O-a Visa For Retirement Purposes

[OJAS]

My multi-entry O-A visa expires today (12 Aug 2009). Therefore, when I returned from a holiday in the UK yesterday, I was expecting to be stamped in for a further year minus a day.

In the event, I was initially only stamped in for 90 days until 8 Nov 2009. Fortunately, the officer acknowledged his error without any ado when I drew his attention to it. However, there are 2 aspects regarding how he sought to correct matters which worry me:-

(1) After rescanning my passport and fiddling around with his keyboard, he simply crossed out the erroneous date and entered the revised date in manuscript in my passport. He initialled these amendments 3 times. Is it really normal for errors of this sort to be corrected in such a crude manner, which is surely a potential recipe for fraud? Or will the powers-that-be be able to corroborate the revised date, should they be so minded, by simply scanning my passport?

(2) The revised date which he entered in my passport was 11 Aug 2010, which appears to be a year minus a day after the expiry of my O-A visa. I was expecting to be stamped in until 10 Aug 2010, which is a year minus a day after my re-entry into Thailand yesterday. Have I, therefore, been given an extra day by mistake? If so, is this likely to result in any grief for me come my next 90-day address report, re-entry permit application or first extension of stay application this time next year?

[QED]

All your deatails will be on the computer system, so you won't have a problem although I would have thought they would have given you a new stamp.

Non O-A gives you a year from date of entry, why do you think it should be a year minus a day?

[Mario2008]

Errors are normaly corrected in that way.

You always get a full 1 year permission to sty when you enter Thailand on a valid O-A visa, the officer was right.

[Sophon]

Errors are normaly corrected in that way.

You always get a full 1 year permission to sty when you enter Thailand on a valid O-A visa, the officer was right.

I'm sorry, but it is my understanding (same as the OP) that since the OP entered on the 11.08.09 he should be allowed to stay until (and including) 10.08.10, which would indeed be a full year. But it seems the OP was given a permission to stay until 11.08.10 which would be a year plus one day, as both the day he enters and the day he leaves are counted.

But I have never had a NON OA visa, so I'm probably wrong about this.

Sophon

[OJAS]

Errors are normaly corrected in that way.

You always get a full 1 year permission to sty when you enter Thailand on a valid O-A visa, the officer was right.

I'm sorry, but it is my understanding (same as the OP) that since the OP entered on the 11.08.09 he should be allowed to stay until (and including) 10.08.10, which would indeed be a full year. But it seems the OP was given a permission to stay until 11.08.10 which would be a year plus one day, as both the day he enters and the day he leaves are counted.

But I have never had a NON OA visa, so I'm probably wrong about this.

Sophon

When I originally entered Thailand on 26 Oct 2008 under this visa, I was only stamped in until 25 (& not 26) Oct 2009. On that basis you are right. Still, in view of all the hassles which Thai Immigration give us foreigners, I am not minded to pass up any freebie in the form of a bonus extra day unless the pigeons are likely to come home to roost some time down the line!

[Sophon]

Errors are normaly corrected in that way.

You always get a full 1 year permission to sty when you enter Thailand on a valid O-A visa, the officer was right.

I'm sorry, but it is my understanding (same as the OP) that since the OP entered on the 11.08.09 he should be allowed to stay until (and including) 10.08.10, which would indeed be a full year. But it seems the OP was given a permission to stay until 11.08.10 which would be a year plus one day, as both the day he enters and the day he leaves are counted.

But I have never had a NON OA visa, so I'm probably wrong about this.

Sophon

When I originally entered Thailand on 26 Oct 2008 under this visa, I was only stamped in until 25 (& not 26) Oct 2009. On that basis you are right. Still, in view of all the hassles which Thai Immigration give us foreigners, I am not minded to pass up any freebie in the form of a bonus extra day unless the pigeons are likely to come home to roost some time down the line!

I think you are unlikely to get into trouble for staying the one extra day, but be aware that you are responsible for any error they make. You are expected to know your visa situation and not take advantage of errors in your favour.

Had they, for instance, given you an extra month and you chose to stay the full period given, then you would be fined 15,000 baht for overstaying 30 days. That is assuming they notice the error when you leave.

Sophon

[lopburi3]

Suspect he will be extending stay in any case and that should be done several weeks early so should not be any problem.

[OJAS]

Suspect he will be extending stay in any case and that should be done several weeks early so should not be any problem.

In fact, I shall probably first be applying for a re-entry permit prior to a planned further UK trip next April. Might it, therefore, be prudent for me to say in the TM8 that I have only be permitted to stay until 10 (& not 11) Aug 2010?

While on the subject of re-entry permits, can applications be submitted to local immigration offices? Or must one now go to Bangkok (as the notices I saw at Suvarnabhumi relating to the discontinuation of the issue of such permits there seem to imply)?

[lopburi3]

You must obtain at the immigration office serving your area. I would not worry about that date - and expect the immigration officer will wish you hadn't if you mention it. It is not like you are going to be overstay.

[OJAS]

You must obtain at the immigration office serving your area. I would not worry about that date - and expect the immigration officer will wish you hadn't if you mention it. It is not like you are going to be overstay.

Thanks, Lopburi3. As you say, I shall be applying for an extension of stay in due course, and plan to speak to my local immigration office (Maptaput) when I am next down their way for a 90-day address report regarding their particular requirements concerning the timing of applications, Embassy income & bank balance letters, etc since I am aware from other Thaivisa threads that these can vary from office to office!