Retiree needs to leave Thailand for a while

[Alan poole]

Folks can you help me;

I'm on a retirement visa but I need to spend some extended time back in the states.

Will this affect my visa status?

Should I go to the immigration office and chat with them?

Alan

[Upnotover]

Extension of stay? When does it expire? If you are coming back before it expires then all you need is a re-entry permit.

[ubonjoe]

As long as you have a re-entry permit to use when you return you can stay out of the country for a long as you want but you must return prior to the date you extension of stay ends (it is not a visa). It not back by the date your extension ends you have to start all over again.

[JDGRUEN]

It would seem you are on an Extension of Stay based on Retirement - correct? If so - in order for TVF members to help you some dates are needed.

When does your Extension of Stay Expire... Annual renewal date?

When was your last 90 day report?

What is the extended time back home --- a couple of months or 5 months or 6 months or what?

Timing your out of country with your Extension expiration is critical ... You can be out of Thailand and skip the next 90 day report ... Use a Reentry Permit to Exit Thailand - Very Important.

If your 'Visa' status is different than I described then please post your 'visa' details.

[Lite Beer]

Assuming you have an Extension of Stay and not a Visa, you can return providing your extension has not expired and you have a Re Entry Permit.

If you do actually have a Visa the answer will be a little different.

[Alan poole]

Thanks for your replies.

It says " Visa type: non immigrant OA

I extend it every 90 days.

I was wondering if anyone could quote me the rules rather than trying to interpret my particular case for me.

For example in the US if you leave the country for one complete year your resident alien status is revoked, done finished, but of course the US Immigration publishes it's rules or all to read. Does Thailand?

Alan

[ubonjoe]

If you leave before your visa expires and don't get a re-entry permit to keep your current one year permit to stay valid you will need to get a new visa before your return. If you do get a re-entry permit and do not return before it expires it would be the same.

If you were to just leave the country and immediately return prior to the enter before date on your visa you would get another 1 year permit to stay you could get a re-entry permit to keep it valid.

You have been doing reports of staying longer than 90 days in the country. They are not extensions.

Since you only have a temporary permit to stay in the country that is the only thing you loose if you stay out of the country for an extended period of time.

[Lite Beer]

You do not extend it every 90 days.

You report your address every 90 days you are in the country.

If you return while your visa is still valid you will be ok.

If not start again.

A lot depend on whether you are in your first or second year.

[Rdrokit]

1. Go to immigration and by a re-entry permit for 1000 baht.

2. Return to Thailand before you visa expiration date. You will have a new 90 day report date starting from the date you return.

3. If you return after the expiration date then your visa is void and you will have to apply for a visa from the beginning.

[Alan poole]

OK, I may be as thick as pig poo, but here is my understanding from your posts.

1 I am on a one year visa and I only report my address every 90 days (not extend)

2 At the one year anniversary, I must extend for a year (and it can only be a year) by providing the same info as originally sent to Thai consulate in L.A.

3 I may leave and re-enter with a re-entry permit for 1000 baht. but only within the visa year, IE not past it's expiry date. My arrival was August 15 and my renewal will be August 14 therefor if I am out of the country at renewal time I have to start over, presumably from outside the kingdom

4 There is different treatment once past the first year?

Guys, I've pored over the Immigration Site and with the greatest respect I Just can't deduce the info from there.

Thanks

Alan

[Rdrokit]

OK, I may be as thick as pig poo, but here is my understanding from your posts.

1 I am on a one year visa and I only report my address every 90 days (not extend)

2 At the one year anniversary, I must extend for a year (and it can only be a year) by providing the same info as originally sent to Thai consulate in L.A.

3 I may leave and re-enter with a re-entry permit for 1000 baht. but only within the visa year, IE not past it's expiry date. My arrival was August 15 and my renewal will be August 14 therefor if I am out of the country at renewal time I have to start over, presumably from outside the kingdom

4 There is different treatment once past the first year?

Guys, I've pored over the Immigration Site and with the greatest respect I Just can't deduce the info from there.

Thanks

Alan

1. Correct

2. Correct but documents might be a little different. TM7 form, Proof of income (either a letter from the Embassy stating you make more than 65,000 baht/month or a bank statement with at least 8000,000 baht in the bank for at least 3 months.) and copies of your passport pages.

3. Correct

4. No

P.S. Use the proof of income letter from the US Embassy as they do not ask for any proof of your income so you could put any number for your monthly income. Letter can not be more than 30 days old.

[partington]

OK, I may be as thick as pig poo, but here is my understanding from your posts.

