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What is the difference between a yearly extension of stay and a visa in Thailand?

Visa TypesExtension of StayNon-Immigrant VisaVisa RegulationsThai ImmigrationO-X VisaNon-O VisaRetirement Visa
Feb 8, 2019
6 years ago
Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
A yearly extension is NOT a visa :O :/

Okay people let's try to hash out some IMPORTANT terminology.

If you apply at the immigration office for a yearly extension (for 1900baht) it is NOT a visa, period.

There are no one year visas sold INSIDE thailand (other than the 10 year O-X visa OR the Preferred Entry <- Thai Elite visa). SO if you didn't buy a one year visa from a thai consulate in another country and instead applied at the immigration office you do NOT have a visa. One last time you have a yearly extension of stay.

A Non-Immigrant Type visa is a stamp or sticker put in your passport. It either comes from inside the country at the immigration office (when it's ALWAYS for 90 days) or it comes from a thai consulate outside the country when it's either a single entry one for 90 days or a multiple entry one good for a year.

The following are basic examples of a VISA (in this case a year-long, multi-entry Non-O visa from Savannakhet Lao) AND a yearly extension of stay (in this case issued by the Suratthani Immigration office) .

If you have a stamp like the bottom image you are NOT here on ANY visa :O you are here on an extension of stay. Now you DID need a visa to apply for the extension BUT that visa expired when it expired and you are allowed to be here IN thailand on the extension of stay.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The conversation clarifies the difference between a yearly extension of stay and a visa in Thailand. It emphasizes that a yearly extension is not a visa but rather permission to stay extended for a year under certain conditions. The discussion covers types of visas (like Non-O, Non-B, and O-X) and details about their applications, highlighting the importance of proper terminology for accurate immigration advice.
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Paul *********
, I deleted a comment in another thread (the one about setting up a business or financing a business) that I think you posted by mistake in.

I say that because you were cranking on about a yearly extension of stay and a visa.

If you're gonna come on here and ask for any advice we're gonna ask you if you're on an extension or if you have a real visa.

Now to be completely honest, you can call the stamp you get to stay here what every you wanna call it. I'm not here to be your friend or hand out warm fuzzy feelings. I'm here to answer questions with accurate timely information and to do that I need to know if someone is on an extension or a visa.

I think this topic ran it's course, thanx one and all for your contributions.
6 years ago
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Robert *******
@Annette ******
 The requirements are not on the website of the Thai Ambassy in Pretoria, but they do have the Non Immigrant O-A visa, which gives you 1 year of stay on entry and if you leave and come back just before the enter before or valid until date on the visa you can get almost 2 years of stay out of it.
6 years ago
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Annette *******
@Robert ******
 thank you
6 years ago
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Robert *******
If you can meet their requirements you can get this 1 year Multiple Entry Non Immigrant O-A Visa. If you have this visa than you can enter and leave Thailand as much you like until the enter before or valid until date on this visa. And on each entry you get 1 year of Stay. If you stay longer than 90 days inside Thailand you have to report this at Immigration Office. If you make a border run stamp out, stamp in/out neighbor country and stamp in Thailand just before or on the enter before or valid until date on the visa you still get 1 year of stay. The visa becomes invalid but you have a legal stay till that Admitted to Stay date stamped in your passport. Example: Visa mention enter before or valid until 31 March 2019, you make the border run on 30 Mach and get a new stamp with Admitted to Stay 30 March 2020. The visa becomes invalid on 31 March 2019 but you can stay. 30 Days before 30 March 2020 you have to apply for an Extension of Stay if you like to stay longer.
6 years ago
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Annette *******
Robert Lagas, to clarify we get a 1 year Visa and then can apply for an extension of stay for another year which must be done before the expiry date of the Visa? If you have a 1 yer Visa do you still have to report every 90 days. Sorry about all the questions, I just wanted to be sure. Thanks
6 years ago
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Annette *******
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Robert *******
@Annette ******
 the 5 year visa is called the Non Immigrant O-X ivsa and only available for citizens of: Applicants must hold passport and nationality of (1) Japan (2) Australia (3) Denmark (4) Finland (5) France (6) Germany (7) Italy (8) the Netherlands (9) Norway (10) Sweden

