original VISA, then effectively you have gotten a two year stay for the price of one!

4. If you leave/return just before your Visa expires, you can get nearly 2 years of use from it, as you will get a 1-year permitted-stay close to 1-year after the Visa's issuance.  You will need to use a re-entry permit to keep the last permitted-stay received from the Visa alive, after the expiration-date of the Visa has passed.

 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

2.     If you leave the country and come back before the original VISA expires you qualify automatically for the Extension to Stay. This assumes that you have obtained a ‘Re-entry Permit from the IO or at the airport before you depart.

2.  You may use a Re-Entry Permit (from an immigration office or at an airport) if you will be returning after your Visa will-have (or has) expired, and wish to preserve the last permitted-stay you received, from your last entry using the Visa.  If one will be returning while your Visa is still valid, there is No Need for a re-entry permit.
 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

3.     It can only be used once with the VISA and a 1900Baht fee applies.

3. During the last 30 (sometimes 45) days of any permitted-stay received when entering Thailand using the Visa, you can apply at an Immigration Office in Thailand for an "Extension Of Stay."  The cost for this extension is 1900 Baht, and involves a separate process of validation from the one you used to apply for the Visa at a Thai Consulate abroad.

 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

5.     A ‘Permit to Stay’allows one to stay after the original VISA has expired and is effective for one year only. It is used after the original VISA and/orExtension to Stay has expired.

5. When you enter Thailand, with or without a Visa, you receive a "permitted stay" date.  When you apply for an "extension of stay" from an immigration-office, this date is changed by immigration to a date further into the future.  A "visa" is never "extended" or "renewed" within Thailand - only one's "permitted stay" is changed.

 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

7.     The Permit to Stay is granted only upon verification of financial resources as discussed many times in other forums. For a few western countries this means money in the bank or leaving the country since those embassies Income Verification letters are not accepted by Thai immigration offices.

Covered in #3, above.

 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

8.     The Permit to Stay may be applied for form 30-45 days in advance of expiration, depending on local IO operating procedures.

Covered in #3, above.
 

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

6.     The Permit to Stay must be applied for before the original VISA or Extension to Stay has expired.

The Visa is useless after it expires. 

 

[RocketDog]

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

I hope this helps:

 

1. Each time you enter the country using a Non-OA Visa (hereafter "Visa"), obtained from a Thai Consulate in your passport-country, while the Visa is valid, you receive a 1-year permitted-stay beginning from the date you enter Thailand.

 

1b. The Visa is valid for use for 1-year after it is issued.  It's expiration date is labeled "enter before" or "valid until" on the Visa-sticker.

 

1c. If you leave Thailand and return while your Visa is still valid, you receive a new 1-Year permitted-stay beginning from that date of entry.

 

4. If you leave/return just before your Visa expires, you can get nearly 2 years of use from it, as you will get a 1-year permitted-stay close to 1-year after the Visa's issuance.  You will need to use a re-entry permit to keep the last permitted-stay received from the Visa alive, after the expiration-date of the Visa has passed.

 

2.  You may use a Re-Entry Permit (from an immigration office or at an airport) if you will be returning after your Visa will-have (or has) expired, and wish to preserve the last permitted-stay you received, from your last entry using the Visa.  If one will be returning while your Visa is still valid, there is No Need for a re-entry permit.
 

3. During the last 30 (sometimes 45) days of any permitted-stay received when entering Thailand using the Visa, you can apply at an Immigration Office in Thailand for an "Extension Of Stay."  The cost for this extension is 1900 Baht, and involves a separate process of validation from the one you used to apply for the Visa at a Thai Consulate abroad.

 

5. When you enter Thailand, with or without a Visa, you receive a "permitted stay" date.  When you apply for an "extension of stay" from an immigration-office, this date is changed by immigration to a date further into the future.  A "visa" is never "extended" or "renewed" within Thailand - only one's "permitted stay" is changed.

 

Covered in #3, above.

 

Covered in #3, above.
 

The Visa is useless after it expires. 

 

Ok Jack, I like it! 

I will amend and use your text as quoted. 

I'll wait a day or so for more critiques and then 'publish '  it. 

 

Already today I was able to clarify things for a German friend who needs to extend his stay with retirement O-A. 

 

Thanks Jack for your help. ????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, RocketDog said:

1.     An ‘Extension to Stay’ is allowed only following the first use of the actual NON-OA immigration VISA, issued by a Thai consulate office from your home country. It effectively expires on the ‘Enter Before’ date on the VISA.

 I'm not sure this language above is correct...

 

An extension of stay is something you can apply for from Thai Immigration AFTER you've already obtained and have been using some kind of visa, normally issued by a Thai embassy or consulate outside Thailand.

 

And, while you can go from an O-A visa to then an extension of stay based on retirement, you can also apply for an extension of stay based on retirement  coming off various other kinds of entries, including a regular O visa that can be obtained at consulates other than your home country, or a B business visa or maybe even others.  It's also possible to enter on a tourist visa, go to Immigration after having arrived, and have that converted by Immigration to an O visa and then to an extension of stay, all via Thai Immigration.

 

There often are lots of convoluted details to this stuff, that can tend to make blanket statements wrong or only partially correct to varying degrees.

 

Jack's version above is much more complete and accurate re #1... although he didn't get into so much of the details of the OTHER kinds of visas and entries besides O-As that can be used prior to ultimately applying for an extension of stay.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK