Oa Retirement Visa Renewal Question

[John13]

I already have my plane ticket to Thailand for 5-1/2 months, I shall be arriving Sept 3. I have a question regarding the OA retirement visa. I only plan to live in Thailand 5 or 6 months out of the year. I may not have time every year to return by Sept 3. When I get my retirement visa, and return home to Hawaii in February, could I renew my OA visa in the states, if I don't have time to return in Sept 3, 2009? I am unclear about the OA retirement visa renewal process.

[jstumbo]

There is no renewal of a O-A visa. Once it is done, it is done. You can however get an extension of stay in Thailand when your permission to stay is nearing its end. You would need to meet the requirements for an extension of stay based on retirement to obtain it. Main one being either 800,000K Baht in a Thai bank for 3 months prior to applying, or 65K Baht /month pension, or a combination of both.

Is your O-A visa a multi entry or single entry? If a single entry, it would only get you one year stay from the time that you use it.

If multi entry, then you could use it for your stay this year, and then before you return to the US, make a border run. This would get you another year from the date of your border run. You would need to get a re-entry permit though to keep it alive.

You will only be able to use this visa for 1-2 years depending on whether it is a multi or single entry type. You would need to either get a new O-A visa from a consulate in the US or apply for an extension of stay in Thailand and meet the requirements for that. Then you could get a new extension of stay in Thailand every year.

Edited April 25, 2008 by jstumbo

[gzu88bv]

If multi entry, then you could use it for your stay this year, and then before you return to the US, make a border run. This would get you another year from the date of your border run. You would need to get a re-entry permit though to keep it alive.

..........or get a re-entry permit before you live directly for the US and make sure to come back to Thailand before the so-called "to-be-utilized-date", correct?

I understand what the requirements are for a Non-OA-Visa are and now it dawns on me that if such a visa is handled the right way you get a second year practically for free. But to get that additional second year it is a must that you definitely apply for multi-entry, correct?

And if I enter Thailand with such a multi entry Non-O A-Visa can I exit and enter Thailand whenever I want during the first and also the second year? And is it also correct as mentioned above that just before the “to-be-utilized-date” I have to exit and enter Thailand before that date to activate my second year?

[lopburi3]

The multi entry non immigrant OA visa allows unlimited entry/exit for one year from date of issue. Each entry provides a new one year from that date permitted to stay stamp. So if you arrive the day before the visa expires it can cover up to almost two years of stay. But for any entry made after the one year validity of the visa you must use a re-entry permit (which keeps the last permitted to stay stamp alive).

Yes. You must have a multi entry to use this system.

Yes. You must obtain a re-entry permit before exit for any entry that will be made after expiration of visa use before date.

[Brigante7]

The multi entry non immigrant OA visa allows unlimited entry/exit for one year from date of issue. Each entry provides a new one year from that date permitted to stay stamp. So if you arrive the day before the visa expires it can cover up to almost two years of stay. But for any entry made after the one year validity of the visa you must use a re-entry permit (which keeps the last permitted to stay stamp alive).

Yes. You must have a multi entry to use this system.

Yes. You must obtain a re-entry permit before exit for any entry that will be made after expiration of visa use before date.

What happens if you have a multi entry non immigrant O-A visa and you leave Thailand before the year is up and you don't get a re-entry permit?

Edited April 26, 2008 by Brigante7

[lopburi3]

Nothing happens when you leave - but if you do not return during the validity of the visa you will not be allowed visa entry. If you arrive during the validity of the visa you obtain a new one year permitted to stay until stamp from your day of entry.

[Brigante7]

Nothing happens when you leave - but if you do not return during the validity of the visa you will not be allowed visa entry. If you arrive during the validity of the visa you obtain a new one year permitted to stay until stamp from your day of entry.

So you would have to get a new visa if you do not return during the validity of the visa?

[lopburi3]

If you did not obtain a re-entry permit to keep your current permitted to stay until stamp alive you would be given a 30 day visa exempt stamp if eligible.

