Retirement Visa And Us Passport Renewals

[Twin]

My retirement visa expires October 13 and my US passport expires in May, 2007.

I would like to renew my passport in September this year, then take the new passport to Suan Plu for my retirement visa renewal before October 4, as I'm planning a trip which will keep me away until the 19th.

Questions:

1) Friends tell me it takes 2 weeks to get an American passport renewed here in Bangkok. Is this accurate?

2) How quickly must one report a new passport to immingration?

3) Can I renew my retirement visa 1 to 2 weeks before it is due to expire?

4) Can I report my new passport and renew my retirement visa in the same day?

Thanks for your help.

As usual, a trip report will follow my experience.

Twin

[Thaiquila]

I am curious to see the answer to this. Sounds rather stressful.

I have a related question. Would immigration issue a one year extension on a passport that has LESS than one year validity left?

[naka]

I am curious to see the answer to this. Sounds rather stressful.

I have a related question. Would immigration issue a one year extension on a passport that has LESS than one year validity left?

They will not.

Naka.

[naka]

1. Two weeks for new passport see link Click Here

2. As soon as possible.

3. You can renew visa up to a month prior to expiry date.

4. Yes, of course you can ... no maturation period required

Naka.

p.s. make sure you go in with BOTH passports.

Edited August 28, 2006 by naka

[higgy88]

Twin,

My situation is about the same as yours, only the dates are a little different. My annual retirement visa extension is in May, and my passport will expire in December of this year. When I went to renew my visa at the immigration office in CM this last May, this is what happened. They approved my one year extension, but since my passport was going to expire in December they could not stamp a date after the passport had expired (to directly answer Thaiquila's question). They stamped the same date as the passport expiration date. They told me that when I got the new passport from the US consolute in CM, I was to bring both the new one and the old one back to the immigration office, and of course this had to be before the expiration date. Since I had already been approved for, and paid for, the one year extension, it would not cost any more money. I would have to fill out an additional form and they would just transfer the information from the old passport to the new passport, and then stamp the same annual date in May that I have been doing for the last 10 years. It really is a piece of cake and a Brit friend just did the same thing last year.

I can not see any reason why you can't renew your passport at any time, but don't forget you will get 10 years from the time the new passport is issued, and your old passport will be invalided even though you still had more than 6 months left on it. Is there a particular reason why you can't just wait until May when it will expire?

[lopburi3]

Agree with above but plan on it being a full day if you do both. My July wait for extension queue was 3 hours so it can get backed up at times (if not every day). If you also plan on a re entry permit it could make for a full day so you might want to carry some snacks.

[macb]

Was this on an inpromptue visit to embassey or was this on a pre-booked appointment

macb

[lopburi3]

We are talking about Immigration Hqs in Bangkok.

[Gary A]

Pattaya immigration made some mistakes in my US passport. My passport still had about 3 years left on it but immigration asked me to get a new one. It was no problem to get a new passport with that much time still on the old one and no questions were asked. The US embassy refused to mail my new passport so I had to go pick it up in person. It took about 15 days to get the new one. Pattaya immigration then transferred the stamps and I was good to go. No charge except for the new passport. I think it cost US $62.

[higgy88]

Gary, I'm pretty sure they would not mail it to you because they had to invalidate your old passport at the same time that they gave you the new one. They don't want you walking around with two valid US passports at the same time. I wonder why the Thai immigration office would ask you to get a new one? If they had made a mistake, I would think it would be up to them to correct it and not up to you to buy another passport when your old one was still good. But then this is Thailand.

[shotover]

Hi Twin,

I'm in a similar situation with slightly different dates. My current retirement visa expiration date is September 21 2006, and my passport expiration date is June 30, 2007.

I'm returning to Thailand early morning September 8, and plan to go to Suan Phlu that morning (assuming I'm lucid) with my documentation for a visa extension. Assuming Thai immigration approves the retirement visa extension, I'll then apply for a new passport at the USA embassy.

