jamie2009

Are there any benefits to having an O-A Visa rather than an Extension of Stay based on Retirement ?

This is where the I am confused, my stamp on my re entry in February says Non O. I had a a 90 Non O, Sept 2014 to Dec 2014 which I understood was then changed to Retirement Visa giving me 15 months expiring Dec 2015. I also paid for a Multi Entry Permit. The page on my Passport does say RETIREMEN* suppose that's the Thai way of spelling it. I did my 90 day report at Jomtien today, it says THIS NOT AN EXTENSION OF StAY, basically what type of Visa do I have, I understood a Retirement Visa was an O-A Visa which I thought I had.

I did try to copy and paste the page of my Passport but it wouldn't do it.

Does it look like the one on the left.

Yes, but I have told that's an extension of stay based on retirement,

The only place you can apply for a OA visa is at an embassy or consulate in your home country or country of legal residence.

s

Apologies for the twenty questions, so how do I extend my Visa for another year in December, Pay an agent again or is it straight forward ?

This is where the I am confused, my stamp on my re entry in February says Non O. I had a a 90 Non O, Sept 2014 to Dec 2014 which I understood was then changed to Retirement Visa giving me 15 months expiring Dec 2015. I also paid for a Multi Entry Permit. The page on my Passport does say RETIREMEN* suppose that's the Thai way of spelling it. I did my 90 day report at Jomtien today, it says THIS NOT AN EXTENSION OF StAY, basically what type of Visa do I have, I understood a Retirement Visa was an O-A Visa which I thought I had.

I did try to copy and paste the page of my Passport but it wouldn't do it.

You do not have a OA visa. You have a one year extension of stay based upon retirement.

Every time you enter the country using your re-entry permit you will get stamped in until the 14th of December.

You will have to have to apply for a new extension prior to the date your extension ends.

So the agent 'conned' me ? How do I or can I change to an O-A Visa ?

Pages from my Passport, help ! Retirement, O, O-A or what ?

Yet another case of someone not having any idea about what is in the passport !

Here we are hearing about "multi entry non imm" and a (non existent) retirement visa .

Suggest the only way this to be resolved is for jamie2009 to scan and post pictures of what exactly is in the passport. Pics of the "multi entry non-imm" and the "retirement visa" are needed.

Exactly I don't know what's in my passport, I did try and copy and paste my passport but it would paste.

This is where the I am confused, my stamp on my re entry in February says Non O. I had a a 90 Non O, Sept 2014 to Dec 2014 which I understood was then changed to Retirement Visa giving me 15 months expiring Dec 2015. I also paid for a Multi Entry Permit. The page on my Passport does say RETIREMEN* suppose that's the Thai way of spelling it. I did my 90 day report at Jomtien today, it says THIS NOT AN EXTENSION OF StAY, basically what type of Visa do I have, I understood a Retirement Visa was an O-A Visa which I thought I had.

I did try to copy and paste the page of my Passport but it wouldn't do it.

It is a small stamp that will look something like this one. It may have slightly different wording.

entry stamp.png

Problem solved found a stamp but due to the bad hand writing I couldn't read the date, entered 24th Feb 2015 until 14/0216 although it looks like 5,

Next question why do people pay agents to renew their visa every year ? It would be a lot cheaper just too leave the country a few days before and add another year.

Glad you found it. Buy I would of expected the until date to be the 23rd of February.

Most people are on extensions of stay not a OA visa like you have. They have to go to immigration every year to apply for a new extension.

You will have to do that after the 2 years of total stay you will get from your visa unless you go back home to get a new visa.

Apologies date is 14/12/2015, Problem is my multi entry says says non immigrant but my Visa on the next page says Retirement, confused, what type of Visa do I have ?

I have a O/A multi you entry visa which expires on December 2015. I have left Thailand a couple of times and I cannot find a stamp in my passport which says my visa has been extended. Do I have to wait nearer the expiry date before it will be extended and how will I know ?

Your Visa will not be extended.

Your permission to stay will be though.

You get 12 months on every entry before ? December 2015

Ok I am a bit slow on the uptake but how do I know I have permission to stay as there are no stamps in my Passport when I have returned to Thailand indicating this, I returned to Thailand in February 2015 but no stamp showing February 2016 indicating permission to stay.

It is a small stamp that will look something like this one. It may have slightly different wording.

entry stamp.png

Problem solved found a stamp but due to the bad hand writing I couldn't read the date, entered 24th Feb 2015 until 14/0216 although it looks like 5,

Next question why do people pay agents to renew their visa every year ? It would be a lot cheaper just too leave the country a few days before and add another year.

