BritTim

When you face deportation, there is no theoretical limitation on where you can go, and which airline you can use, but ... Under international law, the airline and the country you are being deported to must be informed that you are a deportee. Almost invariably, they can and will refuse to accept you. In nearly every case, you will be deported to your country of citizenship (which is obligated to receive you). Further, without special negotiations, the only airline that is likely to accept you is your country's national carrier, not a low cost airline.

Unfortunately, his idiocy is liable to end up hurting others than just himself. I hope his family will be able to deal with the aftermath.

How recent? Reports from a few weeks ago suggest a wait of about 15 days.

A marriage extension requires sign off at Division headquarters. That makes the extension very difficult to arrange by an agent if you do not meet the usual requirements. Most agents cannot help. If an agent can do it, you should expect it to be quite expensive.

You can only get a re-entry permit at the airport on the day you are leaving on an international flight. They would not give you one even if you were just about to take a domestic flight to Bangkok, immediately intending to connect with an international flight out of Thailand.

That is what the law states. However, even the most anal immigration office will accept a TM30 notification done a few days after your return without penalty. Also, pursuant to rule changes in 2020, there is supposed to be no need to do a new notification if returning to your permanent address after using a re-entry permit, or the same multiple entry visa used for the previous entry.

I think the answer provides good practical advice. I would though add that, technically, you are supposed to ensure that a TM30 notification has been done. Although unlikely, it is possible for Immigration in your area to do a sweep looking for people who have not complied with the rules. Their real objective is to find overstayers. However, if you are caught up in such a sweep, you will face a fine for failure to ensure the TM30 notification was done.

You were wise to apply on a Wednesday. Probably, you applied on a Monday or Thursday in the past when it can be very busy. It is true that many who used to go there no longer do, but that is mainly because they are no longer a good option when applying for tourist visas.

That depends on the Immigration office. I think Jomtien accepts applications for a one-year extension up to 30 days before the expiry of your current permission to stay (with the actual stamp in your passport that day or the following day). They might agree to do it earlier if you can provide proof that your overseas trip is for an essential purpose.

I agree. I was initially sceptical, but the whole LTR visa program has been well conceived and implemented. I am especially impressed that there has not been a hint of corruption around the whole process.

First you apply for a visa which, when approved, gives you a 90-day permission to stay. This was done by applying with form TM87. It is initially taken under consideration with a report back date. Towards the end of the 90 days, you then apply for a one-year extension of the permission to stay using form TM7.

The general consensus is that the "online extension" through VFS is pretty useless. You will still need to attend Immigration. All they really do is verify that your paperwork is correct, and make an appointment for the visit to the immigration office. The last I checked, this service was also only available in Bangkok. The only benefit of this hand holding procedure by VFS is that it reduces the chance of a wasted visit to Immigration resulting from not having the correct documents. If you need to be assisted through the application for an extension, although a little more expensive, I would suggest you look for an agent who tend to do it better, and who support applying at more immigration offices. If doing the extension yourself, try to make an appointment to minimise waiting. At any rate, there is absolutely no objection if you just want to turn up as in the past. It will just take longer.

To answer you first question, there would be no problem leaving at any time after the formal truncation of your permission to stay. As long as you have the formal letter from the school identifying when your course of study ended (and maker sure you do not later lose it) there will be no serious later consequences from just leaving by air.

What he has in mind is that, three months after the retirement extension is granted, you can reduce the money in the bank from 800k to 400k baht. This gives to 400k available for seven months to use for other purposes.

No. You are limited to a single 30-day extension. If you can get a letter from the hospital stating that you are not physically able to travel, you might be able to get a medical extension. Be warned that Immigration treats applications for medical extensions with extreme scepticism.

There may well be confusion between (i) applying for a visa at Immigration from an entry as a tourist (or visa exempt) which is complicated; and (ii) applying for an extension of your permission to stay when already on a Non Immigrant entry. You want the latter, and there is nothing fundamentally different about the extension whether you start from a Non Immigrant visa from an embassy or are already on a Non Immigrant entry. Talk to the office, and see if they understand this distinction. You do not need a new visa.

Correct. Once you enter Thailand without a re-entry permit, any older permission to stay is gone forever. There would be little chance of airport immigration accepting a photocopy of the re-entry stamp, and absolutely none of resurrecting the old permission to stay once you enter with a new permission to stay.

Go in person to your local Labour Department with every document you can think of. In my experience, the officials are usually friendly and helpful when faced with reasonable enquiries.

At most immigration offices (including Bangkok) no new TM30 notification is needed. Also, to set your mind at rest, even the most blatant disregard for the requirements on reporting cannot get you deported. At worst, it exposes you to the risk of a modest fine.

Actually, following rules changes a couple of years ago, this is not cut and dried. A lot of volunteer work, these days, is allowed without a volunteer visa or similar. What is and is not allowed is not 100% clear, but most volunteer work that does not involve financial gain is permitted. The OP mentions that they receive expenses. That is enough that I would want an official ruling from the Labour Department on whether the volunteer work envisaged is permissible as a tourist.

A photo of a "photo forbidden" notice appeals to my childish sense of humour.

As @Lemsta69 implied, it is very possible that the available options depend on your nationality, and the embassy/consulate that will process your application. Many years ago, the UK was a special case when it came to those in receipt of a UK state pension. I think that it still is For a long time, some embassies/consulates allowed you to apply for a Non O (retirement) while others only had the Non O-A (long stay) visa as an option.

Take a look at Police Order on Extensions of Temporary Permission to Stay. The main sections to look at is are extensions under Reason 2.3 or Reason 2.27, though Reason 2.15 could also apply (only allows your permission to stay to be extended 90 days at a time). What you want is a termination letter specifying the end of you current employment as about two to three weeks in the future. Using this, you visit the immigration office (Changwattana if you are in Bangkok) to have your existing permission to stay based on working truncated At the same time, talk with them to make sure you are clear on the documents you require (probably under Reason 2.3) for your permission to stay to be extended. When you have those documents in hand. visit CW again for the extension.

If you easily qualify for the Non O-X visa, you would usually also qualify for the LTR-WP (Long Term Resident Wealthy Pensioner) visa. Do you have a reason for rejecting that option, especially as one reason for choosing the Non O-X seems to be financial (and the Non O-X visa does not have the tax benefits you get from the LTR-WP).

If you have a letter from the school, you would probably be able to leave even by land. However, if you plan to use a land crossing, it would be prudent to visit your local immigration office to get your permission to stay formally cancelled. If leaving by air, there is certainly no issue. Keep that letter from the school, just in case you meet the kinds of officials later who try to find problems.