Retirement Visa 12 month automatic extension at the border?

[mlmcleod]

I obtained a multiple entry retirement Visa in Washington DC dated August 12, 2014. I arrived at the border in Thailand on September 20, 2014. I was informed that I was eligible for a 12 month extension whenever I left and returned to Thailand. My question is which date apples? Can I do a border run on September 1st and still get the extension or does the date the visa was issued apply? I thought the date I arrived started the process not the date the Visa was issued. Am I wrong?

thanks for the help!

[elviajero]

Assuming you have an O-A visa. The important date is the enter by date of the visa. If you enter just before that date you will be given a 12 month stay. If you want to exit and re-enter during that 12 months you can with a re-entry permit.

[Upnotover]

I'd say that the enter before date on the visa is 11 August 2015, so it has now expired.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Upnotover

[nowretired]

If you do a border run in Sept the visa will have expired and you will be given a 30 day visa exempt entry.

Visa expiry and permission to stay are different animals!

Visas are valid and active from the day they are issued.

[nowretired]

I'd say that the enter before date on the visa is 11 August 2015, so it has now expired.

Well spotted!

[lopburi3]

As said your visa has expired so you have until your mid September permitted to stay date to extend at immigration using 800k in Thai bank account for required time or 65k per month income letter from your Embassy or combination to meet the 800k amount. Or you could return to your home country to obtain another such visa (and this time remember to make an exit/return before it expires to get almost 2 years stay from it.

It appears you have not departed/returned to Thailand since your 20 Sep 14 entry.

[Jingthing]

That's one of the great advantages of the O-A visa obtained in home countries -- the ability with proper use to stretch it to almost two years without dealing with applying for an extension in Thailand, but if you don't use it, you lose it, and you lost it. Sorry about that. Perhaps others can learn to ask such questions EARLIER.

[bigwal]

I believe you have till the 19th Of Sept, if you leave thialand and return you will get another 12 months . Don't forget a re entery permit !!!

Edited August 27, 2015 by bigwal

[bigwal]

I believe you have till the 19th Of Sept, if you leave thialand and return you will get another 12 months . Don't forget a re entery permit !!!

[lopburi3]

No his visa is dead and gone as we have told him - he can stay until September but he can not return for a new stay. And you never get a one year stay with a re-entry permit.

[bigwal]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/836076-retirement-visa-obtained-outside-tland-how-does-multientry-work/

Please go to this link to see for your self . I do know what Im talking about ,I got 22 months out of my first OA visa from Australia .

[lopburi3]

I have answered above - his visa expired in August and can not be used for entry anymore. Only if he made an entry when the visa was still valid would he have obtained a new 12 month stay.

[elviajero]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/836076-retirement-visa-obtained-outside-tland-how-does-multientry-work/

Please go to this link to see for your self . I do know what Im talking about ,I got 22 months out of my first OA visa from Australia .

You are missing the point. The OP has missed the chance to get a second year out of the visa because his visa has expired.

[Jingthing]

Yep, the news is bad enough for the OP without giving him FALSE hope.

[bigwal]

I got it

Edited August 27, 2015 by bigwal

[beechguy]

I got it

Unfortunately too late. If you don't know what you are writing about, best to keep your fingers of the keyboard.

[Suradit69]

That's one of the great advantages of the O-A visa obtained in home countries -- the ability with proper use to stretch it to almost two years without dealing with applying for an extension in Thailand, but if you don't use it, you lose it, and you lost it. Sorry about that. Perhaps others can learn to ask such questions EARLIER.

Yes, quite often people are confused between the visa expiry and the permission to stay expiry ... and may additionally make the assumption that a visa's expiry count-down begins when they first enter the country.

Similar to the problem caused by those who think it's pedantic & just semantics to differentiate between saying an "extension of stay" (which is possible) versus an "extension of their visa" (which is never possible).

As helpful as Thai Visa threads on immigration & visa issues can be, some posters add to the confusion & perpetuate the notion that some terms are interchangeable and inconsequential.

[Suradit69]

As said your visa has expired so you have until your mid September permitted to stay date to extend at immigration using 800k in Thai bank account for required time or 65k per month income letter from your Embassy or combination to meet the 800k amount. Or you could return to your home country to obtain another such visa (and this time remember to make an exit/return before it expires to get almost 2 years stay from it.

It appears you have not departed/returned to Thailand since your 20 Sep 14 entry.

"It appears you have not departed/returned to Thailand since your 20 Sep 14 entry."

An important point. If he did any exits and returns since his first entry, the timing for applying for an extension of stay might be further out. He really needs to look at the stamp he got from immigrations when he made his most recent entry if he ever traveled out and in since 20 Sep 14.

I thought the date I arrived started the process not the date the Visa was issued. Am I wrong?

It starts from the day the visa is issued. There should be a "use by" date printed on the visa sticker.

[Keesters]

Two dates of importance the 'Enter Before' date on the visa and the 'Until' date on the entry stamp. I believe the English is very clear however the OP did not give us the former date.

[TigerandDog]

You need to look at the admitted until date. That's the date you can stay to before an extension is required.

Your original visa (assuming it is a Non O A) will have an issued date and an enter before date. Going by your information the issued date is 12 Aug 2014. Therefore the enter before date should be 11 Aug 2015, and you say it is multi-entry.

