I have a passport that will expire before the Retirement Visa does.. Will I be able to renew my passport and then have Immigration transfer the existing visa or will I have to apply for a new Retirement visa.. Either way it seems im going to be without both while the passport is being processed..

Thanks for the help,

john

AFAIK They'll transfer the entry stamp but not the actual visa, so you need to keep your old PP with the still-valid visa when you enter the country.

you need to keep your old PP with the still-valid visa when you enter the country

Crossy...are you sure about this? If one has an expired passport with a visa and one-year "retirement" extension stamp in it and a new passport with the "stamp" transferred to it, if the person (with a re-entry permit) travels in/out of Thailand, they need to take both passports with them?

Seems kind of cumbersome and I am sure many people would be tripped-up by this, believing that the "transfer" procedure put whatever information was needed about both the visa/entry stamp/extension into the new passport. Therefore, only the new passport would be needed for travel in and out of Thailand in the future.

I have an annual extension of stay (non-imm 'B). Every time I bring a new p/port all data are transferred. Immigration got a stamp for this, all in Thai, where they mark old p/port number, arrival date (they always go back 3-4 years), permission of stay etc.

One page is gone

On second page stamp the 'extension permission', another half page.

Once I went to the re-entry counter as well, asked to transfer the permit. First refused, but after pointed out that even the Vietnam-embassy had tranferred the visa, they did accept, stamped the re-entry and marked it as 'copy'.

All in all 2 1/2 pages used.

Edited March 29, 200719 yr by Axel

The OP enquired about a VISA not an extension of stay.

If you have an extension the original visa has no further part in the proceedings and is not required.

True, Crossy, my reply was in confirmation to your post No. 2.

Immigration can transfer what is their's, Visa is not issued by immigration so a transfer could only be done by the issuing consular office.

I have a passport that will expire before the Retirement Visa does..

Sorry if I missed something but how can you have a passport expiring before the visa expiry date? Usually, you cannot get a visa covering a period not covered by your passeport.