Good morning all (from Australia),

Just two quick questions:

1. I have obtained a multi entry retirement visa o a (retirement) and will leave soon to Thailand. The lady at the consulate told me I do not need to report every 90 days and that I can stay for a year then renew. I have 1 year on my visa label to enter Thailand. Is this true, I have read everywhere on forums that I would need to report every 90 days? Or does this depend on some stamp I get in Thailand when I enter?

2. My wife is not over 50 so she has just got a visa o, based on being married to me. I was told she needs to renew her visa after 3 months and possibly may need to leave the country. Is there a way to avoid leaving the country and once she reports in Thailand after 3 months is there a way of getting a renewal for a period longer than 3 months, say a year?

Sorry if these questions have been asked before or if I don't make sense.

Cheers!

You will get 12 months on entry and will have to report to Immigration every 90 days.

Do a border run just before the Visa expires and you will get another 12 months

Your Wife should be able to get a 12 month extension from Immigration as your dependent

1. If you stay in Thailand more than 90 days you must report your address using a TM.47 form. You can also stay for almost two years on that visa by making an entry just before it expires to get a new one year permitted to stay stamp (you will need re-entry permit for travel during that second year however).

2. Wife can obtain matching extensions of stay for those on retirement extensions of stay but as you are using the O-A visa it could be they will not allow until after you start extending with financials inside Thailand. But believe it is treated as an extension so after 60 days here she can apply with marriage paperwork and copy of your passport for extension to match your stay.

Do I need to fill any papers or show a bank account when I do the run? Or just simply do the run and get stamped for another 12?

Just leave the country and return

If you actually have the O-A visa (presented police report/medical for issue) then any entry gets a new one year stay during validity of the visa. There is no entry requirement for anything but normal TM.6 arrival form.

Great, thank you Lite Beer and lopburi3.

Sorry to be a pain but another question, when I leave the country does that have to be say for 1 or more night? Like I can't just cross in the morning and come back in the arvo lol?

You can return in one minute if you want.

As long as you enter another Country.

You can just turn around after entry and exit other country and return. But some border crossing points will attempt to charge a small pocket fee if you do so and are not willing to wait them out. But after a year would expect you could find reason to stay a couple of nights for a change of pace.

Ah thanks lopburi3 & Lite Beer!

Yes I'm sure I'll be staying more than a night.

Well thats my quetsions answered, here I come Thailand! (prob next month) lol

If anyone from Australia wants my experience on getting these Visas let me know, happy to share, was very easy!

I am not sure your wife will be able to get the extension of stay based only upon your OA visa permit to stay.

The OA visa is not a good option unless a person is single or both husband and wife are over 50 and can meet the financial requirements.

The best option in your case would of been for both of you to of gotten single entry O visas and then get one year extension here. Which means money into a bank here unless you have an income of 65K baht per month.

That's a valid point ubonjoe, didn't think of that. Assuming my wife couldn't get an extension based on my oa, If she showed money in the bank would that help in her getting one year (though she has a multi entry visa o).

Not if she is under 50

If she cannot get the extension and has a multi entry she will have to leave the country every 90 days.

Ah bugger, if she had got a single entry would that have meant that she would not need to leave every 90 days? If that's the case I wonder if she can change it in Thailand. That also brings up a third question, if she needed to leave for some reason can she do so on single entry, guessing yes with some form of permit.

A single entry would have given her one stay of 90 days only.

Yes she can leave with a re-entry permit to keep remaining time alive on return - but you lose the time out of country as get the same new stamp as you previously held.

If immigration will not accept your current stay for her extension you could extend during last 30 days of any 90 day non immigrant visa entry (you could change to that) if funds proof in Thailand and then it would not be an issue for her to extend as your wife. Another alternative would be her learning Thai language (which should be very useful) and obtaining extensions for that until you are ready to extend.

Ah ok, makes sense. Thank you again Lite Beer & lopburi3! If it comes down to it in the end and she has to leave every 90 days so be it, more adventure lol.