wealthychef

21 minutes ago, asiaexpat said:

To answer your question about "how long does it take", that depends on the day and time you go to CW. Two weeks ago I went on a Tuesday and arrived at 9AM. I finally got to see the first officer at 1:30 PM. Finished process at 2:30 PM. Never know how long until you get there.

Sigh, that's my concern.  Thanks for sharing that.  I have also heard it's a good strategy to arrive after lunch and get a number, as they try to clear the lines before leaving for the day.  I tried it once and it worked pretty well.  

I do note that the other person that it went quickly for got there at 8AM but I'm not willing to suffer to that level.  :-)  

7 minutes ago, SpokaneAl said:

 To keep it simple, you are not renewing a visa. You are applying for an extension of stay. If you have plans to leave the country, additionally you will need to purchase a reentry permit which is an additional cost. You can purchase a single reentry permit, good for one out and return, or a multi reentry permit, if you plan to leave the country more frequently.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

Thank you for the clarification.  You are incorrect about one thing:  I am renewing my visa, as well as applying for an extension of stay.  I'm actually doing both because yes I have plans to leave the country.  

Your post should be pinned as a permanent fixture to inform people of the process of renewal of visas and entry permits.  Thanks again. 

EDIT:  given that I am applying for both things, are there more documents I need to prepare?  

1 hour ago, partington said:

Firstly, although it seems pedantic, you should use the correct terminology so that you fully understand what you are doing and so people know what you are referring to exactly.

 

You are not renewing a "visa": a visa is a permission to enter a country at a border, which you obtain outside a country in order to be allowed to enter, and the period of validity of a visa is the time within which you will be allowed to enter the country using it (except under very restricted circumstances involving a nominal 'conversion' of a tourist to a non-imm O visa which is instantly used and therefore not valid). The period of validity of the visa does not refer to how long you are allowed to stay in the country, merely how long you are allowed to use it to enter the country.

 

When you go to immigration to apply for an extension of the period you are allowed to stay on the grounds of retirement, you are not renewing a visa: you are asking for the time you have been allowed to stay after entering on that visa to be extended. You will not have a valid visa at this point, that is you will not be allowed to enter at a border with your one year permission to stay intact. This is because you no longer have a visa, and will be allowed entry on a visa waiver, which for most countries only allows you to stay 30 days.

 

To answer your question specifically:

I did my retirement extension at Chaengwattana Bangkok last week.  I arrived at 8am, and had the extension by 10:30 am, with only 25 people waiting before me.

 

You need the filled in TM7 form (titled 'application for extension of stay in the kingdom'  not 'application for visa'!) 

 

a 4cm X 6cm recent photo on white or grey background .

 

Photocopies of passport photo page, visa page, last entry page and TM 6 departure /entry card: also last retirement extension stamp if you have one.

 

Letter from Embassy detailing income. 

[EDIT : You should probably bring any documentary evidence of income just in case they ask, on the better safe than sorry principle, not because they are likely to ask.]

 

I would take Bank book and photocopies of it even if applying entirely on the basis of income in case they ask.

 

Need bank letter stating account balance if applying by combination of income/balance, and update bank book on day of application, with photocopy of updated page .

 

Proof of address (asked for if this is your first application, but not usually after that, but take it anyway)

Sign the photocopies at the bottom.

 

That was all I needed.

You will need to apply for a re-entry permit if you intend to leave Thailand during any period of your extension when your visa is no longer valid.

 

Thank you very much for your clear description and quick reply.  

However, now I'm confused by your "clarification."  You said

Quote

you are not renewing a visa: you are asking for the time you have been allowed to stay after entering on that visa to be extended. You will not have a valid visa at this point, that is you will not be allowed to enter at a border with your one year permission to stay intact. This is because you no longer have a visa, and will be allowed entry on a visa waiver, which for most countries only allows you to stay 30 days.

