heretostay

1 hour ago, fishtank said:

You have an extension of stay and not a Visa.

I obtained a TR visa abroad first.  CW converted that to Non-B class.  I have remained in the country on extensions ever since.  I do have a visa... and many extensions.

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You have been extending the 90 day entry the non-b visa allowed.

When you changed from an based upon working to retirement it changed nothing related to your the visa you used to get the first 90 day non immigrant visa entry.

 

Got it, that's clear!  Whew!!!

7 hours ago, steve187 said:

29th july entry is on a non immigrant b visa - 90 days

29th april is on a re-entry permit, issued against a yearly extension, so somewhere between these 2 dates you changed to a yearly extension of stay, what stamps by local immigration office, are on the first page of your latest passport

Hi,

Those ARE the stamps on the first page of the passport!

Yes, you're right, I went from TR (obtained abroad) to Non-B (converted at CW), and have done extensions ever since, using Re-entry permits to return after each trip abroad.

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You have been extending the original 90 day entry you got from the non-b visa so you are certainly not on a OA visa.

The non-RE means you used a Re-Entry permit to enter the country.

Wow, I thought the RE meant "retirement."  Thanks for the explanation!  Indeed, every entry in recent years is marked "Non-RE," which makes sense.

To be clear, the original TR was converted to a Non-B.  Since then, I have done annual extensions, at first based on work and then in recent years based on retirement.

So am I still here on (extensions to) my Non-B visa?  And can I assume that I have never held an O or O-A visa.  (Thinking about the health insurance requirements...)

Thanks again for your help.

Hi,

Just wondering if I have an O or OA visa, since I cannot find any indication from the stamps in my passport.

I started with a tourist visa from a Thai embassy, switched to Non-B at CW and then switched again to "NON-RE," also at CW.

Here's a pic:

Thanks in advance for explaining this to me.

Signed,
"Preparing for health insurance requirements going forward"

When I switched to extension by retirement from a B visa some years ago, CW also wanted a confirmation letter from my employer that I was no longer working there.  You may want to bring that along to CW.

Hi all,

A recent article in the Bangkok Post mentioned that there might be a process for condo owners on retirement extensions to get an exemption from filing the TM30 after each return to their own condo.  Does anyone have info on this?  How does one go about requesting the exemption?

Thanks in advance.  I'd love to save myself a trip to CW to search for information!

P.S.  The article is entitled "Thailand Immigration Controls: getting tough with guests" and was dated 24 June.  I think we're not allowed to put BP links in our postings here.

IMHO there won't be a problem. 

If you really want 100% insurance, maybe ask the university to sign a statement saying that the initial/abbreviation on your diploma is, indeed, the short form of your full name as indicated in your passport.  The university should be willing to do that.

(If it were me, I'd just go ahead and apply for the non-B visa with your current documentation.)

Good luck and welcome to Land of Smiles.

Here's my extension/re-entry hack:  I make an online re-entry permit appointment for early afternoon of the day when I plan to do my annual extension based on retirement.  Although I don't show up to CW until 8:45 or 9:00 (so my queue number is 30+), I have always finished the extension in time to go to the re-entry queue, where they didn't fuss about the time of my appointment, and I'm out before the noon break.  The online appointment officer does not seem to get much "online business" and I've never spent more than ten minutes with him (although the notice says they will complete the transaction in less than five minutes).  As soon as he has an online applicant, he stops what he's doing to take care of the online applicant.

My visit to CW is in June of each year and was successful last June.

P.S. Although I never need it, I always get the multiple-entry, to save myself the hassle of going to CW more than once a year or to avoid the stress of not being 100% sure of getting the re-entry permit at the airport on the way out.  The consequences of missing are too great.

For long-term stays for missionary work, there may also be a Thai-language requirement.

When I sat the Thai proficiency exam a few years ago, many of the people sitting the exam room were South Korean Christian missionaries and I understood from them that they needed a certain grade on the exam to qualify to stay in Thailand as missionaries.  Sorry that I don't have more exact information, but it might be worth checking if you intend to remain in Thailand as missionaries for an extended period of time.

On 9/24/2018 at 4:30 PM, lanng khao said:

Is there much difference in the single and return price?If not just pick a return date and don't use it.

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Thanks for the recommendation.  I did that the first time I came to Thailand from my home country, some years ago.  Since then, I use roundtrip tickets originating in Bangkok, so I return to Bangkok without an ongoing ticket.  I have never had much trouble checking in at the airport in my home country.

My two cents...

Each time I return to Thailand without an ongoing ticket of any sort, since I live here on retirement extensions, the airline in my home country asks for the return/ongoing ticket, then usually accepts the Thai re-entry stamp as proof that I can enter Thailand.  Only once have I had to go to a "supervisor," for a double-check; the supervisor accepted the re-entry stamp.

At check-n, always remain calm.  Try not to talk any more than necessary.  Point to the re-entry permit in your passport and at the "stay until" date.

Bon voyage.

On 8/22/2018 at 8:51 AM, ubonjoe said:

He is in Isaan so it would be a very long trip to do it at Chaeng Wattana.

Oops, my bad.

Lost track of the thread.

Sorry.

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

He is in Isaan so it would be a very long trip to do it at Chaeng Wattana.

Oops, my bad.

Lost track of the thread.

Sorry.

Kenny,

I  gave up trying to get the "retter" from my local bank branch.  It was always a hassle. 

