Retirement extension and expiry date of passport

[Ombra]

The visa that allows me to live here as a retiree expires on 10 November, and my passport expires on 17 October, 2021. I thought that I read somewhere (and then forgot) that a passport must still be valid for one year at the time of the application. I hope that I am wrong.

[zoza]

i have read either Siam legal or Key visa ? that you need 18 months when applying for a RT Visa

about three hours ago ? not sure exactly where ? but was just checking for anything new as i have 

to renew mine in January.

[Max69xl]

If not renewing the passport before the extension, I think you'll get stamped until October 17 2021.

[Max69xl]

1 minute ago, zoza said:

i have read either Siam legal or Key visa ? that you need 18 months when applying for a RT Visa

about three hours ago ? not sure exactly where ? but was just checking for anything new as i have 

to renew mine in January.

If you apply for an O-A Visa in your home country, then the passport needs to be valid at least 18 months.

[zoza]

4 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

If you apply for an O-A Visa in your home country, then the passport needs to be valid at least 18 months.

cheers i knew i had seen it somewhere. 

[ubonjoe]

There is no minimum passport validity requirement to apply for a extension. But your extension will only be issued to the date your passport export expires.

Yours will be dated October 17th of next year unless you can get a new passport before you apply.

[Ombra]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

There is no minimum passport validity requirement to apply for a extension. But your extension will only be issued to the date your passport export expires.

Yours will be dated October 17th of next year unless you can get a new passport before you apply.

Thank you very much. That is a great help.

[Ombra]

16 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

If not renewing the passport before the extension, I think you'll get stamped until October 17 2021.

Thanks a lot.

[Pib]

22 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

If you apply for an O-A Visa in your home country, then the passport needs to be valid at least 18 months.

Passport only needs to be valid for 6 months.  Like below snapshot from the Thai Embassy UK website.

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

 

 

[Peter Denis]

17 hours ago, Pib said:

Passport only needs to be valid for 6 months.  Like below snapshot from the Thai Embassy UK website.

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

 

 

Hi PiB,

 

In Brussels your passport needs to be still valid for at least 18 months (see requirements attached below and marked in red).

Very strange that the London Thai Embassy has a different minimum passport validity period than the Thai Embassy in Brussels.

Obviously since the Non Imm O-A Visa is a 1-year visa, the 18 months is more logical.  And when applying with a passport that is less valid than 1 year in London you would only be issued the Visa till passport validity expiry date.  So it's possible that it is mistake on the London Thai Embassy website.

 

= = = = =  

Non-immigrant Visa “O-A” (Long Stay) Visa for Long Stay (retirement)

>> Download this information in English l French l Duth

For people, who are retired, at least 50 years old and who wish to stay 1 year in Thailand may apply for it.

Required documents:

• 3 identity size photos in color (3.5 x 4.5 cm), taken within the last 6 months
• 2 copies of the Belgian or Luxembourgish identity card
• 2 Visa application forms well filled in and signed
• The passport that is still valid for at least 18 months + 2 copies
• A medical certificate from your doctor showing that you don’t have any contagious disease (scanned/electronic version is not accepted)+ 1 copy
• A certificate of good conduct (scanned/electronic version is not accepted)+ 1 copy
• A certificate of residence in Belgium + 1 copy
• 2 copies of the reservation of the flight tickets (to enter Thailand)
• 2 copies of a hotel reservation OR a letter/mail from a person in Thailand that will host you + copy of their identity card + proof that they live in Thailand OR copy of the documents of your own property in Thailand
• An original attestation (scanned/electronic version is not accepted) from the bank with at least 800.000 bahts or min. 25.000 € (bank in Thailand or in Belgium) + 1 copy, + 2 copies of the bank statements from the last 3 months of this bank accountOR An attestation (original version) which mentions that you receive at least 65,000 baht per month as well as bank statements of the last 3 months which prove that you receive that amount. The communication on the bank statement must indicate that concern your monthly pension.
• A curriculum Vitae in English + 2 copies
• The Foreign Insurance Certificate signed by Insurance Company (only the original document is accepted). Download the Certificate here
• The Original health insurance document (in case of foreign insurance). In case of Thai insurance, the original or copy of the insurance can be accepted.****
• 170 € to pay cash

