Hi,

Just a quick question

My current Non O expires on the 17th March and I am wondering if I need to apply for a new visa before it expires

In English: 'Can I exit the country and return before expiry date (giving myself an additional 90 days) and then go to Savannhaket and get a new 12 month multiple after, or should I go and get a new one before this one 'officially' expires?'

Hope this makes sense

Thanks

The enter before date on your visa is just that it does not mean you cannot be in the country beyond that date.

You can do an entry before or on the 17th of March and get another 90 day entry and then go for your visa before that entry runs out.

Thanks Joe - so not the same rules as when you have to have a 3 month Non O before an application for a 12 month can be made?

I live in Mukdahan and have an OA, Retirement Visa. Whenever i go over, on re-entry i get 1 year from the re-entry date, so if i didn't want to leave Thailand i could have 2 years on what is a 1 year visa. But to be sure and safe i always go and renew my visa on the due date with the Multiple Entry Permit. Cost 5,000 baht. This gives me peace of mind as you never know when you may strike an Immigration Official who has his own interpretation of the Rules and you end up in the shit. My advice is to play it safe and renew on time. I have a steady flow of Foreigners who come to stay with us before and after going over to Savannakhet for visa renewals and providing you have the right documents and copies there is no problems at all.

A single entry visa becomes invalid as soon as you make an entry. You can go back and get a new one before the 90 day entry expires.

A multiple entry visa allows you to enter up to its expiration date.

I live in Mukdahan and have an OA, Retirement Visa. Whenever i go over, on re-entry i get 1 year from the re-entry date, so if i didn't want to leave Thailand i could have 2 years on what is a 1 year visa. But to be sure and safe i always go and renew my visa on the due date with the Multiple Entry Permit. Cost 5,000 baht. This gives me peace of mind as you never know when you may strike an Immigration Official who has his own interpretation of the Rules and you end up in the shit. My advice is to play it safe and renew on time. I have a steady flow of Foreigners who come to stay with us before and after going over to Savannakhet for visa renewals and providing you have the right documents and copies there is no problems at all.

As long as any multiple entry visa remains valid you can make as many entries as you want up to it's expiration date.

I have never heard of a immigration officer refusing an entry if the visa is still valid. If one did you could ask for supervisor and get it sorted out in short order.

Thanks Joe - so to clarify one more time, I can go an get a new 12 month O visa (current rules withstanding) with an expired previous visa?

Normally a visa has to be expired before you can get a new one. So yes you can get a new visa with the old one expired.

Thanks Joe, you have the patience of a saint - one more thing though - my present visa expires on the 17th March, could I get a new one from Savannhaket before this date? ie - Next week?

I have travel plans for April which don't involve a trip to Savannhaket

Thanks again

You could do it early but you would loose 90 days of stay that you can get from your visa. If you did a border run today you would not have to worry about the visa until near the end of May.

Thanks Joe, but I plan on traveling overseas (not Savvanhaket) during Songkran so upon my return I will have a 30 day stamp and be back to square one and need to

leave the country anyway

Thanks again

You could get a re-entry permit at immigration for a fee of 1000 baht to keep your entry valid.

Savannakhet update.

Here are some details from my latest run. As a long term expat this my third annual trip to Savannakhet. The first was done independently and the second through Savan Vegas - both previous trips went without any problems successfully renewing the 12 month multi-entry (which is actually closer to 15 months if you skip out and back in just before expiry to add the extra 90 days).

As my name suggests I reside in Phuket so here are details of my current trip:

Friday 21st - Flight from Phuket to Udon (delayed by over an hour). arrived in Udon just before 6pm. Booked a night at the Paradise hotel through Agoda. I have stayed here before. Clean, quiet, nice pool area and not far from the bus station. They also pick up from the airport at no extra cost. Friday night in Udon - Good meal and a pint of Kilkenny at the Irish Clock.

