[Bob]

Hua Hin Immigration told me today that one can extend your one-year (some call it "retirement") visa only within the 30-day time period before it expires; however, after some cajoling, I was advised that it can be done earlier but for an extra charge (5,000 baht!).

I was between a rock and hard place. My visa expires May 27th but I'm scheduled to fly back to the states on April 26th. I ended up with two choices: (1) Get it extended by paying an extra 5,000 baht (in addition to the 1,900 baht to extend the visa and the 1,000 re-entry permit)or (2) Just let the damn thing lapse, obtain a new Non-Imm O Visa this summer and then get a new retirement visa in the fall. Since I use a visa service in the states, the new Non-Imm O would have cost me about 3,000 baht in total and, of course, the cost of the one year visa is 1,900 baht.

Bottom-line, get it all done today and pay a total of 7,900 baht or wait and get it done for a total of 4,900 baht. While I could have saved 3,000 baht, I elected to pony up today and save myself the hassle of getting the two new visas in the future.

Moral of the story, I suppose, is to be aware that the cheap way to extend your one-year visa is to do it within 30 days of its expiration date. Next year, I'll stay until May (as you might note, I only missed the damned deadline by 2-3 days in the first place!).

P.S. Yes, I could have tried to extend the date of my flights.....but that, in total, would have cost me $300.00 or about 9,000 baht!

[Wino]

I think, like you, I would have paid the extra baht to be done with it. Perhaps the timing will be better next year.

[Bob]

Wino, on 09 April 2010 - 05:35 PM, said:

Perhaps the timing will be better next year.

Yep, it will be. I'll be back in September and so I'll simply have to stay until the first part of May. People have probably had to endure worse things...hehe.

[Thaimo]

That is a perfect example of a common problem. Different immigration offices seem to make up their own rules. I know for a fact that friends who live in Pattaya have obtained their new visa as much as months in advance when they had valid reason to do so.