(11) Switzerland (12) the United Kingdom (13) Canada (14) the United States of America
6 years ago
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Annette *******
Thanks Robert Lagas, that rules us out of that Visa.
6 years ago
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Annette *******
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Annette *******
We want to apply for a Visa before leaving South Africa.
6 years ago
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Annette *******
@Tod ********
 do you get a 5 year retirement visa for Thailand?
6 years ago
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Tim ********
Sooo.... to file my Extension to Stay TM.7 I only need one visa page?
6 years ago
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Tim ********
@Tod ********
 .... no... they are NOT the endorsement pages... thanks again! 👍🏼
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tim *******
 just make sure the two pages you have left on your passport are NOT the "endorsement" pages. you won't get anywhere with those pages.
6 years ago
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Tim ********
Thanks, Tod... from your explanations I thought I was OK... I appreciate your patience!
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
an extension takes HALF a page
6 years ago
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Tod *********
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Norbert *********
👏
6 years ago
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Bruce ***********
I't seems to me that you will have to post this daily. 😎
6 years ago
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Dai **********
So, what exactly is the purpose of the extension? You have to have the non O/B visa to get work permit then get the extension after the work permit. Why can't one stay on the Original Non O/B visa after getting a work permit? Something that has always confused me.
6 years ago
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Robert *******
The B stand for Business, can be to work inside Thailand but also to visit seminars, business meetings etc. It is more than just a visa to work.
6 years ago
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Dai **********
@Biff ******
 yeah i get it, thanks. I dunno why they dont just call it a work visa based on employment, perhaps would avoid confusion.
6 years ago
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Dai **********
@Robert ******
 thanks Rob, its been a while since i did one since moving out to Nam a couple of years ago, but its good to keep abreast of whats happening.
6 years ago
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Robert *******
The original Single Entry Non O/B gives you 90 days of stay inside Thailand. On entry the visa is used and nothing more than a memory in your passport. If you want to stay longer than you have to apply for an Extension of Stay.
6 years ago
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Biff *******
@Dai *********
 usually because the original Non B visa is a single entry which allows a 90 day stay. This gives enough time for the completion of the work permit application and then an extension of stay based on the person’s employment. Without the extension the person only has the 90 days permission of stay in the country.
6 years ago
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Biff *******
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Peter **********
What about retirement visa
6 years ago
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Ադամ ********
You got me, called it a visa. I don't get into peoples business and as long as they don't overstay by accident who cares what they called it but the guy has an O, and extension of stay based on retirement and a re-entry permit. Still won't believe it is not a retirement visa. "Live in Thailand for a month" American friends have surprised me about 3 times recently . (Why does everybody plan to stay for exactly one month anyway?) But they don't know the first day counts, 31 day months, Goddamn leap year...
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Adam ********
 and that IS not a visa, it's a yearly extension of stay and I'll bet dollars to durian that it has the word retirement stamped on it.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Peter *********
 how about you read this topic about what people call a "retirement visa" and then tell me what your wife actually has

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6 years ago
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Ադամ ********
Whatever you say. I know a guy who thinks he has a retirement visa because he threw money at a Phuket agent. No way to teach him otherwise. He is not retired. He has a visa because he is over 50 and has money in a bank.
6 years ago
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Peter **********
@Peter *********
 for people over 50
6 years ago
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Peter **********
@Adam ********
 it does.. My wife just got one 😊
6 years ago
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Ադամ ********
@Peter *********
 Does not exist.
6 years ago
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Ադամ ********
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Jason **********
How about 1 year marriage visa ?
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jason *********
 Google broken today or what? :O

From the thai consulate in Savannakhet the year-long, multi-entry Non-O visa is 5000baht, from the one in Ho Chi Minh City it's 200 US Dollars.

