The 12-month Permission-to-Stay extension ...

[Smiles]

After being in Thailand last year on a 12 month Non-Imm Type O-A (the so-called 'Retirement' or 'Long-Stay' visa), the puppy died this August and the only option one has after that (besides applying for another one all over again) is to jump through the very simple hoops placed down by Thailand Immigration in order to receive a 12-month Permission to Stay (or 'Extension').

Thai Immigration very nicely provides this particular service ~ rather than demanding one start all over again with yet another visa application ~ to those 50 years and older, and once received, one is good to go for another year.
Not sure how many here are sailing on this boat, but ~ after having just received my Permission to Stay the other day, I thought some might be interested in the process, especially those who, like myself, has just gone ~ or is just about to go ~ through the ropes on this for the first time.

The main thing to remember about this is that your Type 'O' or 'O-A' visa has expired ... never to be seen again. From then on you are living in Thailand under a permission-to-stay stamp in your passport. It's NOT a visa.

The items Thai Immigration asks for in order to receive the Permission to-Stay are these:

A completed Thai Immigration Form T-7[/*:m:3lqfsob5]
A photocopy of the identification pages and relevant Thai Immigration entry and departure stamps in your passport.[/*:m:3lqfsob5]
1 passport-style photograph of yourself[/*:m:3lqfsob5]
Proof of any one of the following income types:

(a) pension or other income equaling no less than 65,000 Thai Baht a month,

OR,

(b) cash in a Thai bank account equaling no less than 800,000 Thai Baht. On the first application the money must be in the account at least 60 days before the application, on all other applications, 90 days before.

OR

(c) a combination of (a) and (b) above which, when added together, equals at least 800,000 baht annually.

(** Note that 'proof' of income is only accepted in one form: that of an original notarized letter from one's home country embassy in Bangkok confirming the monthly income. If the choice is to go the 'money-in-the-bank' option, then the amount and dates must be in the form of an original letter from your bank branch manager.)[/*:m:3lqfsob5]
A copy of your house, condo, or townhouse ownership, or, if you rent, a copy of your rental agreement.[/*:m:3lqfsob5]
A map of the area where you reside, pinpointing your home.[/*:m:3lqfsob5]
Fee is 1900 Baht[/*:m:3lqfsob5]

Although this list may appear daunting (and the original application the other day I must admit was stressful), in fact, once you have all your ducks lined up in a nice little package for the Immigration office the whole process took ~ for me at least ~ all of 10 minutes ... 3 of which were spent waiting for the Office Boss to give the completed application the once over and last signature.

A couple of points to be made here: apparently (and not surprisingly / TiT), not all Immigration Offices are equal in their demands. For instance, I've heard from more than one person that the Imm Office in Pattaya asks for some kind of imprint of a Visa card or ATM card. Not sure if this is still the case (or if it ever actually was) as this rumour is now a few years old, but certainly here in Hua Hin that was never asked for.
But, I would not doubt that the process may well be somewhat different (some with more hoops ... some with fewer?) in different parts of Thailand. So be prepared for the process check off list to have items on it not mentioned above.

Another point which may be quite important is the Embassy notorization of your income statement. I'm Canadian and I arrived at the Embassy in Bangkok with a good deal of paper showing my annual/monthly income. This documentation was taken away from me for inspection by a notary public. I then had to wait awhile for a short interview by her before receiving my letter. All went very smoothly and I received a very nice letter from her, but the process was much longer time-wise than the permission-to-stay application later in Hua Hin!
I have heard from more than a few Americans that their Embassy notorization was much simpler and faster: they showed up, signed a statement giving their income, and didn't have to present a single piece of actual evidence for the amount. Go figure.

All in all, the whole process went by as slick as a ripe mango. The main thing is to be sure you have every piece of paper the Thai Immigration folks want. If you're not 100% sure of what they need, go in in advance and ask them.
My suggestion would be to go in for the application a few days before your one year is up. That will give you some time to collect any item which you may not have, or have incorrectly . . . i.e. give yourself some leeway, rather than take the chance of running out the clock to get your permission to stay.

[x in pattaya]

A copy of your house, condo, or townhouse ownership, or, if you rent, a copy of your rental agreement.
A map of the area where you reside, pinpointing your home.

Never been asked for either in Jomtien, nor is it on the list of requirements they hand out, although I was asked if I owned or rented. During the 90 day report they have asked for proof of residence in the form of a telephone bill or such.


