Need help confirming visa extension timing please

[sfmadison2]

I'm preparing to apply for my first ever Non-O visa (and then the extension based on marriage), but I need to understand the exact timing of it a little bit better. The reason for this is that I'm sometimes back in the US for holiday at certain times, and I wouldn't want my window for the following year's extension to pass while I was outside Thailand.

Here's my best guess: (hypothetical dates)

1) Stamped into Thailand on 90-day Non-O visa on June 1

2) Apply for extension (based on marriage to a Thai) on, say, August 1

3) Receive a 1-year extension based on application date (in this case, August 1)

4) Application for next year's extension will have to be filed by August 1 of the following year

Is that right? I'm guessing it's not, but hopefully somebody can point out where I've got it wrong. Thanks in advance!

[Lite Beer]

3) You will get a 1 month under consideration stamp.

Go back in a month and get the extension.

4) Apply for a 12 month extension within the final 30 days.

Get a 1 month under consideration stamp.

[Mario2008]

2 remarks:

1. You can apply 30 days early and at some offices even 45 days early, without losing any days. The extension starts when the current permission to stay ends.

2. In case of an extension based upon marriage you receive an under consideration stamp and must return 30 days later to get the actual extension, at which point you must be in the country to receive it.

[sfmadison2]

2 remarks:

1. You can apply 30 days early and at some offices even 45 days early, without losing any days. The extension starts when the current permission to stay ends.

2. In case of an extension based upon marriage you receive an under consideration stamp and must return 30 days later to get the actual extension, at which point you must be in the country to receive it.

Ok, so using my above hypothetical dates, if I begin my 90-day Non-O visa on June 1, regardless of when I go into extend it based on marriage, that 12 month extension will begin from the date my 90-day visa is set to expire (approximately September 1st in this case)?

And regarding the following year's process then, approximately 11 months from September 1st I could go in and apply for another 12-month extension, which would be available to pick up approximately 30 days from the day I applied for it (which again, would be around September 1st in this case)?

[Suradit69]

2 remarks:

1. You can apply 30 days early and at some offices even 45 days early, without losing any days. The extension starts when the current permission to stay ends.

2. In case of an extension based upon marriage you receive an under consideration stamp and must return 30 days later to get the actual extension, at which point you must be in the country to receive it.

Ok, so using my above hypothetical dates, if I begin my 90-day Non-O visa on June 1, regardless of when I go into extend it based on marriage, that 12 month extension will begin from the date my 90-day visa is set to expire (approximately September 1st in this case)?

And regarding the following year's process then, approximately 11 months from September 1st I could go in and apply for another 12-month extension, which would be available to pick up approximately 30 days from the day I applied for it (which again, would be around September 1st in this case)?

You will be in the country either on a permission to stay or an extension of stay, not a visa. The visa gets you into the country, but you remain in the country based on the permission to stay or extension of stay given you by immigrations.

You can go to immigrations to make an application for an extension of stay during the last 30 days of the permission to stay you were given by immigrations when you entered the country on the visa. As said above you will be given an under consideration stamp and need to be in country to collect the extension stamp when it's ready.

In future you can apply for your next annual extension up to 30 days before your current extension ends ... at some offices up to 45 days early. Each successive extension will start and end on the same dates as your first.

As long as you are here on an extension, if you want to travel out of the country and then return, you must obtain a re-entry permit. Without the re-entry permit if you leave the country and return, you'll only be given a 30 day visa exempt entry. Your extension will be cancelled and your visa will have expired long ago. It is your permission to stay that is extended each year, not your visa.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Suradit69

[sfmadison2]

Perhaps I haven't explained myself clearly, but I've been trying to figure out the timing of this thing so that I could "set" my yearly extension to a month that was convenient on a yearly basis. So once again, can anybody confirm that one's yearly extension based on marriage would occur approximately 15 months from the time one first entered the country on a Non-O visa?

For example:

-Enter with Non-O on June 1st,

-Apply for 12 month extension which starts from the date the Non-O expires (90 days, so approximately September 1st* in this example)

Therefore, if one wanted one's yearly extension date to fall around September 1st, one would need to enter the country on the initial Non-O around June 1st.

If one wanted to apply for his extension in October of each year, he would need to enter the country on the initial Non-O in July.... etc, etc

Does this sound right? Many thanks!

*it would probably actually be something like August 28th

[skatewash]

Yes, you can determine the date of your extension of stay renewal by timing when you apply for your first extension of stay. If you are using annual extension of stays then they run from/to the same date, year after year.

And you are correct in saying that you can determine the date of your first extension of stay by deciding when to enter Thailand on your non-O visa and when you visit the immigration office to extend your stay based on marriage. You can go to do your first extension of stay withing the last 30 days of your current permission to stay (based on your non-O visa). Some immigration offices will allow you to that in the last 45 days.

So the dates you give in your example would be accurate.

Probably good advice not to wait until the last day since it is not unheard of for new requirements or conditions to be imposed on getting your extension. It's nice to have a few days cushion to be able to comply with those sort of unforeseen things.

[sfmadison2]

And you are correct in saying that you can determine the date of your first extension of stay by deciding when to enter Thailand on your non-O visa and when you visit the immigration office to extend your stay based on marriage. You can go to do your first extension of stay withing the last 30 days of your current permission to stay (based on your non-O visa). Some immigration offices will allow you to that in the last 45 days.

Thanks, skatewash.

Regarding the part of your answer that I bolded, does the date "when you visit the immigration office to extend your stay based on marriage" really affect your final yearly-renewal date? Or is your final yearly-renewal date simply going to be 90 days from the date when you first enter Thailand on that original Non-O?

I may have misunderstood Mario's answer above, but I thought he was saying that the 12-month extension would begin after the original 90-day visa period was finished. Or in his words, "The extension starts when the current permission to stay ends."

[Mario2008]

That is correct. When you arrive in Thailand you get a stay of 90 days, let's say till 1 June. Before the 90 days are finished you apply for a 1 year extension of stay. So on or before 1 June you apply for a 1 year extension of stay, let's say on 15 May. The extesion still starts on 1 June. Next year you apply say on 1 May and your extension starts again on 1 June, despite you applying early.

(In practise you recieve a 30 day under consideration and at the end the rest of the 1 year extension).

[sfmadison2]

That is correct. When you arrive in Thailand you get a stay of 90 days, let's say till 1 June. Before the 90 days are finished you apply for a 1 year extension of stay. So on or before 1 June you apply for a 1 year extension of stay, let's say on 15 May. The extesion still starts on 1 June. Next year you apply say on 1 May and your extension starts again on 1 June, despite you applying early.

(In practise you recieve a 30 day under consideration and at the end the rest of the 1 year extension).

Perfect! Totally clear now.

Thanks Mario and others for helping to explain how the process works. Much appreciated.

[skatewash]

Not the first time I have learned something from the global moderators. I stand corrected as per Mario's last reply. It's a good thing to know that you don't lose anything by going to apply for your first extension early (withing the 30 days allowed). I know that's how it worked for renewals but wasn't sure it was the same for the first extension.

Glad the OP got the correct information. You can determine your annual extension renewal date by when you enter Thailand (90 days from your date of entry). Doesn't matter when you actually go to the immigration office to make the request (as long as it's in the allowable window).