Rules Interpretation Embassy Vs Immigration

[Levent]

I recently got a new tourist visa at the Thai Embassy in Singapore; this post is to clarify possible confusion with visas and re-entry permits.

My permit to stay on my current tourist visa is till 2 June. I have a trip to Europe planned from 1 to 10 June, during which I won't have time to get a new tourist visa (TR). So I figured I'd get a new TR during a recent short visit to Singapore. For this, I got a re-entry permit so that I could re-enter Thailand on my current TR, get a stamp till 2 June, and save my new TR until returning from Europe.

At the Thai embassy in Singapore, I was told that the new visa was no problem, but my re-entry permit would be cancelled because supposedly they could not renew my visa while the old one was still valid. Even after explaining my plan, they maintained this was not possible. At least I got a new visa but was a bit disappointed, as I not only had paid 1000 baht for the re-entry permit but would also 'lose' 10 days of my new TR while in Europe.

While the embassy official said the permit would be cancelled, she never wrote anything as such on it and had merely placed two stripes through the top corner. So I had the hope that I could still use it after all. Upon arrival in BKK, the immigration officer started to go through my passport but was clearly overwhelmed by the number of stamps in there. So she asked me whether I had a visa, and I pointed at the re-entry permit. Without any further questions, she stamped my passport according to the info in this permit, thus giving me a stamp till 2 June. So after all that I can stick to my original plan, leaving Thailand on 1 June and getting my new TR stamped upon arrival on the 10th.

I know that everyone is confused about the rules and regulations concerning visas, entry stamps etc. But I think it is highly unprofessional for embassy and immigration employees to not know them either. In most cases, they are after all the first points of contact for visitors to Thailand. Last time we came back from a trip abroad, both my wife's and my passport were stamped incorrectly, giving us less time than we were entitled to. This was rectified, with sincere apologies, after telling them about the mistakes. As the 'client', especially if you don't know much about it, you'd trust that at least the 'trained' personnel knows what they're doing, wouldn't you? Well, the answer is no; always double-check your passport in order to make sure you get what you are entitled to according to the rules.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Levent

[Maestro]

Your post is confirmation that an embassy/consulate knows little or nothing about the work done at Immigration.

The two diagonal lines across the top left corner of your first tourist visa were placed there by the immigration officer when you entered Thailand on that visa. Sometimes, the officer uses the stamp “used”. When you entered, your single-entry tourist visa lost its validity; the “admitted until...” stamp became your permission to stay.

The re-entry permit kept your permitted period of stay alive.

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Maestro