Hello,

Retirement extension obtained at Chang Wattana

First 90m day report in Chonburi after moving from Bkk.

Fresh passport just obtained.

The questions,

Can I continue to use the 2 passports without transferring stamps and travel inside and outside country?

If not, how do I transfer the stamps?

Can this be done in Pattaya?

Is there any special form to fill out?

Which copies of which pages are required?

Fee?

Thank you for any and all advice!

You must transfer extension - no cost but will require copies of old/new and filling out a request (some Embassies provide such a paper with instructions). Believe you will have to do this in Bangkok as they provided the extension.

You are aware you can not travel and return on same extension without re-entry permit?

If you have changed your place of residence to Pattaya you can do it there.

You need to have the stamp transfer done or you may have problems when leaving the country.

You use this form: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/download/pdf/transferstamp.pdf

You will need copies of both passport photo pages. Copy of TM6 departure card. You will need at a minimum copies of you last visa, and entry stamp from it, your extension stamp, re-entry permit and your most recent entry. Some offices may want a copy of every used page of your old passport.

you get said letter for immo which is blanked to fill in yourself from trendy on behalf of the embassy [email protected] they sent mine within minutes via attachement e-mail.

Looking at the form, I am wondering what you're supposed to put in the BECAUSE blank.

What are they asking?

Are they asking what stamp you need transferred, for example a retirement extension stamp OR are they asking why you got a needed a new passport?

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/download/pdf/transferstamp.pdf

Edited July 12, 201510 yr by Jingthing

It would be the reason for getting a new passport. For example passport was expiring or full.

For doing a new passport transfer with an existing retirement extension stamp, what EXACTLY do they do in the new passport?

Indication for the ORIGINAL O visa?

Indication for the currently valid retirement extension?

For doing a new passport transfer with an existing retirement extension stamp, what EXACTLY do they do in the new passport?

Indication for the ORIGINAL O visa?

Indication for the currently valid retirement extension?

They do a stamp that has spaces they fill in about the visa you used for entry that you have been extending. It will also have your old passport number on it. And a entry stamp that will be equal to the one you got when you entered the country with your visa.

The will do an extension stamp equal to the one you have now.

Thanks.

When traveling in future, considering your original visa is no longer in your current passport, is there ever a need to carry the old passport with the original visa stamp?

I'm thinking of situations of trying to board from the U.S. to Thailand and them asking about a visa, you would show the reentry permit but that's not a visa.

Your re-entry permit is equal to having a visa.

The visa in your old passport would of expired long ago so it is worthless anyway. You can retire your old passport after the stamps are transferred other than changing passport numbers on your bank accounts and etc.

"When traveling in future, considering your original visa is no longer in your current passport, is there ever a need to carry the old passport with the original visa stamp?

I'm thinking of situations of trying to board from the U.S. to Thailand and them asking about a visa, you would show the reentry permit but that's not a visa."

I had some difficulty about 10 years back in Portland convincing a United Airlines clerk at check-in for my flight that a Re-Entry Permit" really did mean that I could re-enter Thailand without a Thai visa. Finally she accepted my interpretation of English to English....

Mac

"When traveling in future, considering your original visa is no longer in your current passport, is there ever a need to carry the old passport with the original visa stamp?

I'm thinking of situations of trying to board from the U.S. to Thailand and them asking about a visa, you would show the reentry permit but that's not a visa."

I had some difficulty about 10 years back in Portland convincing a United Airlines clerk at check-in for my flight that a Re-Entry Permit" really did mean that I could re-enter Thailand without a Thai visa. Finally she accepted my interpretation of English to English....

Mac

I've had the same problem as the clerk just didn't get the meaning of a reentry permit and I had to explain the retirement extension system to her.

As the new passport does refer back to the original visa that been repeatedly extended.

It seems to me if the issue got elevated having the original visa which the new passport does still refer to might be good ammunition.

Probably unlikely it would ever come to that but just saying.

I have just returned from the UK while there I got a new passport ,on arrival I showed both passports ,my new one was stamped 2 days later I went to Pattaya immigration ,where a young lady filled in the form I handed over both passports ,picked them up next day with visas transformed to new passport ,no charge

For doing a new passport transfer with an existing retirement extension stamp, what EXACTLY do they do in the new passport?

Indication for the ORIGINAL O visa?

Indication for the currently valid retirement extension?

They do a stamp that has spaces they fill in about the visa you used for entry that you have been extending. It will also have your old passport number on it. And a entry stamp that will be equal to the one you got when you entered the country with your visa.

The will do an extension stamp equal to the one you have now.

Please see attachment showing how Maptaput stamped the first 2 stampable pages in my new passport 2 years ago - exactly as stated by ubonjoe.

05 Pages 6 & 7 Stamps.pdf

Thanks.

When traveling in future, considering your original visa is no longer in your current passport, is there ever a need to carry the old passport with the original visa stamp?

I'm thinking of situations of trying to board from the U.S. to Thailand and them asking about a visa, you would show the reentry permit but that's not a visa.

Not sure that there is any point since the first thing that the check-in assistant will undoubtedly point out to you is that the visa has now expired! That certainly was my experience at LGW in 2010 when returning from a trip back to the UK. Fortunately I was eventually able to persuade the miserable jobsworth check-in assistant to permit me to board on the basis of the re-entry permit.