тАжnot all Immigration Offices are equal in their demands. For instance, I've heard from more than one person that the Imm Office in Pattaya asks for some kind of imprint of a Visa card or ATM card. Not sure if this is still the case (or if it ever actually was) as this rumour is now a few years old, but certainly here in Hua Hin that was never asked for.

IтАЩve never been asked for it. If it was true, I think it only applied to those who claimed they topped up their cash using a foreign ATM card. It is not shown on their, JomtienтАЩs, list of requirements.


I have heard from more than a few Americans that their Embassy notorization was much simpler and faster: they showed up, signed a statement giving their income, and didn't have to present a single piece of actual evidence for the amount. Go figure.

I always obtain a letter from both US Social Security and from my pension provider and attach that to the embassy statement. The people at Immigrations have never asked for it, but they do always keep it as part of the application.


If the choice is to go the 'money-in-the-bank' option, then the amount and dates must be in the form of an original letter from your bank branch manager.

Preferably the letter is issued the same day you go to Immigrations or the just the day before you apply and you also need a photocopy of your bank book showing your deposits and withdrawals during the previous year. The amount stated in the bank managerтАЩs letter and the last entry in your passbook must be the same amount and show the same date (the bank people will update the passbook when issuing the letter). His letter will also indicate some of your deposits that were foreign sourced.


My suggestion would be to go in for the application a few days [i]before your one year is up. That will give you some time to collect any item which you may not have, or have incorrectly . . . i.e. give yourself some leeway, rather than take the chance of running out the clock to get your permission to stay.

At Jomtien you are strongly urged to go in at least a few weeks early and IтАЩve heard a month early is OK (even more if you have a valid reason). The extension is still for a year beyond the expiration of the current extension. So my extension ends in late January, I go in in December and the next extension still expires in late January of the following year... i.e., roughly 13 months following the new extension.

[mahjongguy]

Once you have the newly-issued extension in your passport, don't forget to purchase a Single or Multiple Re-Entry Permit. If you leave the country without that, your extension is voided. These are not available at the airport.

If you are going down the 'income' route when applying for your long term visa, remember that you are allowed to 'mix and match' if it suits you: i.e.if your income is only the equivalent of 700,000 bt annually you can top up the shortfall with a savings bank deposit of 100,000 bt. The photocopying of bank passport details and the bank letter certifying the up-to-date balance should be obtained not more than 1 week before presenting the application to the Immigration Office.

UK applicants can take advantage of advice from the British Consulate which is conveniently placed in Jomtien Soi 5 just around from the Immigration Office (9.00 - 11.30 Mon to Fri). The current UK Foreign Office charge for consularising income documents is 1,700 bt. All forms of income can be taken into account - pension, rental income, private investment income etc. The Honorary British Consul, Barry Kenyon, can also often be found inside the Immigration Office behind the reception desk dishing out advice to all and sundry. He also writes a regular page on the latest immigration rules in the local paper Pattaya Today.

[Ron-Heng Vancouver]

hi smiles,

I thank you for the details from which this must have taken much effort and time.

I noticed you are from Canada - which city? You are now in Hua Hin. We live in Vancouver and will be deciding whether to live in Thailand as a permanent home, and return to Vancouver summers in a temporary space, and whether that might be Bangkok, Pattaya., or Hua Hun. We visited Hua Hin and did like it. What do you think?

Ron and Ben

[Smiles]

A copy of your house, condo, or townhouse ownership, or, if you rent, a copy of your rental agreement.
A map of the area where you reside, pinpointing your home.

Never been asked for either in Jomtien, nor is it on the list of requirements they hand out, although I was asked if I owned or rented. During the 90 day report they have asked for proof of residence in the form of a telephone bill or such.

Yes, that's what I meant by 'different' items for different Immigration offices. The Hua Hin office list of requirements specifies both the need for rental/ownership documents and the map. It's odd really ... one would think that logically there would be only one 'list of requirements', the Immigration bureau being a part of the (national) ministry of Foreign Affairs. I suspect there is in fact a 'master' list, but then each local Immigration office seems to have the unquestioned right to add to, or subtract requirements according to. Whim? Who knows? I have an odd enjoyment for this idiosyncratic kind of stuff.


My suggestion would be to go in for the application a few days before your one year is up. That will give you some time to collect any item which you may not have, or have incorrectly . . . i.e. give yourself some leeway, rather than take the chance of running out the clock to get your permission to stay.

