I am in the position where I have to go back to Canada to attend to some buisness matters. Hopefully I will only be gone for a couple of months but there is a possiblity of being gone as long as six months. Question is my extension runs out on 19 Nov and if I have to be six months how long after it expires can I get another extension or can the consulate in Van give me an extension or will I have to apply for a new retirement visa. I tried asking at Jomtien but they could not understand what I was asking, all they would say is renew visa over there.

"I tried asking at Jomtien but they could not understand what I was asking, all they would say is renew visa over there."

It sounds like they understood.

Substitute "get a new visa" for "renew visa", and I think you'll be good to go.

If you left for 6 months within the next week, you should be ok. Don't forget to get a re-entry permit if you'll be returning on the current permission to stay.

If your extension runs out while you are away you will have to start all over again.

1. Apply for a Non Imm O Visa in Canada and extend for 12 months when back in Thailand.

OR

2. Apply for a Non Imm O-A Visa in Canada.

OR

3. Re-enter Thailand on a 30-day visa exempt stamp and apply for retirement extension with at least 21 days remaining on said stamp. (Assuming you can meet qualification of income and/or savings in Thai bank.)

You can not apply for retirement extension of stay from anything but a non immigrant visa. If you arrive on something else it must first be changed at an extra cost of 2,000 baht so makes sense to obtain prior to arrival.

OR

3. Re-enter Thailand on a 30-day visa exempt stamp and apply for retirement extension with at least 21 days remaining on said stamp. (Assuming you can meet qualification of income and/or savings in Thai bank.)

An immigration officer (Jomtien) told me to do it this way, about 6 months ago. Perhaps the rules have changed.

A friend of mine, coming from Pnomh Penh, also did it this way.

OR

3. Re-enter Thailand on a 30-day visa exempt stamp and apply for retirement extension with at least 21 days remaining on said stamp. (Assuming you can meet qualification of income and/or savings in Thai bank.)

An immigration officer (Jomtien) told me to do it this way, about 6 months ago. Perhaps the rules have changed.

A friend of mine, coming from Pnomh Penh, also did it this way.

Nothing has changed!

It has always been a TWO STEP process doing it that way.

First change of status application, to obtain the non-immigrant visa in Thailand, changing from a 30 day stamp or tourist visa.

Then, the second step, apply for the extension based on retirement.

The confusion may come from the fact that many people do both steps the SAME DAY.

OR

3. Re-enter Thailand on a 30-day visa exempt stamp and apply for retirement extension with at least 21 days remaining on said stamp. (Assuming you can meet qualification of income and/or savings in Thai bank.)

An immigration officer (Jomtien) told me to do it this way, about 6 months ago. Perhaps the rules have changed.

A friend of mine, coming from Pnomh Penh, also did it this way.

Nothing has changed!

It has always been a TWO STEP process doing it that way.

First change of status application, to obtain the non-immigrant visa in Thailand, changing from a 30 day stamp or tourist visa.

Then, the second step, apply for the extension based on retirement.

The confusion may come from the fact that many people do both steps the SAME DAY.

At Jomtien I accomplished this "two step" process in 10 minutes. i.e. from 30 day visa free entry to retirement extension. This gave me a 15 month stay in one short visit. Perhaps technically you could call it a 2 step process, but in practice (at Jomtien) I wouldn't call it that.

If your extension runs out while you are away you will have to start all over again.

1. Apply for a Non Imm O Visa in Canada and extend for 12 months when back in Thailand.

OR

2. Apply for a Non Imm O-A Visa in Canada.

Could you please explain the difference between Non Imm 0 and Non Imm 0-A. When I applied for a visa at Immigration to extend based on retirment they call it a "non-immigrant visa".

I need to get a non-immigrant visa (90 day) in Penang next month for my wife so she can get an extension based on my retirement. What would I call this?

1. Conversion is a two step process even if done at one time with two fees payable.

2. The OA is a pre-approved one year stay of a non immigrant O entry for retirement that you obtain from a Consulate in the foreign country that you live. It is not available in Thailand.

3. What a dependent needs is a single entry non immigrant O visa from a Consulate. That can then be converted to a matching extension of stay at Immigration.

2. The OA is a pre-approved one year stay of a non immigrant O entry for retirement that you obtain from a Consulate in the foreign country that you live. It is not available in Thailand.

3. What a dependent needs is a single entry non immigrant O visa from a Consulate. That can then be converted to a matching extension of stay at Immigration.

Thanks for the clarification.

You can not apply for retirement extension of stay from anything but a non immigrant visa. If you arrive on something else it must first be changed at an extra cost of 2,000 baht so makes sense to obtain prior to arrival.

But, isn't there also an "extra cost" when obtaining a Non-Immigrant O Visa from a consulate overseas? I thought the charge was roughly equivalent to the B2000 charge, so it was a wash?

There are lots of reasons why some people choose to get their non-immigrant visa for this in Thailand. For example, they are already in or near Thailand. Some embassies will not grant a "regular" O visa based on retirement reason to someone asking for it (for examples based on dated info -- Washington DC embassy and LA consulate) but will instead insist on an O-A visa application. Also note, not all Thai immigration offices will do the two step process, though Jomtien does this. If a local office will not do a change of visa status, Bangkok office can.

Edited May 20, 201016 yr by Jingthing