Re-entry On A Non-imm O-a Retirement Visa

[DFCarlson]

Hello all - this is my first post, hope it is OK

I thought that I understood how the retirement visa (One year Non-immigrant O-A multiple entry) worked, but unfortunately after reading through many posts here on the forum I am now somewhat confused. Please help!

I am American, 63 years old and I applied for and was issued a one year retirement visa at the Thai Royal Embassy in Washington, DC. Good people there, for anyone near enough to use. I brought in all the required materials and I had the visa in my passport 2 days later.

On the self-adhesive sticker placed in my passport in DC it says:

Type of visa - Non-immigrant

Category - O-A

No. of entry - M

Fee - 125 US$

Issued at - Washington, DC

Date of issue - 13 Mar 2006

Enter before - 12 Mar 2007

I entered the Kingdom on 4 May 2006 and the stamp from passport control at the airport says that I am admitted until 3 May 2007. I completed my first 90 day report on 1 Aug 2006.

I unexpectedly may have to return to the States for a stay of possibly 2 or 3 months in the near future, possibly in a few weeks, and I want to be sure that I can return to the Kingdom after my US visit without problems or change in status.

1. Do I need a re-entry permit or does the visa "Enter before" date of Mar 12 2007 and multiple entry status allow me to return to Thailand before 12 Mar 2007 without problem? If I do need a re-entry permit what do I need to bring with me to the airport?

2. When I return after my stay in the US and passport control stamps me in, do I get a full year from the date I return from the US or does the original "admitted until" date take precedence?

3. If I miss my next required 90 day reporting date of 27 Oct 2006 (+/- 7 days) while I am in the US will there be a problem?

4. What's the difference between the "Enter before date" on the visa in my passport and the "admitted until" date written in at the airport by passport control?

Is there anything else that the experts here can think of that I should be aware of and watch for in this case? They don't make it easy, do they??!! Please let me know if you need clarification concerning any part of this post.

Thanks to all

Dave

Edited September 10, 2006 by DFCarlson

[sabaijai]

You must have a re-entry permit otherwise your visa/permit to stay will be rendered invalid. Might as well get a multiple-entry re-entry permit which allows unlimited travel in and out of the kingdom. Available at the airport or at any immigration office. Don't leave without one.

[lopburi3]

1. As long as you enter again before 12 Mar 2007 you are fine. You will most likely receive a year from you new date of arrival for a permitted to stay stamp. But remember if you later leave and will not return until after the 12 Mar 2007 you will then need a re entry permit to keep the new permitted to stay alive as it will be valid after your visa expires.

2. Yes - that has been the normal procedure.

3. You do not have address reporting dates if you are not in Thailand - clock will start on your return.

4. Enter before is the date until the visa expires and can be compared to a use by date. Admitted until is the current amount of time you are allowed to stay in Thailand without leaving. Before that period ends you will want to visit Immigration and extend your stay for another year (but that may be some time in the future if you make a trip on that multi entry O-A and return to get another year permitted to stay stamp).

[lopburi3]

You must have a re-entry permit otherwise your visa/permit to stay will be rendered invalid. Might as well get a multiple-entry re-entry permit which allows unlimited travel in and out of the kingdom. Available at the airport or at any immigration office. Don't leave without one.

The only thing he will lose is the current permitted to stay and as he will have a valid visa he will receive a new one year permitted to stay when he returns. A quark that benefits the O-A first time visa holder. The key is the "M" multi entry - without that he would need the re entry permit.

[DFCarlson]

Thanks sabaijai and lopburi3

but you seem to be giving different answers to the question about needing a re-entry permit. If I read you right, sabaijai, you are saying that I definitely need a re-entry permit.

lopburi3, you seem to say that if I return before the 12 Mar 2007 "use by" date on the visa in my passport, that I do not need a re-entry permit and, in addition, I will be stamped in for a year from the date I return from the US.

Is this an accurate reading of what you are saying? Is there a difference of opinion here? Should I get a re-entry permit to be safe?

Thanks

Dave

[Axel]

You have an O-A, approved in advance it means and it is M, i.e. multiple entries.

Enter before - 12 Mar 2007 means every time you arrive, and this can be threoritically every day, you will get a permission to stay for 1 year.

On 12 Mar 2007 your visa expires, if you than want to travel again you need a re-entry permit which will cover your LAST permission to stay.

So, to summarize, until 11 Mar 2007 in and out as often as you wish, the last permit to stay expires 12 months from the last entry. To return in that period, you need a re-entry-permit.

[DFCarlson]

The only thing he will lose is the current permitted to stay and as he will have a valid visa he will receive a new one year permitted to stay when he returns. A quark that benefits the O-A first time visa holder. The key is the "M" multi entry - without that he would need the re entry permit.

Thanks lopburi3

I should have waited until the discussion ended. I think understand how this works now.

If I am sure that I will return to the Kingdom before the visa "use by" date of 12 Mar 2007 I do not need a re-entry permit and I will be stamped in for one year from my return date when I return.

If I think I might return after 12 Mar but before 3 May 2007 (or before any extension of the permit to stay date) then I would need a re-entry permit since the visa will then have expired. In this case, my guess is that the original "admitted until" date of 3 May 2007 would still be valid unless extended earlier.

If I stayed in the US past 3 May 2007 then I would need a new visa in order to return to the Kingdom.

Is this right?

Thanks

Dave

Edited September 10, 2006 by DFCarlson

[lopburi3]

Correct. Welcome to the world of visas.

[TerryLH]

The M (multiple?) as part of the visa stamp allows unlimited exits and entries? Is that right?

[lopburi3]

Yes

[DFCarlson]

To all

I have to say thanks to lopburi3 and all others who were kind enough to help me out with this question. I really appreciate your effort and your willingness to help out.

I stumbled on this forum a few weeks ago while Googling some topic or other and IMHO this is really one of the best sources of information I have found about many aspects of living in Thailand. As a newbie, I will probably have a number of other questions best answered here as my stay in Thailand progresses.

The answers in this thread lead me to think about the possibility of deliberately leaving Thailand for a short time and returning just before the "use by" date of 12 Mar 2007 on my visa passes... if that gives me another year permission to stay, it looks like I could stay for nearly 2 years here before having to re-up and renew my one year permission to stay!

In any case, thanks very much!

Dave