Hi,

my wife will need to leave Thailand in the next few days on an urgent matter. Her passport expires towards the end of June, but she has a proper non-immigrant O extension based on marriage to a Thai national with a re-entry permit. The non-immigrant extesnion was approved at the end of Jan to the end of the life of this passport, and originally we were going to get a new NZ passport for her and transfer the stamps etc.

Assuming she leaves, will she be allowed to travel back to Thailand on the same passport, given that she has permission to enter until the end of June? I'm guessing if not, she'll be forced to get a new PP while she is away, but what then happens to the visa extension she already has?

Many thanks in advance.

Edited February 27, 201016 yr by samran

The rules say she will need at least a 6 month validity. Without it the airline might already not let board on her way back. She will need a new passport.

I'm not sure what the procedure is, but I'm sure Lopburi can tell you. Probably she just need her two passports and on arrival in Thailand immigration will transfer her permission to stay to the new passport and stamp her in on the new passport.

Regarding the pssport, also remember she has to check in with the passport she bought the ticket on, also when flying back.

She should obtain a new passport and use both for return - show the re-entry permit in the expired passport to airline and immigration on arrival and get stamped in on the new passport. Then have stamps/remaining extension time transferred into the new passport - I expect it will have to be another immigration visit rather than being done at airport.

I don't believe there will be any issue with this - although normally such stamps are transferred into a new passport rather than held in an old one. But airlines are used to valid visas in old passports so should not be a problem for travel. If any issue would be in Thailand and at that point she should get a visa exempt entry in the worst case; which could then be converted/new extension made. But I don't believe that will happen.

I agree with Lopburi 3 as i have done this before.

You have to get a new passport for your wife before you leave or whilst you are away.

many thanks all for your wise words