Answered8 months ago

What should my brother-in-law do about his Thai retirement visa after returning from a funeral?

Retirement Visa Thai Visa Rules Re-entry Permit 90 Day Check-in Thailand Immigration Expat Advice

Dave ******

asked Mar 4, 2026

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My bil has returned from Thailand for his brothers funeral. He's on the full retirement visa in Thailand and has been for years. He should be back for his 90 days check-in in time but he's wondering if he'll need to start all over from scratch or just return without further action. The RTE in London are being somewhat less than helpful.  Thanks

Answer summary

The inquiry revolves around the status of a retirement visa when the holder returns to Thailand after being abroad for a funeral. The consensus in the comments highlights that if he has a re-entry permit, he can return without losing his visa status; his 90-day reporting period would reset upon return. However, if he did not obtain a re-entry permit before departing, he would need to apply for a new visa upon his return as his existing extension would likely be canceled.

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Martin ********

As long as he has got a rentry permit that's all that matters. If he hasn't then his visa has gone.

8 months ago

Ken ************

As long as he got a Re entry permit before he left all will be fine otherwise his Visa will be cancelled

8 months ago

Michael *******

Check with your brother if he has a multi entry stamp in passport then he has no problem and once he arrives back in Thailand his new 90 days starts the day he arrive back ..

8 months ago

Tony *******

90 days on arrival no problems

8 months ago

Gary *********

He will be ok if he has a multiple entry or he'll have to get a re-entry permit.

8 months ago

Gary *********

Ian Carman oh right, that's a shame didn't know the procedure before hand.

8 months ago

Ian ********

Too late

8 months ago

Malcolm **********

I agree with the previous comment, if he got a re-entry permit before leaving and he returns before his retirement visa (extension) expires then he can come back anytime, the 90 day reporting stops when you leave Thailand and a new 90 days starts when you return. If however he didn't get a re-entry permit or his retirement visa expires while he's outside of Thailand then he has to start from scratch.

8 months ago

Ben *******

Malcolm Whitlock ... Very well explained.

8 months ago

Brandon ************

90 day reports are only for 90 consecutive days in Thailand. If he's not in Thailand, there is no 90 day report. He starts counting again at day 1 when he returns.

Whether he needs to start over again depends on if he purchased a re-entry permit before he left. Without a re-entry permit, his extension would have been cancelled as soon as he left Thailand.

With a re-entry permit, he can re-enter using his existing extension. He would need to be back before that extension expires to apply for his next annual extension.

8 months ago

Max *********

@Brandon ***********

how long is the re-entry permit valid for?

8 months ago

Brandon ************

@Max ********

until the end of the stamp in your passport. A re-entry permit only keeps your existing permission to stay alive if you leave Thailand. It doesn't give you any extra time.

8 months ago

Dave ******

@Brandon ***********

that's very helpful. I will check if he got the re-entry thing, but I very much doubt he would have thought about that. He's a nice bloke but not that bright. It's the middle of the night in England so I'll text him later. What you say seems logical. Thanks for your advice.

8 months ago