60 day marriage extension then converting to 1-year marriage extension?

[drbeach]

Hi guys,

 

Like many of you on a non-O multi who normally travels frequently in and out of the country, this global border closure has been very inconvenient for me.

 

What are my options given that my 90-day permitted to stamp ran out on June 4 (I'm covered by the amnesty until July 31)?

 

1. wait until they announce whether the amnesty is extended or not (which I plan to do) and if it isn't, go for a 60-day marriage extension? Will the 60-days start from the date I apply, or July 31? For instance, if I go in on July 29? UbonJoe kind of hinted it will start on the date i apply but I just want to make sure.

 

2. Would I then need to season the 400,000 Baht starting on that day (does it have to be in my Thai bank account? Or is a foreign bank account OK?) and thus start the process of getting the 1-year extension in mid to late September?

 

I intend to possibly employ the help of an agent since it's my first time doing such a conversion.

 

If the amnesty is extended and borders subsequently open prior to the expiration of the new amnesty (meaning normal travel becomes possible again) I assume that I'll simply receive an exit stamp, go to the neighboring country and upon my return I'd receive a fresh 90 day stay as usual? My current visa is valid until March 2021, so the visa validity is not an issue, just the stamp.

 

Thanks for all your help.

[CLS]

1. The 60 days extension extends your permission of stay from the admitted until day for 60 days, not from the application day.

I was admitted till 8th April, extended on 3rd April and the permission of stay was extended till 7th June. Was 60 days extension upon marriage to a Thai too. I know I had no b@lls to gamble, as the confirmed amnesty was just announced hours after.
 

2. The day you apply for the 1 year extension, the 400k THB have to be seasoned for at least 2 months  in your own Thai bank account (no joint or overseas account). Any currency is accepted. Funds have to come from abroad.

 

BTW you are quite safe and have plenty of options as your visa is still good till 2021. Relax.

 

[JackThompson]

7 minutes ago, CLS said:

1. The 60 days extension extends your permission of stay from the admitted until day for 60 days, not from the application day.

I was admitted till 8th April, extended on 3rd April and the permission of stay was extended till 7th June. Was 60 days extension upon marriage to a Thai too. I know I had no b@lls to gamble, as the confirmed amnesty was just announced hours after.  ...

Yes, but you applied before your permitted-stay ended - so they added it to your existing permitted-stay, as is standard.  If they were to add 60-days to the end of his last permitted-stay stamp-date, he would only get until early August. 

 

Do we know if they will add the 60-days to the end of the automatic-extension, or date of application, or long-past-end of one's last permitted stay? 

[drbeach]

19 minutes ago, CLS said:

1. The 60 days extension extends your permission of stay from the admitted until day for 60 days, not from the application day.

I was admitted till 8th April, extended on 3rd April and the permission of stay was extended till 7th June. Was 60 days extension upon marriage to a Thai too. I know I had no b@lls to gamble, as the confirmed amnesty was just announced hours after.
 

2. The day you apply for the 1 year extension, the 400k THB have to be seasoned for at least 2 months  in your own Thai bank account (no joint or overseas account). Any currency is accepted. Funds have to come from abroad.

 

BTW you are quite safe and have plenty of options as your visa is still good till 2021. Relax.

 

Yes but in your case, that was before the amnesty was announced. Now both you and I are under amnesty rules and Ubonjoe hinted at something different.

[drbeach]

9 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Yes, but you applied before your permitted-stay ended - so they added it to your existing permitted-stay, as is standard.  If they were to add 60-days to the end of his last permitted-stay stamp-date, he would only get until early August. 

 

Do we know if they will add the 60-days to the end of the automatic-extension, or date of application, or long-past-end of one's last permitted stay? 

Precisely. I would only get like 2 days beyond the current amnesty deadline, which is completely not worth going through the trouble to get.

[AndyPa]

I think it's time someone (or all of us) went to immigration to ask. Better to know now than to be surprised a few days before July 31 and being given only a few days to leave.

[CLS]

20 minutes ago, drbeach said:

Precisely. I would only get like 2 days beyond the current amnesty deadline, which is completely not worth going through the trouble to get.

As the admitted until date for everyone covered under the amnesty is 31st July, you will be good till 29th September with the 60 days extension.