****As of 31 October 2019, the visa applicant for Non-Immigrant Visa “O-A” (Long Stay) must have health insurance which covers the period that s/he will stay in Thailand. For In-patient:health insurance policy must have coverage at least 400,000 Thai Baht per policy year. For Out-patient: health insurance policy must have coverage at least 40,000 Thai Baht per policy year.

For List of Thai insurance company: Click here

The O-A Visa allows one to stay 1 year in Thailand. It is however compulsory to go to the immigration office of your city every 3rd month.

Please note that these documents are COMPULSORY to apply for the Visa and we will NOT take your Visa request into consideration if one or more documents are missing!

The Consul may ask for more documents if deemed necessary

[sometimewoodworker]

46 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Very strange that the London Thai Embassy has a different minimum passport validity period than the Thai Embassy in Brussels.

It is not at all strange.
 

Each embassy is relatively independent and many of them have differing requirements to other embassies even though they are all governed by the same branch of government.

 

As an example several embassies will only issue any kind of visa to citizens or legal residents of the country they are in, so, for example, if you are a tourist in Japan you will not be able to apply for any visa in Tokyo.

[ubonjoe]

21 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Each embassy is relatively independent and many of them have differing requirements to other embassies even though they are all governed by the same branch of government.

The 18 month requirement is for all multiple entry non immigrant visas but it is not always enforced. It is not really needed since a person can get a new passport and use the visa in the old passport when entering the country until it expires.

The 6 months is the standard for all single entry visas.

[micmichd]

19 hours ago, Max69xl said:

If you apply for an O-A Visa in your home country, then the passport needs to be valid at least 18 months.

Your passport has to be valid for half a year after you got a new one from your embassy and another extension of stay from your immigration. Which should take about 3 to 4 weeks depending on where you live. 

[wwest5829]

20 hours ago, Max69xl said:

If not renewing the passport before the extension, I think you'll get stamped until October 17 2021.

I am in Thailand, renewed my extension of stay, which should have run until July 2121. MyUS passport was to expire in May 2121 so that is how long an extension I was given. Just agreeing with your statement.

Edited October 10, 2020 by wwest5829

[Huckenfell]

Something to be careful about.  I flew out early April intending to renew my passport which expired at the end of June, my O-A visa expires at the end of October. When i applied for my re entry permit at Suv  they would only give me one till the end of June, in accordance with my present PP. As it stands i was not able to get back to Thailand from Australia. I now have a new passport but have to say "goodbye" to both the O-A and the re entry permit.

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Something to be careful about.  I flew out early April intending to renew my passport which expired at the end of June, my O-A visa expires at the end of October. When i applied for my re entry permit at Suv  they would only give me one till the end of June, in accordance with my present PP. As it stands i was not able to get back to Thailand from Australia. I now have a new passport but have to say "goodbye" to both the O-A and the re entry permit.

What made you get a re-entry permit when you would actually still had a valid O-A?

[Peter Denis]

2 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Something to be careful about.  I flew out early April intending to renew my passport which expired at the end of June, my O-A visa expires at the end of October. When i applied for my re entry permit at Suv  they would only give me one till the end of June, in accordance with my present PP. As it stands i was not able to get back to Thailand from Australia. I now have a new passport but have to say "goodbye" to both the O-A and the re entry permit.

When you can/intend to come back to Thailand, simply apply for a new Non Imm O-A Visa at an Australian Thai Embassy/Consulate.  It does require the now mandatory IO-approved health-insurance requirement, but has the large benefit that the Visa is multiple-entry during its 1-year validity and can provide you with almost 2 years of IO hassle-free stay in Thailand.  There is also no need to park/transfer money to a thai bank-account during those 2 years.

