southsideBruce

On 6/4/2022 at 5:03 PM, DrJack54 said:

Dont go.

Zero repercussions 

I ended up going to Chonburi Immigration (at Jomtien)... Had all the paperwork required, signed copies of passport/bank book... I told the guy at the retirement visa desk that I had lost the original form... He said no problem, quickly looked at my documents, stapled them together and put them in a pile of retirement visa paperwork he was processing... I know that I probably didn't have to do the 90 day 800K THB in the bank drill - but feel better following the Immigration rules... but the rules are strange in that you end up having to show an entire year's worth of bank transactions when you file for an extension - and that would show if you withdrew too much at any point during the year, didn't leave enough in the account... BUT I guess maybe they are trying to catch the visa applicants who go with a visa company where they don't have to have anything in a bank account (apparently, from what I've read)... still, I sleep better at night knowing that I am following the Immigration rules...

Wow - thankful that I noticed this, as I had TOTALLY forgotten about the 90 day return to Jomtien Immigration to prove the 800K funds still in the bank account, and 90 days for me is June 7!!... Looked for the form they gave me when I picked up my passport (or when I applied for the extension, forget when they gave it to me) - can't find it, and for some dumbARSE reason, forgot to photo the form like I usually do, and forgot to add it to my google calendar to remind me... but thankfully last year I noted what I needed to take with me in my google calendar:

Need Passport copies - photo page and last visa page

Bankbook copes - first page, last page (updated before making the copy)

Form that Immigration gave when did visa extension.

I mailed a letter to England on March 27, Pattaya Post Office on the Soi between 2nd Road and Beach Road (forget the Soi name)... They told me surface mail only and it would take up to 3 months... And when I asked about letters to the States, they said the same... I wonder if FEDexpress and DHL Express are still shipping things via airplane, faster, at a MUCH STEEPER PRICE... 

Timeline below and lessoned learned going through the move visa to new (US) passport activities:

July 19, 2019 - did a new retirement extension on my Non-O Visa in my old passport

April 2020 - old passport was going to expire (only got retirement extension above to April 2020)

Oct 21, 2019 - US Embassy received my new passport application along with my old passport, photos, cashier's checks (2 of them as I also decided to get a passport card - not sure if I will ever use the passport card, but figured might as well get one)...

Oct 31, 2019 - received my new passport (and old passport CANX'd) in the mail - WOW - so freakN FAST!!  A few days later received my passport card...

Nov 4, 2019 - Chonburi Immigration - visa transfer to new passport... also registered the new passport at the Land Transport Office (got new drivers licenses with new passport info on it), and at my bank branch... 

Dec 2019 - vacation to Singapore - on return, Thai immigration officer/gal asked if I had my old passport as she couldn't seem to find the visa in the new passport... fortunately (VERY LUCKILY) I had the old passport with me in a backpack that I was carrying (my Thai girlfriend, her sister and my daughter had gone through the line for Thai passports and they could easily have been carrying that backpack) and I showed it to the immigration officer... after closer inspection, she determined the new passport was Good2Go visa-wise, stamped me, and I was on my way...

moral of the story - recommend on first international trip using new passport, take old CANX'd one with you, just in case... I have a trip to the States coming up in the not so distant future and I will probably bring both my old (CANX'd) and new US passports, just in case...also on first trip using the new passport, don't forget to pull the TM6 departure card from the old passport/might be stapled into the old one... 

I didn't quite follow your entire story but I am not sure why you didn't just stay in Thailand and get your (and your wife's) Education Visa converted into NON-O Visa at the Bangkok Immigration office. This past January when I got my last 90 day extension on my ED Visa, the folks at the Jomtien Immigration office front desk told me that it is possible to do that (and not have to leave the country), and gave me a document that explains what you need to do it. Has anyone else done this recently - past year, or so? If so, what documents did you need at time that you went. It is what I am planning to do at the end of this month/March. Hope it all works out OK. I don't want to get another ED Visa with all the changes the government made/are making to the ED Visa requirements, etc. I have the age (over 50) and the retirement income enough to meet the requirements for a retirement Visa (NON-O with extension for reasons of retirement).

Cannot convert a non-imm 'ED visa converted to non-imm 'O', either in Bangkok or anywhere else, because they are both non-imm visa.

And even if the written regulations allow that, immigration offices in most cases will not grant extensions of stay other than for study, to those entered with a non-imm 'ED' visa.

Which means in your case you will need to either obtain the non-imm 'O' abroad, or leave and re-enter visa exempt or tourist visa, which you can convert to non-imm 'O' in Bangkok, that may require two trips.

I called up the other day to the Bangkok office and pretty sure that the lady I spoke with told me it is possible to do what I need to do at the Bangkok office. I will call again to the Bangkok office and have my Thai girlfriend speak to the Rep, and see if what you say is true. Quite possibly the Jomtien office rep didn't understand what I was asking them. As you said, I might have to change my plans and head to a nearby country and then return and go to the Bangkok office to get the Non-O Visa.

I didn't quite follow your entire story but I am not sure why you didn't just stay in Thailand and get your (and your wife's) Education Visa converted into NON-O Visa at the Bangkok Immigration office. This past January when I got my last 90 day extension on my ED Visa, the folks at the Jomtien Immigration office front desk told me that it is possible to do that (and not have to leave the country), and gave me a document that explains what you need to do it. Has anyone else done this recently - past year, or so? If so, what documents did you need at time that you went. It is what I am planning to do at the end of this month/March. Hope it all works out OK. I don't want to get another ED Visa with all the changes the government made/are making to the ED Visa requirements, etc. I have the age (over 50) and the retirement income enough to meet the requirements for a retirement Visa (NON-O with extension for reasons of retirement).