Non Immigrant B multiple entries wasted

[vic666]

Dear All, I'm an Italian citizen with a non Immigrant B visa multiple entries and a work permit. I had all relevant stamps and visa transferred at Chaeng Wattana from my old passport to the new and went abroad without the old one. On my return at Don Muang, the officer said he couldn't (more likely didn't want to) verify that indeed my visa was multiple entry, so I got 30 days on arrival as I didn't have a re-entry permit stamp. Advice for readers: always bring the old passport with you. In November I will be moved to Vietnam, so no big deal. But I have a gap of 1,5 months now and I'd like to travel around S.E. Asia, and exit-enter Thailand a couple of times, also overland. I know that 30 days on arrival are limited to 3 times in 1 year, so these free entries need to be used with caution. Questions:

1. do you think it is worth to go to Chaeng Wattana and try to rectify the mistake, reversing to my non immigrant B and cancel the 30 days stamp? Or is it going to be a waste of time? It seemed to me that their attitude is: whatever happened, it is always the passport's holder fault.

2. if I use 1 x 30 days stamp this month, then I have one more shot left for 1 year. How do I enter Thailand again then? By a tourist visa? This is about the next 6 months I will be based in Vietnam. Every month or so I will come back to Thailand for 1 week: shall I get a tourist visa every time, just for a few days? Any beter solution?

Thank you very much for your atttention and advice.

All the best,

Vic

 

[jackdd]

The limit of 2 times 30 days visa exempt is only for land borders, by air there is no official limit

They count per calender year, so if you should use your two 30 day visa exempt at land borders this year, you can use another two in 2019

Edited September 12, 2018 by jackdd

[PoorSucker]

Immigration never transfers visas (obtained at consulates abroad) to a new passport, only permission of stay and extension of stay.

If you did not bring your old passport with the multiple entry non-B the only thing the IO could do was to give you a 30 day visa exempt stamp.

 

In case you you had a 1 year extension of stay obtained at immigration it was lost when you exited Thailand without a re-entry permit.

In this case bringing your old passport with the multiple non-B would not have helped.

 

Visa exempt entries are limited to two per calendar year via land borders(its not a visa on arrival)

By air there is no limit set on visa exempt stamps.

[ubonjoe]

As said your multiple entry non-b visa was not transferred to your new passport by immigration. They do not transfer visas. They only transferred you most recent entry stamp and did a annotation of your visa and old passport.

Your only option is leave the country using your new passport and then re-enter using both passports to use your visa in the old passport.

[lkv]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

As said your multiple entry non-b visa was not transferred to your new passport by immigration. They do not transfer visas. They only transferred you most recent entry stamp and did a annotation of your visa and old passport.

Your only option is leave the country using your new passport and then re-enter using both passports to use your visa in the old passport.

I believe the OP was on an extension of stay that was transferred from the old passport to the new one and forgot to get a reentry permit.

 

His post is very confusing, I read it a few times, if it was a multiple entry visa, the word "reentry permit" would not have come into discussion.

 

So by that logic, I believe the OP is confusing "extension of stay" with "visa".

 

In the scenario above, he would have lost his extension of stay.

 

Maybe the OP could clarify with some pics so that we do not speculate further.

Edited September 12, 2018 by lkv

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, lkv said:

His post is very confusing, I read it a few times, if it was a ME the word "reentry permit would not have come into discussion.

He did write this the topic title "Non Immigrant B multiple entries wasted" and this in his post "verify that indeed my visa was multiple entry".

We can only wait for him to reply back to inform us of what he actually had.

[lkv]

2 hours ago, vic666 said:

On my return at Don Muang, the officer said he couldn't (more likely didn't want to) verify that indeed my visa was multiple entry, so I got 30 days on arrival as I didn't have a re-entry permit stamp.

But then again there is this.

 

That's why it's confusing.

Edited September 12, 2018 by lkv

[vic666]

Dear All, thank you for your opinions. My visa was B multiple entry, but as you may know, you get extensions of the original one after 1-3-6 months you work and these are stamps. Those stamps were transferred from the old passport to the new. I though the transfer process would be comprehensive of everything I had on the old passport (visa, last extension of it, multiple entry stamp, last stamp of arrival), not that they transferred only the extensions. I didn't check what they actually did, assuming it's a one-stop job and you don't question what they do. And you can throw away the old passport. BIG MISTAKE.