[John13]

If you did not obtain a re-entry permit to keep your current permitted to stay until stamp alive you would be given a 30 day visa exempt stamp if eligible.

quetion. i am an older guy, and may be a little slow, i just want it clear in my head. i have a round trip ticket to bangkok, departing 9/4/08 for the US, i am a us citizen. my return flight to hawaii is feb 17, 2009. i plan to apply for a O-A retirement visa, with mult-entry. i had just renewal my us passport, i have a copy of my police record made at the end of feb this year, i shall make an appointment with a doctor to get my medical release next month. i plan to apply for my retirement visa at the middle or later part of may, so my police record will be within the 90 day period. therefore, i think that i should have no problem getting the O-A visa. this is the part i am unclear about. i will get a reentry permit in feb 2009 before i leave thailand. how long is the reentry permit good for? i may not be back until december 2009 or january 2010, i am unsure, because of my other travel plans. i would like to know what are the steps i need to follow and the fees i will be needing to pay if i want to keep the retirement visa active, so i could come and go, and will probably be staying in thailand for six months at the time in the future. what hoops will i need to jump and what should i need to know in order to keep the O-A visa alive? thanks, guys for your help.

[jstumbo]

If you did not obtain a re-entry permit to keep your current permitted to stay until stamp alive you would be given a 30 day visa exempt stamp if eligible.

question. i am an older guy, and may be a little slow, i just want it clear in my head. i have a round trip ticket to Bangkok, departing 9/4/08 for the US, i am a us citizen. my return flight to Hawaii is Feb 17, 2009. i plan to apply for a O-A retirement visa, with mult-entry. i had just renewal my us passport, i have a copy of my police record made at the end of Feb this year, i shall make an appointment with a doctor to get my medical release next month. i plan to apply for my retirement visa at the middle or later part of may, so my police record will be within the 90 day period. therefore, i think that i should have no problem getting the O-A visa. this is the part i am unclear about. i will get a reentry permit in Feb 2009 before i leave Thailand. how long is the reentry permit good for? i may not be back until December 2009 or January 2010, i am unsure, because of my other travel plans. i would like to know what are the steps i need to follow and the fees i will be needing to pay if i want to keep the retirement visa active, so i could come and go, and will probably be staying in Thailand for six months at the time in the future. what hoops will i need to jump and what should i need to know in order to keep the O-A visa alive? thanks, guys for your help.

A re-entry permit with only making a entry in 9/08 will do you no good. All a re-entry permit does is makes it that if you leave and come back, the stamp you had before will still be valid.

So in your case, if you arrive on 9/5/8, you will get a stamp that permits you to stay until 9/4/9. If you leave on 2/17/09, and you get a re-entry permit, it will just make it so that you can come back up until the original date, being 9/4/9. This would not help you because, you would not be coming back to 12/09. What you could do is right before you leave, make a border run using your multi entry O-A visa. So if you make a border run on 2/15/09, you will get another stamp when you come back in, and it will be valid for 12 months. So they will give you a stamp of 2/14/10. Now you get a re-entry permit and you can come back on 12/09 and use the same visa.

If you are planning on staying in Thailand after that, you could apply for an extension of stay in Thailand after you come back on your OA visa in 12/09 (file in the last month of your permitted to stay). You would need to show either a 65k/month pension or 800K in a Thai bank for 3 months at that point.

Edited April 26, 2008 by jstumbo

[JimGant]

Does the Hawaii Honorary Consulate issue O-A visas? And if so, can they be the multiple entry variety?

I ask because not all honorary consulates issue O-A visas. And some consulates (LA for sure) will only issue single entry O-A visas. Since single entry visas are only good for 3 months, this will *not* work for you if you get it in May, with departure in Sept. (Not to mention not giving you the nearly 2 years of permitted to stay stamps.)

Even with a multiple entry variety, I'd forget the O-A visa. Get a tourist visa from the consulate in Hawaii. I assume you have some income coming in, so, when you get to Thailand, get a letter from the US Embassy in Bangkok attesting to this -- and if not 65k baht/mo equivalent, put the 800k/yr makeup amount in a Thai bank. Or, if no income -- or you don't want the expense or time of the US Embassy -- put 800k in a Thai bank soon upon arrival.

