I am a teacher currently working in a school and I was issued a Non B Immigrant visa 2 months ago. Before they convert my Non B visa (3 months) to a 1 year visa, the person responsible in processing our school visa resigned. There was also a change of ownership that happened after that so the school currently have no documents to apply for visas for the teachers. I don't have a work permit yet and I only have my Non Immigrant B visa expiring on June 5th (almost 2 weeks from now). My question is:

1. Can I extend my visa for another 3 months? If not, how long can I extend it?

2. If not, can I exit the country without cancelling this Non Immigrant B visa? Will it be okay if I just exit without going to any immigration office?

Thanks!

1. No, and without a work permit you are not allowed to work. Immigration could give you 7 days to leave the country, or file for a WP within those 7 days. That will cost 1,900 baht.

2. You can just exit and get a new non-B visa, without going to an immigration office. Not until you are on an extension of stay do you need to go to immigration to cancel.

You can not extend - the most you could obtain would be 7 days to pack out as a disapproved application. Yes you can just depart before it expires. If school can provide new paperwork you may be able to obtain a new non immigrant B visa but that sounds unlikely so you can return visa exempt or with a tourist visa if you intend to return without going home.

Thanks Mario and lopburi, although I have read in some travel agency that I have to cancel:

"In case of Non-Immigrant Visa Type “B” with work permit and you resign before the expiration date, you must immediately cancel the visa at Thai Immigration. In case your visa and work permit is going to end it is not necessary to cancel the visa or to return the Work Permit, however the company must issue a letter confirming the last day of your employment. The cancellation will be done at Thai Immigration Nong Khai Head Office, which is about 2km from the border away.You will not be able to leave without the cancellation stamp or the letter. Transfer of stamps from old to new Passport is also done at the Head Office, which opens 8am only, but we shall arrange transport and assistance for you."

Also, last year when I resigned from the previous school I used to work for, I have to cancel my 1 year Non Immigrant B Visa because the immigration officials in Aranyaprathet won't let me exit Thailand without canceling it. The visa guy from the previous school told me I can just exit the country with no questions, and the visa will be cancelled automatically, but that didn't happen. Now I am confused about what I should do, since I am still with the school, it's just that the 3 month Non Immigrant Visa will expire soon and the school has no paperwork to apply for a new visa for me.

I also read in some forums that if you fly out of Thailand, your visa will be canceled automatically. But with exiting through a border, that's not really the case.

Thoughts?

Thanks Mario and lopburi, although I have read in some travel agency that I have to cancel:

"In case of Non-Immigrant Visa Type “B” with work permit and you resign before the expiration date, you must immediately cancel the visa at Thai Immigration. In case your visa and work permit is going to end it is not necessary to cancel the visa or to return the Work Permit, however the company must issue a letter confirming the last day of your employment. The cancellation will be done at Thai Immigration Nong Khai Head Office, which is about 2km from the border away.You will not be able to leave without the cancellation stamp or the letter. Transfer of stamps from old to new Passport is also done at the Head Office, which opens 8am only, but we shall arrange transport and assistance for you."

Also, last year when I resigned from the previous school I used to work for, I have to cancel my 1 year Non Immigrant B Visa because the immigration officials in Aranyaprathet won't let me exit Thailand without canceling it. The visa guy from the previous school told me I can just exit the country with no questions, and the visa will be cancelled automatically, but that didn't happen. Now I am confused about what I should do, since I am still with the school, it's just that the 3 month Non Immigrant Visa will expire soon and the school has no paperwork to apply for a new visa for me.

I also read in some forums that if you fly out of Thailand, your visa will be canceled automatically. But with exiting through a border, that's not really the case.

Thoughts?

You only cancel Extensions of Permission to Stay (issued by Immigration within Thailand) , not Visas (issued by Consulates outside of Thailand) - you have a Visa which you cannot cancel.

Your travel agent is wrong and you previously had an Extension which indeed required cancellation.

Since you only have a visa and not on an extension of stay you can leave without any problem.

This is the confusion that occurs when people call extensions of stay visas which they are not.

Only those on extension of stay have to cancel their extensions.

Brilliant! I get it now. Thank you guys!