[drbeach]

21 minutes ago, CLS said:

As the admitted until date for everyone covered under the amnesty is 31st July, you will be good till 29th September with the 60 days extension.

That's what I was expecting to hear. Thanks, appreciate it.

[PST]

10 hours ago, CLS said:

1. The 60 days extension extends your permission of stay from the admitted until day for 60 days, not from the application day.

I was admitted till 8th April, extended on 3rd April and the permission of stay was extended till 7th June. Was 60 days extension upon marriage to a Thai too. I know I had no b@lls to gamble, as the confirmed amnesty was just announced hours after.
 

2. The day you apply for the 1 year extension, the 400k THB have to be seasoned for at least 2 months  in your own Thai bank account (no joint or overseas account). Any currency is accepted. Funds have to come from abroad.

 

BTW you are quite safe and have plenty of options as your visa is still good till 2021. Relax.

 

Funds do not have to come from abroad, the 400k can come from anywhere providing its in your Thai account for 2 months.

[Peter Denis]

34 minutes ago, PST said:

Funds do not have to come from abroad, the 400k can come from anywhere providing its in your Thai account for 2 months.

That's correct and according to the IO regulations.  But if you are in that case it is recommended to enquire at your local IO because there are some rogue IOs that DO require evidence that the 400K are from foreign origin.

[Tanoshi]

There is no proof of finance required for the 60 day extension.

 

As your Visa expiry is March 2021, you can do a border run just beforehand and receive another 90 days until June 2020, which you can extend for a further 60 days until Aug 2020.

 

No need to make an immediate decision on whether to apply for a 1 year extension until 30 days before your current Non O expires, sometime May next year. Alternatively you could apply for a new Non Imm O ME in August next year (following the above advice).

 

Employing an agent when you have the finances in place is a total waste of money.

You and your wife will still have to attend for the application and possibly a home visit within a few days after. After the 30 day under consideration period, you'd then have to be available to return your Passport to Immigration for the 1 year extension stamp.

I mention this only because you state you travel frequently, so it could be an inconvenience.

 

 

[PST]

I think the poster was referring to the marriage visa financials with regards to where the 400k has to come from

[Tanoshi]

48 minutes ago, PST said:

I think the poster was referring to the marriage visa financials with regards to where the 400k has to come from

Answered post 10.

[sometimewoodworker]

18 hours ago, CLS said:

BTW you are quite safe and have plenty of options as your visa is still good till 2021. Relax.

That is a little premature. Leaving Thailand is going to be, already is, easy. The problem is coming back.
 

The full details are not clear yet but going by what has been talked about could require an embassy clearance, a $100,000 insurance policy covering COVID, a negative COVID test, and a 14 day enforced quarantine. 
 

So having a visa doesn’t make a huge difference, does it?

[Tanoshi]

18 hours ago, AndyPa said:

I think it's time someone (or all of us) went to immigration to ask. Better to know now than to be surprised a few days before July 31 and being given only a few days to leave.

Are you volunteering?

 

Be sure to stress, 'Farang Lives Matter'.  

[drbeach]

9 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

There is no proof of finance required for the 60 day extension.

 

As your Visa expiry is March 2021, you can do a border run just beforehand and receive another 90 days until June 2020, which you can extend for a further 60 days until Aug 2020.

 

No need to make an immediate decision on whether to apply for a 1 year extension until 30 days before your current Non O expires, sometime May next year. Alternatively you could apply for a new Non Imm O ME in August next year (following the above advice).

 

Employing an agent when you have the finances in place is a total waste of money.

You and your wife will still have to attend for the application and possibly a home visit within a few days after. After the 30 day under consideration period, you'd then have to be available to return your Passport to Immigration for the 1 year extension stamp.

I mention this only because you state you travel frequently, so it could be an inconvenience.

 

 

Thanks, that's why I've never gone for the extension in the first place, but as you can see, travel is not possible right now and I am not confident any travel will be allowed prior to July 31, except to travel by plane back to my home country, which i have no intention of doing at this stage.

[drbeach]

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That is a little premature. Leaving Thailand is going to be, already is, easy. The problem is coming back.
 

The full details are not clear yet but going by what has been talked about could require an embassy clearance, a $100,000 insurance policy covering COVID, a negative COVID test, and a 14 day enforced quarantine. 
 