@Jamie.

The Immigration law only allows aliens permission to stay in Thailand for 90 days at a time unless, you either report to an Immigration office every 90 days or leave the Country every 90 days. There are different types of Visa and 'extensions' that can dictate which method you follow.

A Non Imm O-A Visa is valid for 12 months and is multi entry.

With your Visa you can either report to an Immigration office every 90 days, or leave and re-enter to reset your next 90 day permission to stay. As it's multi entry you can leave and re-enter whenever you want up to the 'enter before date' in your passport.

On each entry it also resets the validity of your Visa back to 12 months.

However if your 'enter before date' (not the Visa expiry date) was say 15th Dec 2015 and you left the Country and re-entered on 14th December, your Visa will be valid for another 12 months, but the multi entry facility ends on that last entry.

Thereafter you either have to report to an Immigration office to receive another 90 day permission to stay, or if you wish to travel you can get either a single or multi entry re-entry permit from an Immigration office. This will allow you to come and go as before but keep your Visa valid.

If you leave the Country without getting a re-entry permit your Visa will have expired and re-entry will be refused on that Visa.

You state you last re-entered Thailand in February. What date?

You need to either report to your local Immigration office 90 days after that Feb re-entry date, which means you have to report again this month, or leave the Country again.

I did my 90 day report at Jomtien today.

I have a O/A multi you entry visa which expires on December 2015. I have left Thailand a couple of times and I cannot find a stamp in my passport which says my visa has been extended. Do I have to wait nearer the expiry date before it will be extended and how will I know ?

Your Visa will not be extended.

Your permission to stay will be though.

You get 12 months on every entry before ? December 2015

Ok I am a bit slow on the uptake but how do I know I have permission to stay as there are no stamps in my Passport when I have returned to Thailand indicating this, I returned to Thailand in February 2015 but no stamp showing February 2016 indicating permission to stay.

I have a O/A multi you entry visa which expires on December 2015. I have left Thailand a couple of times and I cannot find a stamp in my passport which says my visa has been extended. Do I have to wait nearer the expiry date before it will be extended and how will I know ?

I agree with most of the complaints about overcharging, but not all. If a hospital charges 3/4 times for medicine that can be found in most good chemists then i do not think that is a good reason to complain. After all we are all capable of finding a good chemist. However stories like the one about a Phuket hospital who's doctors were willing to carry out unnecessary procedures are abhorrent. How can we expect a good standard of care from doctors who behave like this?

There are some standard practices in Thai private hospitals that puzzle me. My particular example is a prostate biopsy. Thai private hospitals insist in a general anesthetic, if you want it done with just a local then use a government hospital. It is standard practice in NZ to do it with a local so it does seem like profiteering. A friend who had it done in NZ was asked by the doctor if he needed an injection when he went to the dentist. He was told if he didn't then he didn't need even a local for the biopsy.

Practices like charging a higher fee for foreigners than for Thais is also out of place in a hospital. This is medical treatment we are talking about. Of course it has to be profitable but it should not be greedy.

I had a biopsy in the UK, it was slightly uncomfarble but certainly not painful, didn't warrant a General Anasthetic, certainly had a lot more painful visits to the dentist. The downside was I picked a Water Infection up, 3% chance of, took me 4 weeks to get rid off. It was only after 3/4 lots of antibiotics that they decided to send a sample to the lab to analyse and match the infection to an antibiotic. The lesson I learned was always have the sample sent to the Lab. I was going to complain but the Docs'closed 'ranks'

Nickcar: Again I had a completely different experience in a private "expensive " hospital in Bangkok

referred to above a number of times. The physician really tried to convince me that a biopsy is not that painful that it required an anesthetic. He succeeded, but I wish he hadn't. It was rather painful - maybe I am too sensitive to pains....

I would love to know that dr name and the hospital. The last time i enquired a biopsy was around 40,000 baht including general anaesthetic should have been much less without the GA. I hope you guys all know that the PSA test has been pretty much discredited as anything but a mild indicator of possible cancer. A rectal exam is needed plus a rectal scan at least before a biopsy is required. In my experience my PSA went up and down like a yoyo which greatly puzzled the urologist. Until i read somewhere that one should not ejaculate for at least 3/4 days before a PSA test and since then my tests have been fairly normal.

