Non-O(A) extension at Kanchanaburi?

[RocketDog]

I want to obtain my first extension for my Non-immigrant O(A) visa.

I understand that by leaving the country AND returning BEFORE the visa expires, that I will get an automatic 1 year extension.

 

Three questions:

Must I obtain the Return to Kingdom TM8 form before I cross into Burma?

How long must I stay in Burma?

Will my passport visa be restamped for the extra year as soon as I return to Thailand at the crossing or must I then go to an IO to formalize that part?

 

I know this forum to be frequented by several sage and experienced members and am thanking you all in advance for your help. (I'm looking at you UbonJoe!)

 

You guys throw lifesavers to drowning members every single day and deserve medals from the Thai government immigration system.

[Tanoshi]

The O-A multi entry Visa has a validity of 1 year and each entry gives permission to stay for 1 year up to the 'enter before' date of the Visa.

 

You can cross the border and re-enter the same day and you will be given permission to stay for another year as long as it's before the 'enter before' date. Your O-A Visa expires on that date, but your permission to stay is still valid.

It's important that you understand when your 0-A Visa expires, so does the multi entry facility.

If you intend to leave and re-enter Thailand during your second year permission to stay, you need to purchase a re-entry permit to keep any remaining permission to stay valid.

 

1. No, you'll only need to complete a TM6 departure/arrival card.

2. You can turn straight around and come back.

3. Your passport will be stamped at the border with a 'permission to stay until xxxxxxx date.

Check the date before you walk away.

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Check the date before you walk away.

@RocketDog - this is an extremely important point in my experience. When I returned to Thailand from an extended border run to the UK the day before my non-OA visa expired in 2009, the IO at BKK initially only stamped me in for 90 days. Fortunately I spotted the error just in the nick of time, so was able to get it corrected on the spot.

 

I suspect that the IO was under the mistaken impression that mine was a non-O visa - which, I think, was undertandable given that the Royal Thai Embassy in London had "helpfully" plonked 1 of their stamps right over the "A" letter when issuing the visa, which more or less obliterated it to the casual observer!

[RocketDog]

Tanoshi and OJAS: thank you for your cogent and quick replies.

 

Tanoshi:

I didn't know that the visa itself expired but the 'permission' remains in force. A true nugget of info to remember.

That leads to the obvious question of whether this border - crossing gambit will continue to work every year if done within the proper time constraints. At some point must I go through the entire procedure to get a new O-A visa?

 

Should I purchase the re-entry permit as soon as I get back into Thailand from Burma? I definitely plan to go back to my homeland this year for 2 months.

 

I understand that the alternative route to an extension is to go to Thai IO again with a TM7 and proof of income/ seasoned 800k bank account. Does this accomplish anything different than the border run approach? Does it actually extend the visa itself, or just the permission to stay?

If the two approaches yield the same benefits then the Burma crossing is preferable to going into Bangkok and getting the proof of benefits affadavit from the US Embassy.

 

OJAS, thanks for the words of wisdom. I will definitely check before I leave the Thai IO.

 

Any help on these new questions is greatly, once again, appreciated.

 

My 'enter before' date is June 1,2018, so I plan the foray into Burma this week. I'm trying to get my ducks lined up before I leave.

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

I didn't know that the visa itself expired but the 'permission' remains in force. A true nugget of info to remember.

That leads to the obvious question of whether this border - crossing gambit will continue to work every year if done within the proper time constraints. At some point must I go through the entire procedure to get a new O-A visa?

You will have to get a new OA visa in your home country or apply for an extension of stay at immigration before the last one year permit to stay you will get on or before June 1st ends. You visa will be expired after June 1st.

4 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

Should I purchase the re-entry permit as soon as I get back into Thailand from Burma? I definitely plan to go back to my homeland this year for 2 months.

You will need to get a re-entry before making your trip home unless you decide to apply for a new OA visa while there. Best to get one in advance in case you have to make a urgent trip.

5 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

I understand that the alternative route to an extension is to go to Thai IO again with a TM7 and proof of income/ seasoned 800k bank account. Does this accomplish anything different than the border run approach? Does it actually extend the visa itself, or just the permission to stay?

When does your current permit to stay end. If you wanted to do the extension of stay you would not be able to do it until the last 30 days of it.

Visas are not extended. Only your permit to stay can be extended.

[Tanoshi]

The validity of your Visa and the validity of your permission to stay are two entirely different things, but many fall foul because they don't understand the difference.

Your Non O-A Visa has an 'issue date' and an 'enter before' date, which will be dated 12 months from the date of issue.

This is the validity of the Visa.......1 year.

The O-A Visa allows multiple entries during the 'validity' period of 1 year, but on each entry during this period you will be given a 1 year 'permission to stay until xx xx xxxx' stamp.

 

The Visa expires on the 'enter before' date, but you can remain until the date of the permission to stay stamp.

Example:

Visa issued June 2nd 2017. Enter before date will be June1st 2018.

Leave and re-enter Thailand 4th Sept 2017,

Stamp will state 'permission to stay until 3rd Sept 2018.

Leave and re-enter Thailand 31st May 2018.

Stamp will state 'permission to stay until 30th May 2019.

