Passport/retirement visa mash up

[luther]

My US passport expires October, 2016. Ideally, I would like to renew it 10 months earlier…this December. I renew my retirement visa each year, mid June, but next year plan to be in the states from March 1^st to July 1^st.

So, let’s say I have a new passport and walk into immigration in February with plane tickets showing I will be out of the country Mar 1 – July 1.

Will that work? And will I have to transfer current retirment visa, just before getting the next one?

[TheAppletons]

30-45 days in advance seems to be the outer limit to extending your permission to stay ("retirement visa"). Five months in advance? Doubtful.

[bangmai]

Might be worth considering getting a new passport and a new visa in June, if possible. New visa is 6800 + doctors letter and police check. But they would save you 1900 x 2, and the hassle of transferring it.....My police thing was free and the doctor was 55 usd...so for about 5000 thb; you can avoid 2 extensions and one transfer! Many pay 5000 to an agent for 1 extension, and they still have to appear.

[arunsakda]

I am sure you can renew a US passport early enough to ensure 6 months validity.

I don't know about 10 months early,

[NancyL]

You can get a new U.S. passport anytime you want one. That's not a problem. They will cancel your old one as soon as you pick up your new one and you will have to go to Immigration and transfer your 12-month extension of permission to stay (what most people think of as their " 12 month retirement visa") Of course, your new passport will be valid for 10 years from the date of issue, not 10 years after the expiration of your old one.

As for your 12-month extension of stay -- as mentioned you can't "renew" it more than 45 days in advance in Chiang Mai. So, you should either apply for an O-A retirement visa from a Thai Embassy or official consulate, which involves jumping thru the hoops of producing a criminal check, medical certificate and proof of financial worth that is somewhat more cumbersome than here in Thailand. Or you could simply apply for a 90-day O visa from an Honorary Thai Consulate. (not an official consulate) It's my understanding that since the coup, you have to apply for a 90-day O visa in person, not via mail. The beauty of a 90-day O visa is that you don't need to produce a police record, medical check, etc, etc and once you get back to Chiang Mai , you go to Immigration during the final 30 days of that 90 day O visa and get your regular 12-month retirement extension just like always. Keep in mind, however, now you'll be locked in to that being your anniversary date for getting your "renewals" in the future.

Conversely, if you elect to jump thru the hoops in the U.S. and get a full-blown O-A retirement visa, then it can be stretched into two years of never having to do an annual extension -- just 90 day reports and one little border run and you have flexibility in determining when you set the calendar for your next "renewal" by doing a border run 12 months before you want to do your next "renewal".

Whatever you do, don't get a tourist visa in the U.S. It will be worthless as a way to get you back on the path to annual retirement extensions.

Hope you followed all this. Many people wouldn't. If you didn't, you may want to see the nice folks at either O.S. Thai Visa or Assist Thai Visa.