For ubonjoe and lkv: if the visa is single entry I must buy a re-entry stamp before leaving, each and every time. Otherwise you lose the visa. I know this very well. On my return, the officer could see my visa was indeed non imm B (from its extension stamp), but it said nowhere that it was multiple entry. So she believed it was single entry. And there was no way to persuade her to check in the computerized database they now have. So she said if t's a single visa I needed a re-entry stamp, which for me was unnecessary as my  visa was multiple. Clearer now? I had a multiple entries but couldn't prove it. So it was treated as a single entry. And if you exit without a re-entry stamp you kill the visa.

Anyhow, the good news are that one can enter by air on 30 days stamp more than 3 times in a year, so the all matter of the multiple visa loses importance, as I'll leave Thailand for good.

Thanks for the help,

Vic

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, vic666 said:

Dear All, thank you for your opinions. My visa was B multiple entry, but as you may know, you get extensions of the original one after 1-3-6 months you work and these are stamps. Those stamps were transferred from the old passport to the new. I though the transfer process would be comprehensive of everything I had on the old passport (visa, last extension of it, multiple entry stamp, last stamp of arrival), not that they transferred only the extensions. I didn't check what they actually did, assuming it's a one-stop job and you don't question what they do. And you can throw away the old passport. BIG MISTAKE.

For ubonjoe and lkv: if the visa is single entry I must buy a re-entry stamp before leaving, each and every time. Otherwise you lose the visa. I know this very well. On my return, the officer could see my visa was indeed non imm B (from its extension stamp), but it said nowhere that it was multiple entry. So she believed it was single entry. And there was no way to persuade her to check in the computerized database they now have. So she said if t's a single visa I needed a re-entry stamp, which for me was unnecessary as my  visa was multiple. Clearer now? I had a multiple entries but couldn't prove it. So it was treated as a single entry. And if you exit without a re-entry stamp you kill the visa.

Anyhow, the good news are that one can enter by air on 30 days stamp more than 3 times in a year, so the all matter of the multiple visa loses importance, as I'll leave Thailand for good.

Thanks for the help,

Vic

Were you leaving and returning every 90 days or were you reporting to Imm' office every 90 days.

There is a world of difference.

[lkv]

I will let @ubonjoe have the pleasure explaining the difference between a single entry non B visa, multiple entry non B visa, extension of stay, re-entry permit.

 

All I will say is, you did not have a visa when you departed Thailand, you were on an extension of stay, and you forgot to get a re-entry permit.

[overherebc]

25 minutes ago, lkv said:

I will let @ubonjoe have the pleasure explaining the difference between a single entry non B visa, multiple entry non B visa, extension of stay, re-entry permit.

 

All I will say is, you did not have a visa when you departed Thailand, you were on an extension of stay, and you forgot to get a re-entry permit.

Yep.

Best guess is single or multi B converted to extension of stay, company or OP doing 90 day reports and no re-entry permit.

[lkv]

I read the all the posts once again.

 

OP, it's clear to me so far that when you were exiting Thailand, you had an extension of stay. What is still not clear is, did you or did you not have a single or a multiple re-entry permit in your old passport?

 

If you had, you should have transferred that before departure to the new passport or present the old passport upon return. To the best of my understanding, re-entry permits can be transferred as long as their are issued by the same place. I.e. At Don Muang you can transfer a re-entry permit from one passport to another before departure as long as it has been issued by Don Muang and not say Chaenwatthana or some other place.

 

But before I go into those technicalities, I do need to know, did you or did you not have a single or multiple entry permit in your old passport, and if you did, why did you not transfer that along with your extension of stay?

 

Below is an example of what an extension of stay looks like (upper part), and a re-entry permit (in this example single), at the bottom.

 

Edited September 13, 2018 by lkv

[jackdd]

11 minutes ago, lkv said:

I read the all the posts once again.

 

OP, it's clear to me so far that when you were exiting Thailand, you had an extension of stay. What is still not clear is, did you or did you not have a single or a multiple re-entry permit in your old passport?

 

If you had, you should have transferred that before departure to the new passport or present the old passport upon return. To the best of my understanding, re-entry permits can be transferred as long as their are issued by the same place. I.e. At Don Muang you can transfer a re-entry permit from one passport to another before departure as long as it has been issued by Don Muang and not say Chaenwatthana or some other place.

