What options do I have to extend my stay in Thailand after the amnesty ends on July 31st?

@Wi**

haha. Fair enough. Bangkok Hilton will be a big step up then lol

@Todd ********

damn 3k a month sounds like a dream. Unfortunately still have a lot of work to do since I and my wife still own our respective investment group/ companies. I've been booking the well known resorts here since it will give me a chance to see how their places are set up hahah. Sneaky sneaky. I've never been to Samui! I live in phuket so never really had to venture to Samui yet. I've been everywhere here though.

@An**

great chance to visit them for sure. Negotiate your price directly rather the coupon. Everyone anxious to deal. Good luck!

@Todd ********

yeah I understand that. We have close to 10 hotels here in phuket and had to close due to the pa demic. Its been a bad year

@Andy ****

good for you (y) glad you got it sorted.

@Je**

I can put what you know about visas and extensions in a teaspoon and still put too much sugar in my coffee :O

@Tod ********

ata girl!

@Nick ***********

It must be frustrating but if I was you contact a reputable agent. Do not go into overstay and just pay the fine. Even if it does not cause hassles currently in Thailand it might in future and might in other countries. I pointed you n the direction of a good agent - she has an impeccable reputation among expats. It is free to consult. She got my Retirement vis cancelled when my trip to Immigration Office did not do it. They told me to fly out of country and back in on visa exempt so I did. At the airport they would not stamp me in visa exempt as I had a retirement visa with multi-re-entry - I got the runaround just like you. Different info from different Immigration Officers. Thank fcuk now i deal with BOI One-Stop-Shop - well the compan ydoes

@Steven ***************

Stranded in Australia,Elite visa under governement command is a »tourist visa » when a problem like covid appear,and it will come again in the future.

@Alex ********

I think this thread is referring to people already inside of Thailand who don't have visas and will be due to leave on 31st July

@Steven ***************

Im not Aussi,i can leave Australia,but the process to come back in Thailand is really complex and difficicult,there is annoncement and the real reality behind,after 4 months,Elite visa isn’t elliglible yet,its only what i see,expansive for nothing,except free taxis to airport and fast queue at immigration,i need to report every 90 days without leaving the Kingdom.

@Nick ***********

So go to a different office then - you are not giving the impression of helping yourself here mate

@Roger *******

they will only allow me to change visa status if I either come back in on a tourist visa of apply for a Non O outside the country

@Bim ******

has your visa actually expired?

@Roger *******

it's expired last August. I did a border bounce to get stamped in another year which expires on the 16th July. I am covered by the amnesty until the 30th. Office is Nakhon Sawan

@Bim ******

l missed a border bounce but my visa is still good. That may be the difference.

@Roger *******

no difference. I asked last year way before the visa expired and they told me the same thing.

@Bim ******

l am due to submit ln Wednesday. I will let you know how it goes.

@Roger *******

what are you converting to and from? My friend just went from OA retirement to O marriage inside the country. But apparently I can't on my current visa

@Bim ******

l have a multiple O based on marriage which l obtained at Savannakhet last September. I am hoping to get an extension based on retirement.

@Roger *******

good luck with it all. Let me know how you get on

@Bim ******

will do.

@Bim ******

which office?

@Oli***

take your pick. There are options available in every country. When the time comes to get a long term visa, I will head to immigration. I have been full time travelling for last 84 months. And over 70 countries. And almost all have some sort of overstay provisions. Right now the system here gives us amnesty. 🤷‍♂️

@Gr**

yes. That’s a strong possibility. 🙏🤷‍♂️🇹🇭🍻

@Todd ********

I admire your optimism - plenty others obviously do not share it as evidenced by the number of posts on here daily worrying about what happens August 1st! :-D

@Gr**

agreed. Fear is the real pandemic :). And for sure we have the next 4 weeks to enjoy

@Greg *******

happy for them to do so. I'm a work permit holder so I can show I have good reason to be in the kingdom

@Adam ********

Same here - Was on Retirement with multi re-entry. Then a mess about getting that cancelled. Now on Non-B and WP with a BOI company.