Then, in mid Oct (with at least 21 days left on your permitted to stay) go to Immigration and convert your Tourist visa to a Non Imm O visa based on meeting the requirements for retirement in Thailand. From reports, you'll then be told to come back in 60 days to get your one-year permitted to stay stamp. And, if you're going the 800k-in-the-bank route, which you put in the bank upon arrival, then when you return to Immigration in December, you'll now have the 3-month bank account longevity that Immigration requires.

According to Lopburi (and others), if you convert your Tourist visa to a Non Imm O in Oct, then your one-year retirement permitted to stay won't begin until 90 days later, i.e., in January 2009. This, it would seem, fits nicely into your future travel plans to accommodate future annual renewals of your retirement extension.

The reason I don't suggest getting a Non Imm O from Hawaii (which is probably difficult to do, assuming you're not married to a Thai), is because when you enter Thailand in Sept, you'll be stamped in until December, which will then be the month your retirement extension begins (and all subsequent renewals, which doesn't fit your requirement). Plus, you won't have the 3-month bank account requirement met in time (although this can be solved by meeting the financial requirement totally or partially by income).

Oh, I'd get a double entry Tourist visa -- in case things go to sh**, then, with one border run and one 30-day extension, you'll at least get to February. Then, you can try again......

Costs: $70 double entry Tourist visa; 2000 baht to convert to Non Imm O visa; 1900 baht for retirement extension; 3800 baht for multiple re-entry stamp.

[John13]

If you did not obtain a re-entry permit to keep your current permitted to stay until stamp alive you would be given a 30 day visa exempt stamp if eligible.

question. i am an older guy, and may be a little slow, i just want it clear in my head. i have a round trip ticket to Bangkok, departing 9/4/08 for the US, i am a us citizen. my return flight to Hawaii is Feb 17, 2009. i plan to apply for a O-A retirement visa, with mult-entry. i had just renewal my us passport, i have a copy of my police record made at the end of Feb this year, i shall make an appointment with a doctor to get my medical release next month. i plan to apply for my retirement visa at the middle or later part of may, so my police record will be within the 90 day period. therefore, i think that i should have no problem getting the O-A visa. this is the part i am unclear about. i will get a reentry permit in Feb 2009 before i leave Thailand. how long is the reentry permit good for? i may not be back until December 2009 or January 2010, i am unsure, because of my other travel plans. i would like to know what are the steps i need to follow and the fees i will be needing to pay if i want to keep the retirement visa active, so i could come and go, and will probably be staying in Thailand for six months at the time in the future. what hoops will i need to jump and what should i need to know in order to keep the O-A visa alive? thanks, guys for your help.

A re-entry permit with only making a entry in 9/08 will do you no good. All a re-entry permit does is makes it that if you leave and come back, the stamp you had before will still be valid.

So in your case, if you arrive on 9/5/8, you will get a stamp that permits you to stay until 9/4/9. If you leave on 2/17/09, and you get a re-entry permit, it will just make it so that you can come back up until the original date, being 9/4/9. This would not help you because, you would not be coming back to 12/09. What you could do is right before you leave, make a border run using your multi entry O-A visa. So if you make a border run on 2/15/09, you will get another stamp when you come back in, and it will be valid for 12 months. So they will give you a stamp of 2/14/10. Now you get a re-entry permit and you can come back on 12/09 and use the same visa.

If you are planning on staying in Thailand after that, you could apply for an extension of stay in Thailand after you come back on your OA visa in 12/09 (file in the last month of your permitted to stay). You would need to show either a 65k/month pension or 800K in a Thai bank for 3 months at that point.

