Enter Before vs Admitted Until

[mfd101]

I'm on a Non-Immigrant O-A multiple-entry visa, issued in Canberra on 13 October 2015. The visa in my p/p says: Enter before 12 October 2016.

I entered Thailand with my Thai partner on 22 November 2015, as displayed on the TM6 departure card. The stamp in my p/p, dated 22Nov15, says: "Admitted until 20 Nov 2016".

I have been assuming the 'end date' is 20 Nov this year and that, by doing some foreign travel in the couple of weeks before then, but returning to Thailand before 20 Nov, I would (1) not need any reentry permit because it's a multiple entry visa, and (2) would automatically receive a 12-month extension of stay without having to do the retirement conversion till Nov 2017.

Is that correct?

Thanks for clarification.

[Eclipse]

Your Visa is valid until 12 October 2016.

Enter anytime before then and get 12 months stay.

After that date you need a Re Entry Permit.

The lesson is don't apply for your Visa too early as you have done.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Eclipse

[lopburi3]

As said your visa will provide a new one year stay for any entry prior to midnight on the 12th of October - beyond that date you would need to have obtained a re-entry permit to continue your stay until 20 November from current entry.

[mfd101]

OK, thanks to both. So I need to change my travel plans which is easily doable at this early stage.

[KhunBENQ]

The lesson is don't apply for your Visa too early as you have done.

Well over a month.

A loss that the OP can get over in the scale of almost two years.

Big mark on the wall calendar for October 12 (at latest).

If you live in Bangkok then do it by air.

Flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Cheap (advance booked) and convenient day trip.

[ubonjoe]

You could do a border hop or an out and back by air just before October 12 to get a new 12 month entry and then get a re-entry permit for your trip in November.

[mfd101]

You could do a border hop or an out and back by air just before October 12 to get a new 12 month entry and then get a re-entry permit for your trip in November.

Yes, that's pretty-well what I'm thinking. I live in south Surin so only a hop step & a jump across the Cambodian border by car, then reentry permit before trip back to Oz & NZ in early Nov.

Cheers

[BritTim]

You could do a border hop or an out and back by air just before October 12 to get a new 12 month entry and then get a re-entry permit for your trip in November.

Yes, that's pretty-well what I'm thinking. I live in south Surin so only a hop step & a jump across the Cambodian border by car, then reentry permit before trip back to Oz & NZ in early Nov.

Cheers

Your plan is sound. Take US$ for the Cambodian visa to save a bit of money.

[mfd101]

You could do a border hop or an out and back by air just before October 12 to get a new 12 month entry and then get a re-entry permit for your trip in November.

Yes, that's pretty-well what I'm thinking. I live in south Surin so only a hop step & a jump across the Cambodian border by car, then reentry permit before trip back to Oz & NZ in early Nov.

Cheers

Your plan is sound. Take US$ for the Cambodian visa to save a bit of money.

Yes, I've been to Siem Reap a couple of times in the last 4 years (both times by air from BKK) so I know the drill. My partner says Let's do 2 or 3 nights in Singapore. Sigh! depends on the funds ... We will have just moved (July, I hope) into our new house currently abuilding in Prasat so it may be Cambodia as the cheapest option!

[mfd101]

Later developments on all this and interesting comment from Kap Choeng immigration this morning:

 

• So we went to Singapore for a few days, got back on 11 October and stamped in as 'admitted until 10 Oct 2017' . All according to plan. Excellent.
• We're now booked for a trip to Oz and NZ, leaving Suwanna just after midnight on 5 Nov, returning on 22 Nov.
• This morning we went to Kap Choeng to get a (single) reentry permit for our return on 22 Nov. Much cheerful banter back & forth, all in Thai, so I'm relying on my partner's report. Comment was made along the lines: Why are you applying for a reentry permit? You don't need it with your visa. You can do multiple entries till October 2017. But, seeing as you're here, we'll give you one anyway.
• Which they did: 1000฿, multiple stamps & signatures & staring at the computer later ... Fine, but what does their comment mean? or was it just rather heavy humour which my b/f didn't pick up on?

[lopburi3]

You need the re-entry permit - they obviously did not see that your O-A had expired already and were basing there comment on your current permitted stay.  Am quite sure they would not have been so understanding on your return without the re-entry permit.  

[mfd101]

2 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

You need the re-entry permit - they obviously did not see that your O-A had expired already and were basing there comment on your current permitted stay.  Am quite sure they would not have been so understanding on your return without the re-entry permit.  

Yes, that was my instinct when my partner mentioned it to me on the way back to the car: The boys & girls at Suwanna might have a different view!

 

Rule: Better safe than sorry.