 

But before I go into those technicalities, I do need to know, did you or did you not have a single or multiple entry permit in your old passport, and if you did, why did you not transfer that along with your extension of stay?

 

Actually to me it sounds like OP had a multiple entry visa, entered Thailand and got an extension. He then got a new passport and after this left Thailand, but before his multiple entry visa in the old passport had expired. So he expected to get 90 days from his still not expired multiple entry visa, but didn't notice that his was not transferred from his old to his new passport. If it is like this OP could just make a visa run (as long as his multiple entry visa in the old passport is not expired) and show the visa in his old passport, then he would get 90 days from this multiple entry visa.

[lkv]

14 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Actually to me it sounds like OP had a multiple entry visa, entered Thailand and got an extension. He then got a new passport and after this left Thailand, but before his multiple entry visa in the old passport had expired. So he expected to get 90 days from his still not expired multiple entry visa, but didn't notice that his was not transferred from his old to his new passport. If it is like this OP could just make a visa run (as long as his multiple entry visa in the old passport is not expired) and show the visa in his old passport, then he would get 90 days from this multiple entry visa.

???

 

I think we are talking Chinese now as far as the OP is concerned.

 

"On my return, the officer could see my visa was indeed non imm B (from its extension stamp), but it said nowhere that it was multiple entry."

 

So on his return, the IO saw a non B extension transferred from the old passport to the new passport, but did not see a re-entry permit. And he did not have his old passport with him as he said. That's how I would read it.

 

I think it would best for the OP to clarify further or attach some pictures here.

 

Edited September 13, 2018 by lkv

[PoorSucker]

4 hours ago, vic666 said:

Dear All, thank you for your opinions. My visa was B multiple entry, but as you may know, you get extensions of the original one after 1-3-6 months you work and these are stamps. Those stamps were transferred from the old passport to the new. I though the transfer process would be comprehensive of everything I had on the old passport (visa, last extension of it, multiple entry stamp, last stamp of arrival), not that they transferred only the extensions. I didn't check what they actually did, assuming it's a one-stop job and you don't question what they do. And you can throw away the old passport. BIG MISTAKE.

For ubonjoe and lkv: if the visa is single entry I must buy a re-entry stamp before leaving, each and every time. Otherwise you lose the visa. I know this very well. On my return, the officer could see my visa was indeed non imm B (from its extension stamp), but it said nowhere that it was multiple entry. So she believed it was single entry. And there was no way to persuade her to check in the computerized database they now have. So she said if t's a single visa I needed a re-entry stamp, which for me was unnecessary as my  visa was multiple. Clearer now? I had a multiple entries but couldn't prove it. So it was treated as a single entry. And if you exit without a re-entry stamp you kill the visa.

Anyhow, the good news are that one can enter by air on 30 days stamp more than 3 times in a year, so the all matter of the multiple visa loses importance, as I'll leave Thailand for good.

Thanks for the help,

Vic

 

Your multiple entry visa was issued by a consulate abroad, Immigration in Thailand has no idea that you had that.

Consulate are not part of Thai Immigration as they belongs to the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

There is no connection between their databases.

 

 

[Briggsy]

@ lkv

 

The poster has stated that he doesn't have an extension. He has a multi-entry non-imm B. So every time he enters he gets 90 days. This visa lasts for a year.

 

It is very clear what happened. The fact that the visa is multi-entry and not single entry is shown on the visa sticker. The visa sticker is in the old passport. He didn't bring the old passport so he didn't get the 90 days he could have got. It's a very straightforward issue.

 

The new passport only showed details of the most recent entry and permission to stay.

[vic666]

Dear All, I do have a non immigrant visa + a multiple entry stamp in the old passport.

lkv: you got it right. Exactly what happened.

jackdd: you mentioned I could try to rectify the mistake by going out and come back, showing both passports and explaining the all thing. The visa expires on Sept 25. Supposing they are willing to fix the mistake, I could get another 90 days in Thailand. Which I may now need. See my next post...this story gets better and better for readers, but worse for me.

 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, vic666 said:

Dear All, I do have a non immigrant visa + a multiple entry stamp in the old passport.