question regarding the last part: if you are planning on staying in thailand after that...okay, i followed the procedure listed in the above, make i border run before i leave in feb 09; and get a reentry permit before leaving thailand/returning to hawaii. where do i get the reentry permit, before leaving thailand, i shall be living in pattaya, but will return via bangkok after my border run? next question: when i return in dec 09 i will need to show 65k/month pension or 800k in thai bank when i apply for my extention of stay in thailand. where/when should i bring a recent statement from my pension plan showing that i comply with the 65k/month for my extention of stay? how long is the extention of stay good for? and at that time, will i still have OA mult-entry status, and will my cycle begins over again, without gathering a new police report notarized, notarized doctor's cert., notarized copies of info sheet, four photos...the works again. like i said, i am an old guy, and just want to be clear about this process. thanks, for your help, if possible i would like to go through the OA procedure once, returning in time and keep getting permits while i travel in and out of thailand without going through all the paperwork with notarized police check, notarized doctor's cert., etc. again. i would like to keep in as simple, as possible, and spent 6 months out of the year in thailand, and the rest of my time in hawaii; but if my health holds out, like to travel and see more of the world, and get back to thailand to keep my reentry permit alive. after a while, when i am unable to travel to due my poor health, i would like to live full time in thailand, except flying home to the states once in a while to see my children and grandchildren. thank you for helping be view this complex subject more clearly. i shall be looking forward to your reply.

[lopburi3]

1. Any immigration office can provide a re-entry permit - you can also get at airport after check-in but be sure have photo and allow extra time - better to get it early.

2. Pension is Embassy function - if US you declare under oath on a form your income/pension and paperwork is not provided to Embassy but held in case Immigration wants to see paperwork (unlikely). Anything recent should be fine.

3. Extensions of stay are for one year using TM.7 form and 4x6cm photo, copy of passport and arrival card. There is no medical or police check required.

4. It is not an OA visa or multi. It is a one year extension of stay for retirement. Any travel will require re-entry permit.

[tracer5050]

Thanks alway good to get easy to understand info

[Mrjlh]

The multi entry non immigrant OA visa allows unlimited entry/exit for one year from date of issue. Each entry provides a new one year from that date permitted to stay stamp. So if you arrive the day before the visa expires it can cover up to almost two years of stay. But for any entry made after the one year validity of the visa you must use a re-entry permit (which keeps the last permitted to stay stamp alive).

Yes. You must have a multi entry to use this system.

Yes. You must obtain a re-entry permit before exit for any entry that will be made after expiration of visa use before date.

If I understand you correctly, I can do a "border run" during the last month my "O-A Ret Extension" or the day before it expires and get a 1 year extension without having to do all the extra paperwork at the Thai Immigration? But I would need to have a "multiple" entry permit to do this. If I don't have a "Multiple" I would need to get one in order to use this method.

Based on what you have stated, here's my situation and future plan. Tell me if I'm correct. My "OA ret" extension, single entry, expires Sept 19th, 2008. I would go get a Multiple next month. In late Aug or early Sept I would get all the usual documents together. Then two weeks before (just in case it backfires) make a "border run" to either Lao or Cambodia. And I should get a 1 yr extension stamp less two weeks. If not, it's down to Immigration.

Chi Mai?

[lopburi3]

If you have a single entry there is only one entry allowed - all future travel must be done with a re-entry permit before travel and that permit will allow your current permitted to stay stamp to remain valid (each return will be stamped for that same date). You will not receive a new one year stamp.

You have until September 18th to enter Thailand for the first and only time on that visa - once entry is made the visa date will have no significance (as only single entry). You will receive a one year permitted to stay on arrival. Several weeks before the permitted to stay until date you will gather information and visit Immigration to extend your stay one year for retirement.

[ianh68h]

Nothing happens when you leave - but if you do not return during the validity of the visa you will not be allowed visa entry. If you arrive during the validity of the visa you obtain a new one year permitted to stay until stamp from your day of entry.

This sounds too good to be true. Are you saying that if I return from a trip to the UK a week before my multiple entry OA visa is due for extension, I will automatically get a new one year permitted to say stamp in my passport at the airport? I anticipated having to trek down to immigration with letter from Embassy regarding bank details a week after my return from UK.

[lopburi3]

Yes that is what will happen. Just make sure you return during the validity of the visa and that it is multi entry.

[Mrjlh]

Yes that is what will happen. Just make sure you return during the validity of the visa and that it is multi entry.

In your response to me, I now read there are "two" situations that one has to be careful not to overlook. One is a Visa which has a multiple entry assigned at the time the Visa was issued. Second possibility is having a "single entry" at the time the Visa was issued and having the "Multiple Entry" added at a later date. The two are NOT the same and therefore the rule you stated does not apply to the second. Only to the first. Do I have this correct?

