Extension of stay and passport renewal together?

[Doznotdiz]

Simple question that is likely to get some interesting answers.

I have a retirement visa and have been extending my stay for many years.

I need to renew my passport soon. I also have to extend my stay for another year soon.

Immigration has 2 functions: (1) Extension of stay (2) Transfer of visa to new passport.

(2) above really means "Transfer of extension of stay" because the visa is only an initial allowance into the country.

My question is: Can Immigration do both (1) and (2) at the same time? We all know that they can be difficult!

If not, then I either have to renew my passport, get the "visa" transferred and then extend my stay, OR, get the "visa" extended in the existing passport, then renew the passport and then get the new "visa" transferred.

Anyone had this situation?

Thanks.

[tropo]

Your extension of stay renewal will expire on your passport expiry date, so you'll have to do another one when you get your new passport to give you a full year.

It would be better to get your passport renewed first, then have your extension transferred, and get a full year extension in your new passport at renewal date.

[BritTim]

They can transfer the existing stamp to the new passport and provide the extension of stay in the same visit to immigration.

[Suradit69]

I had the same situation. There would have been less than a year left on my passport and therefore if I did an extension of stay with the old passport, the extension would also be good for less than a year.

So I got the new passport and had stamps transferred to the new passport.

You might need a letter from your embassy certifying that they issued the new passport. US Embassy issues the letter automatically. Don't forget to inform your bank of the change since your passport is the ID they use for counter withdrawals, etc.

Then you need to do the transfer of stamps from the old passport to the new, which will include your re-entry permit if your have one and a stamp with information about the visa you first used to enter the country before getting the extension. You no longer have a visa if you've been on an extension of stay for years, which is the reason you need a re-entry permit if you plan to travel out and back in the country ... in lieu of a visa.

When I did the transfer at Jomtien I had to come back the next day to collect both passports, so I couldn't have done the new extension of stay on the same day.

Once I had the new passport with the immigration stamps in it, I then did the extension. If you have the forms stored in your computer to be printed out, remember to change passport number and dates of issue & expiry. Other than that, the extension renewal was the same as previous years.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Suradit69

[tropo]

You still have a visa after years of extensions. For every extension I've ever gotten they've required a photocopy of the original visa. I suppose a transfer stamp notification serves the purpose of this and you don't need to show a photocopy in the old passport.

[johnatong]

You still have a visa after years of extensions. For every extension I've ever gotten they've required a photocopy of the original visa. I suppose a transfer stamp notification serves the purpose of this and you don't need to show a photocopy in the old passport.

There might be an old, expired visa in a passport which serves no purpose other than to demonstrate an entry was once made with a visa which qualified for an extension of stay to be applied for.

Once a new passport is acquired and information to is transferred from the 'old' passport copies of the transferred information will be required to support applications for extensions of stay.

[ubonjoe]

You still have a visa after years of extensions. For every extension I've ever gotten they've required a photocopy of the original visa. I suppose a transfer stamp notification serves the purpose of this and you don't need to show a photocopy in the old passport.

There might be an old, expired visa in a passport which serves no purpose other than to demonstrate an entry was once made with a visa which qualified for an extension of stay to be applied for.

Once a new passport is acquired and information to is transferred from the 'old' passport copies of the transferred information will be required to support applications for extensions of stay.

Immigration has not seen my old passport or even a copy of anything in it since I went in to transfer the stamps to my new passport and apply for my extension. For two extension applications since then a copy of the stamp they did in my new passport that has info about the visa I used to get the permit to stay that I have been extending is all that has been needed.

[Suradit69]

You still have a visa after years of extensions. For every extension I've ever gotten they've required a photocopy of the original visa. I suppose a transfer stamp notification serves the purpose of this and you don't need to show a photocopy in the old passport.

"You still have a visa after years of extensions. "

No. The sticker may still exist in an old passport and the information about the visa you used to enter the country prior to getting the first extension will be shown in a stamp in your new passport(s), but the visa expired long ago.

