Thread: Question About Of O-a Visa

Hi-

I have an O-A visa obtained from the Los Angeles Consulate. It's valid through October of this year.

Three months after entering Thailand on this visa, I was called out of the country on an urgent family matter, and have been in the U.S. and Poland since January.

I did not report any change of address in Thailand during this time (I'm referring to the 90-day reporting requirement).

If I go back to Thailand now, is it LIKELY that the visa will still be valid (it clearly showed validity (both the stamp AND the visa itself).

Is it LIKELY that the visa would be EXTENDED for another year, given that I did not report in every 90 days?

I am guessing that the answers are going to be something like, "who knows - try it and see." But, if someone has experienced this before, and has anything more substantive, I would be most grateful for your advice.

I paid a LOT of money and spent a LOT of time getting the visa - I'd had to see it vanish because I screwed up and forgot to report during my emergency absence.


Alex

You don't need to do the 90 day report when you are out of the country.

But you do need a re-entry permit when you leave.

Is it a multiple entry visa?

Even a single entry visa, (The initial visa is usually multiple entry in UK) would still require a re-entry permit. If he left in a hurry he may not have bothered with one.
No re-entry permit when you leave the country invalidates the visa and he has to start the process again.

I don't think the consualte in LA sells Non-Immigrant Type-OA as anything but a multi-entry.

Let's get something straight, the visa expiration date and the permission to stay stamps are horses of a different color..

Here's an example of an OA issued from Canberra but they pretty much look the same..

Notice under number of entries it has an "M" (multiple or unlimited exits/entries) which is good for the duration of the visa.

You can also see that it was issued on 13 May 2013 and has an ENTER BEFORE date of 12 May 2014.

That means from the 13 of May 2013 until the 12 of May 2014 the holder of that visa can come and go all the want in thailand and each time they enter the country they receive a permission to stay until stamp dated one calendar year from the day they enter the country..

IF the holder of the visa in the example, exited and re-entered the country in May 2014 (just before the visa itself expired), they would have been stamped in for another calendar year or until May 2015..

However, what a lot of people don't understand, even though you get a permission to stay until stamp for a calendar year when you enter, the re-entry permit which allows unlimited exits/entries expires on the Enter Before date of the visa or on 12 May 2014 in the example.

This means IF the holder in the example had a permission to stay until stamp dated 10 May 2015, but wanted to leave thailand and come back they would need to buy a re-entry permit to keep the remaining time on the permission to stay until stamp, otherwise it would be canceled when they exited.

DO NOT confuse a "permission to stay until stamp" with the validity of the visa.. They are NOT the same..

90 day reporting has NOTHING to do with visas or extensions of stay. It's done ONLY when you're inside the country for 90 days <- hence the catchy name, "90 day reporting". Exit the country BEFORE 90 days and you don't have to report, once you return the 90 day clock starts counting down again..

So to use the above example in the O/P's story.

IF his Non-OA has a Enter Before date (sometimes it says "must be utilized by") of October 2015, and they enter BEFORE that date, they'll get stamped in for another calendar year, BUT in October the re-entry permit part of the visa will expire.

So if the O/P is going to exit the country AFTER Oct 2015, he'd need a re-entry permit at either thai immigrations or the airport before he flies out to get back in and keep the balance of his permission to stay until stamp alive.. Re-entry permits are 1000 baht for a single and 3800 baht for a multiple (although I think they add 200 baht at Suvarnabhumi as a service fee to those prices).

Hope it helped, that's the best I can do..

Originally Posted by toddaniels

Hope it helped, that's the best I can do..

You're doing a fine service here Todd - jing, jing.

Better than Lopburi or any of them over in TV Land.

Thanks for the thanks, I'm an asshole that much is certain, but I'm not always a prick..

Great accurate info as always Tod - have a green

It is a multi-entry ($200 fee). I was instructed by the consular officer in Los Angeles that re-entry permits were NOT necessary on valid, multi-entry, O-A visas. This was re-confirmed for me upon EXIT by the passport officer, who said I didn't need one. But it's Thailand, so I guess there's only one sure way to find out...

28 November, 2015

Originally Posted by reispr01

If I'm reading Tod's advice correctly, I can still enter Thailand WITHOUT a re-entry permit until 25 October, 2015 (the day before the "Enter Before Date") without jeopardizing the visa. If I DID re-enter on 25 October, I would get a new "Permission to Stay" stamp valid for another year - but during that year, I WOULD NEED to get a re-entry permit each and every time I left the country, because the original "Enter Before Date" had expired.

You knocked it outta the park... It's 100% correct, about the only thing I'd add is; AFTER Oct 25, 2015 you could either buy a single re-entry permit (1000baht) or a multiple re-entry permit (3800baht). Either would have the same date of expiration of your "permission to stay until stamp", but the multiple you could come and go all your want where with the single it's a one shot deal then buy a new one..

IF you don't stay inside the country 90 continuous days you don't do 90 day reporting..

Thank you so much - very helpful, Todd.