Is This A Mistake ?

[ozzydom]

On the 15th Nov a mate did his 90 day extension at Nong Khai immigration, his Non Imm OA issued in Adelaide expires 15/2/2013.

He was told there that he was permitted to stay in Thailand for one more year as of 15 Nov 2012, this was confirmed by a second officer.effectively giving him a 21 month visa.

A bit perplexed by this ,today he went to his local Imm office near Roiet to query this information and was told that YES that was correct and they in fact stamped his passport with "permission to stay in Thailand until 15/11/2013" but told him that if he leaves the country he must obtain an Entry Permit first ,I think he said at a cost of 1000 baht.

He doesnt know if he has struck the lottery or is setting himself up for an overstay if the information is not correct.

Advise please.

[lopburi3]

He had a multi entry non immigrant O-A visa which provides a new one year stay on any entry during the one year from date of issue that it is valid and for any entry after expiration date of visa a re-entry permit is required to return and use the remaining permitted to stay time. So yes the information provided is correct.

For any return later than 15/2/2013 (if that is really the expiration date of visa) he will need a re-entry permit - but he could return on 14/2/2013 and be stamped until 13/2/2014 without a re-entry permit if he were sure of return on time.

Your friend seems to have believed he had a normal non immigrant O visa requiring a new entry every 90 days - not true. He does not have to leave at all but if he stays more than 90 days without leaving he will have to report his address on a TM.47 form to local immigration office.

But make very sure he actually does have the O-A visa (he provided medical/police report and financial proof for issue and it is marked O-A).

[ubonjoe]

I think the immigration officer made a big mistake. In order to get the permit to stay they gave him he would have to leave the country and return.

He does not need a re-entry permit until after his visa expires on 15 Feb. and can do a border crossing and get another year from the date he enters as long as he does it before that date.

[lopburi3]

I believe Nong Khai means he crossed border and returned for the new 90 days as a normal O visa is used but they need to confirm what in passport - have added to my post above several times in hope they would double check.

[ozzydom]

I think the immigration officer made a big mistake. In order to get the permit to stay they gave him he would have to leave the country and return.

He does not need a re-entry permit until after his visa expires on 15 Feb. and can do a border crossing and get another year from the date he enters as long as he does it before that date.

He did actually leave the country and had a night in Laos.

Many thanks Lop and UJ ,I will pass the good news on.

[ubonjoe]

Calling the border crossing an extension threw me off a bit. Some people have called 90 reports an extension even. The way I read your post it seemed the officer in Roiet stamped the year.

Be sure he knows that he can do that additional crossing in February and get another year and then re-entry permit for trips out.

Edited November 21, 2012 by ubonjoe

[ozzydom]

He had a multi entry non immigrant O-A visa which provides a new one year stay on any entry during the one year from date of issue that it is valid and for any entry after expiration date of visa a re-entry permit is required to return and use the remaining permitted to stay time. So yes the information provided is correct.

For any return later than 15/2/2013 (if that is really the expiration date of visa) he will need a re-entry permit - but he could return on 14/2/2013 and be stamped until 13/2/2014 without a re-entry permit if he were sure of return on time.

Your friend seems to have believed he had a normal non immigrant O visa requiring a new entry every 90 days - not true. He does not have to leave at all but if he stays more than 90 days without leaving he will have to report his address on a TM.47 form to local immigration office.

But make very sure he actually does have the O-A visa (he provided medical/police report and financial proof for issue and it is marked O-A).

Yes Lop ,its definately an O-A, he returns to Oz for medical checkups annually and has been getting a new O-A in Adelaide each time for many years.

He normally does a TM 47 each 90 days at his assigned Imm office .but decided this trip to have a look at Vientienne.

Its the first time he had done a border hop so the situation never arose before, he just returned to Oz prior to each visa running out and got a new one to return.

Nobody in all those years had told him that a border hop just prior to the visa expiry date would get him another year without the need to return to OZ.

Luckily there are people like you on TV to fill in the blank spots.

[lopburi3]

Be sure to let him know he can extend his stay at local immigration office during the last 30 days of his final permitted to stay rather than having to return to OZ and going through the visa process again if he wants. Only costs 1,900 baht each year and the cost of the financial documents showing 800k in bank account in Thailand 3 months or 65k income/pension by Embassy letter or combination of the two to meet 800k per year.

[montrii]

I think the immigration officer made a big mistake. In order to get the permit to stay they gave him he would have to leave the country and return.

He does not need a re-entry permit until after his visa expires on 15 Feb. and can do a border crossing and get another year from the date he enters as long as he does it before that date.

I believe this is closest to a correct answer. It seems odd that the Roi Et office would give him that full year, but perhaps they were as uninformed (I think, anyhow!) as Nongkhai immigration. Retirement visas (non imm O-A) have to be renewed every year at the original date, at which point another year is given . . . paperwork, including financial records, has to be done then. Giving permission to stay for another full year can only be done at that point, though it's pretty automatic. In any case he has to have a re-entry permit if he wants to go out and come back.

As I came back from a Lao visit once, Nongkhai immigration screwed me up by - without my noticing - marking my leave-the-country-date in 15 days, like a tourist visa, rather than noting it correctly, as the time my non imm O-A was up for renewal. When I went down to renew (Bangkok) they first said "oh, you've been a bad boy, overstaying your visa like that." I showed them the page with the original visa on it, and they had to make all sorts of calls and fill out all sorts of forms to correct the mistake. They even called Nongkhai and chewed them out. So don't trust either Nongkhai or Roi-Et. At least go to a lawyer. I'm pretty sure that's a bogus date and could cause you some headaches.

[montrii]

Be sure to let him know he can extend his stay at local immigration office during the last 30 days of his final permitted to stay rather than having to return to OZ and going through the visa process again if he wants. Only costs 1,900 baht each year and the cost of the financial documents showing 800k in bank account in Thailand 3 months or 65k income/pension by Embassy letter or combination of the two to meet 800k per year.

He doesn't have to go back to OZ to go through the visa renewed. It's easily done at Chaeng Wattana, I've done it three times.

[lopburi3]

To renew a non immigrant O-A visa he would have to return to OZ as he has been doing. You extend your stay at Chiang Watanna as I have said and offered as an alternative. The question has been resolved and the information provided by immigration was totally correct..

[TPI]

I've a retirement visa that I renew in Nan every year, are you saying that all I have to do to get a one year extension is to leave the country say, overnight, and on re-entry my visa would/will be extended for another year?? I also pay for and use a multi re-entry stamp.

Ooooops! Answered in an earlier post!

Edited November 22, 2012 by TPI