Someone just sent this to me by WhatsApp. Can anyone confirm if it is true?

Attention All Holders of Permanent Residence in Thailand.

NEW RULE

To travel overseas, your Certificate of Residence, needs to be endorsed before you can apply for a re-entry visa.  As this facility is not available at the Port of departure, one would tend to have this done on an annual basis or prior to planned departure.

In the rare case that your earlier endorsement has expired - AND YOU DID NOT TRAVEL WITHIN THAT PERIOD - there is an extra process before you can get a new endorsement.

This involves cancellation of the earlier - lapsed - endorsement.  This take 2-3 days and your passport, PR and CoR, will be retained.  This goes to the higher ups for approval.

Only after this is done will you be allowed to apply for a new endorsement and apply for a re-entry visa

Ensure that you have this extra time before your travel dates.

Additional information, it was told to a permanent resident who had a multiple reentry permit but had not gone abroad for 2 years. The feeling was, why didn't you go and pay for another reentry permit?

I'm lost. It this just the same thing as always; you need to have an exit / re-entry stamp in your passport and your C of R book before you go to an airport etc., to depart. (Or get the exit/re-entry at the departing airport.)

 

It's clear (from old posts and my own habit) that many foreigners with PR automatically get a new multi-entry stamp when the old one (with 12 months validity) is expired or is about to expire.

 

This isn't a law or a regulation, just a habit that many PR holders follow for their own convenience.  

 

Or has an additional process now been added? Does anybody have a definitive answer?

 

Hopefully Arkady will be along soon to give some clarity.

 

 

 

 

What do you mean by endorsement. In the past as a permanent resident I only renew by multiple entry visa as and when necessary. Where on the immigration site does it say about this new rule. 

Removed an off-topic post and the replies to it.

16 hours ago, scorecard said:

I'm lost. It this just the same thing as always; you need to have an exit / re-entry stamp in your passport and your C of R book before you go to an airport etc., to depart. (Or get the exit/re-entry at the departing airport.)

 

It's clear (from old posts and my own habit) that many foreigners with PR automatically get a new multi-entry stamp when the old one (with 12 months validity) is expired or is about to expire.

 

This isn't a law or a regulation, just a habit that many PR holders follow for their own convenience.  

 

Or has an additional process now been added? Does anybody have a definitive answer?

 

Hopefully Arkady will be along soon to give some clarity.

 

 

 

 

Ditto. I also don't understand what is being suggested. A multiple re-entry is only valid for one year and cannot be extended. Most PRs will renew on an annual basis or renew when aware of a forthcoming overseas trip.

I really don't see the point of getting PR, unless you are going for citizenship and not married to a Thai. it is expensive and the money would be better spent on a Thai Elite visa.

5 hours ago, jayboy said:

Ditto. I also don't understand what is being suggested. A multiple re-entry is only valid for one year and cannot be extended. Most PRs will renew on an annual basis or renew when aware of a forthcoming overseas trip.

Agree, exactly as Jayboy said. And it all seems to work well.

 

I hope Arkady will be along to give some interpretation.

 

So now have spoken to Immigration and PR holders don't need to renew their multiple entry visa if they don't intend to go overseas if current multiple entry visa has or about to expire. For example my multiple entry visa expired in November and I will renew it in 3 months time just before I go overseas in March. No point in renewing if not going overseas. Nothing has changed. Hope this clarifies everything. Just remember not to let your alien book expire.

So nothing has changed in regard to immigration requirements regarding the exit / re-entry stamp.

 

Sure PR holders need to keep their eye on the 5 years renewal in their alien book / the red police registration book, but that's not an immigration matter, it's a police matter. I've never presented it at the airport nor been asked for it on departure or arrival.  

This is the absolute pinnacle of stupidity. You have 'Permanent Residency' but still need to jump through all these hoops? 

On 12/12/2018 at 5:47 PM, howzat said:

What do you mean by endorsement. In the past as a permanent resident I only renew by multiple entry visa as and when necessary. Where on the immigration site does it say about this new rule. 

Hence the question. It was told by an immigration officer in Bangkok to a PR when he went to get another multiple entry permit. It seems very odd but thai govt officers are renowned for interpreting the law individually.

6 hours ago, howzat said:

So now have spoken to Immigration and PR holders don't need to renew their multiple entry visa if they don't intend to go overseas if current multiple entry visa has or about to expire. For example my multiple entry visa expired in November and I will renew it in 3 months time just before I go overseas in March. No point in renewing if not going overseas. Nothing has changed. Hope this clarifies everything. Just remember not to let your alien book expire.

By the way, just for information, my wife asked the policeman updating my red book what happens if we forgot to update. He said i would get fined but not lose PR.

11 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Hence the question. It was told by an immigration officer in Bangkok to a PR when he went to get another multiple entry permit. It seems very odd but thai govt officers are renowned for interpreting the law individually.

I defer to those like Arkady and Scorecard with a much more extensive knowledge of PR than myself but this (specifically the so-called "extra process") really is the utmost balderdash or dare I say it, fake news. I have consulted my very experienced Thai immigration lawyer. On this basis I can confirm the original posting was predicated on a complete nonsense - to the extent it was comprehensible - possibly based on a foreigners misunderstanding. And there is absolutely NO repeat NO discretion on the part of individual immigration officials as regards the procedure for multi-entry permits for PRs.

17 hours ago, MrPatrickThai said:

I really don't see the point of getting PR, unless you are going for citizenship and not married to a Thai. it is expensive and the money would be better spent on a Thai Elite visa.

Except that Thai Elite visa holders need to renew their visas, and they aren't eligible to apply for work permits or citizenship.

So is this as some have hinted at a non issue? I have PR and my reentry stamp expires next month. I will be travelling the month after that. So do I just need to get another reentry stamp? And is it better to get this before the current one expires, or get it after expiration?

 

Thanks in advance