Retirement Visa Extension

[rbm]

Two questions here, please:

I am a Canadian citizen, over 60, living in Bkk on a 12 month retirement visa. The original visa is a full page light-and-dark blue paper glued into my passport I got this in HK thro the HK Thai Consulate. It was issued 11 January 2007. I entered Thailand on 18 January 2007. In December 2007, as I was going to be out of Thailand for a while on a new Canadian passport issued by the Cdn consulate in Bkk I attempted to have my retirement visa renewed for another 12 months. After a long wait at the main Silom immigration office, I was told to go to another counter. I explained what I wanted. I received, without any proof of funds/accommodation etc...a new page-sized ink stamp in my passport which refers to my original passport number (in which is the original visa) and appears to extended my stay until 6 November 2008. This seems to be too simple, having about the nightmares others have described. I don't want to be lulled into a false sense of security.

The simple question is: must I get a new original visa glued into my passport each renewal or do I just keep my old passport with the visa and get updates by this ink stamp each year?

My wife travels on a Cdn passport in which her Thai retirement visa is glued. We are in and out of Thailand frequently. Each time she returns she is given a further one year extension from date of arrival. by an immigration officer at the airport. Does this mean her retirement visa is effectively (and legally) extended each time she enters Thailand?

Grateful for any assistance/clarification provided.

[lopburi3]

Your wife is eaiser. She has a multi entry retirement visa valid for one year of entries. During that one year she can come and go and each entry will get a one year permitted to stay stamp. But after the one year validity of the original visa she must obtain a re-entry permit prior to leaving or she will lose whatever stamp she currently has.

You could have exited and returned to obtain a new one year permitted to stay until stamp in December and after January 10, 2008 would have required the same re-entry permit for any travel. It appears Immigration worked some magic to provide you the extra year (almost) without you having to leave the country. I have no idea where the 6 November date came from if you did this in December. But I am sure you will need a re-entry permit to keep whatever you have alive. If your stamp is like the stamp your wife has it is probably a new permitted to stay until stamp.

You mentioned a "new passport" so am not sure how that figures in the tale. Did your old passport have a 6 November expiration date by any chance? That would explain why they could not provide the full year if it did.

It appears both you and wife are on the second year of a one year retirement visa obtained overseas (one of the advantages of this type of visa). Just be sure to obtain a re-entry permit prior to any travel to keep the current permitted to stay date alive.

About 3 weeks prior to the 6 November date visit immigration with proof of 800k in Thai bank account for 3 months or 65k pension or combination to obtain your first extension of stay for retirement. That will just be a red ink stamp in your passport and again will require re-entry permits for any travel.

[Maestro]

Rbm, now that you know that also the multiple-entry retirement visa you received on 11 JAN 2007 entitled you to a one-year permission of stay every time you entered Thailand with it until 10 JAN 2008 you may be able to figure out the date of 6 NOV 2008 stamped in your new passport when details from your old passport were transferred. I suspect that your last entry into Thailand before this transfer of details was on 7 NOV 2007 and you were admitted to stay until 6 NOV 2008. Thus, this permitted-to-stay date was transferred to you new passport.

As has been explained for your wife, if you plan to leave and return to Thailand before 6 NOV 2008 you must get a re-entry permit to keep that permission to stay alive.

--

Maestro

[dauu]

I got confused

. on first aextension of stay for retirement

can i get

? multiple-entry retirement visa

and do i have

? to obtain re-entry permit prior to any travel

[lopburi3]

If you obtain a one year extension of stay from Immigration for retirement you will require a re-entry permit prior to any out of Thailand trips or you will lose that extension of stay.

A multi entry retirement visa is only issued by a Consulate in the country you reside and involves medical and police clearance paperwork. With that you receive a one year permitted to stay on any entry during the one year the visa is valid; so during the first year a re-entry permit is not required. Once the visa expires you would need a re-entry permit for any travel to keep current permitted to stay until date.