Leaving Thailand during 90 day extension?

[Khun Roberto]

I want to get the one year retirement extension. "O"

 

So I plan to enter Thailand with a standard 2 month tourist visa issued by the Thai Consulate in Canada.

 

As soon as I get to Bangkok I’ll go to the Immigration office with my paperwork, and they will should grant me a 90 day extension.

That means at that point I’d have 90 days, right?

After those 90 days I can apply for the one year extension, right?

Once I have the one year I can leave the country every three months, right?

 

But during those first 90 days can I leave the country?

[ubonjoe]

You would first apply for a 90 non immigrant visa (category O) entry based upon qualifying for an extension of stay based upon retirement. It is not a 90 day extension.

You can get a re-entry permit  that will keep the remainder of the 90 entry valid when you enter the country after your trip.

The fee for a single re-entry permit is 1000 baht and  multiple is 3800 baht. You could apply for it at immigration at the same time you get the 90 day entry entry stamp.

[Khun Roberto]

Thanks ubonJoe! So actually no reason to get the 2 month visa, I could just use the visa on arrival, right?

 

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

Thanks ubonJoe! So actually no reason to get the 2 month visa, I could just use the visa on arrival, right?

 

It would be best to get a single entry tourist visa to allow more time to get the visa application done. You must have at least 15 days remaining on your entry to apply for it.

With a 30 day visa exempt entry (it is not a visa on arrival) you would only have 15 days to the application unless you got a 30 day extension of it (1900 baht). Also you might be denied boarding your flight if you do not have a ticket out of the country within 30 days.

Requirements for the visa application are here. https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_80

[Khun Roberto]

Yeah, you're right. But what if I got started on it as soon as I got to BKK? I have a Thai Driver's license. A medical check is a couple of hours. I understand the certificate of funds can be done by affidavit at the embassy in a few hours. I could be standing in line at Immigration with all my paperwork within three days of getting to BKK. 

 

How long does the 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) usually take to process? 

[Tanoshi]

29 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

So I plan to enter Thailand with a standard 2 month tourist visa issued by the Thai Consulate in Canada.

Good choice, gives you more time to organise and prepare.

 

30 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

As soon as I get to Bangkok I’ll go to the Immigration office with my paperwork, and they will should grant me a 90 day extension.

That means at that point I’d have 90 days, right?

Go after 30 days, but while you still have at least 15 days permission to stay.

You'd be applying for a Non Imm O as part of a conversion from a TV entry to an extension based on retirement.

Form TM86.

The Non O allows a stay of 90 days. If you need to leave the Country apply for a re-entry permit.

35 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

After those 90 days I can apply for the one year extension, right?

Within the last 30 days of the 90 apply for the extension.

The extension runs from the expiry date of the Non O, so no time lost.

37 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

Once I have the one year I can leave the country every three months, right?

 

You must report to Immigration every 90 days if staying in the Country, you do not have to leave.

If you want to leave purchase a re-entry permit.

[Tanoshi]

6 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

How long does the 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) usually take to process? 

Up to 2 weeks at most offices.

[Khun Roberto]

Thanks Tanoshi! Yeah I'd want to get the one year multiple re-entry as I go to Canada for two months twice a year. 

 

So I'll get the single entry two month visa as you and UbonJoe advise.

 

After 30 days in BKK I'll apply for the 90 days. 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2018 by Khun Roberto

[Khun Roberto]

And then the full year also takes about 2 weeks I guess?

 

Is there a reason to wait 30 days before submitting the first set of paperwork? (The No O 90 days .)

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

Thanks Tanoshi! Yeah I'd want to get the one year multiple re-entry as I go to Canada for two months twice a year. 

 

You would not want to get the multiple re-entry permit until after you have the extension of stay done. The one you would get for the 90 day entry would only be valid for those 90 days.

[Khun Roberto]

Ubonjoe Yes, maybe get a one entry during the 90 days, then get multiple entry with the one year. ?

 

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

And then the full year also takes about 2 weeks I guess?

 

Is there a reason to wait 30 days before submitting the first set of paperwork? (The No O 90 days .)

You will get the one year extension on the date you apply. The reason the visa takes 2 weeks is that it has to be approved at a higher authority than the officers at a immigration office.

You do not have to do the visa application after 30 days. You can do it as soon as you have all the required documents (a medical certificate is not one of them).

[Khun Roberto]

Much better, I'll start the application a few days after arrival. Thanks, you've be very helpful!

[Tanoshi]

11 minutes ago, Khun Roberto said:

And then the full year also takes about 2 weeks I guess?

 

Is there a reason to wait 30 days before submitting the first set of paperwork? (The No O 90 days .)

The 1 year extension based on retirement is issued while you wait. (It's a permit, not a Visa). 1,900 baht.

You can apply for your multi re-entry permit at the same time. (3,800 baht).

 

No reason other than allowing yourself time to open a bank account, find somewhere to rent, and get an income affidavit from your Embassy.