So having a visa doesn’t make a huge difference, does it?

Leaving Thailand isn't easy at all. Land borders are closed. Very few flights are operating and none to most countries. Only airport in the entire country with international flights out is Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi.

Anyway, I have no intention of leaving at this point, especially since I don't know when I'd be allowed back in. I'd be forced to ask relatives if I could live with them for the next 6 months, assuming it will take that long before normal travel to Thailand resumes. A bit of an imposition on them, and I would feel like a bad parent for abandoning my children to go abroad for no good reason. To me, immigration reasons aren't going to cut it.

I also have no intention of going through any of those requirements you mention.

 

Anyway, there must be a way. I'm just nervous about the whole situation and whether the amnesty will be extended or not.

 

I think it's clear what I should do - wait to see if the amnesty will be extended or not. If it's not, then go for the 60 day extension. Hopefully, within those 60 days, borders will re-open, allowing me to exit and come back without too much trouble (by late September or October, surely any quarantines will be over?)

If however, this is not the case...how does it work with the 1-year extension for those who haven't been able to season the funds long enough? Does immigration give you a one month "under consideration" until such time 60 days have passed, or would you have to involve an agent/lawyer to work his magic?

[CLS]

11 hours ago, PST said:

Funds do not have to come from abroad, the 400k can come from anywhere providing its in your Thai account for 2 months.

Thanks for correcting me. Only the income method needs the proof that the funds come from abroad.

[drbeach]

9 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

There is no proof of finance required for the 60 day extension.

 

As your Visa expiry is March 2021, you can do a border run just beforehand and receive another 90 days until June 2020, which you can extend for a further 60 days until Aug 2020.

 

No need to make an immediate decision on whether to apply for a 1 year extension until 30 days before your current Non O expires, sometime May next year. Alternatively you could apply for a new Non Imm O ME in August next year (following the above advice).

 

Employing an agent when you have the finances in place is a total waste of money.

You and your wife will still have to attend for the application and possibly a home visit within a few days after. After the 30 day under consideration period, you'd then have to be available to return your Passport to Immigration for the 1 year extension stamp.

I mention this only because you state you travel frequently, so it could be an inconvenience.

 

 

Sorry, just one more point I wanted to make clear.

 

I am not concerned about my visa, since it's valid until next year. But as you know, they only give you 90 days on those for each entry, with the possibility of a 60 day extension. Due to the amnesty, it appears as though I may be getting even more time, which is 90 days + the amnesty period + 60 days on top of that, if I do that. So far so good.

My main concern, as I have expressed in my reply to the other poster, is what happens if borders do not open relatively soon? I don't want to fly to Europe end of next month (Australia is out, as there are no flights and they aren't allowing Australians to leave the country until at least September, plus there is a 14-day incoming quarantine, which most European countries aren't imposing). The reason I don't want to fly to Europe is because I don't know when I would be allowed back in to Thailand. It could be many months, even next year and what am I going to do over there? I have family there, yes, but I have a family of my own here.

I want to do everything I can to stay here. I think there is a chance I may never need the 1-year extension, or at least not for the time being, but it hinges upon borders re-opening without unreasonable restrictions and that includes getting back into Thailand.

 

I don't think neighboring countries are going to easily allow us in, while Thailand makes it difficult. It's not going to be like that, as evidenced by what Cambodia is asking for right now. More than likely, the entry requirements will be similar, at first. But that's where the problem lies. I need to be able to remain in-country, without needing to go to Myanmar or another country, because that doesn't look like an option for the foreseeable future.

That is, unless the Thai and Myanmar governments at least open up Phu Nam Ron for border runs. That would solve all my problems, but I don't see that happening prior to July 31.

 

I am praying the amnesty will be extended, at least for one more month, maybe 2. During this time, I anticipate borders re-opening. Otherwise, if the amnesty isn't extended a lot of people will be left in dire straits come July 31. Especially those on non-Os who have already done the 60-day extension. Surely the Thai government wouldn't be so daft as to make us fend for ourselves then, when the world is still in flux? Anyway, I hope they will be rational and do what needs to be done based on the circumstances at that time.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, drbeach said:

I want to do everything I can to stay here.

Then you should ensure that you have 400,000 in an account in your name, once you have that apply for a 60 day extension to visit your wife, then once your money has been in the bank for 2 months apply for a 1 year extension. That way whatever the border entry requirements are you don’t have any need to bother.