Because the Visa (which allows entries) expires on June 1st 2018, you must purchase a re-enter permit between the period of when the Visa expires (1st June 2018) and when your permission to stay expires (30th May 2019) to keep any remaining period of your permission to stay valid until30th May 2019.

 

If you went back to your home Country on August 30th 2018, for 2 months, then re-entered Thailand on 28th October 2018, you will received a stamp permitting you to stay again until 30thMay 2019 provided you have a re-entry permit.

If you didn't have a re-entry permit and because the validity of your Visa has expired, you would only be given permission to stay for 30 days.

A Visa exempt entry.

 

When you read the word 'extensions', it means their 'permission to stay' has been extended, not the original Visa they used to enter the Country, which will have expired a long time ago. 

 

7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay.  Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand.  In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years.  The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker. 

8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa.  For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date.  The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp.  Travellers who wish to stay longer than such period may apply for extension of stay at offices of the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok, or at an Immigration office located in the provinces.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15405-General-information.html

 

[RocketDog]

UbonJoe and Tanoshi. Thank you both so much! Everything is crystal clear now.

Special thanks to Tanoshi for the detailed explanation and link.

Your information had allowed me to sleep at night now and I'm off to for the Burma run this week.

 

Thanks again gentlemen!

You both invaluable assets to TV.

[RocketDog]

FOLLOWUP: : EXTENSION TO STAY

I obtained my extension to stay by crossing the border to Myanmar as advertised.

The actual procedure was somewhat mysterious until I finally realized how the "System" worked. 

  Upon arriving at the border I encountered a blue plywood handmade booth with a poorly painted sign labeling it as the border crossing. Inquiring therein a citizen "assistant" led me to a small back room where a woman took my passport, filled out an arrival /departure card and copied the first page of my passport and collected ฿960 'fee'.

Then a third "facilitator" arrived who took the papers, led me 20 feet to the actual immigration Departures office window, thrust the papers in my hand and motioned me toward the window.

The real official immigration officer filled the transport/flight number into the card and handed it back.

My facilitator drove me a few km down a badly rutted and dusty road across the border before pulling into a group of shanties, no Burma immigration building in sight.

He told me to stay in the truck while he went to one shanty, handed my documents to a old man seated at a card table.

After a few minutes I started worrying this was some scam so I approached the pair asking where my passport was. At that moment a small boy came ruining up with my passport. The facilitator showed me the Burmese visa stamp and we returned to the truck for a return ride back down the rough road to Thailand.

He dropped me in front of the actual Thai Arrivals office, I took my card and passport up to the window. Some stamping and muttering occurred and the agent  handed back my passport with the extension to stay stamped in it and the departure half of the card stapled to it. I checked the date of the Enter Before, as advised here, and found it to be one year minus one day.

I walked out and looked for the truck to find it close but my driver not present. So I walked down the street toward my starting point and was stopped by a soldier who asked for my passport. He checked the extension date and motioned me to proceed. At that point I was back in Thailand with mission accomplished, though I want sure how it happened.

 

So this is a well oiled money machine for every person I dealt with clearly taking part of my payment

. I have no idea how successful I would have been if I had my arrival/departure card filled out and my passport copy ready myself when I went to the first Departures window. I'm not sure I would have been allowed to drive across the border or how much the official Burma immigration office would have charged me for their visa.

I strongly suspect that fee is well shy of the 960baht though.

 

LESSON LEARNED:

Go to your local IO with your extension form and a bank book with greater than 800k baht of 2 months seasoned money in the account. Go to the bank the morning of the same day to get a bank letter stating your account amount too.

You will get your extension and be gone in 10 minutes at no cost. Any other way is needless expense and effort.

[Tanoshi]

Glad everything worked out and you obtained your permission to stay for another year.

 

Don't forget to purchase a re-entry permit from your local Immigration office if you plan to exit/re-enter before June next year.

Single 1,000 baht, Multi entry 3,800 baht.

 

Come May next year your going to have to make a decision whether to return to your home Country for another O-A Visa, or if you can meet the financial obligations, obtain a 1 year extension at Immigration.

[RocketDog]

On 6/2/2018 at 6:45 PM, Tanoshi said:

Glad everything worked out and you obtained your permission to stay for another year.

 

Don't forget to purchase a re-entry permit from your local Immigration office if you plan to exit/re-enter before June next year.

Single 1,000 baht, Multi entry 3,800 baht.

 

Come May next year your going to have to make a decision whether to return to your home Country for another O-A Visa, or if you can meet the financial obligations, obtain a 1 year extension at Immigration.

Tanoshi, thanks for the followup advice. I completed my final 90 day report and got my re-entry permit last week at the IO, taking the advice of you and others.

My lesson was learned, as I said, to get the next extension to stay BASED ENTIRELY on seasoned money in my Thai bank account. By good fortune and hard work my retirement funds are more than adequate so I'm building my Bank account to the million + figure. That way pension letters and border crossings will be just bad memories from now on.

 

I want to take this opportunity to thank you and others  such as UbonJoe for your constant attention to these forums, your continuing self-education to stay current with the convoluted immigration law in our adopted country, your unstinting donation of your time, and your selfless care for all the people who benefit from your help.

 

It is people of your ilk who make these forums a pleasure and the go-to place for advice and help..

If I knew how I'd buy you a beer and toast your health.