Using Chaeng Wattana though living in Chonburi

[Litlos]

So I did not make it back to Thailand in time to renew my retirement visa.  No big problem just have to go through the hoops again of getting a 90 day then convert to retirement visa, had to do it once before so I know the process.

So off down to the Jomtien Immigration office and the girl at the reception desk gives me a guide and some blank forms to fill in, no problem a guide to the documentation required will make it easy.  So a couple of days later and head back again with the required paperwork plus a couple of extra things that they historically require.  Well 5 pages short when I get to desk 7 which apparently uses different rules and to bad if you followed that guide I require these extras. But cannot complain to much will not do any good anyway, but she did helpfully staple the departing part of my TM8 into my passport, on the centre page that says do not stamp, and contains the bio data strip/chip. Hopefully the passport is still Ok as the staple was to the edge and the strip/chip is in the middle.  I did not notice this till the next day, and girl not interested in this is wrong until another person in the office said something in Thai

So back to office again and today I have all the correct paperwork and she is now being helpful after the staple incident.  OK will be two weeks to send to Bangkok and get back with 90 day visa stamp, I do not have two weeks to wait as will be travelling in 10 days, sorry cannot do anything.

 

Looking forward a few months and there is no period where I want my passport out of my hands for 2 weeks possibly twice. So one for the experts in the intricacies of visas etc.  Can I just take my passport to Bangkok and do it myself, though living in Chonburi district?  Option 2 when I come back to Thailand I generally spend a couple of days in Bangkok staying in a hotel, which gives me a Bangkok address, can I do it whilst staying in Bangkok?  Any other option I am unaware of?

 

Note:  http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html says Visa, so I will as well.

 

Cheers

 

[ubonjoe]

It would be the same 2 weeks to get the visa and entry stamp in Bangkok. The application has to be approved at a higher level than a immigration office.

The OA visa would be a good option if you are going to be in your hoem country. 

[Sophon]

Quote

Note:  http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html says Visa, so I will as well.

Yes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website calls a Non Immigrant OA a visa, because that is exactly what it is. However, what you are trying to obtain is a retirement extension, which is in no way the same as a Non Immigrant OA visa. The fact that you believe a retirement extension and a Non Immigrant OA visa is the same thing demonstrates perfectly, why it's important to use the correct terminology. 

 

Sophon

[Litlos]

56 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It would be the same 2 weeks to get the visa and entry stamp in Bangkok. The application has to be approved at a higher level than a immigration office.

The OA visa would be a good option if you are going to be in your home country. 

That explains that thanks.

I rarely visit my home country and there is only a consulate in Perth, so not much good as an option I feel.

So to convert from the 90 day visa to Extension of Stay, can that be done in Jomtien or is there the same two weeks and off to Bangkok again?

 

Cheers

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, Litlos said:

So to convert from the 90 day visa to Extension of Stay, can that be done in Jomtien or is there the same two weeks and off to Bangkok again?

When you apply for the extension of stay during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry from the visa it is completed on the date you apply for it. But in Jomtien I think you will have to back the next day to pick up your passport.

After you get the 90 day entry stamp you can get re-entry permit to keep the remainder of the 90 days when you enter the country using it if you want to travel.

[Litlos]

The plot thickens on this, well maybe for Jomtien office anyway.  So I wandered down to the office again the other day and was told I was there as I had to make the application in the last two weeks (then amended to 15 days) and it would be issued at the last day of the stamp I got for exempt entry.  As I work a 28x28 roster minus 3 days for travelling it means I am never in Thailand for more than 25 consecutive days.  I explained this to the officer, and she was well aware that I go away to work (at least not working in Thailand).  Her response was best go and get a non-immigrant from another country then when that expires roll it into the retirement extension again.

 

So the question is I can see two options for a no imm from Perth Aus, a 90 day single entry and a 6 month multi entry.  Is it possible to go to the immigration and get another entry added to a single entry as I will use the single entry coming back into Thailand I think?  Is more to do with hassles obtaining a multi entry, basically reviewed on a case by case basis and where I would like my renewal of visa to be than any thing else.

 

Cheers

[JackThompson]

On 1/25/2019 at 3:10 PM, Litlos said:

So off down to the Jomtien Immigration office and the girl at the reception desk gives me a guide and some blank forms to fill in, no problem a guide to the documentation required will make it easy.  So a couple of days later and head back again with the required paperwork plus a couple of extra things that they historically require.  Well 5 pages short when I get to desk 7 which apparently uses different rules and to bad if you followed that guide I require these extras.

Yes, the info you got at the front desk are the official rules from Bangkok.  The person at the desk is a known scammer, making up non-rules to push people to agents (she seems to have quit asking for the 15K direct in her office).

 

But the delay-period is standard everywhere.

 

2 hours ago, Litlos said:

So the question is I can see two options for a no imm from Perth Aus, a 90 day single entry and a 6 month multi entry. 

The 6-mo multiple-entry is a Tourist type visa, which would still leave you dealing with the Non-O stamp desk with delay-period.