If you arrived on 20 Sept 2014, the Admitted Until date should be 19 Sept 2015. As your original multi entry visa has now expired, if you do a border run on 1 Sept without a re-entry permit you will only get a 30 day tourist visa (provided you re-enter via an airport). If you do a land visa run I believe the tourist visa will only be good for 14 days (not certain about this).

If you obtain a single entry re-entry permit and do your border run on 1 Sept your passport will be stamped with an admitted until date of 19 Sept 2015. Quite pointless doing this.

You have 2 options.

1. Obtain a multi-entry re-entry permit then do your border run. This way you will get your 12 month extension when you return.

or

2. Just go to Immigration and apply for a 12 month extension of stay(multi-entry) on your existing admitted to date, and make sure you meet all the requirements, viz. proof of 800k in bank or 65k per month income stream etc. All the requirements are available on Immigration web site.

I believe it would be more convenient to follow option 2, and it will probably cost less as you won't have any costs to travel out of and back into the country.

Edited August 28, 2015 by TigerandDog

[TigerandDog]

No his visa is dead and gone as we have told him - he can stay until September but he can not return for a new stay. And you never get a one year stay with a re-entry permit.

You do if your re-entry permit is a multi-entry. Immigration confirmed this for me last week when I was applying for a re-entry permit.

[nowretired]

You need to look at the admitted until date. That's the date you can stay to before an extension is required.

Your original visa (assuming it is a Non O A) will have an issued date and an enter before date. Going by your information the issued date is 12 Aug 2014. Therefore the enter before date should be 11 Aug 2015, and you say it is multi-entry.

If you arrived on 20 Sept 2014, the Admitted Until date should be 19 Sept 2015. As your original multi entry visa has now expired, if you do a border run on 1 Sept without a re-entry permit you will only get a 30 day tourist visa (provided you re-enter via an airport). If you do a land visa run I believe the tourist visa will only be good for 14 days (not certain about this).

If you obtain a single entry re-entry permit and do your border run on 1 Sept your passport will be stamped with an admitted until date of 19 Sept 2015. Quite pointless doing this.

You have 2 options.

1. Obtain a multi-entry re-entry permit then do your border run. This way you will get your 12 month extension when you return.

or

2. Just go to Immigration and apply for a 12 month extension of stay(multi-entry) on your existing admitted to date.

I believe it would be more convenient to follow option 2, and it will probably cost less as you won't have any costs to travel out of and back into the country.

Wong. Bad information.

1. All holders of a G7 country passport receive a 30 day "visa exempt" entry at airports/borders if they have no visa.The visa exempt entry is NOT a "tourist visa" !

2. A multi-entry reentry permit will NOT provide a 12 month "extension" on return.

3 There are no "multi entry" extensions of stay. If a person wishes to travel during an extension of stay a separate application for a re-entry permit must be made.

[Suradit69]

I believe you have till the 19th Of Sept, if you leave thialand and return you will get another 12 months . Don't forget a re entery permit !!!

Wrong. His visa has already expired. It's good for one year from the date it's issued. You're posting misinformation. If the visa were still valid, which it isn't, he wouldn't need a re-entry permit to do a border crossing ... only after the visa expired and there was time remaining on his permission or extension.

No his visa is dead and gone as we have told him - he can stay until September but he can not return for a new stay. And you never get a one year stay with a re-entry permit.

You do if your re-entry permit is a multi-entry. Immigration confirmed this for me last week when I was applying for a re-entry permit.

A re-entry permit, whether single entry or multi-entry, is only good for the duration of your extension/permission of stay. If the O/P's O-A visa were still valid he would get a year's PERMISSION to stay, not an extension, by crossing a border. Then he would need a re-entry permit that would only be good for the length of his permission to stay or his extension of stay if he got one.

You're posting misinformation, all of which illustrates my point made earlier. You can get good information on TV and then all the misinformed posters start muddying the waters.

Edited August 28, 2015 by Suradit69

[Lite Beer]

No his visa is dead and gone as we have told him - he can stay until September but he can not return for a new stay. And you never get a one year stay with a re-entry permit.

You do if your re-entry permit is a multi-entry. Immigration confirmed this for me last week when I was applying for a re-entry permit.

The Re Entry Permit is valid for the length of your current permission to stay.

Which in the ops case will be September.

It does not add time.

[beechguy]

No his visa is dead and gone as we have told him - he can stay until September but he can not return for a new stay. And you never get a one year stay with a re-entry permit.

You do if your re-entry permit is a multi-entry. Immigration confirmed this for me last week when I was applying for a re-entry permit.

Read the other posts. Again, if you do not know what you are writing about, keep your fingers off of the keyboard.

[lopburi3]

No his visa is dead and gone as we have told him - he can stay until September but he can not return for a new stay. And you never get a one year stay with a re-entry permit.

You do if your re-entry permit is a multi-entry. Immigration confirmed this for me last week when I was applying for a re-entry permit.

What I suspect you were told was that you could use the multi re-entry permit for a new entry any time during your one year permitted to stay (not that it would allow a one year stay). A re-entry permit has a specific date for permitted to stay time; which is whatever you have when you purchase it.