If so it means I still have to go to Immigration and go through the routine once again. But this time apply for the "multiple" at the same time and do it the simple way next time. Correct?

Edited April 28, 2008 by Mrjlh

[John13]

1. Any immigration office can provide a re-entry permit - you can also get at airport after check-in but be sure have photo and allow extra time - better to get it early.

2. Pension is Embassy function - if US you declare under oath on a form your income/pension and paperwork is not provided to Embassy but held in case Immigration wants to see paperwork (unlikely). Anything recent should be fine.

3. Extensions of stay are for one year using TM.7 form and 4x6cm photo, copy of passport and arrival card. There is no medical or police check required.

4. It is not an OA visa or multi. It is a one year extension of stay for retirement. Any travel will require re-entry permit.

i am older and little slow, so please excuse my questions, i just want it to be clear in my mind. i am thinking long term. let's assume and i follow all the procedures, make my border run before i leave and apply for an reentry permit in feb 2009. i return in dec 2009/jan 2010, i am permitted entry, when will i need to file for the one year extension of stay for retirement? with the extention of stay, i can go in and out of the country with re-entry permit. okay, i will be staying around five months..may 2010. is there anything i could do, before leaving thailand, so i would need NOT to apply all over again for the retirement visa for my next stay? since the extension of stay is not a OA visa or mult, that means i can not make another border run and get a reentry permit before i return to hawaii, and i will have another year to return without additional paperwork OR CAN I? i want to fully understand this process. is there or will there be a way....like a driver's license, you apply for it, and it is good for 4 or 5 years, and pay the renewal and my thailand retirement visa is good for a longer period of time without jumping all the hoops. i would like to live in thailand half the year, and return to the u.s.a. half the year to spend time with my family, while my health holds out, at a later date, i expect to live full-time in thailand, when i am no longer able to travel. thank you very much for your help, i am getting a clearer picture of what i should do.

[John13]

1. Any immigration office can provide a re-entry permit - you can also get at airport after check-in but be sure have photo and allow extra time - better to get it early.

2. Pension is Embassy function - if US you declare under oath on a form your income/pension and paperwork is not provided to Embassy but held in case Immigration wants to see paperwork (unlikely). Anything recent should be fine.

3. Extensions of stay are for one year using TM.7 form and 4x6cm photo, copy of passport and arrival card. There is no medical or police check required.

4. It is not an OA visa or multi. It is a one year extension of stay for retirement. Any travel will require re-entry permit.

question: i shall apply for an O-A retirement visa from hawaii, and will mail my application to washington,d.c. i have required to submit: my passport, three copies of the following: visa application for with photo; personal data form; police record; doctor's certificate; updated copy of my retirement pension. all of this infomation must be collected within the 90 day period. is this correct and i will need to have all three copies of everying, except my passport notarized?

i am not sure all three copies of everything need to be notarized, it could be expensive.

[jstumbo]

If a person from the US shows up at the airport in Bangkok without any visa, they will be given a 30 visa exempt entry stamp (If they have not reached their 90 days yet). If this is not good enough for a person, they can apply for a visa. What a visa does is tell the immigration people to give you a different amount of time on your allowed to remain stamp. For a US/Western citizen, this is usually 60 days for a tourist visa, 90 days for an O or B visa and 365 days for an OA visa. So if a person gets a tourist visa (US citizen), then when they go through immigration at the airport in Bangkok, they would give them 60 days instead of the normal 30 days on a visa exempt entry.

A visa can be a single entry, meaning that it is only good for one time at the immigration checkpoint, or it can be two, three or multi. Multi meaning that every time you show up before the use before date on the visa, the immigration officer will give you a stamp that you are allowed with the visa instead of the 30 day visa exempt entry. So if you had a double entry tourist visa, and it had a enter before date, 6 months from now, you could show up and use your first entry. They would give you 60 days. You could then come back one more time during that 6 month period and they would again give you 60 days. Does not matter what day you do it, as long as you do it before the "enter before" date on the visa. After the second entry, in this example, your visa would no longer be valid, so if you tried it again, they would only give you the 30 visa exempt entry. If you only used one entry and came after the use before date on the visa, trying to use the second one, they would again only give you 30 days because the visa is no longer valid. If you had a multi entry visa, they would allow you to come and go as many times as you wanted before the "enter before" date. And each time they would give you the number of days that allowed with that type of visa, 60 days in the case of a tourist visa.