I frequently exit and re-enter, and previously my visa was a multiple-enty visa.  The term of the visa expires at end of Feb.  I need to extend my permission to stay as well as permission to exit and enter at will.  You have just made things more confusing for me.  Definitely the visa expires at end of Feb.  Are you saying I don't need to renew that?  <deleted>, thanks.  

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

If you want hand holding in Bangkok, Bangkok Buddy (http://bangkokbuddy.com/) is fine. They have a contact at Chaeng Wattana who does a good job. You will need to attend immigration, but they will set up an appointment, and transport you there and back.

Thanks for the tip!  :-) 

Hi, it's time for me to go get a 12 month renewal of my retirement visa.  I am a US citizen.  I know I have to go get the statement of income from the US embassy.  Once that is done, can someone point me to a walk-through so I have the right forms and don't waste a trip to the heinous immigration office?  Thanks for any help, and apologies if this is a duplicate.  I searched google and this website and after about a half hour could not find what I'm asking for yet so I thought I'd ask here.  

Side note of interest, I tried to contact a visa service (speedy-visa.com), thinking to pay for convenience and save some time, and the impatient man on the phone there was really quite unkind and unhelpful, adamant that they don't do "hand holding" service and berated me for not reading his website closely enough.  Bad taste in my mouth.  He hung up on me without a goodbye.  I recommend avoiding speedy visa "services" if you want kindness and service, unless you are desperate and a bit masochistic.  

Thanks for any help.  

Just wanted to quickly share some information.  

I arrived at 14:45 at Chaengwattana on Friday Dec 1 to file my TM47.  I thought, oh no, it's Friday and it's the 1rst, so it's going to be hella busy.  

I asked the lady what is required and she said just my passport and the TM47.  No photocopies required.  

I sailed past information desk and was given num A 425 at 14:50 and the number on the board was A 317.  Based on earlier reports I've read here I figured they would do 2 per minute so I gave myself an hour to wait.  The room was packed, no empty chairs.  I didn't realize there is a separate room for waiting for 90 day checkins.  If you don't know this, you might not hear your number as they have a separate speaker for that room announcing the numbers.  

I was banking on them wanting to leave and believing that they had to serve me if I have a number, so they would go faster if it got later.  I am not sure this is really true.    

At 15:22 they were at A 344, so that's 27 in 32 minutes.  Much slower than I had anticipated.  

At 16:19 they were at A 415, which means that they did another 71 in 57 minutes.  

My number was called at 16:33.  So they do about 1 per minute.  But when I got up to the window, they were doing 3 at a time, so I think they do turn on the jets at the end of the day.  Others have suggested arriving at 3:00 to take advantage of this.  I don't think that would have worked for me on this day.  

I hope this helps others estimate their time.  

over and out. 

Are there any other countries in the world that use this "bring enough cash" criterion at their border?  I still don't understand the point of it.  I know, this is Thailand, sometimes it's just stupidity, is this one of those times?  What's wrong with using a visa card?  

1 hour ago, Suradit69 said:

 

If someone has a still valid, not expired, non-imm O-A (which is a multi-entry visa) you would not need a re-entry permit. Once it expires and you are in the country on a permission to stay from the last entry or if you have obtained an extension of stay, then you would need a re-entry permit.

I don't know the technical terms exactly, but my visa says "NON-O RETIREMENT" and I needed a re-entry permit in order for it to be valid upon re-entry to Thailand after my trip.  

1 hour ago, Suradit69 said:

 

For an extension of stay based on retirement, you can go to immigrations 30 days before your permission to stay from your last entry expires. At some offices it can be 45 days early.

 

The latest you can apply would be the day when the permission to stay ends. But as others have said, leaving it to the last minute could present problems if, for one reason or another, you weren't able to submit the application on that date.

 

There is nothing to be gained by waiting to the last minute. The annual extension of stay is added onto the last day of your permission to stay regardless of when you apply.

Thanks!  The reason I'm waiting for the last minute is as I said I have extended travel plans and don't want to cut them short if I don't have to.  

23 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

My answer was here.

The 15 days is to apply for a non immigrant visa entry at immigration not an extension.

