Timing of Visa Extension and Passport Renewal

[Jip99]

I have a Non 'O' visa until 4th August. I have 6 pages left in my passport. My passport expires in 2022. I travel to the UK on 3rd September for 10 days.

I plan to arrange a retirement extension this year.

I have trips to Cambodia (e-visa not allowed) in March, April and July.

Whilst I would like to leave the passport renewal until I am in the UK my visa would have expired.

I would have to get an O-A visa whilst in the UK or return on a visa not required basis and go to Chaeng Wattana. The first option would defer my retirement extension plan for 10/11 months, the second option would cause some inconvenience.

I get back from Cambodia on 15th April and have 2 months until my next visit. It seems that the best thing would be renew my passport in this time and then go to my local immigration office to apply for the extension.

Have I missed anything obvious ?

[wayned]

I agree. You haven't missed a thing.

[ubonjoe]

You have a enough pages left for your border runs.

If you wanted to put off getting the extension and do a border run in July that would give you a permit to stay until October you could get a re-entry permit (1000 baht) for that entry and do your extension when you return with your new passport. You would use your old passport to show the re-entry permit to the airline and on entry to Thailand.

[Jip99]

You have a enough pages left for your border runs.

If you wanted to put off getting the extension and do a border run in July that would give you a permit to stay until October you could get a re-entry permit (1000 baht) for that entry and do your extension when you return with your new passport. You would use your old passport to show the re-entry permit to the airline and on entry to Thailand.

Not that it matters but these are holidays to Cambodia rather than visa runs.

One of these holidays is the fly in the ointment; My daughters visit in July and I plan to go to Cambodia around the 7th July - just after my visa expires.

Total cock-up on my part by not thinking ahead! I had booked other trips with them within Thailand that prevented us from returning from Cambodia until after the visa expiry date.

[ubonjoe]

You should try do your extension this month. Or make make a border run and extend the next entry.

[Jip99]

You should try do your extension this month. Or make make a border run and extend the next entry.

Sorry Joe, I have missed what that will achieve. I can do my extension (plus multiple re-entry) this month when I get back from Cambodia after 22nd March. I can then travel out again at Songkran and on my return send off my passport for renewal. I would then visit immigration and have the details transferred to my new passport before my next exit in July.

Just one other thought. I arrive at Don Mueang from Chiang Mai on the 1st July. IF I can change a booking in Kanchanaburi from 1st July I could drive to Poipet and stay 1/2/3 July in Cambodia (I need 3 nights in Siem Reap) and then return on 4th July with a 90 day stamp. The only issue here (apart from trying to change the Kan booking) is that my visa was issued on 5th July last year and the 4th July is my 'enter before date'. That feels a bit tight to me.

If it all works I can defer my extension until my return from the UK in September and I get the passport renewed at UK prices - it also gets the extension and re-entry permit into the new passport in one go.

[ubonjoe]

When you enter on the 22nd of this month you will get a new 90 day entry that will take you to June meaning you could not do your extension until late may or early June. You could get a single re-entry permit for that entry for your trip in April.

How many trips do you plan on making out of the country before your trip in September. That would determine whether to wait to get your new passport until then.

Edit: You mentioned before that e-visas for Cambodia are not possible. You mentioned crossing at Poi Pet which is an allowed crossing for the e-visas.

See: http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/

[Jip99]

When you enter on the 22nd of this month you will get a new 90 day entry that will take you to June meaning you could not do your extension until late may or early June. You could get a single re-entry permit for that entry for your trip in April.

How many trips do you plan on making out of the country before your trip in September. That would determine whether to wait to get your new passport until then.

Edit: You mentioned before that e-visas for Cambodia are not possible. You mentioned crossing at Poi Pet which is an allowed crossing for the e-visas.

See: http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/

OK, I think I have got it ! If I have a permission to stay entry that is beyond my return date in September I just need a re-entry permit for that entry. Actually, I would need a multiple re-entry because I would be going out twice - once to Cambodia in July and the UK in September. At a cost of 3,800 Baht that is greater than the savings of doing the passport renewal in the UK.

Working it back, I return from the UK on 14th September. Allow a week to visit immigration, say, 21st September. I would need an entry stamp after 24th June.

I am in Krabi 24-27, Chiang Mai 28-30 and Kanchanaburi 1-4th July (my visa expiry date). I guess it would be feasible to do a border run to Ban Nam Phu Ron on the 2nd/3rd July giving me 90 days to say 1st October. I would just to get a multiple re-entry (from Kap Choeng) on that entry for my Cambodian trip on 6th July and the UK trip.

