Can I extend my multiple entry O-A visa after traveling to Cambodia?

Aug 26, 2024
3 months ago
รlex ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi, I'm on multiple entry O-A visa. It was granted by my country Thai consulate on 13/09/2023 and states "must be used by 12/09/2024". I arrived to Thailand on 09/11/2023 and since my insurance was finishing on 31/10/2024 I got stamped until that date.

I'm gonna extend my insurance one more year and planning to travel to Phnom Penh on 14/09/2024 to get stamp until 31/10/2025 if I understood properly from other comments in this group. If I extend my insurance until 09/11/2025 will I get that date? or max I can get now is 31/10/2025?

I believe I don't need to apply for re-entry since I have multiple entry granted, is that right? And once I'm back, if I want to travel abroad again, would I need to apply for re-entry? or the same conditions of my current visa will apply until 31/10/2025?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user has a multiple entry O-A visa issued on 13/09/2023, valid for use until 12/09/2024. They entered Thailand on 09/11/2023 with a stamp valid until 31/10/2024 and plan to extend their insurance for another year and travel to Phnom Penh on 14/09/2024. They seek clarification on whether extending their insurance will allow them to be stamped until 31/10/2025, and if they need a re-entry permit for future travels outside Thailand.
Tod *********
let's go over this using numbers I can understand

You got an OA visa issued on Sept 13, 2023

It has a must be used by Sept 12, 2024

You entered thailand on Nov 9th 2023 and got stamped in until the insurance policy you had expired on Oct 31st 2024

Your VISA <-(the thing that lets you ENTER thailand) runs out on Sept 12, 2024

So that means IF you're going to bounce out/back and get that "free second year" you need to get a year insurance and do it ON or BEFORE the 12th of Sept <- the date your visa expires

NOW if for some strange reason you want to get a year extension inside the country (which as I said makes no sense at all seeing as you can get a NEW year just by exiting/entering on the valid visa w/insurance)

you can apply for an extension when you have 30 days or less left on your current ENTRY STAMP <-(which expires on Oct 31st)

meaning you can apply for a year extension any time after Sept 30th AND when you get the new extension it will be good until Oct 31st 2025
รlex ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
thank you so much for your detailed and patient explanation. I think the strange reason is that I didn't mention is that I already booked the flight out on Sept 14th... before I learnt all what you explained here and before I checked my evisa where I readed Sept 12th. I was very relaxed thinking my valid date was until Oct 31st.

So I see 2 options here once I have renewed my insurance in the the next days.

A) I can fly out around 7th or 8th and come back before 12th. I'm not sure with this option if I will get stamped until sept 12 2025 or Oct 31st 2025.

B) Exit with the booked flight on the 14th and apply reentry, and go to immigration during October to extend 1 more year until Oct 31st 2025.

Did I get it right? Thank you so much to all for all your answers and help.
Tod *********
@รlex *******
you were confusing your entry stamp validity (the time you are allowed to stay IN thailand, which is Oct 31st) with the validity of the OA visa, which is Sept 12.

๐—”) ๐—œ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ณ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐Ÿณ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿด๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ๐˜๐—ต. ๐—œ'๐—บ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐—ณ ๐—œ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—น ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿญ๐˜€๐˜ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ.

Bouncing out and back before the visa expires will NEVER get you stamped in until Oct 31 2025. You can't get more than a year entry stamp (or as long as your insurance is valid for up to a year)

You bounce out and back on the 8th you'll get stamped in until the 7th of Sept 2025.

๐—•) ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฐ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜†, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ด๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐Ÿญ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—น ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿญ๐˜€๐˜ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ.

I don't have the slightest idea why you'd do this but that would work.
รlex ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
the advantage I see with option B, is that I would get the stamp until Oct 31st 2025 instead of Sept 12th 2025 (45 days aprox longer than with option A).

