Thailand visa application No. 204/20: Non-immigrant O Single or Multiple entry

Questioner: Color

I have been coming to Thailand for 12 years, and in recent years I have always applied for my multiple 50 years and older visa in August. And always went to Thailand at the end of October. But now that I want to go to Thailand again, I have the problem for next time, because if I apply now, it will be ready in January. So if I go again in October next year, my visa will still be valid and will have to be extended again in January 2022.

And then I'm back in Thailand, so my question is can I reapply for my visa there, and where? In Bangkok or can that be done at the local immigration? In my case Roi Et. Or is it better to opt for long stay, 50 years and older – retired (non-immigrant O) 1x entry now?

Reaction RonnyLatYa

I thought only “Non-immigrant O Single entry” visas were issued at the moment. In that case there is no choice. But it may well be that one also issues “Multiple entry” visa as “Retired”. You should check because it changes just about every day.

Currently “border runs” are not possible and therefore a “Multiple entry” actually makes little sense. At least if you would use it to obtain a new residence period through a “Borderrun”. However, you could use it to come in later in October.

I suppose you now want to go to Thailand in January, because if you wouldn't until October, it makes little sense to apply for a visa now. So you better wait. By the way, applying for your visa in August if you don't go until the end of October, as you used to do, doesn't make much sense to me either. Late September/early October is more than enough if you don't leave until the end of October.

You don't say how long you stay in Thailand each time.

– If that is now a maximum of 90 days and in October a maximum of 90 days, then that is no problem. You can use both a "Non-immigrant Single" or "Multiple entry".

If you stay longer than 90 days at a time, you will have to extend your stay in Thailand, because as mentioned, “border runs” to obtain a new stay of 90 days are currently not possible. Or you would have to go through the entire CoE procedure and quarantine again, but I suspect that is not the intention.

To stay longer than those 90 days, you can apply for a year extension of your 90 day stay at Immigration. You will of course have to meet the requirements for an annual extension. If you leave Thailand afterwards, you must first apply for a “Re-entry” or you will lose that year extension when you leave Thailand. If you come back to Thailand later in October, you will receive your end date of your period of stay again through this “Re-entry”. Later you can extend the end date of your period of residence by another year and you can always continue to do so as long as you continue to meet the requirements of that annual extension. You do have to make sure that you are in Thailand on that end date, of course.

If you do not request a "re-entry" then you will have to make sure that you still have a valid visa on your next entry, or apply for one again.

You cannot apply for a new visa in Thailand. You should always do this in an embassy or consulate.

The only thing you can possibly do in Thailand is convert from Tourist to Non-immigrant (if it is allowed with the current corona measures). But that doesn't apply in your case.