Expiring Permission to Stay, change to Tourist V?

[chubby]

Hello, I have a stamp till Sept 13 20 , and a RE Permit , am in the US now.

This is for an O-A I had till Sept 13 2019 .

I was thinking of returning Aug 15 2020 , which will get me to Sept 13 2020 on the Stamp , but I would like to stay 90 days, with a trip to Lao in October.

I'm guessing if I went to Chang Wattana Immigration, most one can get might be 30 day extension , if at all ?


I could apply for a METV in the US, if its all just going to be less hassle , BUT
2)
am I allowed to have both 'the stamp, REP" and a new METV in same passport AND
3)
on arrival @ Suvarnabhumi , is the IO going to have discretion which to use, or maybe when I apply for the METV, they might invalidate the Stamp ?

TIA chubs

[jacko45k]

You cannot get an Extension on the O-A POS unless you have a Thai dependent.

If you take a trip to Laos, you are entitled to a 30 day Visa Exempt Entry which can be extended by another 30 days and cover your time. (Only 2 Visa Exempts at a land border are permitted in a calendar year).

[ubonjoe]

You could leave the visa space on the TM6 arrival stamp when you enter the country  and request that they stamp you in to the country for 30 days. They may do it since  a visa exempt entry allows a longer stay than your re-entry permit.

Then you could get a 30 day extension of the visa exempt entry.

 

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, chubby said:

I'm guessing if I went to Chang Wattana Immigration, most one can get might be 30 day extension , if at all ?

No. There is no 30 day extension available. You could only apply for a 1 year extension (retirement) or a 60 day extension (visit Thai family).

 

4 hours ago, chubby said:

I could apply for a METV in the US, if its all just going to be less hassle , BUT
2)
am I allowed to have both 'the stamp, REP" and a new METV in same passport

They would issue the METV with a RE permit in your passport.

 

4 hours ago, chubby said:

3)
on arrival @ Suvarnabhumi , is the IO going to have discretion which to use, or maybe when I apply for the METV, they might invalidate the Stamp ?

The consular staff cannot “invalidate” the RE permit.

 

Yes the IO has discretion to use either the RE permit or new METV visa. They could cancel the METV and use the RE permit, ignore the METV and use the RE permit, or use the METV and ignore the RE permit.

 

I would use the RE permit and do a visa run for a 30 day visa exempt entry that can be extended 30 days. 

[BritTim]

7 minutes ago, elviajero said:

No. There is no 30 day extension available. You could only apply for a 1 year extension (retirement) or a 60 day extension (visit Thai family).

 

They would issue the METV with a RE permit in your passport.

 

The consular staff cannot “invalidate” the RE permit.

 

Yes the IO has discretion to use either the RE permit or new METV visa. They could cancel the METV and use the RE permit, ignore the METV and use the RE permit, or use the METV and ignore the RE permit.

 

I would use the RE permit and do a visa run for a 30 day visa exempt entry that can be extended 30 days. 

I believe this is substantially correct, except the statement that Immigration can cancel an METV issued by a consulate. They can (and often do) ignore METVs, but cannot void them.

[chubby]

well maybe its going to be more straightforward to apply for the METV but enter after the last day of the RE Stamp ............ don't think I want to take any chances of the border run before Sept 13 ; nor with the IO at the airport on arrival :(

[elviajero]

.

Edited February 14, 2020 by elviajero

[elviajero]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

I believe this is substantially correct, except the statement that Immigration can cancel an METV issued by a consulate. They can (and often do) ignore METVs, but cannot void them.

They can void/cancel any visa, regardless who issued it.

[ubonjoe]

24 minutes ago, elviajero said:

They can void/cancel any visa, regardless who issued it.

That is not as easily done as you imply. Only a officer of a certain rank has authority to do it.

[elviajero]

11 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That is not as easily done as you imply. Only a officer of a certain rank has authority to do it.

Any IO that's authorised, regardless of rank, can cancel a visa/permit.

 

Immigration control who gets in and who doesn't, and "they" have the power to revoke visas/permits. I'm not sure why @BritTim believes otherwise. 

[BritTim]

10 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Any IO that's authorised, regardless of rank, can cancel a visa/permit.

 

Immigration control who gets in and who doesn't, and "they" have the power to revoke visas/permits. I'm not sure why @BritTim believes otherwise. 