Another person previously related to me the same process Higgy described, that you can return to Thai Immigration with the new passport, and they will stamp you in for the full year from the original date of extension application. The only problem it sounds too logical for Thai Immigration officials to follow, based on my prior experiences with them.

If I run into problems, no big deal, as I rarely stay in Thailand more than 60 days straight without leaving the country, and can easily suffice with tourist visas, though I prefer the non-Imm O visa.

I'll also relate my experience here, and probably personally to, you in a couple of weeks.

Desperately missing my humble abode in Bangkok; no weeds to pull. grass to mow. neurotic family members, and ignorant neighbors quizzing me about John Karr and pedophiles in Thailand!

[thaihome]

You should always get a new passport at least 6 months before the old one expires, many countries will not let you in with less the 6 months left.

US passports take 2 weeks, though you can call anytime and see if it has arrived (they are done in Vermont, I think). Mine was ready in 13 days.

Transfering visa is one visit and someone can do it for you.

TH

[shotover]

Stupid Stupid Stupid me!!! All I have to do is look at the visa stamp in my passport, but noooo . . .

I previously mistakenly believed my non-Imm O-A visa based on retirement expired 1 year after my first entry after receiving the visa, rather than 1 year after the visa was approved.

To summarize, my most recent non-Imm O-A visa was approved on 8 Sep 2005, with a must be utilized date before 7 Sep 2006. My latest arrival into Thailand was just before midnight ON 7 Sep 2006, so the immigration officer at Don Muang stamped me as 'Admitted until 6 Sep 2007.

The next morning (8 Sep 2006), I went to Suan Phlu Immigration, showed them my visa stamps in the passport, and asked them when I must leave Thailand again. She told me I would be permitted to stay until 6 Sep 2007, as long as I submitted 90 day reports timely.

I told her I would be flying to Siem Reap for a few days in late September. The Thai Immigration officer told me I could purchase a reentry permit prior to leaving for Siem Reap, and still be permitted to stay in Thailand through 6 Sep 2007 upon my return.

Considering my O-A visa expired 7 Sep 2006, I asked her to confirm this with a supervisor, who also looked at my visa stamps, and told me the same thing.

As I have experienced inconsistent feedback from Thai Immigration officers, would anyone know if Thai immigration will issue a reentry permit in my situation?

[lopburi3]

Thai Immigration is 100% right. You can and must obtain a re entry permit prior to any overseas travel and for the remainder of your retirement extensions of stay this will be the case. The only reason you did not require the re entry permit earlier was that you had a multi entry O-A visa which provided a one year stay on each entry - once that visa expires (one year from date of issue) you are in the extension of stay classification and to travel must obtain a re entry permit first. Before your current permitted to stay stamp expires you will have to visit immigration with the extension of stay requirements and receive a further one year permitted to stay (a new re entry period will then be required if you want to travel).

[shotover]

Thanks once again Lopburi. I'll go to Suan Phlu and purchase a reentry permit prior to leaving Thailand later this month. Would hate to get caught up in this arrival without visa mess.

[dutch]

I am in the same position with different dates however.

I will renew my visum december 2006,my passport expires seprember 2007.

I will renew it on November 2006.

Main reason: many countries require at least half year valid(see post Thaihome)

I don't want to go (again) to BKK to get the remaining months on my new PP.

Total costs dutch PP about 62 euro (66 pages) and 55 euro (33 pages),so what are we talking about(in my case )

[bendejo]

My passport still had about 3 years left on it but immigration asked me to get a new one [.. It took about 15 days to get the new one

My guess here is they wanted you to have the new passport with the chip in it, which the US started issuing this year.

I have a question for you: inside the passport, what is the "Place of Issue" ?

I emailed the embassy in KL and they told me all passports are now issued at the National Passport Center.

I am concerned about having a pp issued in an "exotic" location because it may make me subject to the third degree when I cross borders etc. But I suppose that even if Thailand is not mentioned in the print the electronic info will state it was issued via the Bkk embassy.

I have a Brit friend with a UK pp issued in Havana who gets a lot of crap for it. For example, once when entering Australia the imm. guy said "Havana, eh? And made in a basement, no doubt."