At Jomtien you are strongly urged to go in at least a few weeks early and IтАЩve heard a month early is OK (even more if you have a valid reason). The extension is still for a year beyond the expiration of the current extension. So my extension ends in late January, I go in in December and the next extension still expires in late January of the following year... i.e., roughly 13 months following the new extension.

Do you know why the need for such a long lead time? On the surface it strikes as being rather unnecessary. I can certainly understand some days ahead, just in case you've missed a document or forgotten something. By why a month in advance?

the Immigration bureau being a part of the (national) ministry of Foreign Affairs

isn't the Immigration Bureau part of the Police department, rather than Foreign Affairs?

[Smiles]

" ... isn't the Immigration Bureau part of the Police department, rather than Foreign Affairs? ... "
I think you are right Dave. I guess I've been associating 'anything to do with visas' with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because their website was where ~ years ago now ~ I originally searched for information << http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2637.php >> ... and received it.
Didn't give it much thought after that, but in fact, the Thai Immigration (Bureau?) is a part of the Royal Thai Police bureaucracy.

Thanks for the heads up.

[x in pattaya]

Yes, that's what I meant by 'different' items for different Immigration offices. The Hua Hin office list of requirements specifies both the need for rental/ownership documents and the map.

The map and other documents apply to areas outside тАЬmajorтАЭ cities. Hua Hin probably falls somewhere between desolate back water and bucolic bumpkinville and therefore rural rules apply. In theory, here in cosmopolitan Pattaya the owners of condos rented to farang will comply with the requirement to submit rentersтАЩ details to Immigrations and if Immigrations feels compelled to тАЬvisitтАЭ a farang they can do so without resorting to a handmade map, thus the verification for at least some residences comes to them through management of same. We were advised that failure to provide building management with visa details, whether we are owners or renters, could mean that an extension would not be granted.


Do you know why the need for such a long lead time? On the surface it strikes as being rather unnecessary. I can certainly understand some days ahead, just in case you've missed a document or forgotten something. By why a month in advance?

It isnтАЩt a need , itтАЩs a sensible recommendation. If you have to get further documentation from your embassy in Bangkok or need something from a pension provider back home in Farangatonia just as they are celebrating the Full Moon & Harvest Festival, it could easily take more than тАЬ a few daysтАЭ to get the needful to complete your application. In Jomtien the Immigrations people only have your best interests at heart. :thumbleft:

Despite the demeaning generalities that flow on places like Thai Visa and elsewhere, Thai people (above the rank of gogo boy) can actually understand the need to plan ahead for possibly unexpected events.


After being in Thailand last year on a 12 month Non-Imm Type O-A (the so-called 'Retirement' or 'Long-Stay' visa)тАж

You entered the country with the visa, but you stayed in Thailand because Immigrations put a stamp in your passport allowing you to stay until ____. The visa is largely immaterial unless you want to re-enter the country and even then, in some cases, youтАЩd need a re-entry permit.


The main thing to remember about this is that your Type 'O' or 'O-A' visa has expired ... never to be seen again. From then on you are living in Thailand under a permission-to-stay stamp in your passport. It's NOT a visa.

Visas and Permissions-to-stay serve different purposes. The visa gets you in the door and is only issued by an embassy or consulate, but when you pass through Immigrations it is they who grant you permission to stay and set the limits. Residents of some countries can come for short visits without a visa, but everyone still needs Immigrations to grant them permission-to-stay.The visa may or may not still be useable in future for further visits, depending on the type of visa, but your stay in Thailand is always based on the permission-to-stay from Immigrations and they are a part of the police as their uniforms and ranks make clear. Once youтАЩre in the country the visa is not what dictates the restrictions on your stay, itтАЩs whatever Immigrations decides to allow you.

If you have a 90 day visa and Immigrations mistakenly gives you P-T-S for 30 days, you will still have to leave in 30 days unless you roll around on the floor and hold your breath for a really long time.

The main thing to remember about this is that your Type 'O' or 'O-A' visa has expired ... never to be seen again. From then on you are living in Thailand under a permission-to-stay stamp in your passport. It's NOT a visa.

I think we have been over this before, Smiles!

Your visa, in this case, has not" expired" and it is required "to be seen again" every time you fill in your TM 7 (every year) or your TM 47 (every 90 days) or you leave or re-enter the country. ..... And it is not a "permission-to-stay stamp in your passport", it is an extension of stay stamp.