So if you had a multi entry non-imm OA visa, which had an "enter before" date of one year from now, you could come now, and you would get a stamp at the airport immigration that allowed you to stay for one year. If you stayed for that entire one year, and then tried to go out and back in, your enter before date would have passed, so the visa would have expired. You would only get 30 day visa exempt entry. But instead, if you went out and back in any time before the enter before date, they would give you the amount of time that an OA visa is allowed, which is 365 days. So if you did this one day before the enter before date, then they would give you a stamp that says you can stay for another year, basically making it two years on this visa.

If you wanted to go anywhere and plan on returning during the period when your visa is still valid, you can just go and immigration would give you the 365 days when you enter again. But if it is after your visa is no longer valid (stamp to remain is still valid, but the visa has expired) you would only get 30 day visa exempt entry, because your visa has expired. This is where re-entry permits come into play.

When you leave Thailand, your permission to stay stamp is canceled by immigration when you leave. When you come back, you start all over again. There is a way to prevent your stay from being canceled and having to start a new entry. It is called a re-entry permit. It basically allows you to take a trip out of Thailand and return and continue on your stay just like you never left. You do not get any extra days, you still just get your original days, but it is a way to go out and come back in and not have to start over.

So in the above example, if you went to immigration and got a re-entry permit prior to leaving, then when you came back, they would allow you to stay until the date that you were allowed to stay before you made your trip. This is only needed if your visa has expired, because if it has not expired when you return, they would give you another 365 days. But if your visa will have expired when you return, then you want to get a re-entry permit, because it would allow you to come back in and finish off that 365 days, where otherwise they would have only given you 30 day visa exempt entry.

I hope that makes sense.

In the case of a single entry OA visa, you can only enter one time with it. So when you enter, they would give you 365 days instead of the 30 day visa exempt entry. If you left for any reason during that time, your stay would be over and when you returned, you would be given 30 day visa exempt entry because your visa is no longer valid. If however, you went to immigration prior to leaving and got a re-entry permit, then took your trip and returned during your 365 day period that you were given when you first entered, then they would allow you to come back in and finish off your 365 day stay. No extra days, the original remain until date, so basically it would not be 365 days in the country because you spent some of them outside the country. But if you did this halfway through your stay (and came back prior to the 365 day period being over), you would be able to stay for the remaining time you were allowed to stay until before, whereas if you did not have the re-entry permit, they would only give you the 30 visa exempt entry.

I hope this also makes sense.

No just to confuse you a little more.

When you are getting into the last month of your final permitted to stay stamp, and your visa has expired and you want to remain in Thailand, you can get what is called an extension of stay from immigration. It is basically getting permission from the government to remain longer. They will give you a new stamp that allows you to stay longer than the one you got when you entered into Thailand. For retirement purposes, they will give you an extension of stay for one year. This stamp works the same way as the one when you enter into Thailand. You can remain here until that time, but if you leave, then your stay is canceled and you would only get 30 day visa exempt entry when you returned. If however you got a re-entry permit first, you could leave and come back and continue your stay until that original date was up. For retirement, you would do this each year. You get an extension from immigration, and the next year you decide you still want to stay here, so you go back and get another from immigration. So that entry that you got from the airport can be many extended indefinitely inside Thailand if you meet the requirements. Requirements for extending on the basis of being retired are >50 years old, and either 65,000 baht/month pension, or 800,000 baht in a Thai bank, or a combination of both. The 800K in the Thai bank needs to be deposited into the bank >3 months prior to applying for your extension of stay and has to remain there during that time. You cannot put it in and take it right back out, It has to be there for at least until you receive your extension. The pension needs to have a letter from your embassy certifying it.

I hope all this makes sense.

Edited April 28, 2008 by jstumbo

[jstumbo]

1. Any immigration office can provide a re-entry permit - you can also get at airport after check-in but be sure have photo and allow extra time - better to get it early.

