Recommendions re 'permission to stay' extensions on Type-OA Visa with multiple trips coming up ?

[oldcpu]

I have a Thai wife and I am retired in Thailand, with hopefully a lot of future International travel planned.

 

I am pondering the best approach for "Permission to Stay" extensions, or changing Visa (given upcoming trips outside of Thailand in 2022/2023) - I suspect simplist approach may be to get a multiple re-entry on current "Permission to stay" based on marriage to my Thai wife, with my visa beign a Type-OA visa. Unfortunate vacation/permission to stay dates complicate this a bit.

 

I have ideas, but I thought I would post here, in case someone spots a superior and easier course of action.

 

My Details (Visa and Travel planned):

- My visa is a Type-OA, and I am on a "Permission to Stay" based on marriage that expires 03-Feb-2023. I don't have a 're-entry' permit on that permission to stay (yet).

Upcoming travel of my Thai wife and myself outside of Thailand:
- mid-August-2022 to 7-Oct-2022 [flights booked]
- 4-Jan-2023 to 20-Jan-2023 (return dates +/- a few days) [flights not 'yet' booked]
- 17-Mar-2023 to 17-April-2023 ( dates +/- a few days). [flights not yet booked]

 

I Discarded 'no-rentry permit idea' :   I think coming/going with no-re-entry permit (invalidating my current permission to stay) may involve too much paperwork/liaison with Immigration each time I go/return to Thailand hence I won't speculate here on what is involved there (please correct me if I am wrong).

 

I think the simplest approach may be either a single-re-entry 'permit' or a multiple re-entry permit on my current 'permission to stay'.

 

Corrections/suggestions on that are welcome.

 

My current thinking/assessment (comparing a single vs multiple re-entry permit approach)

 

1. Single Re-entry Permit idea: (ie Single re-entry permit to allow return after Aug-October trip):
- go now to immigration and obtain single re-entry permit so to be able to return to Thailand after upcoming Aug-to-October-2022 travel
- return to Thailand on 7-Oct-2022 with current permission to stay valid.
- depart 4-January-2023 which invalidates permission to stay on Type-OA visa.
- return 20-January on 30-day tourist visa
- around 17-February-2023, apply for a 30-day extension on tourist visa [ this irrationally 'scares me a bit ' going for such an extension ]
- depart Thailand 17-Mar to 17-April-2023.
- return to Thailand 17-April-2023 on 30-day Tourist Visa Exempt
- immediately apply for 90-day Type-O based on 'Retirement' and not on 'Marriage' (I have had 800K in bank here in Thailand for years)
- then if get 90-day Type-O, after 2 months apply for 1-year extension on permission to stay based on 'retirement' (less paper work than marriage and money not the issue)

 

or

 

2. Multiple Re-entry Permit idea (on current permission to stay)
- go now to immigration and obtain multiple re-entry permit on current permission to stay in Thailand
- return to Thailand on 7-Oct and also return to Thailand on 20-January on current permission to stay (which expires 3-Feb-2023)
- IMMEDIATELY go to Immigration and apply for 1-year permission to stay based 'marriage' on a Type-OA Visa (where permission to stay expires 3-Feb-2023).
- Hopefully prior to 17-March I obtain 1-year extension, and then IMMEDIATELY apply for a re-entry permit on 'permission to stay' on Type-OA visa during my March-to-April-2023 travels outside of Thailand.  

 

The problem I see with approach-2, is there is not much time between 20-January and 3-February-2023,  ... and not much time between 20-January and 17-March (~7 weeks) for approval of 'extension on permission to stay'. (given massive paperwork for a marriage extension)? Last time it took almost 6-weeks to get my extension on my permission to stay (based on marriage) which means I would be very nervous - would I obtain my extension on my permission to stay before leaving on my 17-March-2023 travels outside of Thailand??