@Greg *******

they might for those with non b non o, retirement Visa, work permit etc. I.e those with a legitimate reason to be here.

@Adam ********

But can all of those not be extended in-country - no need for border bounces?

@Greg *******

sadly no. non multi entry non b and similar visas require stamps from outside Thailand

@Ad**

you can get a year extension on a multi-entry non B but you'd have to meet the requirements (4 Thai employees, 2m THB capital, etc).

@Ja***

15,000 per month. I don’t think there is a ‘max’ though?

@Todd ********

the fee caps at 20k baht for overstays greater than 40 days.

@D**

did not know this at all. Great!

@Ja***

very interesting! Thx 🙏

@David ********

what your referring to is an under the table transfer. There is no legal way once on amnesty. Unless you have a link to a government announcement in the last few days

@Brian *********

this is not under the table.

Thai elite is not under the table!

Strait from immigration. Many different ways to change visa status in country!

@David ********

elite is an exception but takes over a month so not really helpful, and outside most peoples budget. There are plenty of ways when on a valid visa. Amnesty is not a valid visa so many of us who are on top of this situation and have tried to get on other visas can not once on amnesty. Only crime will solve our situation, or a government announcement allowing changes out of amnesty.

@Brian *********

where are you getting that amnesty is not a valid visa extension?

I would be going to get my marriage visa said and done except I need paperwork from my embassy and they are not open for doing services.

So it's Thai elite which I have submitted my application about two weeks ago. Or an ed visa. Which I am going to meet in person another 1-2 schools today. Trust me when I tell you that if what they are saying seems under the table I will not do it. But I also know that visa agents have been stripped of doing ed visas because of the abuse of them. I myself would love to become fluent in thai so I though to look at the Ed visa just recently.

But my plan has always been to get the marriage visa sorted if I could get the paperwork from my embassy in time. And the backup was Thai elite.

Thats basically been my plan since before amnesty was announced. I have just waited around to see what happened.

And if people are trying to do a O marrage/retirement visa and need to fullfil the k bank requirements then Thai elite is a better deal then having to tie up your cash for months on end that you can only access for a few months of the year anyways.

And on a final note. What kind of ignorant person says only crime will solve the situation. CRIME NEVER PAYS!

@David ********

your misinformed on amnesty.

@Tod ********

can you please explain why amnesty is not a valid visa for changing to another under the current rules please

@David ********

Your link does not mention some of the visa you mention above like Ed Visa (unless you want to be a Monk?)

@Maxim **********

talk to the schools about an ed visa.

@Jennifer *******

I said they could become a burden.

@David ********

but how ...

@Jennifer *******

Because as you say they only have money for a month - you cannot have it both ways. It is not Thailands responsibility to mollycoddle tourists - they have been very helpful in the situation by offering amnesty to their visitors. There have been flights to many countries out of here but the fact is most have done sweet FA about it as they want to continue living here on tourist visas

@Greg *******

back to the same thing I don’t have a home in the uk my home is in China ... I never said I wasn’t happy or wanted them to care .. I didn’t start the virus I didn’t ask to be stuck here and I’m sick of people telling me what to do ...

@Jennifer *******

What is it you want then?

@Jennifer *******

you didn't say that. you only said they could buty the ticket or eat for a month. Not that they got money monthly.

@Ni**

it’s not gonna happen. I plan to stay until next summer, will just enjoy the amnesty process as far as it goes and sort out the future after. Once amnesty ends(its likely everyone gets 30 days warning), its also likely everyone will be eligible for at least 30 day extension afterwards. And overstay is 500 baht/day fine on exit.

@Ni**

overstay is no problem. It’s there for a reason... have done it several times. U won’t get banned unless over 90 days and it’s (somewhat) officially permitted. BKK even has a separate office at the airport to handle overstay travellers. Just go pay the fine 🙂 everyone happy.

I take it u are in the north?

@Todd ********

Will see I remember and was in South after tsunami which was the last time they had a visa amnesty

@Shannon *******

are you? Don't use a dodgy agent then. Duh.

