Small Re-entry Multiple Entries Permit Problem

[tartempion]

Previous retirement extension and multiple entries re-entry permit were valid until november 25, but my passport expires 9 October 2007.

For this year immigration stamped me until 9 October 2007 but I did pay the full fees. Fair enough.

I came back to LOS recently with a new passport and went to immigration to have the stamps transferred. I now have a retirement extension to 25 November 2007, which is fine, but a re-entry permit only valid to 9 October 2007.

I will be out of the country 21 september to 20 october, return date beyond the re-entry permit. Now if immigration would have transferred the re-entry permit to 25 November also all would be fine, but it seems now I will need to pay an extra 1k baht to get a re-entry permit covering my return date.

At 3800 +1000 baht I find this somewhat exessive.

I even find the whole re-entry permit isue to be some kind of a typical Thailand scam.

Did they make a mistake?

Should I just get myself an extra re-entry permit before leaving late September?

Oh, and by the way, coming back saturday 20 October and with retirement extension expiring 25 november would it be acceptable to have my extension renewed in bkk monday 22 october? That would avoid me an extra trip to bkk one month later.

Thanks for your comments

[lopburi3]

Believe you are looking from the wrong side of the glass - the 1,900 baht fee is for any extension of stay so they saved you an extra charge by providing the extra days after your passport change (which should have been done before you applied for the extension of stay). So you saved 1,900 baht there.

A re-entry permit is always valid until the permitted to stay date currently in the passport. So, yes, if you want to return during your new time period you will have to pay for a new re-entry permit. As to the need for such a permit that is another story - but it is the law.

Immigration wants you to appear between 3-4 weeks prior to expiration so if you need to do a little early try to have a good reason (such as air tickets or such). Expect they will try to accommodate you but believe they get files ready based on the one month period so it may be extra work/time for everyone.