1 I am on a one year visa and I only report my address every 90 days (not extend)

2 At the one year anniversary, I must extend for a year (and it can only be a year) by providing the same info as originally sent to Thai consulate in L.A.

3 I may leave and re-enter with a re-entry permit for 1000 baht. but only within the visa year, IE not past it's expiry date. My arrival was August 15 and my renewal will be August 14 therefor if I am out of the country at renewal time I have to start over, presumably from outside the kingdom

4 There is different treatment once past the first year?

Guys, I've pored over the Immigration Site and with the greatest respect I Just can't deduce the info from there.

Thanks

Alan

1. Yes true

2. No. You do not extend the visa , you ask for the period you have been permitted to stay on the visa to be extended, ( extension of permisssion to stay). You do not need the medical certificate, or the police cert. that you supplied to get the original O/A, merely proof that you have had 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for two months before you apply for the extension (or three months for subsequent extensions), or proof you have an income of at least 65,000 per month, or a combination of the two.

3. Each time you enter on an O/A visa you are give one entire year's permission to stay, even if you enter one day before your visa expiry date (the "enter before" date). You do not need a re-entry permit unless you leave and intend to re-enter after your visa has expired (after the "enter before " date), but before your "permission to stay until" date. A visa is a permission to enter the country. After the "enter before" date, your visa has expired, though your permission to stay has not. As you do not then have a valid visa (permission to enter) you must therefore buy a re-entry permit to allow you back in with your full permission to stay period intact.

4. 30 days or less before your one year permission to stay ends, you apply for a new extension of permission to stay. This is not extending a visa. Once you are on extensions of permission to stay you do not have a valid visa any more. You can keep extending your permission to stay annually for as long as you like , providing you satisfy the financial conditions.

[fleur3]

OK, I may be as thick as pig poo, but here is my understanding from your posts.

1 I am on a one year visa and I only report my address every 90 days (not extend)

2 At the one year anniversary, I must extend for a year (and it can only be a year) by providing the same info as originally sent to Thai consulate in L.A.

3 I may leave and re-enter with a re-entry permit for 1000 baht. but only within the visa year, IE not past it's expiry date. My arrival was August 15 and my renewal will be August 14 therefor if I am out of the country at renewal time I have to start over, presumably from outside the kingdom

4 There is different treatment once past the first year?

Guys, I've pored over the Immigration Site and with the greatest respect I Just can't deduce the info from there.

Thanks

Alan

1. Yes true

2. No. You do not extend the visa , you ask for the period you have been permitted to stay on the visa to be extended, ( extension of permisssion to stay). You do not need the medical certificate, or the police cert. that you supplied to get the original O/A, merely proof that you have had 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for two months before you apply for the extension (or three months for subsequent extensions), or proof you have an income of at least 65,000 per month, or a combination of the two.

3. Each time you enter on an O/A visa you are give one entire year's permission to stay, even if you enter one day before your visa expiry date (the "enter before" date). You do not need a re-entry permit unless you leave and intend to re-enter after your visa has expired (after the "enter before " date), but before your "permission to stay until" date. A visa is a permission to enter the country. After the "enter before" date, your visa has expired, though your permission to stay has not. As you do not then have a valid visa (permission to enter) you must therefore buy a re-entry permit to allow you back in with your full permission to stay period intact.

4. 30 days or less before your one year permission to stay ends, you apply for a new extension of permission to stay. This is not extending a visa. Once you are on extensions of permission to stay you do not have a valid visa any more. You can keep extending your permission to stay annually for as long as you like , providing you satisfy the financial conditions.

is tha answer for point 2 correct ? The extension can not be done by a thai consulate but should be done in thailand. Correct ?

[TerryLH]

"The extension can not be done by a thai consulate but should be done in thailand. Correct ?"

Extensions are done at an immigration office in Thailand.

"P.S. Use the proof of income letter from the US Embassy as they do not ask for any proof of your income so you could put any number for your monthly income. Letter can not be more than 30 days old. "

Income letters from embassies are good for 6 months.

[suzythaivisa]

hes got a multi-entry non OA so when that expires he back to scratch. dont need to report address. dont need rentry visa.

[ubonjoe]

After your visa expires you have a choice of getting a new OA visa at an embassy or official consulate or or you can extend the last one year permit to stay your visa allowed you to have before it ends. You could do the extension of your permit to stay during the last 30 of it.

[suzythaivisa]

if your visa would expire while you are away, my recommendation would be switch to extension of stay based on retirement just before you leave and also get a re-entry permit. that will get you a 1 year leave of absence from the day you switch. if you are going for longer than one year nothing can be done to preserve it.