[Khun Roberto]

Thanks Tanoshi,

 

I already have a bank account with Kasikorn, but if I get an income affidavit, I don't really need that anyway. Right?

I've been staying at the same service condo for more than 4 years. They even keep my stuff in storage when I go to back home twice a year.

My Thai driver's license has that address on it, but it seems Immigration doesn't ask for proof of address anyway. 

 

It looks like the paperwork is really not crazy complicated. ?

 

The information at https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_80 is a bit cryptic, but it seems that 5.2, 5.2 and 5.3 can be ignored if ….

 

5 5.1 A guarantee letter ….5.2....5.3... all documents must be in the Applicant’s name.)or

6. A guarantee letter from the local or overseas Embassy or Consulate...

 

So the “or” eliminates the need for anything in 5.2, 5.2 and 5.3?

 

All I need is: more than two weeks left on my Visa waiver (permit of stay), the filled out TM.87 form, the affidavit,  copies of the important pages in my passport, a photo, and THB2,000... Or did I miss somenthing. ?

 

Cheers!

 

Robert

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, Khun Roberto said:

I already have a bank account with Kasikorn, but if I get an income affidavit, I don't really need that anyway. Right?

You don't need a bank account to apply if you have proof of 65k baht income. You only need #6 on the list of requirements for financial proof.

They may ask for proof you are living in Bangkok when you apply for the visa.

[PoorSucker]

Is there any reason for not getting the Non-O in Canada to start with? 

[ubonjoe]

25 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

Is there any reason for not getting the Non-O in Canada to start with? 

It is probably difficult to get a non-o visa in Canada like many other places. It may be possible to get one at the honorary consulates there. 

Certainly not at the embassy in Ottawa or the official consulate in Vancouver.

[Tanoshi]

If you enter on a Visa exempt, you'll have 14 days to submit your application.

If you can make an appointment and obtain your Income affidavit from your Embassy within that time, then it's doable. 

Copies of photo page of Passport.

Visa exempt stamp

Entry stamp

TM 6 (departure card)

Income affidavit.

TM 87.

2,000 baht fee.

 

You will need some form of proof of address, be it a rental contract, copies of landlord's Tabien Baan and ID card, or a letter from the Condo management committee. Thailand is quite strict on knowing the whereabouts of foreigners.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Tanoshi

[Brickbat]

And don’t forget you must report and complete at immigration ( TM30 form ) within 24 hours of any arrival , regardless of the 90 day period.

or pay a 1600 baht fine.

[ubonjoe]

23 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

You will need some form of proof of address, be it a rental contract, copies of landlord's Tabien Baan and ID card, or a letter from the Condo management committee. Thailand is quite strict on knowing the whereabouts of foreigners.

Again I must say that depends upon the immigration office where application is done. Since he intends to do the application in Bangkok where they are not near as strict as other offices when it is done based upon retirement.

4 minutes ago, Brickbat said:

And don’t forget you must report and complete at immigration ( TM30 form ) within 24 hours of any arrival , regardless of the 90 day period or pay a 1600 baht fine.

Not in Bangkok where he will be applying.

[Tracyb]

If you decide to compress your timelines for any reason, consider that your embassy might require that you make an appointment in advance in order to get that income affidavit.  I suggest that you check online at your embassy website to determine their availability of appointments.

[Kerryd]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

It is probably difficult to get a non-o visa in Canada like many other places. It may be possible to get one at the honorary consulates there. 

Certainly not at the embassy in Ottawa or the official consulate in Vancouver.

My dear old (long gone now) father got his Non-O at the Consulate in Vancouver back in 2008. According to him it was simple as **** (and he was 75 at the time). I'd brought him over for a vacation in the summer of '08 and he decided he wanted to stay. Told him he would have to get the proper visa so he flew back to Vancouver and the next morning went straight to the Consulate to apply.

He had to get a Police Check (from his local RCMP office) and a medical check-up and had to show that he had sufficient cash (in his Canadian account) to meet the requirements. He did all that, packed up the house and was back in Thailand 6 weeks after he left.

The biggest delay apparently was the (Canadian) mail system (sending the passport along with the required documents to Vancouver from a small town in the Interior and then waiting for the passport to be sent back). Probably would have been better for him to just take it all to Vancouver and stay in a motel for a couple of days but whatever.

Of course, that was 10 years ago.

(I was also going to ask about why not just get the Non-O while in Canada as it could simplify things.)

 

Note: - You MUST get a Re-Entry permit BEFORE leaving Thailand (after you've arrived with, or received your new Visa). Otherwise it will be voided and you will have to start the whole process over again from the beginning. I don't think there is any kind of time limit to how soon you can leave the country after getting the Visa. (I was out of the country within a couple weeks of getting my first Non-O(A) Visa - no problems of any kind.)

