Rakai1

As zeichan says, it depends. I have the one year extension, with a multiple re-entry permit. All I need to do is report every 90 days, but I do not need to leave the country. Neither do the kids with their 1 year ED extensions. However, everyone always has to do the 90 day report, even the kids. Mark your calendar.

Your school should help with paperwork. The following is downloaded from here: http://phuket.qsischool.org/downloads/school/visa2.pdf

My kids have been on ED visas for the past 5 years. The school supplies the paperwork that the Immigration Office needs. You can then get annual one year extensions as guardians. However, you have to show money in the bank.

The instructions below are fairly accurate. Substitute "BIS" for the name of your school.

Good luck. It will seem very complicated and confusing, and there are a lot of steps, but you'll figure it out. It's actually quite straightforward. However, it is a lot of work.

Just wanted to add a note to the forum reporting on my experience at the Nonthaburi immigration office today. It was all very simple. I arrived at 10:15 and was out by 11:00. Half of that time was simply waiting for my number to be called. (On my last couple of visits to this office I notice that 10:30am seems to be the sweet spot where the morning rush is processed and gone and the office is nearly empty of customers.)

I wanted to convert my tourist visa to a non-imm "O", and later apply for a one year extension of stay. I am a 52 year old US citizen. I submitted my form (TM 86) with 1 photo, copies of my passport (the ID page, tourist visa, last entry stamp), and a copy of my departure card. They wanted evidence of current address, so I gave them a copy of my rental lease. And for the financial requirement I gave them the original "Embassy Letter" I got at the US Embassy yesterday. Neither the embassy or the immigration officer asked for any actual proof of funds, although I had copies of all those documents (funds in US accounts, and my SCB passbook) prepared to show if needed. The officer looked through all the documents, took my 2000 THB and asked me to wait. Fifteen minutes later it was all done, including a new 90 day report. I'll go back in 60-70 days and apply for my one year extension of stay.

Question: I suppose I need to get a new embassy letter for the one year extension application? They don't have a file showing I already submitted an original affidavit?

Ever since the re-modeling of the Nonthaburi office, it has been a pleasure to do business there. Although more distant from my house, the Nonthaburi office is much nicer, faster and more predictable than Chaengwattana. When the MRT Purple line finally opens, this office will be even easier to reach. The staff are very pleasant, and the Immigration Captain hands over all the passports to the customers personally and points out the new visas and expiration dates, which I think is a nice touch. Kudos to the staff of the Nonthaburi Immigration Office.

"There must be thousands of people in Thailand right now with double entry visas and more than a handful of people who have direct experience who can say what happened to them when exiting and returning to Thailand during their double entry visa. "

My wife and I are having direct experience of this right now. Beechguy, Mario2008 and lopburi3 are all correct and this is exactly what we have done: Use the re-entry permit to go in and out of the country in that period between your visa expiration dates. This has given us the opportunity to use the full 180 days possible on a double entry tourist visa, yet also leave the country for short trips in between.

The only issue we encountered is to make sure you use the re-entry number on the arrival card, and not the tourist visa number, or else the immigration official will inadvertently activate your 2nd entry, and defeat the purpose of the re-entry permit.

Is your wife Thai and you're on a visa that involves marriage? I ask because that type of visa seems to operate and is treated differently than someone who has a standard double entry tourist visa.

If you're not using a visa that involves a Thai wife then this is very good news for bearers of standard double entry visas and you've raised an important point about using the re-entry number of the exit permit on the the arrival card NOT using the tourist visa number.

Neither of us are Thai. We both went to VTE and got double-entry tourist visas there. Nothing fancy.

"There must be thousands of people in Thailand right now with double entry visas and more than a handful of people who have direct experience who can say what happened to them when exiting and returning to Thailand during their double entry visa. "

My wife and I are having direct experience of this right now. Beechguy, Mario2008 and lopburi3 are all correct and this is exactly what we have done: Use the re-entry permit to go in and out of the country in that period between your visa expiration dates. This has given us the opportunity to use the full 180 days possible on a double entry tourist visa, yet also leave the country for short trips in between.

The only issue we encountered is to make sure you use the re-entry number on the arrival card, and not the tourist visa number, or else the immigration official will inadvertently activate your 2nd entry, and defeat the purpose of the re-entry permit.