Non-O Visa Questions

[gbob]

I have a Non-immigrant O visa obtained on the basis of marriage to a Thai the was issued on 11 Dec, 2017 at Savannakhet.  As is well know, this is the type of visa requiring an exit from Thailand every 90 days.  I just want tor reconfirm that the last day the visa is valid is 10 Dec 2018, i.e., on 11 Dec 2018 it has expired.

 

Also, on my last visa run, I returned from Lao on 15 Oct 2018.  The date on the stamp is "Admitted until 12 NOV 2019".  I questioned the immigration officer at CNX, but said this was correct.  Is this, in fact, correct for the type of visa I have, and if so, why?  Shouldn't the admitted until day be 11 Dec 2018, the day that the visa is now invalid?

 

Thanks for your responses.

[Tanoshi]

3 minutes ago, gbob said:

I have a Non-immigrant O visa obtained on the basis of marriage to a Thai the was issued on 11 Dec, 2017 at Savannakhet.  As is well know, this is the type of visa requiring an exit from Thailand every 90 days.  I just want tor reconfirm that the last day the visa is valid is 10 Dec 2018, i.e., on 11 Dec 2018 it has expired.

 

Yes your Visa expires on 10th Dec 2018.

You don't have to leave every 90 days, you could do a 60 day extension for each entry.

You would then only need to do 3 border runs in a 17 month period before renewing the Visa.

 

7 minutes ago, gbob said:

Also, on my last visa run, I returned from Lao on 15 Oct 2018.  The date on the stamp is "Admitted until 12 NOV 2019".  I questioned the immigration officer at CNX, but said this was correct.  Is this, in fact, correct for the type of visa I have, and if so, why?  Shouldn't the admitted until day be 11 Dec 2018, the day that the visa is now invalid?

The admitted until date is certainly wrong.

You should have been permitted to stay until Jan 12th 2019. (90 days)

The validity of your Visa and validity of permission to stay are not the same.

 

If you exit and re-enter on 10th Dec 2018, you will be given permission to stay until 9th March 2019.

You could then extend that by 60 days at Immigration (1,900 baht) until 7th May 2019, when you would then need to renew your Visa at Savannakhet.

 

[anchadian]

You are correct, you hold a multiple Non-immigrant O visa.

 

This so called immigration officer is not correct, you should have had a further 90 days, i.e. until 09 January 2019.

 

You should therefore get the above corrected at immigration.  Once corrected you could do a further visa run on or before 10 December to obtain a further 90 days.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by anchadian

[Tanoshi]

3 minutes ago, anchadian said:

You are correct, you hold a multiple Non-immigrant O visa.

 

This so called immigration officer is not correct, you should have had a further 90 days, i.e. until 09 January 2019.

 

 

He re-entered Thailand on 15th Oct. > 90 days takes him to 12th Jan 2019, not 9th Jan 2019.

[anchadian]

Give or take a few days but yes, you are correct.

[Jip99]

The IO only stamped you in for 30 days for some reason. Needs correcting.

 

 

The permission to stay date should be 9th January and you can exit/enter again for another 90 days any time before the 'enter before' date on the visa - most probably 10th December.

[anchadian]

5 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

The IO only stamped you in for 30 days for some reason. Needs correcting.

 

 

The permission to stay date should be 9th January and you can exit/enter again for another 90 days any time before the 'enter before' date on the visa - most probably 10th December.

He re-entered Thailand on 15th Oct. > 90 days takes him to 12th Jan 2019, not 9th Jan 2019.

[Tanoshi]

15 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

The IO only stamped you in for 30 days for some reason. Needs correcting.

The IO stamped him in for 1 year + 30 days.

Quote

I returned from Lao on 15 Oct 2018.  The date on the stamp is "Admitted until 12 NOV 2019". 

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Tanoshi

[Jip99]

28 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

The IO stamped him in for 1 year + 30 days.

 

 

OOps.... I missed the 2019 bit............... wrong on several counts then.... ????

 

Could the I/O really have confused November for January ???

Edited November 12, 2018 by Jip99

[Tanoshi]

1 minute ago, Jip99 said:

 

OOps.... I missed the 2019 bit............... wrong on several counts then.... ????

You are not alone …… I sometimes have my 'senior' moment days.   ????

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, gbob said:

I just want tor reconfirm that the last day the visa is valid is 10 Dec 2018,

Yes, if the visa was issued in December 11th, 2017.

