Leaving Thailand

[eutin45]

I have a one year retirement extension. Will fly Bkk to Yangon and stay 3 weeks. Then come back to Bkk for a day. Then fly to Germany and stay. I am not returning to Thailand based on retirement extension which will expire December 2012. Will come back next year. In that case I should not need an exit visa. Just leave for Yangon, when coming back can get a tourist visa for a day. Is that correct?

Thank you

RJ

[Jdietz]

To be precise, no visa at all. Just get a visa-exempt stamp when flying in (good for up to 30 days)

[Mario2008]

Correct. When your leave Thailand your permission to stay will be automatically cancelled. When you return you will get a visa exempt entry of 30 days. Next you retun to Germany.

[moe666]

Get that re-entry permit you may change your mind.

[moe666]

double entry

[NancyL]

Actually, the OP is going to need two re-entry permits to keep his retirement visa extension alive. One to return from Burma and another to keep "as a spare" when he leaves Bangkok for Germany.

Still, I'd advise getting the multi-entry re-entry permit. In the past three months, I've had three retired friends who left Thailand, thinking it was "for good", only to decide they wanted to return here after a few months in their home country. One of them just didn't believe me when I said there was no way to "reactivate" an abandoned retirement visa-- that he'd have to start the whole process over.

[Mario2008]

A multiple re-entry permit would be 3,800 baht, which he might not need at all, while a new non-O visa will cost 2,000 baht.

[NancyL]

A multiple re-entry permit would be 3,800 baht, which he might not need at all, while a new non-O visa will cost 2,000 baht.

Good point, but I know three people who would rather have not had to spend two 1/2 days at Chiang Mai Immigration, arriving at 6 am to get into the queue, in order to get a 90-day O visa and then a retirement extension 60 days later. Not to mention the cost of two income letters from the consulate.

[JimGant]

Not to mention the cost of two income letters from the consulate.

Nancy, so CM also requires two income letters, one for each step of the conversion/extension process? Saw this with Korat and Bangkok immigration offices, where the desk working the conversion process would not return the original income letter -- hence two months later, during the extension process, another original income letter had to be produced. Two separate 'rice bowl' pipelines, I guess.

Fortunately, CM has a US consulate, so no trip(s) to BKK required for Yanks. (The Korat individual did obtain two income letters on the same day in Bangkok, thus not requiring a second trip to Bangkok prior to the extension process. That the income letter was over two months old for the extension process wasn't a problem. But, of course, he had to pay double for two income letters. Bummer.)

[Mario2008]

A multiple re-entry permit would be 3,800 baht, which he might not need at all, while a new non-O visa will cost 2,000 baht.

Good point, but I know three people who would rather have not had to spend two 1/2 days at Chiang Mai Immigration, arriving at 6 am to get into the queue, in order to get a 90-day O visa and then a retirement extension 60 days later. Not to mention the cost of two income letters from the consulate.

He can get a non-O, not requireing a conversion and allowing him to board the plane without a return ticket and than during the last 30 days of his stay just apply for an extension of stay as normal. This would not require an extra step and also not 2 income letters and only 1 visit to immigration as usual.

[NancyL]

Not to mention the cost of two income letters from the consulate.

Nancy, so CM also requires two income letters, one for each step of the conversion/extension process? Saw this with Korat and Bangkok immigration offices, where the desk working the conversion process would not return the original income letter -- hence two months later, during the extension process, another original income letter had to be produced. Two separate 'rice bowl' pipelines, I guess.

Fortunately, CM has a US consulate, so no trip(s) to BKK required for Yanks. (The Korat individual did obtain two income letters on the same day in Bangkok, thus not requiring a second trip to Bangkok prior to the extension process. That the income letter was over two months old for the extension process wasn't a problem. But, of course, he had to pay double for two income letters. Bummer.)

Yup, they keep the first letter.