Retirement Visa or Extention of stay, somewhat confusing.

[ChiangraiTony]

I had applied in Thailand for whatever visa that would be appropriate for retirement purposes. Back in November of 2013, the immigration placed a Red colored stamp in my passport that shows: "Retirement" - Nov 2013. The other part of the stamp in my passport is Blue in color and says: Application of stay is permitted up to ______. Applicant must leave the Kingdom within the date specified here in offenders will be prosecuted. Then it's signed by an immigration officer.

When applying the next year. a second stamp was placed in my passport the very next year but this time it was not stamped in Red color to show "Retirement". So, the words "Retirement" were not stamped the second year.

The remaining part of the stamp in Blue color for the second year was the same as the first year except for the word "Retirement". However, the White piece of paper that immigration staples in your passport saying "Receipt of Notification", " For official use only" that is used for 90 day reporting has a Blue colored stamp that shows: This is not an extension of stay please notify your address again on.....

So where it's somewhat confusing is that why is my passport stamped to show "Retirement" if it's not a retirement visa and if it's an "extension of stay" then why is the white paper stapled inside my passport say "this is not an extension of stay"?

[Jingthing]

Sounds like (without seeing your passport pictures) that you started with an O visa from somewhere and that somewhere could have been Thailand (you never had an O-A correct?) and then applied for an annual extension of stay based on retirement in Thailand. When you got that they stamped that extension with RETIREMENT, indicating it was an extension based on retirement. The next time, same thing, they didn't. It's the same thing, at least based on your description. For the 90 day report slip, they are telling you that the slip new reporting date is not an extension of stay to that date (it has nothing to do with your actual extension of stay date which as you can see is on that official stamp you now get annually). That stamp on the 90 day slip is NOT telling you that you don't have a valid extension of stay in your passport, it's actually not saying you do either, these items are independent of each other.

[onthedarkside]

Maybe best in the Visa Forum --> moving

[ubonjoe]

The white paper is your 90 day report receipt which is not an extension. They put that additional bit of information there on the stamp to keep people from thinking that it gives them another 90 days of stay,

The retirement stamps are just for information purposes and really mean nothing since all it states is what your extension of stay (it is not a visa) is based upon.

[stevenl]

Sounds like (without seeing your passport pictures) that you started with an O visa from somewhere and that somewhere could have been Thailand (you never had an O-A correct?) and then applied for an annual extension of stay based on retirement in Thailand. When you got that they stamped that extension with RETIREMENT, indicating it was an extension based on retirement. The next time, same thing, they didn't. It's the same thing, at least based on your description. For the 90 day report slip, they are telling you that the slip new reporting date is not an extension of stay to that date (it has nothing to do with your actual extension of stay date which as you can see is on that official stamp you now get annually). That stamp on the 90 day slip is NOT telling you that you don't have a valid extension of stay in your passport, it's actually not saying you do either, these items are independent of each other.

Agree. Sounds like the OP has an extension of stay based on retirement. The remark on the 90-days reporting notice has nothing to do with the actual visa or extension.

[OJAS]

"Retirement" + "Extension Of Stay" (as also stamped in my passport in uppercase) = "Retirement Extension Of Stay". Your original visa no longer enters into the equation (as does not mine).

The 90-day address report notification receipt stapled in your passport (& for that matter mine as well) is marked "This Is Not An Extension Of Stay" because, as Jingthing has pointed out, we are here talking about a completely separate Immigration-related requirement of us farang longstayers.

[ChiangraiTony]

Sounds like (without seeing your passport pictures) that you started with an O visa from somewhere and that somewhere could have been Thailand (you never had an O-A correct?) and then applied for an annual extension of stay based on retirement in Thailand. When you got that they stamped that extension with RETIREMENT, indicating it was an extension based on retirement. The next time, same thing, they didn't. It's the same thing, at least based on your description. For the 90 day report slip, they are telling you that the slip new reporting date is not an extension of stay to that date (it has nothing to do with your actual extension of stay date which as you can see is on that official stamp you now get annually). That stamp on the 90 day slip is NOT telling you that you don't have a valid extension of stay in your passport, it's actually not saying you do either, these items are independent of each other.

You are absolutely correct in everything you have stated. Thank you for taking the time to explain.

[ChiangraiTony]

The white paper is your 90 day report receipt which is not an extension. They put that additional bit of information there on the stamp to keep people from thinking that it gives them another 90 days of stay,

The retirement stamps are just for information purposes and really mean nothing since all it states is what your extension of stay (it is not a visa) is based upon.

You have cleared up my confusion. I have wondered about this for a long time. Thank you very much!