You then have just the extension which allows you to remain IN Thailand. If you try to exit and re-enter the country using the old visa, you'll quickly discover you don't have a visa. That's the reason you need a re-entry permit. It, not the visa or extension, is what gets you back in the country. Without the re-entry permit, you'd be given a visa exempt entry (i.e. an entry without a visa) and you'd no longer have the extension.

For every extension I've ever gotten they've required a photocopy of the original visa.

That, or if you have a new passport, the information about the original visa, are just for clerical reference and to show you entered the country once upon a time on a legitimate visa. The old visa cannot be used to enter Thailand and it is not the basis for your continued legal presence in Thailand.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Suradit69

[IMA_FARANG]

As i recall at least some immigration offices will only allow you tro do another extension until the expiration date on your current passport.

Which means if you want a one year eztension, and your passport expires in 8 months....immigration will only give you an 8 month extension.

In that case you should get a new passport, then go for the extemsion with the new passport

[ubonjoe]

As i recall at least some immigration offices will only allow you tro do another extension until the expiration date on your current passport.

Which means if you want a one year eztension, and your passport expires in 8 months....immigration will only give you an 8 month extension.

In that case you should get a new passport, then go for the extemsion with the new passport

Since August of 2013 all immigration offices require you to have a year of validity reaming on your passport to grant a one year extension of stay. If less than a year they will only do the extension to the date your passport expires.

[Rsquared]

I had this exact situation 4 weeks ago at the Nakhon Pathom Immigration office.

I actually went in before my extension of stay was due to transfer the stamps to new passport.....they were really busy that day and told me everything could be done on the one visit......transfer stamps to new passport plus extension of stay.

As a bonus they also did my 90 day report at the same time (it wasn't due for another 3 weeks at the time....I didn't ask) all good.

[tropo]

As i recall at least some immigration offices will only allow you tro do another extension until the expiration date on your current passport.

Which means if you want a one year eztension, and your passport expires in 8 months....immigration will only give you an 8 month extension.

In that case you should get a new passport, then go for the extemsion with the new passport

Since August of 2013 all immigration offices require you to have a year of validity reaming on your passport to grant a one year extension of stay. If less than a year they will only do the extension to the date your passport expires.

Yeah, this makes it quite tricky if you have a dependent piggy backing on your visa (my wife), with a passport which expires in 5 years (in reality less than 4 1/2 years). It requires quite some juggling and 2 extensions on her passport expiry year.

[gjoo888]

I had this exact situation 4 weeks ago at the Nakhon Pathom Immigration office.

I actually went in before my extension of stay was due to transfer the stamps to new passport.....they were really busy that day and told me everything could be done on the one visit......transfer stamps to new passport plus extension of stay.

As a bonus they also did my 90 day report at the same time (it wasn't due for another 3 weeks at the time....I didn't ask) all good.

I also had a similar situation last year. I went to Chang Wattana Immigration to transfer my visa stamp to my new passport. After they transferred the stamp, I was asked if I wanted to do my extension while I was there. I didn't have all my documents for my extension with me, so I didn't do my extension that day, but I could have if I had brought the necessary documents with me.

At Chang Wattana, where you go for the stamp transfer is the same section where you do your extension, and the same officer who handled my transfer would have done the extension if I was ready.

[henry15]

At immigration Nonthaburi, I Changed Pasport, renewal of extension based on retirement, and my 90 day reporting at the same time and on the same desk. Took about 12 minutes.

[Hayduke]

The next time you leave the country maybe carry your old passport with you. Although everything has been transferred your TM 6 will still show your old passport number. I was in this situation and the Immigration official (who seemed somewhat new) was a bit put off by the discrepancy. Although it was not a real problem, having the old passport in hand helped to resolve things.

[NancyL]

As said, it depends on the office. Some are able to handle the both the transfer to the new passport and the 1-year extension at the same time. Others no.