 

My current thinking is to go for a Single Re-entry permit now (for return after Aug-Oct travel) and to decide later (before 4-January-2023) if I go for a second re-entry permit for the January-2023 travel (ie be flexible and make my mind up later).

 

Viewpoints are welcome.

 

[oldcpu]

A further thought to my above post, would be the following (going only for a Single re-entry permit on original permission to stay (extension) on original Type-OA visa and then after re-entry in February changing to a new non-immigrant Type-O Visa and apply for a re-entry permit on that for the March-April trip). i.e. :

 

1A. Single Re-entry Permit idea on 2 different Visas (permissions to stay):
- go now to immigration and obtain single re-entry permit on my current permission to stay, so to be able to return to Thailand after upcoming Aug-to-October-2022 travel
- return to Thailand on 7-Oct-2022 with current permission to stay on type-OA visa still valid.
- depart Thailand 4-January-2023 (with no re-entry permit) which invalidates permission to stay on Type-OA visa.
- return Thailand 20-January-2023 on 30-day tourist visa exempt (should allow staying in Thailand until ~18-February-2023 or so).

- around 30-January-2023 apply for a 3-month Type-O Visa based on retirement, and

- assuming succesfully obtain a 3-month Type-O Visa (with permission to stay to around 30-April-2023) then in Jan/Feb-2023 immediately apply for re-entry permit on that 3-month Type-O
- depart Thailand 17-Mar to 17-April-2023.
- return to Thailand on 17-April-2023 on type-O visa (still valid) and immediately apply for a 1 year extension on Type-O permission to stay based on 'retirement'
 

The timing between "17-April" (return to Thailand) and "30-April" (end of permission to stay) is a bit tight for obtaining a 1-year extension on the 'permission to stay' but I think it doable < unsure >

[marin]

I think you are overthinking this. Use re entry permits until you return in January. Then get an agent to renew your visa with another multiple entry re entry permit. This can be done in one day with ad a good agent. It would then be over for one more year.  Makes everything easy.

[CMBob]

Perhaps a bit of over-thinking this but I'm presuming you see the merit of switching from an Non-OA to a Non-O if only to get rid of the medical insurance requirement.  If so, I'd simply not obtain a re-entry permit for the October trip, come back in on a 30-day exemption (presuming that's available for you), and then promptly convert to a Non-O (if you do it within a week or so of your return, you won't have to bother obtaining a 30-day extension of your exempt entry to buy more time), and then apply for a one-year extension of that within the last 30 days of your new Non-O.  For future trips out of Thailand, just make sure you have a re-entry permit (either single or multiple depending on how many trips a year).

Under the scenario listed above, I wouldn't bother coming back on a Tourist Visa....just more expense and hassle and you'd be facing the same conversion to a Non-O routine.  Since you've mentioned you keep the 800k baht in a Thai bank, I'd recommend your annual extensions be based on retirement (versus marriage) as that involves slightly less hassle/paperwork; however, if you only want to retain 400k baht in a bank here, then extensions based on marriage would be the only way to go.  

[oldcpu]

7 hours ago, marin said:

I think you are overthinking this. Use re entry permits until you return in January. Then get an agent to renew your visa with another multiple entry re entry permit. This can be done in one day with ad a good agent. It would then be over for one more year.  Makes everything easy.

Thanks. I agree stick with single re-entry permits for maximum flexibility, especially given changing from an OA to an O visa is something constantly on my mind.

 

As for an agent? ... I confess ... I am not a person who likes going to an 'agent' and paying them my money.  I prefer to use the money I save from an agent to buy 'toys', buy nice 'dinners' and buy other things.  Having typed that, I have friends who swear by using an agent to make things easier for them.  So each to their own I guess. 

 

[oldcpu]

7 hours ago, CMBob said:

Perhaps a bit of over-thinking this but I'm presuming you see the merit of switching from an Non-OA to a Non-O if only to get rid of the medical insurance requirement.

Thanks for the reply.

