Visa Extention

[terry+carmen]

I have to return to UK about two weeks before my Retirement Visa expires and will return about a 6 weeks later. I read somewhere in here that might be possible to get a 3 month extension and renew my Retirement Visa when I return. I have asked the Immigration Department here in H.H. and all they could suggest was that I change my dates unfortunately that is not an option. Has anyone faced this problem before and what is the solution?

[dtaai-maai]

If you already have a 12-month extension, surely you can renew that before you leave? I thought you could extend any time during the last month. Did Immigration say otherwise? If so, what is the earliest point at which you can renew?

[pitsch]

You can make your visa extension up to 4 weeks before it expires. At the same time you request a re-entry permit, then you will have no problems. dtaai-mai made his post at the same time.

[lomuamart]

Agree with the above. You can renew within the last 30 days of your current extension and with the re-entry permit you won't have a problem.
Don't worry about "losing time". Your next annual extension will run for a year from the date the current one expires not the day you're granted it.

[Nereus]

I have to return to UK about two weeks before my Retirement Visa expires and will return about a 6 weeks later. I read somewhere in here that might be possible to get a 3 month extension and renew my Retirement Visa when I return. I have asked the Immigration Department here in H.H. and all they could suggest was that I change my dates unfortunately that is not an option. Has anyone faced this problem before and what is the solution?

What type of visa? This "retirement visa" quotation comes up repeatedly, and there is no such visa. If the Immigration have told you that, then maybe you need to be more clear about just what visa you do have.

[lomuamart]

That's a good point.
Does the OP have an annual extension to an O or OA visa on the basis of retirement or an OA visa which is a long stay visa and commonly referred to as a retirement visa?
As Nereus has correctly pointed out there is actually no such thing as a retirement visa.
So, OP, are you staying here on an annual extension or a visa? If visa, what sort?

[hhfarang]

I get tired of the semantics demanded in this section. I have what the Thai government calls a non immigrant O-A visa "for reason of retirement". To me that is a retirement visa so please people stop saying there is no such thing. I understand that a non-immigrant O-A or O visa can be given for other reasons but there is a retirement visa even though it is categorized with all the other non-imm visas except for the reason.

When people say they have a retirement visa or are renewing it, that means they have the above and are "extending" it.

Why else would they call it a "retirement" visa?

[lomuamart]

Well, it might make you angry but I suggest you follow this link:
http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2493
Quite simple really.
And as far as the OP is concerned it could make a big difference. We don't have enough information yet. What probably struck Nereus and then myself was that Imm have said that the travel dates need to be changed. If this was a case of a simple annual extension then I'm certain that Imm would have informed the OP correctly about when extensions can be applied for.
Maybe the OP has an OA visa and isn't in the situation yet (especially with savings) to be able to qualify for an extension so they're looking for an alternative.
hhfarang, you call all this semantics but they can and do affect peoples' lives here, visa wise. I've strived for years to get people talking off the same hymn sheet as has Nereus and many others.
You're quite probably correct in your assumption that the OP just needs another annual extension but we don't know.

[hhfarang]

^ Point taken, Lomu...

[lomuamart]

Chok dii!!!

[tijeigrin]

Fast Forward One Year: May 2012

I am outside of Thailand. Three months ago I began looking for a "retirement visa" for Thailand. I have checked the websites of the Thai Embassies in the USA, UK, AUS, and Canada.

Not one Thai Embassy web site among these four countries uses the term "retirement" visa. Nor do their downloadable forms have that term.

The exact wording and order of words sometimes varies across the embassies sites, but the most frequent key words are: non-immigrant, long-stay, O-A.

[Big Boy]

lomuamart will give you the full lowdown, but there is not a retirement visa. You need a non-immigrant O or OA, and then apply for an extension on the basis of retirement once you are here.

[lomuamart]

As above. The OA visa is commonly referred to as a retirement visa but its correct definition is as tijeigrin has stated.