I think, on balance, it is probably easier and more cost-effective to renew my passport after I return in April from Cambodia. I can then go at the back end of May to immigration to arrange my retirement extension. I will have to pay £174.36 for the passport but will save the additional multi re-entry costs.

Because I travel regularly to Cambodia my permission to stay keeps getting pushed out 90 days each time I return. Assuming I return after Songkran my 90 days will take me to mid-July - surely Kap Choeng would not have an issue with me wanting to apply for a retirement extension late May/early June ?

Thanks again to all those who provided advice,

Edited March 2, 2014 by Jip99

[Mario2008]

You could get twice a single re-entry permit at 1,000 baht each. That would save you some money.

[barryofthailand]

You must have one yr. left on your passport in order to get a one yr. extension. Thai Immigration will no longer enter your new Visa and extension in your new passport. you will have to start all over again if you do not have enough pages in your passport unless you purchase new pages if the British embassy allows. Easier to get a new passport and a new Visa.

[ubonjoe]

You must have one yr. left on your passport in order to get a one yr. extension. Thai Immigration will no longer enter your new Visa and extension in your new passport. you will have to start all over again if you do not have enough pages in your passport unless you purchase new pages if the British embassy allows. Easier to get a new passport and a new Visa.

You are partially correct.

They will still do the extension with less than one year left but it will only be valid to the date the passport expires.

Then when you get a new passport they will transfer the stamps to the new passport and then before shortened extension ends you need to apply for a new extension.

The UK does not add pages but they will add up to 9 months to new passport validity from old passport.

I think the US is the only country in the world that adds pages.

[Jip99]

You must have one yr. left on your passport in order to get a one yr. extension. Thai Immigration will no longer enter your new Visa and extension in your new passport. you will have to start all over again if you do not have enough pages in your passport unless you purchase new pages if the British embassy allows. Easier to get a new passport and a new Visa.

You are partially correct.

They will still do the extension with less than one year left but it will only be valid to the date the passport expires.

Then when you get a new passport they will transfer the stamps to the new passport and then before shortened extension ends you need to apply for a new extension.

The UK does not add pages but they will add up to 9 months to new passport validity from old passport.

I think the US is the only country in the world that adds pages.

Barry, see OP - my passport expires in 2022

Confirm that added pages are not available.

In my case I will get a 12m extension and then eventually transfer to the new passport.

[RedQualia]

If your passport expires in 2022, I see no reason why you can't do a 12 month extension in August, then renew your passport in September, assuming six pages is sufficient until September. When you get your new passport, get a letter from the issuing agency indicating that they have issued you a new passport (Thai immigration wants the letter, from what I've read elsewhere here). Take the old passport and new one to immigration, and they should transfer the visa information from old to new at no cost (again, based on what I've read elsewhere on thaivisa). The only possible problem I can think of is that you may run out of pages if too many countries want to burn up whole pages. But you can probably find space here and there in the pp for the smaller entry/exit stamps.

Again, hardly an expert. My own passport expires in November, while I have to do an extension renewal next month. I've ordered a new passport and wait for it to arrive, after which I'll have whatever old info needs to be transferred copied into the new one. But my situation is different from yours.

[Jip99]

If your passport expires in 2022, I see no reason why you can't do a 12 month extension in August, then renew your passport in September, assuming six pages is sufficient until September. When you get your new passport, get a letter from the issuing agency indicating that they have issued you a new passport (Thai immigration wants the letter, from what I've read elsewhere here). Take the old passport and new one to immigration, and they should transfer the visa information from old to new at no cost (again, based on what I've read elsewhere on thaivisa). The only possible problem I can think of is that you may run out of pages if too many countries want to burn up whole pages. But you can probably find space here and there in the pp for the smaller entry/exit stamps.

Again, hardly an expert. My own passport expires in November, while I have to do an extension renewal next month. I've ordered a new passport and wait for it to arrive, after which I'll have whatever old info needs to be transferred copied into the new one. But my situation is different from yours.

The problem with that is that my current visa expires on 4th July (apologies, I think I quoted 4 August in the OP).

[Tomtomtom69]

To save passport pages and enable you to re-enter Cambodia a few times better get an ordinary visa then extend for 6 months or 1 year.

[Jip99]

To save passport pages and enable you to re-enter Cambodia a few times better get an ordinary visa then extend for 6 months or 1 year.

Sounds a good idea - that would enable me to come and go between Thailand and Cambodia without using up a page for the visa sticker.