I note that a bad biopsy can destroy your sex life, and certainly any treatment for diagnosed cancer will destroy your sex life. And that most cancers are so slow that you will usually die of something else.

The PSA is only an indictator, mine was 8, for my age should be no more than 4. DRE found nothing abnormal about my prostate, I had the choice of another blood test or a biopsy, I decided a biopsy the result was cancer, Gleeson Level 6, this was followed by a MRI scan which indicated the cancer was contained in my prostate with an overall involvement of 7%. The Uroligists recommendation was Active Surveillance, blood test and a DRE every three months but he also said I could have treatment at any time. I went along with his recommendation, my PSA has dropped to below 2 in the last year therefore if I had a blood test now my cancer would not have been detected. They will never screen men in the UK as the PSA test is so unreliable, currently it's the only method currently available and also testing can make men have unnecessary biopsies and surgery. Surgery is improving, there is now treatment called cyber knifing which detects the radiation directly on to the tumour resulting in less damage to the surrounding tissue. I have never heard of a biopsy affecting some ones sex life but the treatment can along with incontinence. Before a PSA, no sex or physical exercise for 48 hours before the test.

I assume this was the same dr in bkk who did a biopsy without General anaesthetic. I am most impressed, i have always been afraid doctors would recommend radical treatment when it isn't called for. Again i would love to know the dr and hospital. Can you message me if you don't want to publish?

It was done in the UK, I am from there.

I agree with most of the complaints about overcharging, but not all. If a hospital charges 3/4 times for medicine that can be found in most good chemists then i do not think that is a good reason to complain. After all we are all capable of finding a good chemist. However stories like the one about a Phuket hospital who's doctors were willing to carry out unnecessary procedures are abhorrent. How can we expect a good standard of care from doctors who behave like this?

There are some standard practices in Thai private hospitals that puzzle me. My particular example is a prostate biopsy. Thai private hospitals insist in a general anesthetic, if you want it done with just a local then use a government hospital. It is standard practice in NZ to do it with a local so it does seem like profiteering. A friend who had it done in NZ was asked by the doctor if he needed an injection when he went to the dentist. He was told if he didn't then he didn't need even a local for the biopsy.

Practices like charging a higher fee for foreigners than for Thais is also out of place in a hospital. This is medical treatment we are talking about. Of course it has to be profitable but it should not be greedy.

I had a biopsy in the UK, it was slightly uncomfarble but certainly not painful, didn't warrant a General Anasthetic, certainly had a lot more painful visits to the dentist. The downside was I picked a Water Infection up, 3% chance of, took me 4 weeks to get rid off. It was only after 3/4 lots of antibiotics that they decided to send a sample to the lab to analyse and match the infection to an antibiotic. The lesson I learned was always have the sample sent to the Lab. I was going to complain but the Docs'closed 'ranks'

Nickcar: Again I had a completely different experience in a private "expensive " hospital in Bangkok

referred to above a number of times. The physician really tried to convince me that a biopsy is not that painful that it required an anesthetic. He succeeded, but I wish he hadn't. It was rather painful - maybe I am too sensitive to pains....

I would love to know that dr name and the hospital. The last time i enquired a biopsy was around 40,000 baht including general anaesthetic should have been much less without the GA. I hope you guys all know that the PSA test has been pretty much discredited as anything but a mild indicator of possible cancer. A rectal exam is needed plus a rectal scan at least before a biopsy is required. In my experience my PSA went up and down like a yoyo which greatly puzzled the urologist. Until i read somewhere that one should not ejaculate for at least 3/4 days before a PSA test and since then my tests have been fairly normal.

I note that a bad biopsy can destroy your sex life, and certainly any treatment for diagnosed cancer will destroy your sex life. And that most cancers are so slow that you will usually die of something else.

The PSA is only an indictator, mine was 8, for my age should be no more than 4. DRE found nothing abnormal about my prostate, I had the choice of another blood test or a biopsy, I decided a biopsy the result was cancer, Gleeson Level 6, this was followed by a MRI scan which indicated the cancer was contained in my prostate with an overall involvement of 7%. The Uroligists recommendation was Active Surveillance, blood test and a DRE every three months but he also said I could have treatment at any time. I went along with his recommendation, my PSA has dropped to below 2 in the last year therefore if I had a blood test now my cancer would not have been detected. They will never screen men in the UK as the PSA test is so unreliable, currently it's the only method currently available and also testing can make men have unnecessary biopsies and surgery. Surgery is improving, there is now treatment called cyber knifing which detects the radiation directly on to the tumour resulting in less damage to the surrounding tissue. I have never heard of a biopsy affecting some ones sex life but the treatment can along with incontinence. Before a PSA, no sex or physical exercise for 48 hours before the test.