As a matter of interests, besides voiding visas, do you believe immigration officials can also affix visas in your passport? Are there any restrictions on the kinds of visas they are allowed to issue?

[elviajero]

5 minutes ago, BritTim said:

As a matter of interests, besides voiding visas, do you believe immigration officials can also affix visas in your passport? Are there any restrictions on the kinds of visas they are allowed to issue?

They issue visas all the time in the form of permits.

 

They could issue any type of entry visa, but because they are entry visas it's only done in a few cases. As you know Non-immigrant visas are regularly issued by immigration. The Smart Visa and the PE visa are another two routinely issued by immigration. The O-X is another that can be done in country. The O-A could be too, but for some reason they choose not to.

[chubby]

hmm, just went and looked @ the METV, seems its $200 and "A copy of bank statement for the last 6 months with a minimum balance of $7,000 (every months) (The name of the applicant must indicated clearly)"

for a tourist visa, ! (I believe this is the same price or more than the O-As have been over they last 2 cycles)


and just for a single entry OK $40 but

"A copy of flight confirmation/reservation, showing going from US to Thailand and leaving from Thailand (The name of the applicant must indicated clearly)
A copy of recent bank statement ($700 per person and $1,500 per family) (The name of the applicant must indicated clearly), In case of submitting family bank statement a proof of relationship (i.e. birth certificate, marriage certificate) must be provided." ; so happens I'm single but ; then how do I do the timing to make a trip to Lao in October ?



..............it's really starting to look like Thailand doesn't really want tourists anymore

of course, I can't deal with the health insurance thing to get another O-A , as afaik , practically I would have to purchase Thai -based insurance, though, I am in country 3-6 months/ year only

what a shame , maybe I do single entry , which is ? 60 days stamp ? then 30 visa exempt back from Lao to get near the 90 days I'd like

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, chubby said:

it's really starting to look like Thailand doesn't really want tourists anymore

No, it’s not.

 

Over 90% of western tourists enter under visa exemption as 30 days is more than enough for any typical holidaying tourist. And a few years ago they increased the extension of stay from 7 to 30 days. 

 

And the METV was targeted at the Asian countries to make it easier for them to regularly visit because they don’t have the privilege of VE.

 

Westerners trying to live long term in the country as ‘tourists’ are not wanted. That’s been clear since 2006.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, elviajero said:

They issue visas all the time in the form of permits.

 

They could issue any type of entry visa, but because they are entry visas it's only done in a few cases. As you know Non-immigrant visas are regularly issued by immigration. The Smart Visa and the PE visa are another two routinely issued by immigration. The O-X is another that can be done in country. The O-A could be too, but for some reason they choose not to.

Thank you for correcting a misapprehension I have long been under, and clarifying that the permission to stay stamp is better called "a visa". As I understand you, Immigration can issue any kind of visa used to enter the country, but only embassies and consulates are able to issue visas not used to enter Thailand. Presumably, these "non entry" visas are the only logical rationale for the consulates' existence. Otherwise, it would be much easier just to have Immigration issue all the visas when you arrive at the border, and want to enter Thailand.

[jacko45k]

9 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Thank you for correcting a misapprehension I have long been under, and clarifying that the permission to stay stamp is better called "a visa". As I understand you, Immigration can issue any kind of visa used to enter the country, but only embassies and consulates are able to issue visas not used to enter Thailand. Presumably, these "non entry" visas are the only logical rationale for the consulates' existence. Otherwise, it would be much easier just to have Immigration issue all the visas when you arrive at the border, and want to enter Thailand.

Elviajero has always interpreted the word 'Visa' to include Re-Entry permits and Extensions and other such things. It causes confusion and incorrect responses to questions. I don't wish to get into semantics but I always felt a Visa referred to an endorsement that secured an alien's permission to enter a country, obtained obviously outside that country. 

Best to be clear. 

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by jacko45k

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

Westerners trying to live long term in the country as ‘tourists’ are not wanted. That’s been clear since 2006.

The only thing done in 2006 was the long rescinded 90 days in 6 months rule for visa exempt entries. That is one of their attempts to cut down on people doing visa extemps entries at land border crossings to stay in the country. It and then then the 15 day visa exempt entries at land border crossing to push people to get tourist visas instead. And then the final one is the current limit of 2 at land border crossings per calendar year.

Nothing to do with staying here as tourist or a limit on the time spent here using tourist visas.