 

4 hours ago, gbob said:

Also, on my last visa run, I returned from Lao on 15 Oct 2018.  The date on the stamp is "Admitted until 12 NOV 2019".  I questioned the immigration officer at CNX, but said this was correct.

It looks like the IO didn’t see you had a valid non ‘O’ visa and gave you a 30 day stay under visa exemption.

 

If you go to your local immigration office they will correct the mistake and give you the full 90 days.

 

4 hours ago, gbob said:

Shouldn't the admitted until day be 11 Dec 2018, the day that the visa is now invalid?

No.

 

You should have been given 90 days from Oct 15th and been admitted until January 12th, 2018.

 

You have a multiple entry visa valid for use until December 11th. If you leave again and re-enter on or before December 11th you’ll receive a new 90 day stay, 

 

If you want to maximise your stay using this visa you should exit/re-enter just before December 11th and get another 90 days taking you to early March.

 

Then, in March (at the end of the 90 days) you can get a 60 day extension of stay taking you to May 2019.

[gbob]

On 11/12/2018 at 5:40 PM, elviajero said:

Yes, if the visa was issued in December 11th, 2017.

 

It looks like the IO didn’t see you had a valid non ‘O’ visa and gave you a 30 day stay under visa exemption.

 

If you go to your local immigration office they will correct the mistake and give you the full 90 days.

 

No.

 

You should have been given 90 days from Oct 15th and been admitted until January 12th, 2018.

 

You have a multiple entry visa valid for use until December 11th. If you leave again and re-enter on or before December 11th you’ll receive a new 90 day stay, 

 

If you want to maximise your stay using this visa you should exit/re-enter just before December 11th and get another 90 days taking you to early March.

 

Then, in March (at the end of the 90 days) you can get a 60 day extension of stay taking you to May 2019.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the replies.  Greatly appreciated.  Just to note again, I entered on 15 Oct 2018, and the Admitted Until date is 12 Nov 2019.  Yes 2019, not 2018, i.e., 1 year!  See the attached photo. Clearly, this is incorrect.  However, I was planning to go to Savannakhet on 10 Dec to apply for another Non-O visa, and If I do this, is there really any need to get the date stamp corrected?

Also, if I understand some of the replies correctly, if I really want to milk this, I could exit the country on 10 Dec and return for a new 90 days, and along with another 90-day extension, I really would not need to apply for a new Non-O visa until early May 2019.  Correct?

 

Thanks.

[elviajero]

10 minutes ago, gbob said:

Thanks, everyone, for the replies.  Greatly appreciated.  Just to note again, I entered on 15 Oct 2018, and the Admitted Until date is 12 Nov 2019.  Yes 2019, not 2018, i.e., 1 year!  See the attached photo. Clearly, this is incorrect.  However, I was planning to go to Savannakhet on 10 Dec to apply for another Non-O visa, and If I do this, is there really any need to get the date stamp corrected?

If you leave on December 10th you don't need to get the stamp corrected.

 

11 minutes ago, gbob said:

Also, if I understand some of the replies correctly, if I really want to milk this, I could exit the country on 10 Dec and return for a new 90 days, and along with another 90-day extension, I really would not need to apply for a new Non-O visa until early May 2019.  Correct?

Almost right. If you leave and re-enter on or before December 11th you'll be given a new 90 day stay. That can be extended by 60 days (not 90) and you wouldn't need to get another visa until May.

[Tanoshi]

Bob, just for your reference.

 

After following the above information to take you to May before renewing your Non Imm O ME Visa, to utilise this Visa to it's maximum and assuming it's cheaper to visit CM Immigration office than travel to a border.

 

New Visa, enter May 2019, 90 day entry until Aug.

Extend for 60 days at CM (1,900 baht) until Oct.

Oct, border run, new 90 day entry, until Jan 2020.

Extend for 60 days at CM (1,900 baht) until Mar.

Mar, border run, new 90 day entry. (You don't stay the full 90 days)

May, just before 'enter before' date on Visa, border run, new 90 day entry, until Aug.

Extend for 60 days at CM (1,900 baht) until Oct.

 

As you can see from the example, 17 months stay and only 3 border runs.

Renew Visa, repeat.

 

The validity of your Visa and the validity of permission to stay are entirely different entities.

 

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. 

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.

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

 

[youreavinalaff]

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

If you leave on December 10th you don't need to get the stamp corrected.

 

Almost right. If you leave and re-enter on or before December 11th you'll be given a new 90 day stay. That can be extended by 60 days (not 90) and you wouldn't need to get another visa until May.

