Identifying The Visa Stamp - Is This Really The 1-year Retirement Extension?

[rainman]

My mom applied for her retirement visa a few weeks ago and had her date today to pick up her passport from Immigration. She did previously have a 30 day on-arrival stamp and went to Immigration with all the documentation (pension, funds in bank, bank letter, etc) to change her visa to a non-immigrant "O" visa as well as apply for her retirement visa (1 year). So today she received her passport back and she clearly asked if there was anything else she would need to do for the 1 year visa and the officer told her no and that she would simply need to come back in 1 year for her renewal.

Now I checked her passport and from what I see, all they did was change the on-arrival stamp to a non-immigrant "O" visa, but I can't see anything about a retirement visa 1 year extension - or am I blind?

I'm attaching a screenshot of the 2 new filled pages of her passport, but as far as I can interpret it, they gave her a non-immigrant "O" visa valid until November 25th 2007 - 3 months from now.

And if that's the case, she will have to once again bring all the documentation for the 1 year extension? Either way, we'll head to Immigration tomorrow again to see if it's a mistake or what.

What confuses me is that the Immigration officer clearly pointed to the visa stamp on the right side and in my presence said that "yes this is the 1 year retirement visa".

[PeaceBlondie]

Rainman, I begin to wonder if the word "retirement" ever appears inside a passport in Thailand. I'm looking at my two extensions, and they only refer to extensions of stay. I'll let the wizards who can read Thai carry on now..

[JimmyCA]

Just let us know what happens in 1 year sure

[rainman]

Just let us know what happens in 1 year sure

I'm pretty sure if we go to the Immigration office in 1 year from now they will hit her with an overstay, because the passport clearly states a 3 months date. What I don't understand is why the Immigration officer claimed this is a 1 year visa when it's clearly not.

[george]

Rainman, please look at the next page in the passport, it might hide in there... If not, then it's a 90 days only for sure.

[rainman]

Rainman, please look at the next page in the passport, it might hide in there... If not, then it's a 90 days only for sure.

Nothing on the next page or any of the other pages. We'll go down to the Immigration office tomorrow, there's definitely something they messed up.

[JohnC]

I renewed my retirement "extension of stay" last April and it is clearly stamped "Retirement" this was a new addition from last year, extension of stay is also dated until 28th April 2008 which is the anniversary of the date I first entered the Kingdom in 2006.

I have scanned the page in question and tried to upload it but as I am on edge it is taking forever so I give up.

[JohnC]

I have just had another thought, try this for logic!

Your Mum has been and changed her original Visa to an O, this has been granted with the normal 90 day permission to stay, at the end of the 90 days she then goes back to Immigration and applies for an extension for stay based on retirement with all the relevant papers and if all is in order she will be granted an extension of stay which will expire one year from the date she first entered the Kingdom.

My reasoning behind this is because last year I applied to the UK consulate in Hull for a single entry 90 day visa and stated I wished to apply for retirement visa, they asked for all the papers, pension, doctors certificate etc. I got the visa so the week after I arrived I went to immigration to apply for extension of stay based on retirement and they told me to come back the week before my 90 day visa expired! This I did and was granted my extension to expire one year after my original entry date of 28th April 2006!

So following that logic I think this is what might have happened to your Mom, a quick visit to immigration will confirm this just make sure you are polite and its you that does not understand the procedure, do not under any circumstances suggest they have made a mistake!!

I hope this lateral thinking is of help.

[JetsetBkk]

Rainman, please look at the next page in the passport, it might hide in there... If not, then it's a 90 days only for sure.

Nothing on the next page or any of the other pages. We'll go down to the Immigration office tomorrow, there's definitely something they messed up.

After the "26 Non-O" at the top of the left page is something similar to what is written on mine: ชีวิตบั้นปลาย (chee-wít bplaai) - it means "end of life"

( http://www.thai2english.com/search/%AA%D5%...B9%BB%C5%D2%C2+ )

That was written on mine last year. This year it says "Retirement" in English.

Edit:

Yours has ใช้ in front (chái) - means "use".

Wouldn't it be great if you could use it until you died, rather than going back every year!

Edited September 4, 2007 by JetsetBkk

[rainman]

It could be that they do indeed expect her to come back in less than 3 months for the annual extension, but we clearly stated that she wants to do her annual extension when we submitted the application a few weeks ago. Also I hope if she does need to apply again, they can use the same documentation we already submitted and they won't need a new set of copies as they were all originals and she'd have to again get a pension letter, bank letter, etc.