I did another extension of stay after getting a new passport and after having all the stamps (of the then current extension and info regarding the original (expired) visa I used to enter and the entry stamp date etc ) placed in my new passport.

One of the things supposedly required when doing an extension is a photocopy of the visa you used to enter ... in my case an O-A issued nearly nine years ago. Presumably they would be satisfied with a photocopy of the notation they put in the new passport, but since I have a scan of the original visa in the old passport saved, I included it with the extension application too. No comment was made and that photocopy was retained with my application so I'm not sure if it was needed or not. Probably not, but still it might be a good idea to keep a few photocopies of the original visa on hand just in case.

Edited July 13, 201510 yr by Suradit69

That's interesting.

The only way to test that kind of thing is to NOT hand them a copy of the old passport old visa and see if they ask for it.

Then have it ready.

Immigration has not seen my old passport or a copy of it since the day I had the stamps transferred. The visa annotation in the new passport is all that is needed.

I was applying for my new extension at the same time and they gave me back my passport and trashed all the copies of my old passport I had attached to the application after they made a copy of the stamps in my new passport they made and attached to it.

That makes sense.

But I never throw out my old passports anyway!

I've still got the one from when I was 15 ... yes, I know I will never need it. Perhaps I'm a hoarder.

Edited July 13, 201510 yr by Jingthing

The transfer of the retirement visa must be done at the issuing office ie. Chang Wattana. This must be done before you depart. They basicaly transfer (copy) all the information as written in the old passport, there is form # for that. Once that is done you can apply for the extension of stay, when required.

The transfer of the retirement visa must be done at the issuing office ie. Chang Wattana. This must be done before you depart. They basicaly transfer (copy) all the information as written in the old passport, there is form # for that. Once that is done you can apply for the extension of stay, when required.

Visas are not transferred only an extension of stay can be transferred.

The transfer can be done at the office where you are living if you formally change your address to the area they serve. The OP has apparently done that since he has done a 90 day report at Jomtien already,

Last year, I moved to Chonburi. Passport expired and retirement visa was issued in Phuket. I had to travel to Phuket for the transfer of the retirement visa to the new passport.

Last year, I moved to Chonburi. Passport expired and retirement visa was issued in Phuket. I had to travel to Phuket for the transfer of the retirement visa to the new passport.

Perhaps you were given incorrect information or you had not changed your address correctly.

Last year, I moved to Chonburi. Passport expired and retirement visa was issued in Phuket. I had to travel to Phuket for the transfer of the retirement visa to the new passport.

That is interesting because Phuket immigration do not issue "Retirement Visas".

Last year, I moved to Chonburi. Passport expired and retirement visa was issued in Phuket. I had to travel to Phuket for the transfer of the retirement visa to the new passport.

That is interesting because Phuket immigration do not issue "Retirement Visas".

Didn't they used to do conversions to 90 day O visas as part of the two step process for those who would qualify for the second step ... the retirement extension?

Last year, I moved to Chonburi. Passport expired and retirement visa was issued in Phuket. I had to travel to Phuket for the transfer of the retirement visa to the new passport.

That is interesting because Phuket immigration do not issue "Retirement Visas".

Didn't they used to do conversions to 90 day O visas as part of the two step process for those who would qualify for the second step ... the retirement extension?

I have such a "conversion" issued by Phuket immigration, some years ago, in my passport !

It is not a "Retirement Visa"

I have now been in Thailand for a number of years but have never succeeded in obtaining one of these mystical "retirement visas"!

In my opinion an O-A visa from home countries can be legitimately called a retirement visa. I agree though retirement visas are not issued in Thailand.

In the process of renewing retirement extensionof stay I was given extension up to the date of expiry of passport. ( Initially was given the full year until last minute it was noticed my passport expired 7 months into the extension period.) When I got my new passport I went back andthey simply transferred the extension into the new and up to the full year from the original date of application. I may have signed extra forms but nothing extrafrom my part was required.

Note: the original retirement visa is irrelevant after the first extension. After that you have no visa....simply as extension of stay. Thus if you exit and re enter ( using a re entry permit) there is no visa number you can put on the the arrival card . I leave it blank and have never had any problem.

In my opinion an O-A visa from home countries can be legitimately called a retirement visa. I agree though retirement visas are not issued in Thailand.

The US Embassy website refers to a Non Imm O-A Visa as a 'long stay' or 'retirement Visa'.

It is a Non Imm O-A Visa issued for the purpose of a long stay or retirement in Thailand

Many expats wrongly believe they annually extended the Visa, so commonly refer to it as a Retirement Visa

It is an extension of your permission to stay in Thailand, a permit. ( not a Visa.)

Your Visa allows entry and stay in Thailand for it's validity, thereafter it expires. You then extend the permission to stay that your original Visa allowed.

Most fail to actually read their Visas or Extensions, or notice the red USED stamp put across their Visa when they get the first extension.

Edited July 13, 201510 yr by Faz

Yes that is the O-A visa but many newbies don't understand you don't actually EVER need a "retirement visa" or an O-A visa to retire for life in Thailand on retirement extensions. You can even get your initial O visa (90 day only) IN Thailand!

The O-A visa is only an option.

Edited July 13, 201510 yr by Jingthing