Reentry Permit With Retirement Visa

[shotover]

2 questions pertaining to reentry permits issued to a person with a Retirement Visa (non-imm O-A):

1. The "Application for Reentry Permit Into the Kingdom" (TM8) requests the applicant fill in the date they arrived in Thailand ("I arrived in Thailand ____ Day ___ Month ____ Year"). My Non-Imm O-A visa was issued on 9 April 2007, and expires on 8 April 2008. I initially arrived in Thailand after the visa was issued on 3 May 2007. Since then, I have left and reentered Thailand several times, the last entry being 22 February 2008.

Should I put the as the date 'I arrived in Thailand' my initial entry date (03 May 2007) or my latest arrival date (22 February 2008)?

Previously, I put down a date (I cannot remember which one) that caused the Immigration Officer's supervisor grave headaches, and it took a couple of hours to sort out.

2. Do I understand this procedure correctly?

Received Retirement visa from Houston Consulate dated 09 April 2007, expires 08 April 2008, with a multiple reentry permit.

Last date of reentry into was 22 February 2008, with date stamped in visa permitted to stay until 21 February 2009.

If I purchase another multiple reentry permit prior to my current visa expiring (on 08 April 2008), then I will be permitted to leave and reenter

Thailand an unlimited number of times for 1 year after the new reentry permit date.

I can then apply for a new retirement visa at Thai Immigration just prior to my new reentry permit expiring (say March 2009).

Hope this question is not too convoluted.

[lopburi3]

Believe they want the last arrival date for form.

You want the re-entry permit after your non immigrant OA visa expires. You do not need it on a multi entry visa - only after the visa expires - it then keep the most current permitted to stay until date alive and if you buy the multi entry you can make unlimited trips and be stamped in for that same Feb 21, 2009 date each time.

[jstumbo]

So on 7-April-08, you do a border run. Come back in on the 7th, because on the 8th your visa is no good. When you come back in on the 7th, they will give you a permission to stay stamp until 6-April-09. If you want to leave during the next year (april 7th 2008-april 6th 2009), you will need to get a re-entry permit before leaving on any trip during that period.

[shotover]

To update this topic, I went to Suan Phlu Immigration last week, and was told by the Immigration Officer that I must apply for the reentry permit prior to the Retirement Visa expiring on 08 April 2008. I applied for the Visa, putting my latest arrival date (22 February 2008) as the 'Date I arrived in Thailand' per Lopburi's suggestion, paid the 3800 baht, and received a new multiple reentry permit valid until 20 February 2009, thus giving me over 22 months of entry permits for the 1 year Non-Imm O visa.

The Immigration Officer then told me I should apply for a new retirement visa a few weeks prior to the reentry permit expiring 20 February 2009.

Thanks for the information.

[jstumbo]

If you had made a visa run this week, then you would have been stamped back into the country until April 2009. After you made the visa run, you could get a re-entry permit and then you could have come and gone until early April 2009. Only about 6 weeks difference though.

You can either get another OA visa, or if you meet the financial requirements in Feb 2009, you can apply for a one year extension of stay in Thailand based on retirement about 30 days before your permission to stay stamp expires.

[lopburi3]

To update this topic, I went to Suan Phlu Immigration last week, and was told by the Immigration Officer that I must apply for the reentry permit prior to the Retirement Visa expiring on 08 April 2008. I applied for the Visa, putting my latest arrival date (22 February 2008) as the 'Date I arrived in Thailand' per Lopburi's suggestion, paid the 3800 baht, and received a new multiple reentry permit valid until 20 February 2009, thus giving me over 22 months of entry permits for the 1 year Non-Imm O visa.

The Immigration Officer then told me I should apply for a new retirement visa a few weeks prior to the reentry permit expiring 20 February 2009.

Thanks for the information.

That information was wrong (unless you said you planned travel) as you never need a re-entry permit except if you plan to travel and you can obtain the day of exit if you want. There was no reason that you needed to obtain a multi re-entry permit and no reason to obtain before your 8 April 2008 expiration date (unless you planned travel now and would not be returning until that date or later.)

[shotover]

To update this topic, I went to Suan Phlu Immigration last week, and was told by the Immigration Officer that I must apply for the reentry permit prior to the Retirement Visa expiring on 08 April 2008. I applied for the Visa, putting my latest arrival date (22 February 2008) as the 'Date I arrived in Thailand' per Lopburi's suggestion, paid the 3800 baht, and received a new multiple reentry permit valid until 20 February 2009, thus giving me over 22 months of entry permits for the 1 year Non-Imm O visa.

The Immigration Officer then told me I should apply for a new retirement visa a few weeks prior to the reentry permit expiring 20 February 2009.

Thanks for the information.

That information was wrong (unless you said you planned travel) as you never need a re-entry permit except if you plan to travel and you can obtain the day of exit if you want. There was no reason that you needed to obtain a multi re-entry permit and no reason to obtain before your 8 April 2008 expiration date (unless you planned travel now and would not be returning until that date or later.)

Thai Immigration can provide a variety of conflicting instructions and opinions, depending on the Immigration Officer you speak with. In my case, I will be leaving Thailand 5 April 2008, and not returning until 14 April 2008, which is after the expiration date of my retirement visa. I also have several more trips out of the country scheduled later this year, so that's why I purchased the multiple reentry permit prior to the 5 April overseas trip.

My understanding is, even though my latest arrival stamp was stamped 'Admitted until 21 February 2009', I needed to purchase another reentry permit prior to my retirement visa expiring on 8 April 2008, at which time I would be overseas. Does this sound right to you?

[lopburi3]

If you were not returning until after the visa expired you did need a re-entry permit - as I tried to say with the "unless you said you planned travel" exception.