A friend of mine who is on a retirement visa since many years just returned from Chaeng Watthana after doing her 90 days reporting and the officer told her that she had to do her retirement visa renewal at least 30 days before expiration and that she was already late and might face a penalty.

It expires around the 30th and she planned on doing it 1 week before it expired. Is this yet another new regulation? She was quite shocked as she does it in the last 1-2 weeks every year and it has never been a problem.

Is this now for all annual visas? Or just retirement visa?

Edited November 7, 201213 yr by ShannonT

Probably a misunderstanding, you can do it within the last 30 days of your current permission to stay.

Yeah, that's what I thought too ...probably yet another office that doesn't know the rules. I'm due in a few months so I was a bit worried of yet new rules or something. Better safe than sorry.

I just renewed my retirement visa on the 2nd and there was no requirement. i actually diid my 90 day reporting 1 week earlire and all they said was do not forget to renew. Cheers

You can apply for your new 12 month extension up to a month before it expires. This was explained to me when I just extended my visa in Feb this year. On the immigration website it states that you can do your 90 day reporting up to 15 days prior to or up to 7 days after the required date. After the 7 days after you could be liable to a 2000 baht fine which two of my friends have had to pay.

Yeah, that's what I thought too ...probably yet another office that doesn't know the rules. I'm due in a few months so I was a bit worried of yet new rules or something. Better safe than sorry.

Another misunderstanding. Mario 2008 alluded to a probable misunderstanding on the part of the OP's friend.

Agree that the 30 day before requirement is a misunderstanding. My one-year extension expires 11Nov12 and I extended last week - about 5 days before and nothing was said about me being late.

On a marriage extension, tried to apply 34 days before the current extension expires, the lady at my local office (Nonthaburi), would not let me do it, had to be within 30 days of the current one expiring. She was nice and friendly about it, even stamped everything up and put a post it note on the front to remind herself that we had already seen her.