 

Yes you loose the remaining time on your visa but my guess is that getting a 1 year extension will be far less problematic than hoping that you will be able to easily exit and enter Thailand, something I don’t think is going to be easy in the near future 

 

1 hour ago, drbeach said:

Leaving Thailand isn't easy at all.

It is, as flights leave regularly via Doha for most destinations, it’s not cheap but it’s not difficult.

 

1 hour ago, drbeach said:

If however, this is not the case...how does it work with the 1-year extension for those who haven't been able to season the funds long enough? Does immigration give you a one month "under consideration" until such time 60 days have passed,

You have to wait until the funds have seasoned for 60 days. Your application will not be accepted before that.

 

If I were in your place I would have money in the bank seasoning now. I would certainly not be waiting on a possible amnesty extension.
 

At the moment a marriage/family extension is your best choice.
 

This advice could change at any time with further information from the Thai government (and other governments) but I don’t expect to see that for the next 3 or 4 weeks.

 

[drbeach]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Then you should ensure that you have 400,000 in an account in your name, once you have that apply for a 60 day extension to visit your wife, then once your money has been in the bank for 2 months apply for a 1 year extension. That way whatever the border entry requirements are you don’t have any need to bother.

 

Yes you loose the remaining time on your visa but my guess is that getting a 1 year extension will be far less problematic than hoping that you will be able to easily exit and enter Thailand, something I don’t think is going to be easy in the near future 

 

It is, as flights leave regularly via Doha for most destinations, it’s not cheap but it’s not difficult.

 

You have to wait until the funds have seasoned for 60 days. Your application will not be accepted before that.

 

If I were in your place I would have money in the bank seasoning now. I would certainly not be waiting on a possible amnesty extension.
 

At the moment a marriage/family extension is your best choice.
 

This advice could change at any time with further information from the Thai government (and other governments) but I don’t expect to see that for the next 3 or 4 weeks.

 

Doha? I'm not going to Doha on an expensive flight that might be cancelled at short notice, as many of them seem to be.

 

I will go for the 60 day extension if need be, late July. If the amnesty isn't extended.

[drbeach]

and yes, I understand the visa would be cancelled as soon as the extension of stay is made, as the latter supersedes the former. The visa is of no concern whatsoever to me. I only care about remaining in status thanks to the amnesty and if it isn't extended, borders reopening in time. Having to go out for a new visa would be zero issue for me if I had to do that. But as you understand the current circumstances are anything but normal. That's why I'm looking at the 60 day option, which is not an issue for the time being, as long as those 60 days start on the date I apply (which indications are, they will).

[sometimewoodworker]

59 minutes ago, drbeach said:

Doha? I'm not going to Doha on an expensive flight that might be cancelled at short notice, as many of them seem to be.

 

I will go for the 60 day extension if need be, late July. If the amnesty isn't extended.

I haven’t heard of any of those flights being cancelled, and you only transit through Doha you can’t enter the city/country.

 

You are seemingly less concerned than I would be about the chance of things working out. 
 

Some people have suggested that an extension, if available, will run from the end of the amnesty or date you apply. I haven’t seen this a coming from an authority within the immigration department. There are credible arguments for that, it’s also perfectly possible that an extension will add to the date stamped in your passport, it’s also likely that unless there is a clear statement from the top that individual offices will have individual policies. It is for exactly these reasons that if I were in your situation I would not be waiting but acting.

 

However it’s ultimately your choice and I hope you are fortunate.

 

 

[drbeach]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I haven’t heard of any of those flights being cancelled, and you only transit through Doha you can’t enter the city/country.

 

You are seemingly less concerned than I would be about the chance of things working out. 
 

Some people have suggested that an extension, if available, will run from the end of the amnesty or date you apply. I haven’t seen this a coming from an authority within the immigration department. There are credible arguments for that, it’s also perfectly possible that an extension will add to the date stamped in your passport, it’s also likely that unless there is a clear statement from the top that individual offices will have individual policies. It is for exactly these reasons that if I were in your situation I would not be waiting but acting.

 

However it’s ultimately your choice and I hope you are fortunate.

 

 

One of the reasons for the immigration department offering this amnesty is due to issues such as cancelled flights. And not everyone is going to a country served by Qatar airways, so that isn't always an option.