Unless you're saying the Ministry of Labor is issuing fake WPs, and Chaeng Wattana fake visas? C'mon.

@Jeff ******

haha.. nice one beefcake. typical east coast attitude. like i said the stamp can be legit.. doesnt mean it was done ethical.. done here, good luck on your trolling

@Shannon *******

right, so you are more concerned with ethics than legality? News flash: do it right then.

"typical east coast attitude.". "Beefcake.". "Trolling.'

So basically you have no coherent argument, no point, and no idea what you're trying to say, so you fling poo like a chimp?

Stay classy. And enjoy your flight back to wherever you are from when the amnesty expires.

@Jeff ******

haha telling me to stay classy. Cheers buddy.

@Jeff ******

I blocked him - life is too short to deal with fools :-)

@To**

, your bizarre, childish response.

@Ma**

Lol. Learn how to scroll on big shooter. Telling the teacher like a six year makes u look like mightily incapable

@Nick ***********

I am stating it is possible to go to Retirement in country without leaving - are you just being deliberately obtuse or just thick?

@Nick ***********

. Different offices operate in different ways. The O(50+) is not available from all offices. It may be too late for you to now change address to fit in with one that does. Do you have the 800,000 baht in the bank account for two months? That's the main stumbling block

@Nick ***********

. You've just got to keep trying. Take a Thai with you. That often does the trick with any Thai business

@Nick ***********

. And if 15 banks so NO, go to the 16th

@Bobby *******

Ask others for the correct branch if possible. Location is key though.

@Nick ***********

. Ok. Open the bank account and get that 800,000 in NOW. You need two months seasoning, but at least the clock will start ticking

@Nick ***********

Might be the location. I know Bangkok Bank on Pattaya Klang is fine. Kasikorn in Central Festival. There are particular branches in Bangkok people mention. It may be because you are away from a tourist area or big city

@Nick ***********

Oh yes. You will never fully adjust lol. At work I Just hand paperwork to Thai staff. Medical claims, visa stuff etc. So lucky in they sort everything for us. Even personal stuff too outside of work. That is why I used an agent previously for visa etc. Yes I could have done it all myself but the time and hassle involved was not worth it to me. I would rather pay for consultancy just like people pay me.

@Nick ***********

Listen mate - people have tried help you but you are just one of those kids at school who never really got it. Best of luck.

@Greg *******

alright Greg !! I see you’re trying to help. But just a tiny little bit more empathy and patience for Nick today would go a loooong way. 🙏

@Dan *******

. Sometimes it is difficult to show empathy towards people who have had over three months to get their affairs in order. As

@Greg *******

points out most longstay visas can be sorted in country (I'm not saying all), but it appears that there's a lot of crying from people who have LIVED in Thailand for years by playing the tourist visa game and suddenly border bouncing and visa runs are no longer possible. We know Thai immigration have been getting strict with this type of strategy for the last couple of years and yet people still laughed at it and took no responsibility for getting the right visa for long stay. Now the chickens have come home to roost and the tourists are panicking

@Nick ***********

. I don't know your age, but if you're over 50, it's a lay down misere

@Nick ***********

. If you're over 50, you can convert to O (50+) visa in country. As long as you haven't left your run too late

@Nick ***********

. If it's the case, it's probably because you are already on amnesty. Generally, you need 21 days remaining on a hard stamp in order to convert tourist visa to O(50+). My advice here is to prepare for what MIGHT happen on July 31. The Thai government are unlikely to tell everyone on amnesty to leave on that day. There will be a withdrawal plan, and it's just possible for those eligible for O, B or ED visas MIGHT be thrown a lifeline, in which case an in country extension or visa MIGHT be possible. If you already have the dosh in the bank, it would give you a bit more leverage

@David ********

Exactly - pretty simple really

@Greg *******

how do i get the non b visa ? And what is it .. I know others staying on a Work visa but i dont Work i just spend Money all Day everyday

@Oliver *******

You say you have shops here? That is a business is it not? Form a Thai Ltd company and then you can get a Non-Immigrant B visa and a work permit. What visa you living here on - if you are living here you are not a tourist in reality

@Shannon *******

you are correct. But there are options available to change you visa status in country.