Would be nice if they gave her a "lifetime" extension by mistake though

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

[Lickey]

I got a 1 year retirement visa last year, but still have to do 90 day reporting, no hassle, just do form show passport, they stamp it, 1000bht i think it was,

After a year, apply for a new retirment visa, im pretty sure this is all it is, hope im right for your mums sake, Cheers Lickey.

[JetsetBkk]

I got a 1 year retirement visa last year, but still have to do 90 day reporting, no hassle, just do form show passport, they stamp it, 1000bht i think it was,

After a year, apply for a new retirment visa, im pretty sure this is all it is, hope im right for your mums sake, Cheers Lickey.

Yes, no and no.

Yes you must do 90-day reports if you stay here for 90 days continuously.

No, you don't pay anything, (Form TM47)

No, you don't apply for a new one next year - you "extend your stay" based on retirement. (Form TM7)

[Crossy]

I'm with Rainman and the others, that looks like a single entry non-o permitting 90 days stay.

Did mom pay 1900 Baht (I think it is) for an extension on top of the fee to change from a 30 day stamp to a non-o?

[thedi]

It looks very much like a normal Non-Immigrant-O (on the right page) with a permit of stay until 25-Nov-2007 (on the left page).

The time to extend this permission of stay to a full year is shortly before the 25-Nov-2007. As I remember, the time window to extend a permission to stay opens two or three weeks before he deadline. But others may know this better - or you could look it up in www.thaivisa.com

So what your mom got, was a change of her visa cateogry (as she requested) with the same permission of stay she would have got on the 28-Aug at the BKK airport if she had applied for this kind of visa in Switzerland before she came to Thailand.

Looks quite strait forward to me.

I would recommend to relax now and go for an extension of stay in the mid of November.

Enjoy your stay

Thedi

[lopburi3]

What was paid and what forms were submitted?

To obtain the visa costs 2,000 baht.

To obtain the extension of stay costs 1,900 baht.

Believe the normal procedure is to obtain visa and then return in two months to obtain extension of stay.

[wpcoe]

rainman: If those are the only two stamps she got, then she is definitely missing another one.

I did the same thing she did -- converted from a visa-waiver stamp to a Non-Immigrant O with retirement extension -- although I did it last year, and I got those same two stamps PLUS another one which was the one-year retirement extension.

Beyond that, regarding the left-hand stamp in your post (the smaller one) I have the same stamp but beneath it is a small rectangular stamp with only the word RETIREMENT in it. That same small rectangular stamp with RETIREMENT in it is also adjacent to third stamp that your mother seems to be missing.

(My scanner has a hit-or-miss relationship with Windows Vista, and right now it's "miss" so I can't post a scan of my stamps.)

["edited" because my fat fingers hit the <enter> key too early]

Edited September 5, 2007 by wpcoe

[rainman]

Went to Immigration today and they're definitely 3 month stamps. Because she changed over from a 30 day stamp, they say she first needed a non-immigrant "O" and in the last 7 days before those 3 months expire, she should come back and make the annual extension. Obviously presenting all the documentation again. It would have been easier to do it in one, but maybe it's not supposed to be easy.

[lopburi3]

Your supposed to have a non immigrant visa. The extra step is because you had to make the conversion first (in this case there was not even a tourist visa to change). It is only within the last year or so that this can be done without a trip to a Consulate outside Thailand - and you would have to wait with that visa also. But agree it would be easier for all if it could be done in one sitting.

[stickyb]

See this page, which details the process http://www.wpcoe.com/visa/

[Lancelot]

Went to Immigration today and they're definitely 3 month stamps. Because she changed over from a 30 day stamp, they say she first needed a non-immigrant "O" and in the last 7 days before those 3 months expire, she should come back and make the annual extension. Obviously presenting all the documentation again. It would have been easier to do it in one, but maybe it's not supposed to be easy.

I had a similar experience when I arived in coutry.

I entered Thailand on a 30 day visa exemption stamp, then went to Penang and got a 60 day tourist visa. Back in Bangkok, I converted the tourist visa to a 90 day type "O", then before it expired, I went back to Immigration and received a retirement visa (about 7 months stay on original retirement visa because they backdate to your entry date to Thailand)

All subsequent retirement extensions of stay have been for the full 12 months, even when I apply one or two months before expiration.

