Hello. I'm returning home before my work permit has expired (and will return to Thailand).

I've been told to get some type of re-entry permit or else I will have to pay for a second work permit upon return.

I think I need to go to Thai Immigration or the airport.

Has anyone done this before? What do I need to bring, how much time should I plan on spending there?

Thank you. O

I had a similar situation.You need to go to the employment office where they issue your work permit.If you give power of attorney to somebody i.e your lawyer they can go in person to the employment office 3 days before you permit expires and you will be granted a 30 or 45 day grace period,sorry i cant remember which,and when you arrive back in Thailand you must get your work permit stamped within 3 days of your arrival.Hope this helps.It is as i understood it,and i arrived back 28 days after my permit had expired and everything was fine.

To keep your visa entry alive you must have a re-entry permit issued by immigration. You can do that at any immigration office or Don Muang in Terminal 1 after you obtain your boarding pass but before you proceed through immigration channels. It is normally a 20 minute process at airport but I advise having it ahead of time so it is not a last minute worry. At Bangkok immigration process time varies between a few minutes to several hours in the past but new system may be faster. What would happen if you do not obtain this re entry permit is you would lose remaining stay on entry stamp or extension of stay and have to start over for both entry and work permit (as work permit is only valid for period of stay).