You show the original rose bordered marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3)

you need copies of:

data page of your passport

visa and entry stamp

front&back of the original marriage certificate

front&back of your thai wife's i/d card

thai wife's house book listing.

filled out application and passport sized photo(s)

fee

** NOTE - in HCMC you also need a hand written letter from your wife to the consulate asking that they issue you the visa.
6 years ago
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Jonathan *********************
@Tod ********
 then is extension of I need 90 days extension hahahha
6 years ago
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Jason **********
@Tod ********
 And what do I need to show for it ?
6 years ago
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Jason **********
@Tod ********
 Sounds good, how much is the fee for this in Laos and Vietnam ?
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jason *********
 That comment about as long as you have the 400K baht in the bank they can't refuse it is WRONG..
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jonathan ********************
 you can get a year long, multi-entry Non-Immigrant Type O visa based on marriage to a thai WITHOUT proof of funds from the thai consulates in Savannakhet Lao or Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. On that visa you get stamped in for 90 days and when that stamp is running out you go to the border, stamp out of thailand, stamp in&out of another country and then stamp right back into thailand to get a new 90 day stamp. You do that for the whole year the visa is good for.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jason *********
IF you go to a thai consulate OUTSIDE the country and get a year-long, multi-entry Non-Immigrant Type O VISA based on marriage <- the one where you bounce out and back in every 90 days then you have a VISA

IF you go to the immigration office INSIDE the country with a pile of documentation, photos, etc and get a 30 day under consideration stamp, then go back and get a year stamp <- the kind where you do 90 day reporting then you have an EXTENSION.
6 years ago
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Jason **********
@Jonathan ********************
 yes.
6 years ago
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Jonathan *********************
Really?
6 years ago
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Jason **********
@Jonathan ********************
 As long as you have 400.000 Baht in a Thai Bank Account, they cannot really refuse it!
6 years ago
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Jonathan *********************
And how is the process for get 1 year Visa based on marriage ??
6 years ago
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Robert *******
@Jason *********
 You apply for the 1 year Non Immigrant O visa based on marriage with a Thai National at a Thai consulate. Not sure what else you want to know. BTW there is no marriage visa in Thailand.
6 years ago
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Jason **********
David Broadfoot Is 1 year visa classed as a visa or a 1 year extension.
6 years ago
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Jason **********
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Toby ******
understood but in practical terms it is largely a matter of semantics isnt it? our legal right to be here seems essentially the same.
6 years ago
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Ադամ ********
@Toby *****
 as long as one understands the major importance of valid until and permitted to stay until probably doesn't matter.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Toby *****
 i know, I don't mean to be such a stickler for terminology BUT if you knew the time I've spent asking people who say they're on a "year visa" whether they got it from INSIDE or outside of thailand, whether they bounce in&out every 90 days or whether they do 90 day reporting, etc. It just makes it really easier if someone says, "I'm on a yearly extension of stay based on blah-blah blah and I want to do xyz...
6 years ago
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Toby ******
btw I am not trolling; I am serious: thank you for all your hard work.
6 years ago
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Toby ******
well as to getting concise, coherent answers, that is why we come to you Todd ;)
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
you can think of it however you want to, BUT when it comes to asking questions and getting concise coherent answers, whether you're on a visa entry or an extension of stay really does make a HUGE difference in the correct answers.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
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Ian *********
Im seeing immigration next week to get an extension then, otherwise a weekend trip to Singapore coming up
6 years ago
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Tim ********
Great explanation and insight.... thanks!
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
The reason we harp and harp on the correct terminology is that there is a HUGE difference from being on a year-long multi-entry Non-B (or O) VISA <- where you bounce in and out every 90 days AND a year-long extension of stay based on employment or marriage where you only do 90 day reporting at the immigration office.
6 years ago
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Vladimir ********
@Tod ********
 Tod, actually possible to buy single reentry as many times as need. One year I done this 3 times as my traveling was absolutely unexpected and not planned. This will cost space in passport, if someone concerned about space and empty pages. Economically multiple reentry become effective if travel 4+ times per year extension. And as hassle free of course one multiple per year extension is best in term of no think about reentry and save passport empty pages.
6 years ago
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Gary *********
@Tod ********
 thanks so much Tod. Your advice is very much appreciated and very well explained
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Gary ********
 when you apply for a yearly extension based on marriage you will get a 30 day "under consideration" stamp, then go back on that date and get the year extension inked into your passport.

