How best to extend Type O-A visa

[Knowmad]

I entered Thailand on a Type O-A visa in July of 2017. I am leaving Thailand in May and will be gone for about 6 months so I will be out of the country when my current visa expires at the end of July 2018.

 

What is my best option for coming back in to Thailand? Can I get a one year extension through a Thai embassy when I am in the USA? Or will I need to apply for a new Type O-A visa when I am ready to return to Thailand? It appears that I can not get a one year extension at Thai Immigration now because it is more than 30 days before my current visa expires.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

Have you done anymore entries since July of 2017?

If your current permit to stay ends in July you could do a quick border run to get a new one year entry. Then get a re-entry permit to keep it valid when you enter the country after your trip. Then you could apply for an extension of stay near the end of that one year entry.

You cannot a apply for an extension anywhere other than at immigration here.

 

 

[Rdrokit]

If you are out of country on your anniversary when the O-A expires you will have to go through the complete process again to get a new O-A visa as you can not do a renewal of you O-A visa outside of Thailand.

[mahjongguy]

Don't we need to know the O-A date of issue?

[KhunBENQ]

10 minutes ago, mahjongguy said:

Don't we need to know the O-A date of issue?

Or in other words the "ENTER BEFORE" date.

The poster just wrote "entered in July".

You can assume it was issued somewhat close to that but not sure.

 

Assuming it is still valid for entry then ubonjoe's post #2 says it all.

Quick border run now and then get a re-entry permit which will be valid until May 2019.

 

[Knowmad]

My only entry into Thailand was in July of 2017. The issue date of the visa was June 22, 2017. 

 

I am not sure if a quick border run is feasible, but I will give it some consideration.

 

Thank you all for the helpful information.

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, Knowmad said:

 

I am not sure if a quick border run is feasible, but I will give it some consideration.

It might be well worth it to avoid having to apply for another visa.

A out and back by air might be a better option dependent upon where you are living.

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, Rdrokit said:

If you are out of country on your anniversary when the O-A expires you will have to go through the complete process again to get a new O-A visa as you can not do a renewal of you O-A visa outside of Thailand.

You cannot do a renewal of any visa, inside or outside of Thailand.

 

If he does an out/in border hop using his still valid visa, he'll be given another full yeat's permission to stay. Since the visa expires when he will be out of the country but he will still have a valid permission to stay, he just needs a re-entry permit to return to Thailand and keep the permission alive.

 

Before this permission expires he could get an extension (of the permission, not the visa) at an immigration office in Thailand.

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by Suradit69

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, Knowmad said:

Can I get a one year extension through a Thai embassy when I am in the USA?

No

 

2 hours ago, Knowmad said:

Or will I need to apply for a new Type O-A visa when I am ready to return to Thailand?

No, but you could. Or you could enter as a tourist and get a non immigrant visa from immigration as a prerequisite to a 1 year extension of stay.

 

2 hours ago, Knowmad said:

What is my best option for coming back in to Thailand?

You can be better advised if you clarify the date your current permission to stay (‘admitted until’ date on the entry stamp) ends, AND the date your ‘O-A’ visa expires (‘enter before’ date printed on the visa).

 

A border hop just before you leave would be your best option if the non ‘O-A’ visa hasn’t already expired.

[elviajero]

32 minutes ago, Knowmad said:

My only entry into Thailand was in July of 2017. The issue date of the visa was June 22, 2017. 

 

I am not sure if a quick border run is feasible, but I will give it some consideration.

 

Thank you all for the helpful information.

The visa should be good until June 21st, in which case the best option, if feasible, is a border hop before you leave.

[Andrew Dwyer]

The visa should be good until June 21st, in which case the best option, if feasible, is a border hop before you leave.

Yes, a quick border hop ( get driven over the border and back again, in my case ) versus another O-A visa with the expense of medical, police check, notarised documents ( if uk citizen )and visa plus travel expenses .

Give it some thought OP , as has been said above, it’s really your best option.

[Knowmad]

To clarify:

 

It is a multiple entry, Type Non-Immigrant, Category O-A visa.

the Date of Issue is 23 June 2017.

the Enter Before date is 22 June 2018.

When I entered Thailand it was stamped with the current date, 30 July 2017

and an Admitted Until Date of 29 July 2018.

 

Yes, I agree that a “quick border hop” is probably a better solution than going through the trouble of getting another visa. I am researching how to best accomplish that. In my case, because of time constraints, I may have to choose an international destination, fly out of Thailand for 1 or 2 nights, and then return to Chiang Mai.

 

If I understand correctly, a re-entry permit will not be necessary when I do the quick border hop. However, I will need to get a re-entry permit before I then depart for the USA, with the intention of returning to Thailand in about six months.