If your bank has a branch office at the government complex at Chaeng Wattana (most of them do), you can get the bank statement (it's a letter, actually) there.  It's always 100 baht.  Before asking for the statement/letter, be sure to have them deposit some money into the account, so you have a transaction on the day of requesting anything from immigration (immigration requires that, 100 baht is the standard amount).  And in the branch at Chaeng Wattana, they know the drill, so they will graciously give you a photocopy of the statement/letter AND a photocopy of the bankbook.

Keep up the good fight, Kenny, it will be worth it in the end!

On 8/17/2018 at 10:19 AM, Kenny202 said:

Understand all that but very unsure that I would get her ok. Shes still holding out hope we'll get back together. In the future of coarse Ill broach the subject. She has other children that she hasnt seen for years living with the father and hes asked her the same question for years. Part of it her stupid beleif that she is maintaining control of the child and in her old age the children will want to take care of her. The childs welfare wont come into it

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I'm going to go out on a limb here, and maybe my message will be rejected by the moderators... but here goes.

You may be able to motivate your child's mother in some way... if you know what I mean... If the motivation were big enough, you might get her to sign the papers to award you full custody.  If her concern is with her old age, well, there are certain options.

My concerns are with the child.  If you're the de-facto single guardian, then it would be best that you have full freedom to raise the child as you see fit.  It kills me that I cannot take mine abroad (I am not a blood relative, nor even an in-law, so no way possible, it looks like child trafficking, we tried), and it would be shame for you to be blocked from showing him/her the world.

Motivation.  What might motivate the mother?

Good luck to you.

On a related subject, OP,

Since Thai law gives 100% authority to the mother (whether the father is Thai or not, whether the paternity is legitimized or not), and since you say the mother has disappeared, I would suggest that you go to the family court and get FULL custody of the child.  Otherwise, they will be nagging you for the mother's signature for various school-, health-, and travel-related procedures.

I will admit that I am not an expert at this.  But as the non-official guardian of a Thai child, I know how often I've had to get the mother's signature.

Keep us posted, if you don't mind.

Wow, sorry to hear that the college is being uncooperative.  They surely have to issue the termination letter according to the labor laws here.  Your next move may be to seek help from the Ministry of Labor.  They can be very helpful.  Let us know how it goes.

In the meantime, it would be interesting to know the circumstance of your termination - is there some serious (or even not-so-serious) reason why they would be unwilling to issue the termination letter?  (The letter simply states that, as of a given date, you are no longer employed by the college; no additional explanation is required.  Why wouldn't they want to issue that letter??)

Good luck!

Just to reiterate and reassure you, OP, that the switch from NON-B to NON-O, and from extension based on working to extension based on retirement is doable at immigration without leaving the country.  I did it a few years ago.  I thought I had it all prepared, with dotted "i's" and crossed "t's", but hadn't been aware of the necessity of the letter from my (former) employer. I remained polite and calm with the immigration officer, who said, no problem, go to your employer, get the letter, and come back tomorrow.  Which I did.  And presto, the whole process was completed.

Good luck to you.

Sorry I was not totally clear.  I use the L section.  It's an extension based on retirement.

For my annual pilgrimage to CW, for the yearly extension of stay and re-entry permit, I go on a Tues, Wed, or Thurs, and book a slot in the afternoon for the re-entry permit online.  Midweek is less busy, I think, than Mon, Fri, and days before and after holidays, as mentioned above.

I arrive around 8:30 and, two years running now, I have been out well before the lunch break.  (The online re-entry permit officer doesn't seem to mind that the appointment is in the afternoon; just smile nicely and say how pleased you are that the extension of stay was issued quicker than expected.)

As long as there are queue numbers and you can see the progress of the queue, I'm good.  There is some interesting shopping to do in CW, and, yes, a book and the internet both help the time go by.

As a comparison, I used to spend an entire morning to get my annual "extension" in a certain Western European country, in a room with no queue numbers; just wait your turn!!!  Hats off to the Thais, who have managed to install queue systems nearly everywhere!

It ain't as bad as you think.  Deep breath.  We all came here for a reason.

1 hour ago, pmarlin said:

Number 3 and 4 above are not needed at CW immigration  for retirement extensions, Done eight there and have never been asked to provide those items.

Same for me.  Have done five annual extensions based on retirement at CW and they have never asked for proof of residence whatsoever.

Singapore and Norway are the only two countries I've heard of that don't allow their nationals to hold a second citizenship. There may be others, but not the USA nor Thailand.

It's really regrettable that the OP got into this situation.  Giving him/her the benefit of the doubt, there is only one way "out".  

- Step one is to stop working altogether.  

- Step two is to get an extension on your tourist visa.  

- Step three is to find a proper job, which means the new employer will need to provide paperwork for you to have the tourist visa converted into a non-imm B, then get a work permit, both before your first day of work.  If the employer doesn't seem to know how to do all of this, your best bet is to turn your back on that employer.  There are plenty of schools around that know how all of this works and are following the rules.

Good luck , and welcome to Thailand.

I agree, you're worrying about nothing!

Use the name in the US passport for the airline tickets.  Buy round-trip tickets.

At Thai immigration (both ways) show Thai passport, and, if requested, show the Thai name-change document (which Thai immigration will understand and be familiar with).

At US immigration on entering (no check at exit), use US passport.  They are not concerned that a citizen has another passport from another country.

At airline check-in in the US, use the US passport.  They will not question anything with a US citizen with a return ticket.

At airline check-in in Thailand, show the Thai passport AND the US passport, only if requested.

Really, you have nothing to worry about!

Bon voyage.