 

UbonJoe seemed to indicate that the 60 day extension starts on the date you apply or July 31. However, at this stage, it's too early to say what will happen since the amnesty could be extended, but they won't announce that for several days or even until after mid-July.

 

Keep in mind that many people have already exhausted their 60 day stays and are now in the amnesty period with no other options than waiting for 1) the amnesty to be extended or 2) the borders to reopen prior to the amnesty expiring or 3) applying for an extension of stay they are eligible for or 4) not yet relevant, but an embassy letter for a one month extension.

 

Other countries such as Laos are offering 1-month extensions at a time, for a fee, until such time the borders re-open. I have no idea what their definition of an "open border" will be. A border that allows you to cross, but with heavy restrictions such as quarantine, or free, unrestricted travel?

 

In any case, if Laos can offer unlimited extensions, 1 month at a time until the borders re-open, surely Thailand will do something similar. Remember this is a global crisis and Thailand can't just throw foreigners to the curb.

Edited June 22, 2020 by drbeach

[sometimewoodworker]

6 hours ago, drbeach said:

Keep in mind that many people have already exhausted their 60 day stays and are now in the amnesty period with no other options than waiting for 1) the amnesty to be extended or 2) the borders to reopen prior to the amnesty expiring or 3) applying for an extension of stay they are eligible for or 4) not yet relevant, but an embassy letter for a one month extension.

You are probably overestimating the numbers. Those who will leave need to do nothing, and can follow 1) or 2).
 

Those who want to stay can and some/many have applied for 1 year extensions, and have got them or are getting them.

 

Some are, like you are playing the cards and, waiting for 3) that may run from a) the application date, b) end of amnesty or c) date in your passport (immigration department suggests but does not state a or b but it could be c).
 

At the moment no embassy that I know of is offering 4) there is no guarantee that they will once the amnesty finishes as most/all countries allow citizens to enter so as flying gets easier they will have no reason to issue letters. Have you known a embassy to do work they don’t need  to?

 

6 hours ago, drbeach said:

Remember this is a global crisis and Thailand can't just throw foreigners to the curb.

Why not? Xenophobia is alive and well in some. We can hope that those in control will be kind but don’t forget how “easy” it is to get PR and citizenship. Also that the vast majority of foreigners are on temporary stay permissions.

 

6 hours ago, drbeach said:

I have no idea what their definition of an "open border" will be

Neither do I. However it’s most likely to be one that allows your nationality to cross and doesn’t care about the conditions of entry as long as you meet them.

 

Time will answer most questions, I hope that the answers will work for you.

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, drbeach said:

...

That's why I'm looking at the 60 day option, which is not an issue for the time being, as long as those 60 days start on the date I apply (which indications are, they will).

When married to a thai national (or having a dependant child) you can apply ONCE per entry for a 60-day extension of stay for reason of visiting your wife.

Normally you have to apply for that before expiry of your permission to stay and it is added theb to the end date of the permission to stay as stamped in your passport.  However, during the Amnesty it will start from the day of application, so better do it as late as possible (31 July). 

Note: When dealing with a dim desk-officer that wants to add it to your already expired permission to stay, ask for the officer in charge at your local IO to deal with the matter.

[sandyf]

On 6/21/2020 at 10:13 PM, CLS said:

As the admitted until date for everyone covered under the amnesty is 31st July, you will be good till 29th September with the 60 days extension.

That would be my interpretation and really hope it is the right one.

I am in the same boat as the OP, other than my visa expires early Nov. I am hoping to go to the UK late Sept, come back late Oct and get a final 90 days.

Extending the previous permission to stay would be a non starter, about 50 days already since that expired.

[drbeach]

3 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

When married to a thai national (or having a dependant child) you can apply ONCE per entry for a 60-day extension of stay for reason of visiting your wife.

Normally you have to apply for that before expiry of your permission to stay and it is added theb to the end date of the permission to stay as stamped in your passport.  However, during the Amnesty it will start from the day of application, so better do it as late as possible (31 July). 

Note: When dealing with a dim desk-officer that wants to add it to your already expired permission to stay, ask for the officer in charge at your local IO to deal with the matter.

Thanks very much for your reassurances.

