Period Of Validity For Extension Of Stay (non-imm O-a)

[Priceless]

I am presently in LOS on a non-imm O-A visa which expires 21 Sep 2007. My latest entry was on 16 Aug 2007, when I received permission to stay until 15 Aug 2008. If I have understood correctly I can apply for a multiple re-entry permit, which will keep me going until 15 Aug 2008 without an extension. This would however mean that I have to apply for my extension towards the end of July next year and this and all subsequent extensions would cover periods from 16 Aug one year to 15 Aug the following year. Is this interpretation correct?

I can foresee that I will probably want to be out of LOS from mid-June to mid-August every year, which would make the above dates extremely awkward for me. I am thinking about making a “visa run” to Mae Sai on, say, 19 Sep, thereby getting a new entry stamp with permission to stay until 18 Sep 2008. I understand that this way I would get into a (for me) more suitable “rhythm” of applying for extension towards the end of August every year and hopefully getting extensions valid from 19 Sep one year to 18 Sep the following. Is my understanding correct and does this sound like a good idea?

TIA

/ Priceless

[lopburi3]

Yes and yes.

[Priceless]

Yes and yes.

WOW! 2 minutes and 37 seconds, is that some kind of record for a full reply? Thanks a million, I'll start my trip planning right away.

/ Priceless

[DFCarlson]

Yes and yes.

WOW! 2 minutes and 37 seconds, is that some kind of record for a full reply? Thanks a million, I'll start my trip planning right away.

/ Priceless

Yes if you have a multi-entry non-imm O-A visa. The multi-entry re-entry permit only keeps your current permission to stay alive after your O-A visa expires.

Edited September 6, 2007 by DFCarlson

[DrDave]

Hmm - maybe I'm a little thick, but I'm really confused by this.

I'm in the same situation. Like the OP, I'd like to shift my annual O-A extension renewal out a month or so, for the same reasons.

It seems the OP received a 1 year permission to stay upon arrival, giving him permission to stay until 15 Aug 2008. My understanding was that the multipl-entry permit did not extend the original permission to stay end date, but merely allows you to exit the country and return on the same visa, even past the stated "Enter Before" date on the visa.

In my case, I have an O-A visa with an "Enter Before" date of 12 Mar 2007. I originally entered on 23 Jan 2007 on this visa, and was granted permission to stay until 22 Jan 2008. In May, I obtained a multiple-entry permit, which is clearly stamped with 22 Jan 2008 for both "valid Until" and "Length of Stay Until" - the same as my original permission to stay end date. I then exited the country on 9 May 2007, and re-entered on 18 May 2007. My arrival stamp from this latest entry carries my original permission to stay date of 22 Jan 2008 - there was no shifting of the date.

Can someone explain how/why making a visa run on 19 Sep 2007 will shift the OP's permission to stay date from 15 Aug 2008 to 18 Sep 2008? - or, I'm I mis-understanding what the OP is proposing?

[lopburi3]

Your understanding is wrong. A multi entry O-A visa allows a one year permitted to stay stamp on any entry during the time it is valid (one year). OP says his "latest entry" was in August and provided a one year from that date permitted to stay stamp so he obviously has a multi entry type.

In your case I suspect you had a single entry O-A visa and had to obtain the re-entry period - that does not change your permitted to stay stamp but only keeps it alive for your return. In line with your understanding.

The big advantage of the multi entry version is that you can enter the day before the one year period expires and have another one year permitted to stay stamp. But during that year you will have to obtain a re-entry permit for any travel and that will keep the stamp alive.

[Priceless]

Hmm - maybe I'm a little thick, but I'm really confused by this.

I'm in the same situation. Like the OP, I'd like to shift my annual O-A extension renewal out a month or so, for the same reasons.

It seems the OP received a 1 year permission to stay upon arrival, giving him permission to stay until 15 Aug 2008. My understanding was that the multipl-entry permit did not extend the original permission to stay end date, but merely allows you to exit the country and return on the same visa, even past the stated "Enter Before" date on the visa.

In my case, I have an O-A visa with an "Enter Before" date of 12 Mar 2007. I originally entered on 23 Jan 2007 on this visa, and was granted permission to stay until 22 Jan 2008. In May, I obtained a multiple-entry permit, which is clearly stamped with 22 Jan 2008 for both "valid Until" and "Length of Stay Until" - the same as my original permission to stay end date. I then exited the country on 9 May 2007, and re-entered on 18 May 2007. My arrival stamp from this latest entry carries my original permission to stay date of 22 Jan 2008 - there was no shifting of the date.

Can someone explain how/why making a visa run on 19 Sep 2007 will shift the OP's permission to stay date from 15 Aug 2008 to 18 Sep 2008? - or, I'm I mis-understanding what the OP is proposing?

I think that we may be back to the confusion between "visa" and "permission to stay". I'll try to be a bit clearer: I am currently on a Non-Imm O-A multi-entry visa (applied for and received from the Thai embassy in my home country), NOT on an extension of my permission to stay. This visa expires on 21 Sep 2007, i.e. in two weeks time.

Whenever I have entered LOS under this visa, I've received permission to stay for one year, starting from the day of entry. However, when I start on my first extension of permission to stay, this permission will cover one year from my last entry under the original visa. In other words, any subsequent re-entry will not change the duration of my permission to stay. Hopefully I will be granted extensions of my permission to stay one year at a time, starting on the anniversary of my last entry into Thailand under the original visa. This is why it will be crucial for me to have a date of last entry that fits in with my future requirements. Otherwise I might have to go back to my home country and go through the hassle of getting a new visa.

Hope this makes everything clearer (and that I have interpreted the rules correctly ).

/ Priceless

Edited September 7, 2007 by Priceless

[Priceless]

I'm afraid that lopburi3's answer made mine a little redundant. I started writing mine and took a break for dinner, so I didn't see lopburi3's until after my posting...

/ Priceless

[DrDave]

Thanks to both lopburi3 and Priceless - your answers cleared up my confusion, and pointed out the big advantage of a multi-entry O-A visa over the single entry version (which I have).

Unfortunately, not all embassies will issue multi-entry O-A visas (such as the embassy in Los Angeles). They even have a note on their website saying that only single-entry visas will be granted. I also asked them in person about a multi-entry, but no-go.

I had mistakenly thought that a single-entry visa, with a subsequent multi-entry stamp obtained in Thailand would be equivilent to a multi-entry visa, but I was obviously wrong. Thanks for setting me straight!