Saturday 22nd - 8am bus from Udon to Mukdahan. 229 baht on aircon bus and the journey took just over 5 hours. I had booked a nights stay at Mukdahan Manor with Agoda. This is run by Don and Dang and is basically Don's villa extended to a guest house with poolside restaurant. It's right on the banks of the Mekhong a couple of clicks south of Mukdahan. Super room opening out onto the pool. Lovely massaman curry in the evening washed down with a few beer Lao and a hearty Aussie style breakfast the next morning.

Sunday 23rd - Don and Dang kindly took me to the bus station in Mukdahan and I got the 12.30 pm Mukdahan to Savannakhet bus. Bus was only 50 baht but packed to the rafters with people and boxes of goods. However, it's only a ten minute journey and I did manage to get a seat. Stamped out on the Thai side and then reboarded the bus to cross the bridge. On the Lao side I made sure I took my bags off the bus (as it doesn't wait for you if you are a farang trying to process your Lao visa - you just have to get the next one). Lao visa was painless as i already had the form completed and 35 USD at the ready for payment of visa fee. Caught a Lao tuktuk to my hotel in Savannakhet - the Daosavan, which i had also booked previously through Agoda. The whole journey from Mukdahan bus station to check in at the Daosavan took just over an hour. Afternoon by the pool and evening stroll along the riverside to eat/drink - very pleasant.

Monday 24th - Up for breakfast at 7.30am - standard hotel crap but the omlette was nice. Arrived at the Thai consulate early at 8.45am. Doors opened at 9.00am and was fourth in the queue. All processed with a polite 'Khob khun khrap' and back out through the door at 9.07am! Documents submitted:

Copy of marriage certificate

Copy of Tabien Baan

Copy of wifes ID Card

Copy of my passport with previous visa page

Letter from wife requesting one year multi entry visa

Two photos

5,000 baht visa fee

All copies were signed by both myself and my wife. Showed originals of marriage certificate and tabien baan. No proof of funds asked for or given.

I will collect my passport at 2pm tomorrow afternoon and cross back over the Friendship bridge tomorrow for another couple of nights at Mukdahan Manor. Then it's a bus from Mukdahan to Ubon Ratchathani followed by a flight to Bangkok before returning to Phuket at the weekend.

Costs:

Phuket - Udon - Air Asia flight 1,650 baht

Paradise Hotel, Udon - 1,160 baht

Bus - Udon to Mukdahan - 229 baht

Mukdahan Manor - 1 night - 1,450 baht

Daosavan hotel - 2 nights - 4,980 baht

Mukdahan Manor - 2 nights - 2,900 baht

Bus - Mukdahan - Ubon - appprox 120 baht

Ubon - Bangkok - Nok Air flight - 999 baht

Bangkok - Phuket - Nok Air flight - 1,099 baht

Obviously could have been much less expensive as all accommodation is superior standard. But I have been there and done that and didn't want to 'slum it' again ;-)

I hope that this info. is useful for anyone contemplating making a similar trip.

Right - Now it's time to avail myself of the Daosavan hospitality with a visit to the gym, sauna, massage and pool :-)

Safe travels.

Phuket Shrew.

You could get a re-entry permit at immigration for a fee of 1000 baht to keep your entry valid.

So they would stamp me back into the country for an additional 90 days even though my non o visa has expired?

Thanks

lol sorry Joe - final question:

1. My current non o expires March 17th

2 . Can I go out and come back before the 17th and then go out and come back again in April prior to going out again to get a new 12 month visa in Savan?

Just feels like I'm really pushing it a bit!

Cheers

You could get a re-entry permit at immigration for a fee of 1000 baht to keep your entry valid.

So they would stamp me back into the country for an additional 90 days even though my non o visa has expired?

Thanks

A re-entry permit only keeps the remainder of your 90 day entry valid. If you did a border run and got a new entry it would keep that 90 day permitted to stay valid.

That means if you did it next month you would not need to get your new visa until June.

Thanks