Answered5 years ago

Will I receive a one-year extension on my OA visa if I leave Thailand in May and return in October?

Multiple Entry OA Visa Visa Extension Re-Entry Permit Thailand Immigration Visa Validity

Sharon ***************

asked Feb 14, 2022

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We arrived with multiple entry OA visas in October that are valid until September 14th, 2022. We are leaving the country mid-May and returning October 11, 2022. 

A couple of points to clarify...

- if we fly out and return in May will we receive an extension for one year or will we only be stamped in again until our current visa expires in September? 

If we get another full year, do we require a re-entry permit for our arrival back in October?

Answer summary

The user is inquiring about the implications of traveling out of Thailand with a multiple entry OA visa. They seek clarification on whether exiting and re-entering the country will grant them a full year extension or if the current visa expiration will apply. One comment indicates that exiting and returning in May would reset the visa clock for another year, depending on health insurance validity, while also noting the need for a re-entry permit if returning after the visa expiration.

14 repliesnewest first

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Tod *********

If you exit/re-enter the country in MAY 2022 you would get stamped in for a whole new year (or as long as your health insurance was valid for up to a year).

AND

IF you exited the country and were going to come back in AFTER that visa sticker expires, you would need to buy a re-entry permit before you left after you got that year stamp when you entered in May or it would cancel when you exited the country

5 years ago

John **********

@Steven ********

that might coincidentally be the case for you but it's unusual. My visa expired years ago but every year I obtain an extension to my permitted to stay date. If I leave and re-enter with a re-entry permit my permitted to stay date remains as is. If I leave and re-enter without a re-entry permit my permitted to stay date is lost and I get stamped in with whatever they give you at the airport (30 days exempt)

5 years ago

Tod *********

@Steven ********

Close but not quite..

😉

The O/P has a year-long, multi-entry Non-OA <- the A after the O is important 🙂 That visa is good for unlimited entries while the visa is valid for, and every entry on that visa gets stamped in for a year (or as long as the mandatory health insurance is valid for up to a year).

Most people get two years of stay out of that visa by exiting/re-entering just before the visa STICKER expires, that gets them stamped in for another 'free' year. <- Now if during that year (after the visa sticker was expired) they wanted to exit they would need a re-entry permit and they'd get stamped back in to the original expiration date they got before. <- you don't get any more time than that out of the visa

5 years ago

Steven *********

@Tod ********

Sorry for my confusion but if the visa sticker was expired and they wanted to exit, as you said, wouldn't they be on overstay and get a fine and even if they have a re-entry stamp when they returned how could they be stamped back in to the original expiration date since it has passed already?

5 years ago

Steven *********

@John *********

Isn't the permitted to stay date the same as the visa expiry date? It is in my passport. A re-entry permit therefore can't be used to keep the permit to stay date alive beyond the date of the visa expiration.

5 years ago

John **********

@Steven ********

yes until the permitted to stay date already in your passport

5 years ago

Steven *********

@John *********

So if I leave Thailand and return after the visa expiry date but have a re-entry stamp I will still be permitted entry and for how long?

5 years ago

John **********

@Steven ********

that's the difference between a visa and the permitted to stay date stamped in your passport. The Visa itself can be expired and a re-entry permit will keep the permitted to stay date alive.

5 years ago

Sharon ***************

@Tod ********

our current health insurance is stamped in our passports valid until October 22, 2022. If we leave and return in May to get the extra year, I assume we would extend our current policy, if possible, for it to coincide with the one year stamp?

5 years ago

Tod *********

@Sharon **************

if you entered in may with a policy good until Oct that's all you're gonna get stamped in for. You need to see how early your insurance company could renew the policy

5 years ago

Benjamin ******

@Sharon **************

No, not true.

IF your "VALID TO" date on your current Non-OA sticker is September 14, 2022, the last day you can enter Thailand is September 14, 2022 on the Non-OA visa to get another year.

IF you purchase a "re-entry permit" before you leave, you can return to Thailand, and you can stay until October 27, 2022.

5 years ago

Sharon ***************

@Tod ********

so I’m clear... if we leave in May and don’t return until October 14 but our visa Valid date is September 14 but our permitted until stamp is 27 October, do we just need to get a re-entry permit before we leave in May to allow us to return in October with the correct insurance to get the extra year?

5 years ago

Sharon ***************

@Tod ********

thank you. I will check with our insurance company.

5 years ago

Tod *********

all the entries on an OA visa are for up to a year

Even if you entered the country the very day the visa sticker itself was expiring, you would still get stamped in for a year or as long as you had the mandatory health insurance.

5 years ago