Is this accurate?

 

Thank you for your assistance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Knowmad said:

I may have to choose an international destination, fly out of Thailand for 1 or 2 nights, and then return to Chiang Mai.

 

If I understand correctly, a re-entry permit will not be necessary when I do the quick border hop. However, I will need to get a re-entry permit before I then depart for the USA, with the intention of returning to Thailand in about six months.

Is this accurate?

A trip to the Mae Sai crossing in Chiang Rai to Myanmar would be a good option for the crossing. Just depart Thailand cross to Myanmar pay 500 baht or $10 for a border pass then turnaround and return to Thailand. Easy to do in one day.

You would need to get a re-entry permit at Chiang Mai immigration after getting the new entry.

 

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, Knowmad said:

If I understand correctly, a re-entry permit will not be necessary when I do the quick border hop. However, I will need to get a re-entry permit before I then depart for the USA, with the intention of returning to Thailand in about six months.

Is this accurate?

Yes it is.

[Rman]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Have you done anymore entries since July of 2017?

If your current permit to stay ends in July you could do a quick border run to get a new one year entry. Then get a re-entry permit to keep it valid when you enter the country after your trip. Then you could apply for an extension of stay near the end of that one year entry.

You cannot a apply for an extension anywhere other than at immigration here.

 

 

 

Hi Ubonjoe,

sorry, I  just don't get it. I'm on a Non-O-Multiple Entry Visa issued  at Penang Thai Embassy and is valid until 12.September 2018. When do I have do fly out of Thailand before the visa expires. Is there a time limit e.g. 1 day before the visa expires? When I return, do I have to apply for a re-entry permit at my local immigration office before I leave the country again? What does the IO stamp into my passport upon arrival? A brand new 1 year Visa or Admitted until 11.September 2019.  

Thank you very much.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, Rman said:

 

Hi Ubonjoe,

sorry, I  just don't get it. I'm on a Non-O-Multiple Entry Visa issued  at Penang Thai Embassy and is valid until 12.September 2018. When do I have do fly out of Thailand before the visa expires. Is there a time limit e.g. 1 day before the visa expires? When I return, do I have to apply for a re-entry permit at my local immigration office before I leave the country again? What does the IO stamp into my passport upon arrival? A brand new 1 year Visa or Admitted until 11.September 2019.  

Thank you very much.

You can do an entry on the enter before date on the visa sticker which is the date your visa expires. You will get a new 90 day entry. If you got a re-entry permit it would only be valid until the end of the 90 day entry it does not add any days.

The discussion is about a non-oa visa that allows unlimited one year entries for a year from the date of issue.

[AboutThaim]

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Have you done anymore entries since July of 2017?

If your current permit to stay ends in July you could do a quick border run to get a new one year entry. Then get a re-entry permit to keep it valid when you enter the country after your trip. Then you could apply for an extension of stay near the end of that one year entry.

You cannot a apply for an extension anywhere other than at immigration here.

 

 

Thanks Ubonjoe.  I have almost exactly the same situation as the OP and plan on doing a border run to Cambodia tomorrow.  At my last 90 day report the IO pointed out that my visa expires before my next 90 day report is due.  He said I would get a 90 day stamp by doing a border run which I thought was incorrect?  I'm booked to fly back to Oz on 9th May for 2 or 3 months. So a 12 month stamp is what I really need.  Can I get a re-entry permit at a border crossing for when I return in 2 or 3 months? I live in Sisaket Province.

Edited May 5, 2018 by AboutThaim

[ubonjoe]

47 minutes ago, AboutThaim said:

Can I get a re-entry permit at a border crossing for when I return in 2 or 3 months?

You can only get get a re-entry permit a few major border crossing on departure from the country.

You can get a re-entry permit at the immigration office in Sisaket.

[AboutThaim]

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can only get get a re-entry permit a few major border crossing on departure from the country.

You can get a re-entry permit at the immigration office in Sisaket.

Ok, thanks for that info.

[berybert]

On ‎05‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 5:30 PM, Rman said:

 

Hi Ubonjoe,

sorry, I  just don't get it. I'm on a Non-O-Multiple Entry Visa issued  at Penang Thai Embassy and is valid until 12.September 2018. When do I have do fly out of Thailand before the visa expires. Is there a time limit e.g. 1 day before the visa expires? When I return, do I have to apply for a re-entry permit at my local immigration office before I leave the country again? What does the IO stamp into my passport upon arrival? A brand new 1 year Visa or Admitted until 11.September 2019.  

Thank you very much.

Do it one day before the visa expires and just in case something goes wrong you give yourself no time at all to make any changes to plan. 

Why not do it a week before then if something goes wrong you don't have to worry about it. 

Why people leave things to the last minute is beyond me.