UNLESS you're going to be leaving the country and comin' back during that 30 day under consideration period DON'T buy a re-entry permit then (it's ONLY valid for those 30 days) :O

Wait until you get the year extension inked into your passport and then buy either the single re-entry permit for 1000baht (which coincidentally lets you leave and come back ONCE during the year ;) ) or the multiple re-entry permit for 3800baht (which lets you leave and come back an unlimited number of times during the year).

Good Luck (y)
6 years ago
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Vladimir ********
Gary Sparkes you can get reentry permit at any time. Due to long queues at immigration much easier to get it at airport if such service available. For last 3 years I get all my reentry at Suvarnabhumi exit 2, at reentry counter. If you don’t mind extra money then get multiple. But you can get it ONLY before your flight and not in advance. Will need to provide boarding pass, all other services done by girls at reentry counter. They have small fee on top like 200 THB. Be wise to plan time and arrive as early as possible, I once spent 40 min at reentry counter
6 years ago
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Gary *********
@Tod ********
 perfectly explained.

Is that normally purchased at the time of the extension being granted or at any time during the year ?
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Gary ********
 there is only ONE type of extension based on marriage and that's a NO ENTRY one. <- the reason you just get the year extension IS you're already IN thailand.

AFTER you get your yearly extension you would buy a re-entry permit; either a single reentry for 1000baht <- (where you could leave come back once) or multiple reentry for 3800baht <- (where you could leave and come back as many times during the year as you wanted to).
6 years ago
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Gary *********
It's based on marriage
6 years ago
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Gary *********
@Tod ********
 I'm applying for my first extension next month.

Could you please explain if there are different categories of extensions. E.g. single or multiple exits and re entries as I go in and out a few times each year. Thanks, great explanation on the original information
6 years ago
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Gary *********
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Matt *******
What if I have a METV, I get stamped in for 60 days, but I go to Immigration to extend for 30 days, I have an extension of stay but I also still have my valid METV Visa so would I be on Extension of Stay or Visa?
6 years ago
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Matt *******
@Gibbins ********
 No, I have a Multi Entry Tourist Visa which is valid for 6 months but only stamped in for 60 days.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
A visa does NOT let you STAY in thailand :O All a visa does is guarantee that IF you're allowed in you get an "admitted until" stamped in for xxx days. Tourist visa 60, Non-Immigrant 'regular' type visas 90 days Non-Immigrant Type O-A visas 1 year, Non-Immigrant Type O-X visas 5 years).

You are extending the "entry stamp" you got from using the METV. You STILL have a valid visa good for more entries BUT if you got a 30 day extension on a 60 days entry stamp you are on an extension of stay.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
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Mark **********
But isn't the extension an extension of a visa?
6 years ago
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Álvaro **********
The visa is a document (a sticker) which allows you to enter the country under specific conditions (time, before a date, with/out work... )

In the very moment you enter you receive a PERMISSION OF STAY under/according to the visa. Then you stay in a permission of stay, NOT stay in a visa.

When you extend, you get an extension of permission of stay.
6 years ago
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Mark **********
Ok, got it.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
You need a visa to get an extension

BUT

visas expire when ever they expire.

Extensions of stays also expire when they expire but an extension of stay is NOT a visa. The word VISA does not appear on ANY stamp only the words "extension of stay" do. So we treat visas and extensions differently.

You can NEVER renew a visa and you can never renew an extension of stay. You get a NEW one every time.
6 years ago
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Tod *********
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