2. Pension is Embassy function - if US you declare under oath on a form your income/pension and paperwork is not provided to Embassy but held in case Immigration wants to see paperwork (unlikely). Anything recent should be fine.

3. Extensions of stay are for one year using TM.7 form and 4x6cm photo, copy of passport and arrival card. There is no medical or police check required.

4. It is not an OA visa or multi. It is a one year extension of stay for retirement. Any travel will require re-entry permit.

question: i shall apply for an O-A retirement visa from hawaii, and will mail my application to washington,d.c. i have required to submit: my passport, three copies of the following: visa application for with photo; personal data form; police record; doctor's certificate; updated copy of my retirement pension. all of this infomation must be collected within the 90 day period. is this correct and i will need to have all three copies of everying, except my passport notarized?

i am not sure all three copies of everything need to be notarized, it could be expensive.

Probably best to ask the embassy/consulate if they all need to be notarized. Different places have different rules. I know that my bank will notarize things for me for free. You might want to check with your bank.

[jstumbo]

i am older and little slow, so please excuse my questions, i just want it to be clear in my mind. i am thinking long term. let's assume and i follow all the procedures, make my border run before i leave and apply for an reentry permit in feb 2009. i return in dec 2009/jan 2010, i am permitted entry, when will i need to file for the one year extension of stay for retirement? with the extention of stay, i can go in and out of the country with re-entry permit. okay, i will be staying around five months..may 2010. is there anything i could do, before leaving thailand, so i would need NOT to apply all over again for the retirement visa for my next stay? If you got your extension of stay in Feb 2010, it would give you a stamp that would be good until Feb 2011. If you got another re-entry permit, then you could return any time up until the date that your extension was given until. since the extension of stay is not a OA visa or mult, that means i can not make another border run and get a reentry permit before i return to hawaii, and i will have another year to return without additional paperwork OR CAN I? You would not need to make a border run. If you came back at the beginning of 2011 again, you could go to immigration again and file for another extension of stay. This would give you another year, Feb 2012. Then you would do the same thing again at the beginning of 2012. You could keep doing this until you either did not want to come back, or could not meet the requirements. Just make sure to get a re-entry permit. If for some reason you did not make it back during that period, then you would need to get a new visa and start over.i want to fully understand this process. is there or will there be a way....like a driver's license, you apply for it, and it is good for 4 or 5 years, and pay the renewal and my thailand retirement visa is good for a longer period of time without jumping all the hoops. i would like to live in thailand half the year, and return to the u.s.a. half the year to spend time with my family, while my health holds out, at a later date, i expect to live full-time in thailand, when i am no longer able to travel. thank you very much for your help, i am getting a clearer picture of what i should do.

[John13]

i am older and little slow, so please excuse my questions, i just want it to be clear in my mind. i am thinking long term. let's assume and i follow all the procedures, make my border run before i leave and apply for an reentry permit in feb 2009. i return in dec 2009/jan 2010, i am permitted entry, when will i need to file for the one year extension of stay for retirement? with the extention of stay, i can go in and out of the country with re-entry permit. okay, i will be staying around five months..may 2010. is there anything i could do, before leaving thailand, so i would need NOT to apply all over again for the retirement visa for my next stay? If you got your extension of stay in Feb 2010, it would give you a stamp that would be good until Feb 2011. If you got another re-entry permit, then you could return any time up until the date that your extension was given until. since the extension of stay is not a OA visa or mult, that means i can not make another border run and get a reentry permit before i return to hawaii, and i will have another year to return without additional paperwork OR CAN I? You would not need to make a border run. If you came back at the beginning of 2011 again, you could go to immigration again and file for another extension of stay. This would give you another year, Feb 2012. Then you would do the same thing again at the beginning of 2012. You could keep doing this until you either did not want to come back, or could not meet the requirements. Just make sure to get a re-entry permit. If for some reason you did not make it back during that period, then you would need to get a new visa and start over.i want to fully understand this process. is there or will there be a way....like a driver's license, you apply for it, and it is good for 4 or 5 years, and pay the renewal and my thailand retirement visa is good for a longer period of time without jumping all the hoops. i would like to live in thailand half the year, and return to the u.s.a. half the year to spend time with my family, while my health holds out, at a later date, i expect to live full-time in thailand, when i am no longer able to travel. thank you very much for your help, i am getting a clearer picture of what i should do.

i had been told years ago, that after three extension of stays in a row without any breaks in the time period. that, you can pass go and collect $200. another words, you would not need to jump through all the hoops, except for the regular visits to register. it sounds too good to be true, so that's why i am asking, do you know anything about that? thanks for your help, my dazed mind is more clear now. getting old is a bitch.