 

I think in my case things are likely to go smoothly. I've been looking into this matter since around April, but thanks to the amnesty I was able to relax a little. Now that we're more than halfway through the extended amnesty and things are becoming a bit clearer where we stand with regards to possible border re-openings, I've made the decision to get my affairs in order.

 

I don't see any regional borders, let alone Thailand, allowing freedom of movement in the next couple of months and almost certainly not before July 31, barring some unexpected good news (such as Phu Nam Ron opening for border runs, which remains a small but distinct possibility, given that apparently the Surin border is currently allowing Cambodians to drive themselves to the hospital in Surin for medical purposes with no quarantines or anything, so if they are allowing that kind of freedom, there is a small glimmer of hope Phu Nam Ron might make a deal with the Burmese to allow border runs).

There is always the possibility of an amnesty extension, but that won't be announced for a couple of more weeks, if it happens and we don't know what criteria will be used to assess whether a further extension is warranted, hence needing a plan B.

 

I have been lucky in a number of respects, because I could see this was coming, which is why I got my latest non-O multi entry in early March, just a couple of weeks before borders closed. I re-entered Thailand about 11 or 12 days before all the borders were shuttered.

 

Due to previously having held back-to-back non-B multi entries (always starting late in the year, around October/November from around 2014 to 2017) by the time I started with the non-O multis in 2018, it was January, then 2019 I went for the next one in February, so by 2020 it became March. Perfect timing.

 

I have never previously extended a non-O entry because of my frequent business and work related travels. Even one time when I was considering it, I would have only used maybe the first 10 days of that stay, would have had to get a re-entry permit to keep it alive (this is after the previous visa had already expired) and finally would have had to leave the country to apply for a new one anyway. So what I decided to do is, dispense with all that nonsense, and just go out for the new visa after the old one expired and just come and go on 90 day stays.

 

Until this amnesty, my longest stay in Thailand at one time was about 80 or 85 days and I only did that once. Usually it's max. 30-60 days at a time followed by a trip abroad, which at this time is not an option.

 

Anyway, based on what UbonJoe, you and others have stated, I think that makes things clear - I will go down the 60 day extension route shortly before the end of the amnesty. Of course, if the amnesty is extended I will stay put and re-evaluate things prior to the expiration of the new amnesty end date. Otherwise, if there's no confirmation by July 25th, I'll go in for the extension around July 29 or 30 (just in case there is a rush of applicants on July 31), and also arrange some transfers for the income letter route starting later this month. Then in September, it's time for the 1-year extension and some peace of mind.

 

[drbeach]

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

That would be my interpretation and really hope it is the right one.

I am in the same boat as the OP, other than my visa expires early Nov. I am hoping to go to the UK late Sept, come back late Oct and get a final 90 days.

Extending the previous permission to stay would be a non starter, about 50 days already since that expired.

Have you already done your 60 day visit wife extension?

[drbeach]

4 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You are probably overestimating the numbers. Those who will leave need to do nothing, and can follow 1) or 2).
 

Those who want to stay can and some/many have applied for 1 year extensions, and have got them or are getting them.

 

Some are, like you are playing the cards and, waiting for 3) that may run from a) the application date, b) end of amnesty or c) date in your passport (immigration department suggests but does not state a or b but it could be c).
 

At the moment no embassy that I know of is offering 4) there is no guarantee that they will once the amnesty finishes as most/all countries allow citizens to enter so as flying gets easier they will have no reason to issue letters. Have you known a embassy to do work they don’t need  to?

 

Why not? Xenophobia is alive and well in some. We can hope that those in control will be kind but don’t forget how “easy” it is to get PR and citizenship. Also that the vast majority of foreigners are on temporary stay permissions.

 

Neither do I. However it’s most likely to be one that allows your nationality to cross and doesn’t care about the conditions of entry as long as you meet them.

 

Time will answer most questions, I hope that the answers will work for you.

As I said, number 4 is not yet relevant because the amnesty still applies, therefore these letters are currently redundant. It may become relevant (according to UbonJoe) if the amnesty isn't extended and will depend upon what the embassies decide or more likely, what the Thai immigration department at that time requires.

 

In my case however, it's unlikely I would go down that route, or even need to consider it, given I still have the 60 day extension option up my sleeve and then the 1-year option. I'm therefore in a better position than some.