No problem to apply on the last day since you already have a non-o visa but best to do it few days before in case there is a problem.

Great, thanks for repeating and clarifying in response to my concerns.  Very appreciate it.  This means I can stay longer in South America exploring.  That whole area is new to me.  Thank you thank you.  

23 hours ago, phuketrichard said:

for most immigration offices u can apply for the 1 year extension 30-45 days BEFORE your non o expires.

or the day it 5xpires.

 

friend of mines extension expired on the 25th of Nov,  he flew in on the 25th. immigration stamped him in for one day, ( he had a multi re entry permit) he made it to immigration office in Phuket and got the paperwork filed for another year.  Dont recommend u do this and at least do the day before  :-)

Aha!  An answer!  Thank you.  I saw on the Pattaya site that I'm supposed to come back 15 days before.  Maybe I will go to immigration and ask, but they are notoriously wrong, bad at English, and confusing.  :-) 

Good lord, I thought it was obvious that I have a re-entry permit, as I am going to re-enter and renew my visa, sorry I didn't clarify that.  Given that yes, I know I need a permit to re-enter, and yes, I know how to apply for the extension, can somebody answer my question?  LOL  To refresh our memories, " what is the latest I can apply for my extension?  Can I walk in on Feb 27 and get the extension, or do I need a week in advance, or three weeks, or what?  Basically when do I need to fly back and handle this?"  I'm not asking how to apply, or what documents I need, or how I re-enter when I come back.  Just want to know the latest I can return from my trip and still re-apply, because I cannot apply before I leave.  Don't have time.  It's for my Dad's funeral and I cannot delay departure.  

I have a non-immigrant "O" retirement visa, newly secured.  The first one they issue is apparently for 90 days and expires Feb 27.  I will be renewing it for a year.  However, I'm going on a trip to the USA soon and was hoping to extend the trip for quite some time to travel in South America before returning.  I was wondering, what is the latest I can apply for my extension?  Can I walk in on Feb 27 and get the extension, or do I need a week in advance, or three weeks, or what?  Basically when do I need to fly back and handle this?  I'm leaving Wed so I don't have time to handle it before I go.  

I apologize if this has already been covered.  I read at  http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/docs/ExtendingStay.pdf that I need to have 15 days remaining on my visa to apply for an extension.  Is that the case?  Thank you for any information.  

And as a followup, I ended up getting a single-entry tourist 60 day visa, which I am now in the process of converting to a 1-year non-immigrant "O" visa from here in Bangkok, where it is much easier.  Best of all possible worlds.  A bit tricky but lucky I have a friend to help navigate the bureaucracy -- a must in Thailand!  :-)  Sawatdi <deleted>

Thanks everyone for the clear and helpful instructions.  It sounds as if I've procrastinated my best options off the table.  I'll have to make another run at all of this somehow another time.  This time around, I'll shoot for the METV as it suits my purposes best.  http://thaiembdc.org/tourist-visa-category-tr-multiple-metv/ for anyone scanning through later.  At LA the turnaround on this is same day, which is quite remarkable actually.  No Mexico trip needed, so can spend more time with my sister up north!  

I can now start my retirement with happiness in the land of smiles.  Hope to meet some of you on the other side of the rabbit hole!  

โชคดีครับ!!!

2 minutes ago, Fithman said:

 

http://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/non-immigrant-visas/non-immigrant-category-o/

 

Check the link for detail of the O-A visa

Thanks for the link.  It says a 5 day turnaround there, I realize it's for Washington, but @Diplomatico are you sure about it being fast in LA?  

On the linked page, it says I need a letter from the FBI!  Is there a fast way to get that?  Anyone have experience there?  

The doctor would be really easy if I had a doctor, but without, I have no idea how I'm going to swing that either.  

Thanks for the help!  

Aha, I see one of my questions is answered.  I'm definitely leaning to the O-A visa, as it allows multiple entry per @Diplomatico but 

10 hours ago, Diplomatico said:

  Do you already have the medical certificate from your doctor and the local law enforcement background check in hand?  (Those are required for you to obtain the O-A visa at the Los Angeles consulate

 

  It's not five days turnaround in LA.....you drop off the application with passport one day, pick up your passport with visa the next day.  