 

A Non-O Single-Entry Visa would work, but may not be available in AU any more.  But, you can get a Non-O Single-Entry Visa in Savannakhet, Laos, or Penang or Kota Bahru Malaysia.  That gives you 90-days on entry.  In the last 30-days of the permitted-stay from that, you can apply for a 1-year extension. 

 

If you need to leave during that 90-days for your rotation-shift, you can get a re-entry permit to keep the permitted-stay date intact, then do the application upon your return.

[Litlos]

Y

9 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Yes, the info you got at the front desk are the official rules from Bangkok.  The person at the desk is a known scammer, making up non-rules to push people to agents (she seems to have quit asking for the 15K direct in her office).

 

But the delay-period is standard everywhere.

 

The 6-mo multiple-entry is a Tourist type visa, which would still leave you dealing with the Non-O stamp desk with delay-period.

 

A Non-O Single-Entry Visa would work, but may not be available in AU any more.  But, you can get a Non-O Single-Entry Visa in Savannakhet, Laos, or Penang or Kota Bahru Malaysia.  That gives you 90-days on entry.  In the last 30-days of the permitted-stay from that, you can apply for a 1-year extension. 

 

If you need to leave during that 90-days for your rotation-shift, you can get a re-entry permit to keep the permitted-stay date intact, then do the application upon your return.

The form from Perth has both tourist and non-immigration type visa's listed, though it does not say specifically which one, I will have to check.

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, Litlos said:

The form from Perth has both tourist and non-immigration type visa's listed, though it does not say specifically which one, I will have to check.

I can assure you that you will not be able to get a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over for retirement in Perth or anywhere else in Australia. Many reports by members that have tried to get one and were told no.

The embassy in Canberra has informed the honorary consulates they cannot issue them. the embassy and the official consulate in Sydney will only issue a OA visa for retirement.

 

[Litlos]

On 3/14/2019 at 3:53 AM, ubonjoe said:

I can assure you that you will not be able to get a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over for retirement in Perth or anywhere else in Australia. Many reports by members that have tried to get one and were told no.

The embassy in Canberra has informed the honorary consulates they cannot issue them. the embassy and the official consulate in Sydney will only issue a OA visa for retirement.

 

I appreciate the comments and guidance given, but this is turning into a nightmare of nothing seems to fit for me with working, ie I can get a the retirement visa 90 day from Penang, but the renewal then does not sit on the correct dates for conversion.

 

So looking through the details on the Penang website it seems there is a 12 month visa Non-(Other) which looks like a marriage base visa, being married to a Thai I can probably qualify for, gets around a lot of the problems with the retirement visa.  So assuming I am correct and qualify for that in Penang are they actually issuing these or some form problem with obtaining one of these?

 

Cheers

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, Litlos said:

So looking through the details on the Penang website it seems there is a 12 month visa Non-(Other) which looks like a marriage base visa, being married to a Thai I can probably qualify for, gets around a lot of the problems with the retirement visa. 

It gets rid of immigration-problems entirely.  Do be aware that the entries are only good for 90-days each, so border-bounces are involved- but do one right at the end, and you get 15 months.  Extend that last entry to "visit your wife" at immigration, and you can get 17 months before going back for another.  You can extend any/all of the entries by 60-days, this way (if you want to deal with immigration offices).

You can get it in Penang based on retirement or married-to-a-Thai.  At that location, financials are required for both.  At Savannakhet or HCMC, you can get the marriage-based version w/o financials.  See here:

It's a long thread, with lots of extraneous info (hotels, etc), but nothing has changed as far as the application requirements since the beginning of it.

Edited March 16, 2019 by JackThompson

[ubonjoe]

12 hours ago, Litlos said:

I appreciate the comments and guidance given, but this is turning into a nightmare of nothing seems to fit for me with working, ie I can get a the retirement visa 90 day from Penang, but the renewal then does not sit on the correct dates for conversion.

I can assure you Penang will issue a non-o visa for being 50 or over for retirement if you can show proof of 800k baht in a bank or proof of 65k baht or a combination of the two and proof you are retired.

I am going by many report done on the this forum over several years. There are even report of issue issuing a multiple entry non-o visa.

Their website like many others for embassy and consulates do not show every visa they will issue.

Also it takes some digging to dig up that old info on their website. If you click visa on the main page it takes you the KL embassy website.

The visa fees shown on it are several years old. The fee for a single entry is now 330 RM and a multiple 750 RM.

[Litlos]

I have decided to give Penang a miss as I remembered I have a couple of stamps from Israel in my passport, maybe OK, maybe not, but not worth the risk to get rejected at Penang immigration.

 

So now looking at Savannakhet option.  Have already seen the Nok Air fly drive option which seems ok.

 

So I can go with either retirement or marriage at Savannakhet.  Is either of these available as a one year?  The information I found was contradictory.

 

Cheers

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, Litlos said:

So I can go with either retirement or marriage at Savannakhet. 

Marriage would be easier and you would not need to show financial proof for either a single or multiple entry visa.

You can use a non-o based upon marriage to apply for an extension based upon retirement.