"Working Holiday Visa" For Thailand

[sikishrory]

Just for the record. I just got off the phone to a guy from Phuket Town immigration office. He tells me this can not be done at Ranong border as there is no consulate there. I will be doing it in Penang next week... Lucky I checked.

I'm guessing the information I quoted from that website above is probably correct in that case

[ubonjoe]

I think you got some wrong information from immigration. They may of thought you were asking about getting a new visa.

Either that or you have given us some information that caused us to give you the wrong information.

As said before if you have a multiple entry visa that is valid all you have to do is cross the border and return to get another 1 year entry.

Edit:

3. Issuance of visa

1. The eligible applicants will be issued a multiple entry Non-Immigrant Visa Type

B- A valid for 1 year.

2. The visa must be utilized within 3 months from date of issue.

3. Permission of stay will be given at the immigration checkpoint in Thailand.

Source: http://canberra.thai...oliday_visa.pdf

Is you your visa valid for one year or 3 months.

Three also confirms that all you have to do is leave and re-enter.

Edited January 11, 2013 by ubonjoe

[sikishrory]

I think you got some wrong information from immigration. They may of thought you were asking about getting a new visa.

Either that or you have given us some information that caused us to give you the wrong information.

As said before if you have a multiple entry visa that is valid all you have to do is cross the border and return to get another 1 year entry.

Edit:

3. Issuance of visa

1. The eligible applicants will be issued a multiple entry Non-Immigrant Visa Type

B- A valid for 1 year.

2. The visa must be utilized within 3 months from date of issue.

3. Permission of stay will be given at the immigration checkpoint in Thailand.

Source: http://canberra.thai...oliday_visa.pdf

Is you your visa valid for one year or 3 months.

Three also confirms that all you have to do is leave and re-enter.

It's valid for 1 year and it expires on the 24th of January. I'm just going to do it in Penang to be on the safe side. I would rather go to Penang than Ranong border and it would be nice to get drunk in Phuket for a night and see some old friends. I will ask again in Penang, although the guy on the phone seemed very sure of himself when he told me it couldn't be done at Ranong. Thanks for your assistance anyway ubonjoe

[ubonjoe]

The consulate in Penang will do nothing for you other than tell you exactly what I have written and the document I posted tells you.

3. Permission of stay will be given at the immigration checkpoint in Thailand.

This means when you enter at the border or the airport the immigration officer will stamp your passport with a new permit to stay date.

[samran]

Curious to know how a one year visa can be turned into a 2 year visa.

[lopburi3]

It appears to be the "A" suffix like for long stay (retirement) O-A visa which if multi entry is valid for one year and each entry is for one year so an entry the day of expiration allows another year of stay (but no travel). I have no idea if that is how this visa is supposed to work but that is how the long stay visa works and one visa effectively allows almost a two year stay.

[samran]

Ah, okay, so no travel in the second year - not even with a re-entry permit? I guess we find out soon.

[lopburi3]

Should be able to us a re-entry permit just as with a long stay O-A entry but if in first year and visa valid you would not want to use that as you would forgo the new one year stay.

[sikishrory]

It appears to be the "A" suffix like for long stay (retirement) O-A visa which if multi entry is valid for one year and each entry is for one year so an entry the day of expiration allows another year of stay (but no travel). I have no idea if that is how this visa is supposed to work but that is how the long stay visa works and one visa effectively allows almost a two year stay.

i think your right lopburi but as samran says you will find out soon. thats actually news to me about the no travel in the 2nd year (except with re entry permit). im really just doing this visa run purely for the sake of getting that extra year then i plan to go home perhaps a couple of months after to top up my bank account and then return. so this could jeopardize that as i am guessing re entry permits have to be used within a certian time frame or something?

anyway i will find out soon. at least it's all being documented on here so in future people know what the hell is going on with this visa more than i did

[Mario2008]

It should work as follows.

You have a visa valid for 1 year, on which you can make multiple entries into Thailand as long as the visa is still valid. Every time you enter Thailand while the visa is valid (see the date on the visa = 24 jan), you are given a permission to stay for 1 year (The date immigration at the border puts in your passport). if you leave Thailand on the 23rd and re-enter that date, you get a new permission to stay for 1 year (till 23 January 2014).

But your visa becomes invalid after 24 Jan 2013, meaning you can no longer use it to enter Thailand. If you would leave Thailand than in my example you would lose your permisison to stay till 23 January 2014.

But you can avoid that by getting a re-entry permit before you leave Thailand. A re-entry permit allows you to leave Thailand while keeping your permission to stay till 23 January 2014 alive.

As the re-entry permit keeps your permission to stay alive till the date it expires, it can be used to re-enter Thailand till that day (23 january 2014).

A re-entry permit cna be bought single (1 re-entry into Thailand) or multiple (unlimited re-entries into Thailand).

A single costs 1,000 baht, a mutiple costs 3,800 baht.

[sikishrory]

It should work as follows.

You have a visa valid for 1 year, on which you can make multiple entries into Thailand as long as the visa is still valid. Every time you enter Thailand while the visa is valid (see the date on the visa = 24 jan), you are given a permission to stay for 1 year (The date immigration at the border puts in your passport). if you leave Thailand on the 23rd and re-enter that date, you get a new permission to stay for 1 year (till 23 January 2014).

But your visa becomes invalid after 24 Jan 2013, meaning you can no longer use it to enter Thailand. If you would leave Thailand than in my example you would lose your permisison to stay till 23 January 2014.

But you can avoid that by getting a re-entry permit before you leave Thailand. A re-entry permit allows you to leave Thailand while keeping your permission to stay till 23 January 2014 alive.

As the re-entry permit keeps your permission to stay alive till the date it expires, it can be used to re-enter Thailand till that day (23 january 2014).

A re-entry permit cna be bought single (1 re-entry into Thailand) or multiple (unlimited re-entries into Thailand).

A single costs 1,000 baht, a mutiple costs 3,800 baht.

awesome info. plain and simple. thanks

[melvinmelvin]

It appears to be the "A" suffix like for long stay (retirement) O-A visa which if multi entry is valid for one year and each entry is for one year so an entry the day of expiration allows another year of stay (but no travel). I have no idea if that is how this visa is supposed to work but that is how the long stay visa works and one visa effectively allows almost a two year stay.

Hmmm.

Does this actually mean that it suffices to renew the retirement visa / extension of stay every 2 years?

(and popping in / out of LoS, provided you purchase a new multiple entry stamp?)

(Not sure, but I have a vague feeling that this is not a sound approach to staying 2 years on a 1 year retirement visa.)

[lopburi3]

Yes people do this and it is fine if you mean a new O-A visa (not extension of stay - that must be done yearly). But most people just extend inside Thailand and thus are not required to visit home country at any set schedule or obtain new medical/police reports every two years.