Good luck

[wpcoe]

Your supposed to have a non immigrant visa. The extra step is because you had to make the conversion first (in this case there was not even a tourist visa to change). It is only within the last year or so that this can be done without a trip to a Consulate outside Thailand - and you would have to wait with that visa also. But agree it would be easier for all if it could be done in one sitting.

See this page, which details the process http://www.wpcoe.com/visa/

It sounds to me like somebody in Immigrations dropped the ball in her case. It can be and has been done in one sitting. Mine was, and I've received plenty of feedback from my web page that others got it finished in one day.

In the opening post it indicates she presented all her documents for the retirement extension (pension, funds in bank, bank letter) and presumably Immigrations kept them. It even states that "she clearly asked if there was anything else she would need to do for the 1 year visa and the officer told her no and that she would simply need to come back in 1 year for her renewal." Whoever told her that was probably assuming the entire process had been completed, whereas someone in the chain of bureaucracy, for whatever reason, stopped before the process was complete.

[lopburi3]

There were many exceptions made in the last few months to accommodate the large numbers of new applications/conversions but believe that grace period is over and now the normal 21 days before expiration and wait are to be expected.

[JetsetBkk]

For those looking for an indication of "retirement" amongst your visa and extension stamps, here's 3 that I've found amongst mine:

[diverpro]

It is not possible to get a one year retirement visa (O) from the three months tourist visa you entered Thailand with.

So one month before your tourist visa expire tou have to ask for a 3 months non immigrant visa. (it takes normaly around 3 weeks, so to avoid an overstay or an extension of the tourist visa.......)

You first have to go to Bangkok or a consulate abroad to get that Non immigrant visa for 3 months stay in Thailand.

To get that 3 months non immigrant visa you have to provide them all the documents needed to get your one year visa

.It seems you want to get a one year retirement visa (O) so after you provide the approprizate documents you will get a 3 months non immigrant O visa.

One week before this visa expire you have to go to the immigration office with the same document (actualised) to get the one year visa O,

In fact they will only give you 9 months more because they will include the 3 months of the non immigrant visa. If you need to leave the country several times a year ask for a multiple re-entry (3500 thb) otherwise ask for a single (1500 thb)

Every 90 days you will have to go to immigration office without any document, but just to certify your adress of stay in the country.

It is as simple and easy in Bangkok if you have the documents nneded and if you come in time.

[chickencurry]

It is not possible to get a one year retirement visa (O) from the three months tourist visa you entered Thailand with.

Sorry but we did just that in Phuket - we converted from 3 month tourist visa into Non Immigrant O with extension in one go. It's dated 8 June 2007 and is marked Retirement and "stay is permitted up to 5 Sept 2008" (they add on the unused part of the 3 month tourist visa) and paid for multiple re-entry permit at same time. Lopburi3 advised on this procedure earlier in the year.

It was done through a visa agency - I don't know if that makes any difference. We didn't have to go to Immigration and (surprisingly to us) they weren't bothered about having the 800K for 3 months (I think we'd had the amount in the bank for just under 2 months.) The guy at the visa place said just a few days in the bank was acceptable.

[lopburi3]

1. To change a tourist visa to non immigrant requires application with 21 days or more remaining on current permitted to stay stamp.

2. To extend your stay can be done with 4 weeks or less remaining on permitted to stay stamp.

3. Re-entry permit single is 1,000 baht and multi is 3,800 baht.

4. You report your address using TM.47 form in person to an immigration office or by mail after each continuous 90 day period you stay in Thailand

[tablewater]

Retirement Visa

[hilly]

I renewed my retirement "extension of stay" last April and it is clearly stamped "Retirement" this was a new addition from last year, extension of stay is also dated until 28th April 2008 which is the anniversary of the date I first entered the Kingdom in 2006.

Mine too and renewed it last month in Jomtien. It has Retirement stamped on it in blue. This was not the case last year.

[lopburi3]

The photo clearly show two "retirement" extensions of stay. They are not visas.

[Bangdon]

I am entering the last month of my 2nd year of retirement visas.

On each of the years, I have the visa stamp and just below it they stamped

"RETIREMENT VISA"

I also have a separate multi entry stamp which I acquired at the same time.