 

  As elviajero stated, you can get up to two years in Thailand with the O-A visa if you strategically leave and re-enter the country just prior to the "enter before" date.  It's also a multiple entry visa so you don't need re-entry permits for the first year of those two years.

 

  You do not need an attorney to apply in Thailand.  

 

  The cost to do either is roughly equivalent, depending upon the cost of your medical cert and the notary public requirement.  In the USA you can get your notary public signature at Postal Annex stores for $10.00.  (Others will be along to dispute the cost equivalency statement but if you compare the cost of two separate years of permission to stay + re-entry permits with the cost of two years O-A visa, the cost difference is negligible, if any.)

 

  The "hassle factor" is much less in Los Angeles.  Btw, there's a small shop almost directly across the street from the LA Consulate that does photos, copies, and (I think) provides notary services too.  

OK so it really sounds like I want an O-A.  This is because it is multiple entry, lasts a long time, and can be gotten quickly.  I have plenty of cash laying around.  The only things left for me is the get the medical cert and background check ready.  Can you point me to more info about how/where to do that?  Sorry to be such a helpless chick here but I've only ever entered on 30 day visas on arrival in the past and done brief stays of 2 weeks at a time.  Much appreciation for the help!  If I call the embassy, will they be helpful or give me confusing directions in a thick accent?  :-)  I hate to drive 6 hours to LA and find out I forgot to go to some office here for some piece of paper.  Everything I have is digital, on my laptop/in the cloud so should be able to print out proof of bank account.  

10 hours ago, chubby said:

if you plan on staying > 2 years, probably go ahead and get the   'extension of stay'  in Thailand, but you'll need a Thai Bank account, which might require the time and expense of going to Wireless Rd. US Emb for the 'proof of residence' , and the money must sit in the Thai bank for some length of time IIRC. 

 

PS is that your real photo   K. richcook  man ?

Yes my real photo, do you know me?  

Great, thanks, that's all very good information.   I'd strongly prefer to not have to idle my gears in Mexico if I can avoid it because I have a few things to do here in the US before I leave.  

One thing I forgot to mention is I need a multiple entry visa as I plan to hop around a lot, not settle right into Thailand.  I have a cheap setup through a friend so it makes a good home base, but I'll be moving between LOS, Cambodia, Malaysia, PI, etc.  Is the O-A any restriction on that?   Sorry I did not mention it earlier.  

 I have lots of savings in a US bank account, but I think there's not enough time to season it.   I don't really want to put $20k cash in a Thai bank necessarily, but could do so without much trouble.  

I do not have anything from my doctor;  in fact I do not have a doctor any more as my Kaiser insurance has lapsed.  And I also do not have the local law enforcement background certification either.  How can I proceed to satisfy those requirements?   Do I have time in 3 days, or am I stuck?  Can I run to a clinic or something?  What does the embassy need here specifically?  

I can call Kaiser and see if they'll issue me something if I know what to ask for, not sure if they'll give it to me.  The law enforcement thing is very mysterious to me. 

What about the METV route in that case?  

I'm heading to Los Angeles in a couple days (Oct 4 or 5) to talk to the consulate office and get a visa for travel in November 2016.  My buddy in Bangkok says I should get a 60 day tourist visa and then get a retirement visa in Thailand.  I seem to remember that it's better to get your retirement visa in USA because in Thailand it's much more expensive due to the need for a lawyer.  Am I correct?  Is my friend's plan a good one?  

The advantage to getting a tourist visa is a same-day turnaround, and I think I have to wait 5 business days for the O-A retirement visa.  So if it's just as easy to get in Thailand, I prefer to follow my friend's plan, but if necessary, I can just chill in nearby Mexico and wait 5 days.  

Apologize as I know this has been addressed elsewhere but I can't find the answer, thought someone would know off the top of their heads.  

Thanks for any help!