>> I did PM you a Guideline document on how to meet that Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance requirement.  It is easy (and not costly) if you know how.

[PBob]

I renewed my retirement extension in May with passport that expired in October (new UK passport application stuck due to Covid).

Immigration in Pathumthani told me I could renew until passport expired then renew again in October. When I renewed in May with the existing passport they gave a full years extension.

Have now recieved new passport and transferred the stamps with no problems.

[ubonjoe]

24 minutes ago, PBob said:

I renewed my retirement extension in May with passport that expired in October (new UK passport application stuck due to Covid).

Immigration in Pathumthani told me I could renew until passport expired then renew again in October. When I renewed in May with the existing passport they gave a full years extension.

Have now recieved new passport and transferred the stamps with no problems.

It seems they did you a favor and/or were aware of the problems people were having getting new passports and did it that way.

[Robin]

if you have a UK passport and renew in Thailand, (Trendy Building, Bangkok) as I did last year, when you get your new passport your old one will be returned cancelled, with a letter to your I/O asking them to transfer all valid visa to our new passport.

Visited local I/O with new passport and letter and visas stamped in new passport without any problems.  As I recall, no charge and I/O was familiar with procedure.

In pre-Covid times, passport application had to be sent to UK and new one sent back to BKK so take several weeks.

[pe747]

On 10/10/2020 at 6:11 AM, ubonjoe said:

 a person can get a new passport and use the visa in the old passport when entering the country until it expires

My Passport expires May 21. My reentry visa and extension of stay expire end of January 21. If I am able to get back before end of January, say December or January, I would have to apply for a new passport in my country. Would I be able to enter on the visa in my old passport?

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, pe747 said:

My Passport expires May 21. My reentry visa and extension of stay expire end of January 21. If I am able to get back before end of January, say December or January, I would have to apply for a new passport in my country. Would I be able to enter on the visa in my old passport?

If your re-entry was is still valid you could show it in your old passport to enter the country and immigration will stamp you into the country in your new passport.

[Pattaya46]

On 10/9/2020 at 11:10 AM, Max69xl said:

If you apply for an O-A Visa in your home country, then the passport needs to be valid at least 18 months.

On 10/9/2020 at 11:35 AM, Pib said:

Passport only needs to be valid for 6 months.  Like below snapshot from the Thai Embassy UK website. // 

On 10/10/2020 at 4:59 AM, Peter Denis said:

In Brussels your passport needs to be still valid for at least 18 months (see requirements attached below and marked in red).  //

 

We all know that conditions can vary from country to country. 

To avoid this kind of contradictory answers, it would be useful that the OP indicate from which country/embassy he depends on...! 

If he his from Germany, infos about UK or BE embassies are not really useful here. 

 

 

 

[EricTh]

On 10/10/2020 at 1:57 PM, PBob said:

I renewed my retirement extension in May with passport that expired in October (new UK passport application stuck due to Covid).

Immigration in Pathumthani told me I could renew until passport expired then renew again in October. When I renewed in May with the existing passport they gave a full years extension.

Have now recieved new passport and transferred the stamps with no problems.

 

Do I understand you correctly?

 

They gave you a one year extension from May 2020 to May 2021 even though your passport expire in Oct 2020?

 

That's not what the others have said here. If that's the case, then it will be great. 

[pe747]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

If your re-entry was is still valid you could show it in your old passport to enter the country and immigration will stamp you into the country in your new passport.

Thanks ubonjoe. So I have to make sure they don't punch the visa pages in the old passport.

[micmichd]

19 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

 

We all know that conditions can vary from country to country. 

To avoid this kind of contradictory answers, it would be useful that the OP indicate from which country/embassy he depends on...! 

If he his from Germany, infos about UK or BE embassies are not really useful here. 

 

 

 

Is he living in Thailand or in Germany? 

If already in Thailand then the German passport must be valid for 6 months only. Best swap it in German Embassy in Bangkok before this period begins.