I you have a multiple entry non immigrant visa issued by embassy or consulate you would not have a separate multiple re-entry permit stamp. The multiple entry is shown on the visa sticker by way of a M in the number of entries space on it.

I suspect you have an extension of stay and a multiple re-entry permit stamp that was issued at a immigration office. If you leave using your new passport and re-enter showing both passports to use  the re-entry permit in your old passport you will be stamped into the country to the date your extension ends (expiration date on the re-entry permit).

[vic666]

The original visa was single entry. I later purchased a multiple entry stamp to avoid paying 1200 THB each and every time I went out.

[Raram28]

Dear all: I have a related question. My passport expires in August of next year, which means I have to renew my passport in Jan of Feb of next year. I have a multiple entry visa for Thailand. I have been working in Thailand for the past 5 years. 

 

Question - I will exit the country to renew my passport and would be entering Thailand with my new passport. Do I present both my old and new passport to the Immigration, get my entry stamp and then get the multiple entry visa transferred to my new passport? Or, do i have to get something done before I leave the country to get my passport renewed.

 

Thank you very much

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, vic666 said:

The original visa was single entry. I later purchased a multiple entry stamp to avoid paying 1200 THB each and every time I went out.

If you had a single entry visa it expired long ago and the 90 day entry also ended long ago. If you had gotten a re-entry permit for that 90 days it would of been valid to the date the 90 days ended.

You apparently applied for a a one year extension of that 90 day permit to stay and then a re-entry permit to keep that extension of stay valid.

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, Raram28 said:

Dear all: I have a related question. My passport expires in August of next year, which means I have to renew my passport in Jan of Feb of next year. I have a multiple entry visa for Thailand. I have been working in Thailand for the past 5 years. 

Question - I will exit the country to renew my passport and would be entering Thailand with my new passport. Do I present both my old and new passport to the Immigration, get my entry stamp and then get the multiple entry visa transferred to my new passport?

If you have a multiple entry visa issued by a embassy or consulate you will have to use both passports on entry to the country every time you enter the country until it expires. Visa cannot be transferred.

[lkv]

 

3 hours ago, vic666 said:

See my next post...this story gets better and better for readers, but worse for me.

 

I hope you are not trolling. The story does not get better and better for me, it gets worse.

 

Until you attach pictures of your so called "visa" I'm out.

[loong]

Ikv

A bit off topic, but I have to ask how did you manage to get the immigration officer to place your extension and re-entry permit so neatly that they both fit on 1 page? Mine are always placed in the middle of the page so that there is no room for anything else. I have to get a new passport soon as running out of pages with 2 years left.

[lkv]

53 minutes ago, loong said:

Ikv

A bit off topic, but I have to ask how did you manage to get the immigration officer to place your extension and re-entry permit so neatly that they both fit on 1 page? Mine are always placed in the middle of the page so that there is no room for anything else. I have to get a new passport soon as running out of pages with 2 years left.

I told the Immigration officer, should she make the slightest mistake in positioning the stamps on the page, I will report her to the call center.

........

........

........

 

No man sorry, I am on SETVs, that's taken from Google Images.

[overherebc]

54 minutes ago, loong said:

Ikv

A bit off topic, but I have to ask how did you manage to get the immigration officer to place your extension and re-entry permit so neatly that they both fit on 1 page? Mine are always placed in the middle of the page so that there is no room for anything else. I have to get a new passport soon as running out of pages with 2 years left.

It seems the IO's enjoy searching through every page and thats why I've got some arrival stamps next to departure stamps and some 5 pages apart. ??

[overherebc]

On 9/14/2018 at 8:49 AM, vic666 said:

The original visa was single entry. I later purchased a multiple entry stamp to avoid paying 1200 THB each and every time I went out.

So your visa was dead and gone and you were on an extension of stay. 

[lkv]

Just now, overherebc said:

So your visa was dead and gone and you were on an extension of stay. 

I honestly think he is trolling.

[overherebc]

9 minutes ago, lkv said:

I honestly think he is trolling.

Could be. But it may make others think about visas/extensions etc.

I worked for years on multi O's with WP's and I still get people who have been here for 10 minutes telling me I must have been 'illegal' because their Imm' office or their wife/girlfriend told them must be a B visa to get a WP.

Edited September 15, 2018 by overherebc