I would disagree. Any errors on the part of and IO should be rectified ASAP.

 

[elviajero]

7 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

I would disagree. Any errors on the part of and IO should be rectified ASAP.

As long as the OP leaves before January 12th there is no problem and he doesn’t need to get the ‘admitted until’ date fixed.

 

There would only be a potential problem if he stayed after January 12th and the error was discovered.

[Tanoshi]

11 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

I would disagree. Any errors on the part of and IO should be rectified ASAP.

 

Why? In certain situations I'd agree, but not on this occasion.

 

The OP should have been stamped in until 12th January, so his permission to stay is legitimate until that date.

If he leaves and re-enters on or just before 10th December, well before 90 days, he will be given another 90 day entry stamp until March, automatically correcting any previous errors.

 

 

 

 

[gbob]

4 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Why? In certain situations I'd agree, but not on this occasion.

 

The OP should have been stamped in until 12th January, so his permission to stay is legitimate until that date.

If he leaves and re-enters on or just before 10th December, well before 90 days, he will be given another 90 day entry stamp until March, automatically correcting any previous errors.

 

 

 

 

OP here. 

 

Thanks for the additional comments.  Mostly, I am concerned about not being here illegally.  So, if I simply want to postpone getting a new Non-O visa for around 90 days, would it be reasonable to leave the country say on 9 Dec, return the same day (as the Enter before date is 10 Dec, 2018), get a proper 90-day stamp, and near the expiration of that 90-day period, return to Savannakhet for a new visa?  I am not really interested in extending yet another 60 days just to further postpone the trip to Savannakhet.  It would seem that this would resolve the current incorrect date stamp problem.  However, it is easy for me to go to CM Immigration and get the stamp fixed.

 

The other alternative for me is just to go to Savannakhet on 10 Dec and apply for a new visa.  Your thoughts?

 

Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, gbob said:

However, it is easy for me to go to CM Immigration and get the stamp fixed.

That is what I would do and/or do a border hop before the non-o expires.

 

[Tanoshi]

If you leave and re-enter on 9th December, you will be stamped in for 90 days until 8th February, which is a Friday.

I'd therefore suggest you travel to Savannakhet on Thu 7th Feb to renew your Non Imm O.

 

It's purely a personal option whether to do a 60 day extension or make a border run to get another 90 days.

The Visa is valid for 1 year, but if as already stated you leave and re-enter just before the Visa expires, you'll be given permission to stay another 90 days, so in total you can stay 15 months perfectly legal.

 

Again personal option, you can visit CM to get your current stamp corrected, or it will automatically be corrected (by virtue of a new stamp) when you do a border run on 9th December.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Tanoshi

[youreavinalaff]

22 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Why? In certain situations I'd agree, but not on this occasion.

 

The OP should have been stamped in until 12th January, so his permission to stay is legitimate until that date.

If he leaves and re-enters on or just before 10th December, well before 90 days, he will be given another 90 day entry stamp until March, automatically correcting any previous errors.

 

 

 

 

It is highly unlikely that the immigration computer system will allow an entry for over a year to be input into the system. The OP therefore has a date that is different to what immigration thinks he has, it is possible the the IO even put the correct date in the system. Who knows how an IO at border control is going to interpret this.

 

For peace of mind on his next journey out of Thailand, a quick trip to his local immigration office is a no brainer.

[elviajero]

18 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

It is highly unlikely that the immigration computer system will allow an entry for over a year to be input into the system. The OP therefore has a date that is different to what immigration thinks he has, it is possible the the IO even put the correct date in the system. Who knows how an IO at border control is going to interpret this.

 

For peace of mind on his next journey out of Thailand, a quick trip to his local immigration office is a no brainer.

As explained several times already. As long as the OP does not stay beyond January 12th they do not have a problem, and do not need to waste time at immigration. On exit before January 12th the current permit to stay ends.

 

If they were only given 30 days and planning to leave after 50 days they should get the entry stamp changed, but there is no need in this case.

[youreavinalaff]

4 hours ago, elviajero said:

As explained several times already. As long as the OP does not stay beyond January 12th they do not have a problem, and do not need to waste time at immigration. On exit before January 12th the current permit to stay ends.

 

If they were only given 30 days and planning to leave after 50 days they should get the entry stamp changed, but there is no need in this case.

TIT as they say. One never knows what will be done or said by any individual IO. The OP has already said it will be "easy" to go to Immigration. Peace of mind, rather that "need" would suggest that a visit to Immigration would be best.