I can change to a marriage visa and do that in country. You can change to an elite visa and do that in country. You can change to a b visa and do that in country.

There are options for those that are/have not wanting to game the system.

@Shannon *******

I understand that there are those not wanting to game the system.

But there is one that just posted that they live here and have shops here but yet only on a TR visa. That's not legal. People asking that they want to live her and work online need to have the proper visa to stay here as well.

I have friends who come here to inspect factory work and they get a proper b visa so they don't have issues.

There are those who do it properly and those that don't. Plain and simple. I don't know the percentage of them but you see many of them asking the questions in this group and online.

@David ********

Nail on the head - in a few cases there are those slipping between the cracks ie here on visa exempt and need to get out for Non-B so can get a WP. The vast majority are living in Thailand pretty much bending the rules. They are usually the ones screaming about double pricing, Thailand is racist and a whole host of other shite.

@Greg *******

those are some pretty big generalizations mate. How do u get at those thoughts.

@Shannon *******

Reading their posts

@Greg *******

you know their visa status when they are talking about racism and double pricing? I'd say a lot of the people posting about this are retirees that live her long term or people paying taxes.

@Shannon *******

If they are retirees then they can extend in country no issue at all - so it is not them. If they are paying taxes they are on Non-B with a Work Permit - extend in country so nope not them either

@Greg *******

not talking about visas here mate. Talking about people talking bs about Thais or Thailand

@Shannon *******

Bye

@Nick ***********

everything I have started is from a tourist visa. Changing visa status from another type of visa is typically impossible. Period. Except for the Thai elite visa. They have information about how to change the visa status in country. Basically you schedule to get the Thai elite visa affixed and that same day you are at immigration with them canceling your current visa with the Thai elite representative putting your new visa in right after.

@David ********

You can go from Tourist Visa or Visa exempt to Non-O 90 day then Extension based on Retirement in country - I did it myself

@Nick ***********

I can only speak to my own situation. I was a 60 day Tourist Visa but can be done on Visa Exempt. I got the Non-O 90 day in country. I had opened the bank account on a tourist visa but the 90 day certainly lets you do that. Funds in and 1 year retirement received. That was Jomtien around two years ago. The hardest part was cancelling it to get a Non-B as I went back to work. If I was you I would engage an agent - for the cost it is worth the stress free situation. Tik Tok Ratchanee is excellent and has a great reputation

@Nick ***********

Exactly - to be honest I think a few of the IO's have no clue what the rules actually are. Cancelling the Retirement Visa as I was going to start a new job threw them at both the Immigration Office and at Immigration at the airport. It meant I had to leave the country and come back in 3 times in the end but luckily the company paid for flights and hotels in Singapore for both of those. I ended up with 2 nice breaks in Singapore staying at 5* hotels and meeting up with old pals but it was frustrating. I also ended up getting paid a month when i could not work so not all bad :-) Speak to Tik Tok Ratchanee and look at others reviews of her services. I have not seen a bad review. She loves dogs too so i my eyes it makes her a special person :-)

@Bobby *******

I disagree, in that, and even more so now, yes it is/was a rule that was written once, for certain reasons, I’m not even sure exactly why, other than ‘Controlling’ the visa’d population during its boom times, in the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s But ALL the fuss and talk about now is TOURISM and VISITORS and SPENDING MONEY. Times have changed, attitudes are changing. I would think a financially based, shorter term tourist visa, on a par with the Elite would do well to weed out the spongers.

Guys, they're getting the additional immigration office ready to deal with the rush. Anyone who can get an extension, or needs a 90 day report, do it now!!

/posts/1/

@Nick ***********

. You can get an elite visa in country.

@Nick ***********

but it's arguably the truth

@Nick ***********

Reality checks ARE ALWAYS helpful - POSTING foolishness is what is NOT HELPFUL !!!