A Single Entry Permit costs 1,900 baht.
A Multi Re-Entry permit (good for as many times as you like) costs 3,900 baht. I get a new one the day after I apply for my yearly Extension of Stay. (In Jomtien you have to go back the next day to pick up your passport, then get a new queue number and drop off the Multi-Entry application paperwork along with your passport and signed photocopies of your new Extension when they call your number and it's usually done within 20 minutes.)
If you expect to be making 2 trips to/from Canada every year, you'd be better off getting the Multi Re-Entry permit. That way if you decide to make a couple short trips somewhere else (like Cambodia, Laos, Bali, etc) you aren't running off to Immigration to get another Single Entry permit every time.

 

The 90 Day Reporting is simple as can be. In some cases it can be done over the Internet. In some cases it can be done by mail and in some cases, you can go into your local Immigration office, do it and be gone within a couple of minutes. Note that it can be done up to a week in advance of the date, up to a week after the date. Also note that it is 90 Days - not 3 months - and it doesn't matter if that means you have to do a report 2 weeks before renewing your Extension or 2 weeks after. The 90 day clock starts again when you do the report, regardless of when it was actually due. (So if you time it right, you could end up doing the 4th one at the same time as you renew your extension, depending on things like weekends/holidays/etc. I've manage to do that exactly once so far.)

 

Also keep in mind that leaving the country and re-entering resets the 90 day clock. So if you were to leave (for example) on Day 89, the clock stops. If you came back a month later, the clock is reset and you have to do your next report 90 days later (the day you arrive is considered a "day"). This includes even if you were to (for example) pop over to Cambodia for a 3 day trip to Angkor Wat.

Make sure you show your new Departure Card to the Immigration officer when you go to do your next 90 Day report (after coming back into Thailand) - every time - as they will record the bar code number into the system.

 

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

My dear old (long gone now) father got his Non-O at the Consulate in Vancouver back in 2008.

I think that was Non-OA visa since you mentioned a medical certificate and police check.

[YogiRit]

After several readings this all sounds clear although I would have to write it out to follow. Are agents helpful or worth the cost? I will not be in my home country, USA, but traveling from India.
It seems like a one time cost to get a retirement Visa, see where the offices are and then prepare for 90 day reporting and yearly renewals could be valuable.
There are costs to moving here regardless of using an agent.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[Tanoshi]

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Again I must say that depends upon the immigration office where application is done. Since he intends to do the application in Bangkok where they are not near as strict as other offices when it is done based upon retirement.

Not in Bangkok where he will be applying.

So your advising him proof of address isn't required at CW.

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

So your advising him proof of address isn't required at CW.

No

Only less than your long list.

His driver's license may be enough there.

[Tanoshi]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

No

Only less than your long list.

His driver's license may be enough there.

And it might not.

I'd always advocate taking proof of address in the form of rental agreement or landlords Tabien Baan and ID card.

No harm done if their not requested, but egg on your chin if they are and you didn't take them.

 

As for the long list, just which one of the 4 photocopies won't they request.

[Kerryd]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I think that was Non-OA visa since you mentioned a medical certificate and police check.

Yeah I forgot to include the "A". I usually type it Non-O(A).
This link is to the "Non-Immigrant Visa Category "O-A"" page of the Thai Embassy in Canada: http://www.thaiembassy.ca/en/visiting-thailand/visas/types-visas-periods-stay-fees/non-immigrant-visa-temporary-residents

But again, that was 10 years ago and things change. Could be a different Consul-General now or just a different interpretation of the requirements. Although, I do suspect that in many cases, when people complain about problems (i.e. at a certain office or regarding a certain Visa), the problem is often of their own making. I'd suspect that more than a few times people have just mailed their passports to an Embassy and expected it to come back with shiny new Visa stamps even though they didn't send in all the paperwork they were supposed to. I've listened to a few people talk (when I was in Afghanistan and while in Thailand) and it's a wonder they can tie their own shoes, let alone fill out the paperwork and meet all the requirements. Of course, if they screw things up it's never "their" fault.

 
As I've mentioned in other threads though, the process is actually not that hard and if you do it right, it gets easier each time (sort of). For example, I have the paperwork for next year's application already to go on my computer. Just need to get a new "bank letter". Literally every thing is the same so once you have it set up on the computer it's almost as simply as "click, update, print, sign - off to Immigration". (Assuming you have a computer and printer of course !)

Then you can sit back and relax at Immigration while you watch hordes of people wandering around with blank application forms in their hands, wondering why they have #628 but desk 2 won't do their paperwork for them even though their next customer number is #203.

 

[Kohsamida]

On 6/16/2018 at 1:20 PM, ubonjoe said:

You will get the one year extension on the date you apply...

Are you saying that, theoretically, you could wait until the day that your 90-day Non-O visa expires, apply for the 1 year "retirement" extension, and be OK?  In another post you replied to, you said that you can apply for the extension up to 45 days before the visa expires.  So, I'm wondering if there is a certain advantage to applying for the extension early or not.  Just want to be clear in my mind about the timing.

 

Also, the actual date that the extension would start would be the date that the Visa expired even if you applied for the extension 45 days before expiration, right?

Edited July 5, 2018 by Kohsamida