[ubonjoe]

hes got a multi-entry non OA so when that expires he back to scratch. dont need to report address. dont need rentry visa.

As said many times that is not correct.

The visas expiration date means nothing after your are in the country it is only the last day you can enter the country with it. After the visa expires the last permit to stay from it remains valid until it expires.

[Rdrokit]

Income letters from embassies are good for 6 months.

Not in Korat. I would check with the immigration office you do your 90 reporting and ask them how long the letter is good for as each office sets their own time.

[suzythaivisa]

hes got a multi-entry non OA so when that expires he back to scratch. dont need to report address. dont need rentry visa.

As said many times that is not correct.

The visas expiration date means nothing after your are in the country it is only the last day you can enter the country with it. After the visa expires the last permit to stay from it remains valid until it expires.

or until he leaves the country which is what he is doing.

[Alan poole]

Gentlemen;

Thanks for all the help. To recap.

5 Extensions are not visas.

6 The extensions can be done at any time to reset the one year for the benefit of co-ordinating travel out of the Kingdom.

and another question if I were out for more than a year can the new application be done in the Kingdom

Alan

[ubonjoe]

Gentlemen;

Thanks for all the help. To recap.

5 Extensions are not visas.

6 The extensions can be done at any time to reset the one year for the benefit of co-ordinating travel out of the Kingdom.

and another question if I were out for more than a year can the new application be done in the Kingdom

Alan

6. You cannot do an extension until the last 30 days of the permit to stay you have at that time. You obtain a re-entry permit after you visa expires (enter before date) to keep your permit to stay valid when you re-enter the country.

If you enter the country after the visa and/or the re-entry expires you would need a non immigrant visa entry to apply for an extension of stay at immigration or you could apply for another OA visa at an embassy prior returning.

[ubonjoe]

hes got a multi-entry non OA so when that expires he back to scratch. dont need to report address. dont need rentry visa.

As said many times that is not correct.

The visas expiration date means nothing after your are in the country it is only the last day you can enter the country with it. After the visa expires the last permit to stay from it remains valid until it expires.

or until he leaves the country which is what he is doing.

If a re-entry permit is obtained prior to leaving that permit to stay would still be valid for entry to the country. The permit to stay on entry would be the same as the one he had when he left the country.

[ubonjoe]

A confusing an inaccurate post has been removed.

[Rdrokit]

hes got a multi-entry non OA so when that expires he back to scratch. dont need to report address. dont need rentry visa.

As said many times that is not correct.

The visas expiration date means nothing after your are in the country it is only the last day you can enter the country with it. After the visa expires the last permit to stay from it remains valid until it expires.

or until he leaves the country which is what he is doing.

The OA visa will not expire if he leaves the country and 1. Has a valid entry permit to get back into Thailand and 2. If the entry date is before his OA visa expires.

Alan,

I originally came to Thailand on an OA visa based on retirement which I got at the Los Angeles Thai Embassy before I moved to Thailand. I have now been here 10 years. Each year I get and extension to my original OA visa which is good for another year. I leave Thailand and return before my extension expiration date and my OA visa is still good. For the past 10 years I have visited the States 4 times and will be leaving again this July. I have never had a problem and never had to reapply for a visa. Each year I just get a year extension. If you want to talk privately as some of these posts can be confusing just PM me.

rokit

[ubonjoe]

The OA visa will not expire if he leaves the country and 1. Has a valid entry permit to get back into Thailand and 2. If the entry date is before his OA visa expires.

Alan,

I originally came to Thailand on an OA visa based on retirement which I got at the Los Angeles Thai Embassy before I moved to Thailand. I have now been here 10 years. Each year I get and extension to my original OA visa which is good for another year. I leave Thailand and return before my extension expiration date and my OA visa is still good. For the past 10 years I have visited the States 4 times and will be leaving again this July. I have never had a problem and never had to reapply for a visa. Each year I just get a year extension. If you want to talk privately as some of these posts can be confusing just PM me.

rokit

Your post is not correct and just adds to the confusion.

Your OA visa expired long ago, Visas are not extended.

You have been getting extensions of the permit to stay that visa allowed you to get on entry to the country.

You forgot to mention that you obtained a re-entry permit prior to leaving to keep your extension valid when you re-entered the country.

[billd766]

Income letters from embassies are good for 6 months.

Not in Korat. I would check with the immigration office you do your 90 reporting and ask them how long the letter is good for as each office sets their own time.

I get a new one every year from the UK Embassy. It saves a lot of problems that way.