Dear editors,
Last month I had my non-o 90-day visa extended until April 15, 2016. In October I will go to Thailand again, about 6/7 months and then I want another one-year extension until April 15, 2017. However, my passport is valid until May 2017, so at the time of that extension only 13 months left, while this should be 18 months.
By far the simplest thing for me would be to apply for a new passport before I leave and take both with me, however the old passport will then normally be made “invalid”.
Will this be accepted upon entry into Thailand or will I run the risk that this will not be accepted and I will only receive a “visa on arrival” of thirty days on my new passport?
Thank you in advance,
He
Dear Han,
For an extension, the passport validity period of 18 months does not apply (or certain immigration offices should have their own rules that have suddenly started to apply). That 18 months is only the case when applying for visas that have a validity period of one year, including Non-Immigrant “O” Multiple entry, Non-Immigrqnt “OA, etc. (In the Thai Consulate in Amsterdam this is even only 15 months) .
For a one-year extension, which you can only obtain in Thailand, your passport must be valid for at least 12 months. If your passport is valid for less than 12 months, according to the new rules, you will receive an extension that corresponds to the remaining period of validity of your passport. For example, your passport is still valid for 8 months when you apply for your extension, then you will only receive an extension of 8 months, ie until the end date of the validity period of your passport.
In your case, you could get an extension in April 2016 until April 2017, given that your passport is still valid until May 2017. However, to be sure, I would build in a security period and no longer enter with the passport if the validity period of the passport is less than 6 months. In your case, this would mean that you should no longer use the old one to enter Thailand after October/November 2016, even if the extension runs until April 2017. This concerns entering Thailand, not staying.
If you apply for a new passport, your old passport will be invalidated. Then ask not to destroy the valid extension in the old passport. On arrival you may get a visa exemption in your new passport, but then you can go to your local immigration office and ask to transfer the still valid extension from your old passport to the new passport.
There is a form for this. See http://www.immigration.go.th/ – Go to Download form and open the form “Transfer stamp to new passport”. Do this as soon as possible after arrival. You should also provide proof that the new passport replaces the old one, because people sometimes ask for this. You can normally also obtain this where you receive your new passport.
This is the procedure as it is now applied, but I advise you to ask for confirmation when you go to immigration for your extension in 2016. This way you can be sure that you get the latest rules because they sometimes change.
If you are not confident with those two passports, you can of course also cancel your extension. Just don't apply for re-entry when leaving Thailand and your extension will expire. You then apply for a new passport and then also apply for a new Non-immigrant “O” Single entry via the embassy or consulate. You will then receive your 90 days upon arrival and then simply request your extension again. So you start everything over again. In that case you will cost a little more, namely the price of a Non-Immigrant “O” (60 Euro), but then you will save a re-enrty (25 Euro), ie the difference will be 35 Euro. Not really much and in exchange you get the certainty that there will be no misunderstandings between those two passports.
Maybe another possibility. I understand from your question that you are still registered in the Netherlands. I don't know how this is arranged for Dutch people, but maybe you can also apply for a new passport at your embassy when you are in Thailand. With both (and proof that the new replaces the old) go to immigration and have the renewal transferred into your new passport.
This last possibility does not exist (anymore) for all Belgians. You can only apply for a passport via the embassy if you have deregistered from Belgium. Belgians who are still registered in Belgium must apply for their passport through their municipality.
Regards,
RonnyLatPhrao
Disclaimer: The advice is based on existing regulations. The editors accept no responsibility if this is deviated from in practice.