 

I agree absolutely about moving to a Type-O visa ... I am on a marriage extension at present (for my Type-OA) but given putting 800k (vs 400k) in a Thai bank is not an issue for me, I would prefer a Type-O on retirement extensions (over marriage extensions) which as you note, and which I fully agree, has far less paperwork hassle for me , less paperwork hassle for the Thai immigration, and its quicker for me.   I already have 800k in a fixed account in a Thai bank (and have had for a few years).

 

I also already have superb health insurance, which Thai immigration does not accept (but that Thai hospitals love) and so going for a 'retirement' extension on a Type-OA visa is something I wish to avoid (as I hate paying for unnecessary double health insurance).

 

 

7 hours ago, CMBob said:

  If so, I'd simply not obtain a re-entry permit for the October trip, come back in on a 30-day exemption (presuming that's available for you), and then promptly convert to a Non-O (if you do it within a week or so of your return, you won't have to bother obtaining a 30-day extension of your exempt entry to buy more time), and then apply for a one-year extension of that within the last 30 days of your new Non-O.  For future trips out of Thailand, just make sure you have a re-entry permit (either single or multiple depending on how many trips a year).

I agree, except the timing worries me - or at least it did until I read your post and I looked at the calendar once again. 

 

If I come back on 7-October on a 30-day Visa-Exempt, and immediately apply for a 90-day Type-O Visa, say apply on Monday 10-Oct-2022 ...  that would give me a permission to stay until about 9-January-2023 (assuming the Type-O visa starts the day I apply and not the last day of my visa exempt permission to stay). 

 

Assuming then I have a Type-O non-immigrant visa, then a few weeks prior to my 3-or-4-January-2023 departure ... about 19-December-2022, I could apply for a 1-year extension on the permission to stay in Thailand based on retirement ... 

 

If the one year retirement extension is given immediately no problem (immediately followed by my obtaining a re-entry permit) ... but if the extension is slow, then my 3 or 4 January-2023 departure will cause me some stress.

 

Thou now, after reading your post, I realize I am stuck in a western mindset where in the west everything mostly shuts down from a few day before Christmas until after New Years.  But Thailand is NOT the west.   Thailand is of course different, and immigration should mostly be open during that Christmas/western-New Years period.

 

Hence the timing between ~19-December-2022 and 3-January-2023 should be more than adequate to get a retirement extension (for 1-year) on a Type-O Visa. 

 

[oldcpu]

Further to this, I have read that if one has come into Thailand on a '30-day Visa Exempt', that it is common that the Airline in the departing country to go to Thaland (in my case this will be Germany) will ask to see proof via an airline ticket, how one plans to leave Thailand.

 

So if I leave Thailand in August, invalidate my permission to stay (and non-immigrant OA visa) I will be returning 30-day Visa exempt in October.   Likely I will need to show a departure ticket from Thailand for early November ...

 

Along these lines, I note AirAsia has a sale on right now, and I may purchase a Krabi to Kuala Lumpur one-way ticket, which is reasonably priced at about 740 Thai baht.  ... I highly doubt I will use that ticket, so it will basically be a throwaway ticket.

[oldcpu]

22 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

Along these lines, I note AirAsia has a sale on right now, and I may purchase a Krabi to Kuala Lumpur one-way ticket, which is reasonably priced at about 740 Thai baht.  ... I highly doubt I will use that ticket, so it will basically be a throwaway ticket.

Given 740 THB is not much money ... I went ahead and booked that flight.  (of course it has no luggage, no advance seat reservation, no food ..but given its highly unlikely I will use this legitimate ticket, its not a bad deal).

 

Of the 740 THB, I note 400 THB is airport fee, 250 THB is a fuel surcharge, 35 THB is an advance passenger processing fee, and 15 THB is international departure and arrival fee (Thailand).  ... The actual ticket, minus the fees, is only 40 THB.   ... Incredible.