This way I won't need to buy a new flight ticket, I wouldn't waste the already booked one, and I wouldnt waste insurance time because it will be from Nov 1st 2024 to Oct 31st 2025 (my current insurance ends Oct 31st 2024).

I keep in mind that the next year in October I will want to extend 1 year again (if allowed).
Tod *********
@รlex *******
I see what you're saying, ๐Ÿ™‚

then your plan will indeed work, (y)

GO to your immigration office get the hand out listing the documentation you need to get a year extension

You can apply any time after you have 30 days or less left on your current stamp

also make sure you get a single re-entry permit before you wing your way out of the country or you lose that stamp you have now (because you're leaving AFTER your visa will have expired)

This is a general hand out listing the requirements for a year extension based on retirement

It is NOT office specific and your office might have different requirements
รlex ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
thank you so so much for all the help and advices. I really appreciate it.
John **********
@รlex *******
you can extend at your local immigration if you meet the criteria. You would need to do this before
*****
/2024. You would also need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 2 full calendar months before applying for the extension and a new year of insurance. You would also need a re-entry permit to keep the extension "alive" if you leave the country
รlex ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John *********
I already settled the 800k and I meet the criteria. But I'm a bit confused right now about what to do. I thought flying abroad would get me stamped 1 year extra until Oct 31st 2025 without wasting time in immigration. But according to
@Tod ********
I would get just until Sep 12th 2025. And extending in chaengwattana seems would grant me until Oct 31st 2025?

I went few weeks ago to chaengwattana to ask about my extension and they told me to come back first week of October.
John **********
@รlex *******
it's due to the difference between the expiry date of your visa and your current permission to stay in Thailand (your most recent entry stamp). To enter on your OA visa you must do so while it is still valid and that ends on
*****
/2024. But your stamp allows you to stay in Thailand until
*****
/2024 and you can get an extension of stay up until that date, although I wouldn't recommend leaving it that late. If you leave Thailand after
*****
/2024 and want to return before
*****
/2024 you will need a re-entry permit to keep the stamp alive
รlex ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John *********
One more question. What if I go to extend to immigration on Sept 2nd. After that, every time I travel abroad will I need a reentry permit to keep that stamp? Can I be questioned to show a return ticket to my home country? With OA visa, that wasn't a requirement.
John **********
@รlex *******
they probably won't allow you to extend that early. Most immigration offices require you to be in the last 30 days of your current stamp, some like bangkok require you to be on your last 45 days. Yes you will need a re-entry permit to keep the stamp alive, if you travel a lot you can get a multiple re-entry permit. No requirement for a ticket anywhere
Tod *********
๐—œ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ถ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฏ/๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿต/๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€ "๐—บ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ/๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿต/๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐ

๐—œ'๐—บ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฃ๐—ต๐—ป๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ต ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฐ/๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿต/๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐ

Umm if you exit the country AFTER the visa runs out you get nothing

You need to LEAVE and RE-ENTER thailand on or BEFORE the date the VISA itself runs out which you say is Sept 12th.

AND

You need to have a new year of insurance (which will be added to your current expiration date as a rule when you get insurance..

So as long as you have new year insurance & enter the country on or before the 12th of Sept you will get stamped in for a new year OR as long as your insurance will be valid for up to a year, so you'll get stamped in until Sept 11th
Brian *********
@Tod ********
Iโ€™m not promoting being outside of these dates but in my case with an additional year insurance my OA must be used by date was three weeks expired. At the border they didnโ€™t date the 2nd year based on visa or insurance but the day I was physically crossing the border. ๐Ÿ™„

Fwiw. ๐Ÿ‘
รlex ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
What if I don't travel and extend in chaengwattana? Should I do it also before Sept 12th? or I still have time until Oct 31st?
Tod *********
@รlex *******
why would you do that? what is the up side to getting an in country year extension (which requires the same year insurance) versus bouncing out and back before your current stamp expires and getting a new FREE year entry (by showing your new insurance?)
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