It wouldn't be possible in Chiang Mai because the queue numbers for 1-year extensions are distributed for the entire day early in the morning -- all gone by the time the office opens for business. Also, you have get a queue number to do a transfer, arrive early to get that queue number, too. You transfer to a new passport at the old Immigration office near the airport, but one year retirement extensions are done at the new office at Promenada Mall. (Marriage and other one-year extensions still done at the old office.)

[kingstonkid]

As a canuck I know things are different for me as we are special people.

When I did my extension a year ago they told me that I needed a new passport or they would only be able to give me a 3 month extension.

A month before my extension was due I went to the Canadian Embassy and applied for my new passport. When I went to get the new one I also did my proof of income letter.

The next Monday I went to immigration with all my paperwork and both passports. It took 3 hours (got caught in lunch hour) to get everything transferred and my new extension as well as my 90 day report.

I had no worries and it was simple.

Then again I am in pathum Thani where it is very quick and painless to go to immigration.

[OJAS]

You still have a visa after years of extensions. For every extension I've ever gotten they've required a photocopy of the original visa. I suppose a transfer stamp notification serves the purpose of this and you don't need to show a photocopy in the old passport.

There might be an old, expired visa in a passport which serves no purpose other than to demonstrate an entry was once made with a visa which qualified for an extension of stay to be applied for.

Once a new passport is acquired and information to is transferred from the 'old' passport copies of the transferred information will be required to support applications for extensions of stay.

Immigration has not seen my old passport or even a copy of anything in it since I went in to transfer the stamps to my new passport and apply for my extension. For two extension applications since then a copy of the stamp they did in my new passport that has info about the visa I used to get the permit to stay that I have been extending is all that has been needed.

However I have always taken the precaution of having my old passport containing my original OA visa (plus suitable copies) on me when applying for a re-entry permit at my local office (which I usually do at the same time as an annual extension), since, for some bizarre reason, the TM8 form goes into considerable detail about one's original visa!

[ubonjoe]

The next time you leave the country maybe carry your old passport with you. Although everything has been transferred your TM 6 will still show your old passport number. I was in this situation and the Immigration official (who seemed somewhat new) was a bit put off by the discrepancy. Although it was not a real problem, having the old passport in hand helped to resolve things.

The stamp they do in your passport with info about your visa has your old passport number on it. The first two lines on it has info about your previous passport plus the number,

[jippytum]

Your extension of stay renewal will expire on your passport expiry date, so you'll have to do another one when you get your new passport to give you a full year.

It would be better to get your passport renewed first, then have your extension transferred, and get a full year extension in your new passport at renewal date.

This information is correct and good advice

[Acharn]

I can only speak from my own experience, but this seems to be a very rare occurrence. In my case my visa (more convenient to say/write than "extension of stay") must be renewed on 13 August. My passport expires on 18 July, so Immigration extended my stay through 18 July. I'm goiing to renew my passport tomorrow, and then will have to go to Immigration to have the stamp put in the new passport. I've done this before and it's easy. The officer at Immigration explained that they will then extend my stay up to the original date, 13 August, when I will have to come in again and renew it for one year. Quite a coincidence that your extension expires in the same month as your passport.

[ubonjoe]

I can only speak from my own experience, but this seems to be a very rare occurrence. In my case my visa (more convenient to say/write than "extension of stay") must be renewed on 13 August. My passport expires on 18 July, so Immigration extended my stay through 18 July. I'm goiing to renew my passport tomorrow, and then will have to go to Immigration to have the stamp put in the new passport. I've done this before and it's easy. The officer at Immigration explained that they will then extend my stay up to the original date, 13 August, when I will have to come in again and renew it for one year. Quite a coincidence that your extension expires in the same month as your passport.

Since August of 2013 they will not do the remainder of your extension when you go in with your new passport. You will have to apply for a new extension by July 18th.