I agree with most of the complaints about overcharging, but not all. If a hospital charges 3/4 times for medicine that can be found in most good chemists then i do not think that is a good reason to complain. After all we are all capable of finding a good chemist. However stories like the one about a Phuket hospital who's doctors were willing to carry out unnecessary procedures are abhorrent. How can we expect a good standard of care from doctors who behave like this?

There are some standard practices in Thai private hospitals that puzzle me. My particular example is a prostate biopsy. Thai private hospitals insist in a general anaesthetic, if you want it done with just a local then use a government hospital. It is standard practice in NZ to do it with a local so it does seem like profiteering. A friend who had it done in NZ was asked by the doctor if he needed an injection when he went to the dentist. He was told if he didn't then he didn't need even a local for the biopsy.

Practices like charging a higher fee for foreigners than for Thais is also out of place in a hospital. This is medical treatment we are talking about. Of course it has to be profitable but it should not be greedy.

I had a biopsy in the UK, it was slightly uncomfarble but certainly not painful, didn't warrant a General Anasthetic, certainly had a lot more painful visits to the dentist. The downside was I picked a Water Infection up, 3% chance of, took me 4 weeks to get rid off. It was only after 3/4 lots of antibiotics that they decided to send a sample to the lab to analyse and match the infection to an antibiotic. The lesson I learned was always have the sample sent to the Lab. I was going to complain but the Docs'closed 'ranks'

I normally return to the UK for my 3 monthly check up for Prostate Cancer, it's a PSA Blood Test and a DRE, (digital rectum examination) this time I will have it done here in Pattaya, I have been recommended by some members a Uroligist who works at the International Hospital on Fridays. Before I go I will pay a visit and ask the cost of the consultation so I know what to expect, hopefully cheaper than an air fare to the UK. I used the place for some thing else before but what I didn't like was they always seemed to be 'touting' for business.

Can you let us know the name of the doctor & the cost please? Thanx!

Dr Supanat Sirikulchayanonta Is the doctors name, will be calling round the hospital in the next couple of weeks for cost, will let you know

I normally return to the UK for my 3 monthly check up for Prostate Cancer, it's a PSA Blood Test and a DRE, (digital rectum examination) this time I will have it done here in Pattaya, I have been recommended by some members a Uroligist who works at the International Hospital on Fridays. Before I go I will pay a visit and ask the cost of the consultation so I know what to expect, hopefully cheaper than an air fare to the UK. I used the place for some thing else before but what I didn't like was they always seemed to be 'touting' for business.

Until they get rid of the mentality of overhead lines there will always be a problem not helped by tagging of telecoms cables on the same poles increasing the load. Transformer on poles increasing the weight doesn't help either although it is common practice in the States in some places.

Songkran must be a disaster for bars/restaurants. Many people (like me) who would normally go out to eat/drink have to hibernate for a week.

The bars are full of people during songkran. It is one of the biggest parties of the year.

There busy with people stood outside throwing water, how many are drinking beer ?

Songhkran is not a money spinner for Bar owners as no one drinks very much they just throw water over each other and any one passing. I occasionally go to Beach Road during the day but not this week so how many more regular customers do the same, who wants to sit having a cold beer and get dowsed by freezing cold water. It also keeps a lot of people indoors so the Restaurants suffer as well.

Obviously none of you have a job or you would not be complaining about songkran being too short. I would love more holidays!

The point is we would all like more holidays, New Year in the majority of countries is a two day holiday. Where is the pleasure of walking about trying to avoid water throwing for between three and seven days, one should be the max.

Just remembered it's All Fools Day/April Fools Day !

I would have thought this would be a thriving business in Pattaya with clinics on every corner, like the VD clinics used to be.

to have any legal value the whole process must be a closed and controlled chain to avoid that you don't deliver DNA from a friend to avoid being confirmed as father. In a clinic-on-every-corner it would cost only a few baht under the table to get the samples for any required result.

So they probably can do it, it just collecting a few cells and send those off to a lab that has the equipment to read DNA, same as you can order the equipment for such tests online but the value the results will be less than the paper it's printed on.

I am looking at a test, the sample is taken by a doctor in Pattaya and then sent to a lab in Bangkok. The test is not for legal purposes, it's for my piece of mind.