[lopburi3]

Too good to be true. After three years you become eligible to apply for permanent residence (PR) but there are a number of qualifying requirements (Thai income in the 80k range, language, not on retirement and such). The bill is also about 200k unless married to a Thai (then 100k) so it is not for all. There is a link to this subject in the useful information pinned section at top of forum.

[ianh68h]

Yes that is what will happen. Just make sure you return during the validity of the visa and that it is multi entry.

Thank you very much for this information. Now I wonder, can I do this every year or only once?

Sincerely

ianh

[lopburi3]

Only once. After visa validity end you must have re-entry permit for travel and near end of permitted to stay time you visit Immigration to extend your stay for the next year with financial proof (1,900 baht fee).

[John13]

Only once. After visa validity end you must have re-entry permit for travel and near end of permitted to stay time you visit Immigration to extend your stay for the next year with financial proof (1,900 baht fee).

thanks for your help, this is the old, and slow guy again. i hope you don't mind, i just need for it to be clear in my head. sorry, if i am repeating myself.

i arrive 9/08, then apply for mult-entry. before i leave 2/17/09, i make a border run 2/10/09 (this will make my OA visa valid until 2/10/10), then i get a reentry permit. i depart 2/17/09 to hawaii. i am allowed to return 1/2010 and bring a copy of my pension (i need no other paperwork to enter the country, because i have a reentry permit). i get the us embassy to stamp it. who or when do i submit it? i apply for an extention of stay and follow that procedure. my extention of stay is good for one year, but i must check in every 90 days. when do i apply for my extention of stay? if i apply for my extention of stay 2/2010 it is good until 2/2011? before leaving the country i apply for a reentry permit. i can continue keeping this process up time and time again.

okay, let's say i have been following the extention of stay process for a couple of years, turning in my pension papers, and getting a reentry permit before leaving.

let's say the last time i left bangkok was 2/2012. this time i am returning 9/2012 follow the procedure, get my extention of stay, etc...and leave 4/2013. let's say i want to go to south america 9/2013 for a couple of months. would it be possible for me during my 9/2012 to 4/2013 trip to get an extention of stay, or some paper work good for one year, so that i could return 1/2014 without applying for the OA visa all over again? i am learning spanish, and while i could still walk, actuallly would like to see south america before i die.

thank you for all your help, i am sorry that i am slow and all of this confuses me. please keep it simple so i could understand it. let me know if i got it right or not. i am sorry to be a bother, but want to be sure it's right, i got my doctor's appt. tomorrow and will bring the thai immig. form in, i contacted my former employer and they are mailing me a copy of my pension. must the copy of my pension be notarized also? along with the 4 health forms, and 4 police reports?

[John13]

Only once. After visa validity end you must have re-entry permit for travel and near end of permitted to stay time you visit Immigration to extend your stay for the next year with financial proof (1,900 baht fee).

okay, it's the old guy and slow guy again. i don't quite understand, upon entering i file for extention of stay, then "near end of permitted to stay time you visit immigration to extend your stay for the next year with financial proof. i understand the financial proof part, submit my pension after us embassy stamped it, but the other part...extend your stay for next year---that's unclear to me. let's assume that i will be back within the approved time period. please enlighten me. thanks, sorry for being a pest, but i want to get it clear in my head. what do i need to file? i thought that the reentry permit was good enough, as long as i came back one year of the extention of stay. let's say an extention of stay was issued in jan, and i leave in july, when do i need to get back to thailand by? without additional paperwork, assuming that i follow all the procedures.

sorry to be a pain in the butt, but this is still a little unclear. thanks for bearing with me.