Another One Year Extension Query

[lungbing]

I am going to Nong Khai on Friday to apply for a fourth consecutive extension to my one-year non 'O' visa which expires on 26th October.

The minor problem ( I hope) is this:

When I apply for the one year extension they will give me a temporary one month extension and tell me to be back at immigration on that date. Of course by then the visa will not yet be back from Bangkok, and I will get another one month extension.

However, I am going on holiday to UK on 4th October, the first time I will be leaving the country in four years, and will not be back in LOS until 4th November, ie after the temporary one month extension date.

On Friday will I be able to ask for a 5 week temporary visa or will I lose my non- 'O' and have to start again? This might in fact save me money as I won't then need to apply for a re-entry permit, but then I'll get all the hassle of the initial first year interview again.

I'm taking the flight tickets with me to prove the flight return date.

Any thoughts anybody?

Thanks in anticipation

[lopburi3]

Will assume this is a support Thai wife extension as a retirement should get the stamp without wait.

You will have to try and work something out with immigration and they usually try to be flexable in these situations when you can show them tickets and such. If unable just obtain a new visa while home and start over - nothing serious lost unless you are looking for PR status time.

Bad planning on your part to schedule trip during this time period however.

[autonomous_unit]

At Suan Phlu, we have been told two years in a row (so it must be true! ) that the standard procedure is to give an initial 40-day "under consideration" stamp counting from the date of reapplication. So, we have some flexibility in positioning this by applying sooner or later, but before the current extension expires.

My current stamp is definitely 39 days after the day we reapplied, and not related to the expiration date of the previous annual stamp.

I cannot tell from your first post how much flexibility you have left in the calendar, but you may want to inquire about delaying your application so that the return date is also deferred a week or so?

[lopburi3]

Believe upcountry they normally give several 30 day extensions rather than the one 40-45 days given here in Bangkok so a 30 day vacation makes it hard to juggle.

[lungbing]

Lop,

Yes, it is a 'support Thai wife visa' query.

Yes, up-country we only get a thirty day extension, had it been 40 days then therwe would not have been a problem. Over the past four years I have received two and sometimes three consecutive one-month extensions before approval was received from Bangkok. Of course the visa, when received is back dated to expiry of the previous one so is sometimes only a nine month visa by the time it is received.

I agree it was was bad timing on my part, but this was forced on us by when my daughters' school is closed for a month as the girls are going with us. ( and are very excited !)

I will ask immigration first if they are willing to vary the date I have to report back and if not then I will not apply for the extension nor re-entry and get a new one back in UK.

I am not considering PR.

Thanks for your advice, and gentle slap on the wrist.

[lopburi3]

Sorry for the slap but always advise trying to plan first extension so that it will be a time of the year when you expect not to travel. Not much you can do later except restart the process. But you may be able to get a little longer extension so it is well worth the try. Can imagine kids are very excited about the trip.

[lungbing]

Well, I went to Nong Khai immigration and it's changed since I was last there. In the foyer just inside the main door you now give all your documentation to an officer who vets it and puts it all in the required order and you are then given a numbered ticket. It was 9.30 am and I was number 8 although numbers 1 to 5 must have been dealt with already as 6 and 7 were being interviwed and I only had to wait a few minutes. The new interview office is very smart and far better than the old one. It's in the same space but we have now lost the waiting room.

I explained to the officer that I would be out of the country when the 30 day temporary visa was due to expire and he said no problem, they can give a 45 day temporary extension. Please could I write a brief letter for his boss explaining why and he would give me 45 days to report back for the renewal of my non-immigrant 'O'. He passed me a blank sheet of paper and a pen to write the letter.

Then he noticed that with the pension that I receive per year, as certified by a letter from the British Embassy, plus the money I already had in the bank, as certified by the bank's letter, I had more than enough to qualify for a retirement visa. The beauty of this is that they do not have to refer my paperwork to Bankok for approval and can give me the visa at Nong Khai immediately. So now I don't have to go back to Nong Khai at all until October next year.

I now have a retirement visa and will need a lot less paperwork next year, and the visa will be granted immediately, assuming I qualify, rather than having to go back every thirty days two or three times until a reply is received from Bangkok

Three other points arose. First, he reset my 90 day reporting time to today. I next have to report on 29th December. Whether this was done because it is a new visa, or a new type of visa (ie retirement instead of non-immigrant 'O') I don't know. This goes against everything I thought about 90 day reporting in that it was not supposed to be tied into your visa date but depended on how many days since you entered the Kingdom. Of course as I leave the country on 4th October and return on 4th November my 90 days starts again on my return. ( I think !) But I'll still report at the end of December to make sure.

Secondly, he showed me an example letter from the bank that they would like to see used which shows how much money is in the bank account once a month, ie how much is in the account on say the 1st of every month for the past year, rather than showing just the current total.

Finally a very important thing was that he told me that there is an immigration office due to open in Khon Kaen on Friday 4th November and every Friday thereafter. It will be in the Kosa Hotel in Khon Kaen. I have posted another thread about this because it is important for all expats in the surrounding changwats to Khon Kaen. As many expats as possible should use the new office so it is kept open.

So to summarise, I start off worried about a 30 day extension, briefly get offered a 45 day extension and end up with a full one year visa instead ! Amazing Thailand.

[lopburi3]

Great. Your reporting clock will resent upon your return and they have been trying to get reporting into sync with visa extension so you do not have to make an extra trip (but when you exit country it get off again). The retirement is what I also changed to this year but you should have been required to have a medical certificate for that. Will look forward to more reporting on the new bank letter format as if banks don't know not sure how we are going to be able to explain it.

Also don't have to take the wife if she has better things to do when use the retirement option.

Did you remember to get a re-entry permit? If not arrive/check in early at Don Muang to allow time to get from Terminal 1 after you have boarding pass.

[lungbing]

Yes, I got the re-entry permit thanks Lop.

One other side benefit of getting a retirement visa is that my passport will not fill up so quickly with temporary 'come back next month' visas. And given the increasing cost of passports that's a good thing.

The example bank letter he showed me was from Kasikorn Bank. The heading was Kasikorn Bank too, rather than Thai Farmers Bank so it must have been a fairly rcent letter.

I'll remember the medical form next year. Costs 30 baht at our local clinic and last time when I obtained one for my driving license the doctor just looked at me across his desk, said 'Oh farang' Sarm sip baht krap.

Oh farang, thirty baht. And that was that to obtain a certificate.

[Guest endure]

Hi Lungbing

Is it easy to get a letter from the British Embassy regarding your pension? Cost? Do you have to prove that you are actually getting the income? I ask because I've read elsewhere on here that US citizens can get a letter withiut needing to prove to their Embassy how much incomne they actually have.