Help For Renewing (Extending) Non Imm Year O-A

[aeolion]

The time for renewing my Multiple-Entry Non-Imm O-A retirement visa nears. I got the visa in Korea, where I have permanent residency, though I am American. My visa is dated 19 August 2010, but I was stamped in September 3.

It's getting touchy now, and I could sure use some help. Some background:

An accompanying year's O-A for my Vietnamese wife, promised by the Saigon Thai consulate if I went to Korea and followed all the instructions on a printed sheet, fell through when I returned and we went to pick up my wife's visa. She got 90 days.

She has since made visa runs twice to KL, which means she was stamped in for 90 days thrice. With no more options available, we went to Chiang Mai Immigration YAT (Yet Another Time), and I explained that my O-A was useless unless my wife could be with me here in Thailand. Finally, we found a kind, delightfully humorous woman in uniform who said we were a very special case, and it would be a lot of work for her, but she would do it for us. After we submitted a pile of paper in duplicate, plus a photo, also in duplicate, of us smiling in front of our townhouse, we met with her three times, and my wife will get her year's O-A in a month.

But now there is my visa. I am prepared for applying for a year's extension of my O-A -- retirement plus bank balance equal to 800,000 baht two months before expiration of my visa, etc. However, that seems to be unecessary. After my wife's success with her visa, I went for my 90-day reporting, and while I was there I asked what exactly I should do for the renewal.

The pleasant official asked for my passport, pointed to the date of my O-A visa, not my date stamped in, and said I just had to leave the country and return by 19 August, and at the border I would get stamped in for another year's O-A. Which seemed wrong. I asked for a second opinion from another man behind the counter, and he agreed with the first man. I said no, I thought I had to show bankbooks, etc. They called a woman in uniform and the three discussed it. She, too, said I just had to and return by 19 August. That was it.

The official handling my wife's visa said we were a very special case, which may explain why, in the past, the answers to our questions tended to vary with the official asked. This included that we should go to KL last December and start a new O-A together. Which we were planning to do until I re-read the ministry's Web page. A second opinion at Immigration said Kuala could not do it for me.

At this point, if I know I can take a minivan just across the Burmese border on 18 August, then turn around and come back, and at the Thai border I get a bright shiny new year's O-A, I will jump at it.

Help, por favor.

[Mario2008]

Look at the visa itself. It either says single or multiple. According to immirgation it says multiple. That means that during the time the visa itself is valid, you can travel an unlimited times to Thailand and each time you enter Thailand you will get a permisison to stay of 1 year. So yes, if the visa says multiple, you will get a fresh extra year by leaving and returning on the 18th of August.

[thaihome]

Please read the sticky thread about the difference between a visa and permission to stay stamp. My post will make a lot more sense if do.

With a multi-entry O-A visa, on entry you get a permission to stay stamp that is 365 days from that date. So if you leave and return the day before the visa expires, you will indeed get another 365 days permission to stay. The important difference is if you leave again and do not get a re-entry permit, you forfeit that permission to stay stamp.

So, leave and return, get the new stamp and then go immigration and get a multi entry re-entry permit (3,800 baht I believe) and you are good for another year.

TH

[moe666]

Yes make the border run and return with the new stamp and get a new year. No you are not special, your wife got a free ride on your o-a which is legal. Next year when you renew she will get the dependants extension on your extension. I am sure one of the moderators will give you the complete story in a few hours.

[lopburi3]

First an O-A visa is not available inside Thailand at any price - only extensions of stay are.

You have 19 August 2010 as an issue date? If issue of a multi entry (expiration would be about 18 August 2011) so any entry prior to that date will receive a new one year permitted to stay time. The only thing you need to be aware of is any travel after that date will require a re-entry permit just like you were on an extension of stay from Immigration to keep it alive. So yes, all you have to do is exit/return for a new one year permitted to stay stamp.

A spouse can not obtain a retirement visa unless over age 50 and also meeting the financial requirements - they obtain a single entry non immigrant O visa and then should extend there stay on the basis of the spouse holding extension of stay to match). As you have a pre-approved extension of stay in the form of O-A entry it is a special case.

[aeolion]

Thanks for the quick info. I forgot to say that one concern about all this is somehow screwing up and losing my wife's hard-earned year's O-A.

Such as, if I just do a visa run for a fresh year-long O-A, it will not involve showing I have any money in the bank, which might affect my wife's visa. Although I did show bankbooks for my wife's O-A.

I guess my question on this subject boils down to: How fragile is my wife's year O-A? Can it disintegrate if I do a visa run rather than go through the more demanding bank book route?

[aeolion]

Lopburi3,

You posted as I was writing my response above. You go a little deeper into than the others, but all of you as a group seem to be saying that I can sleep well after planning a Burmese border visa run for the 18th of August.

Thanks to all.

[retiredusn]

Arrived with a OA retirement and the wife "was yes" under 50" multo entry after first year we went on vacation and returned with stamp in date one year more at thai airport then normal each year extension on OA for 1900bt each and 3800 each for multi re-entry her stamp is the same as mine it does not say wife or dependant just the same as mine we have only been here 8 years so I am sure some one will say this is not possible but here we are:::