I finally got my passport back today with the 12-month visa extension. My mistake (in not having the right amount of money in my name only for the right amount of time) ended up costing me 6,500฿ (500฿ per day), more than double the original amount the lawyer quoted. I am still annoyed with myself for missing that kind of detail.
Anyway, the Thailand visas ended up costing a lot more money because we did not plan well ahead of time (maybe for the lack of or confusion over the details). If I could do this over again, I would have done it differently.
Retirement Visa (Non-Immigrant O-A: $200)
Well, if I had done one thing right, that was for Gary’s retirement visa. I read the requirements multiple times when we were still in the U.S. and checked some of the details with the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles via email.
I applied for a 12-month multiple entry O-A visa for Gary. In fact, this will allow Gary to stay in Thailand for up to 24 months with at most one trip traveling outside of Thailand, on or just before the day this 12-month visa ends, and he will be able to stay for another 12 months inside Thailand without leaving. He just needs to report to Immigration every 90 days, which he can do via mail (we hire the lawyer to do that for 1,500฿, about $50). Apparently, this visa is only available if you apply outside of Thailand. If you are inside Thailand, you can only get it for 12 months.
Student Visa (Non-Immigrant ED) and Caretaker Visa (Non-Immigrant O)
For Samantha’s and my visas, I applied for a 12-months multiple entry O visas while we were in the U.S. However, with these visas, we have to leave the country every 90 days unless we get an extension. If I have planned better, we could have save some money if we do one of the following:
1) 12-month multiple entry visa leaving every 90 days (applied outside of Thailand): Samantha’s school has 3 breaks (she’s on a two-week break since this Monday). If I have timed our entry better, we could leave over the breaks to explore different countries around us and to satisfy the 90-day requirement. The visa costs $200/visa.
2) Single entry visa ($80, outside of Thailand) with 12-month extension (1,900฿, ~$61, inside Thailand): whenever you get an extension, it voids the previous visa you hold. As such, when we got the 12-month extension, the previous 12-month multiple entry visas were no longer valid. In order to leave and come back to Thailand during that 12-month period, we had to apply for a multiple re-entry permit, which costs more money, another 3,800฿ (~$123). Then since we hired a lawyer to do it, there are also the fees paid to the visa company, 2,000฿ for Sammy’s extension, and 5000฿ for mine, and another 1,000฿ per person for the 90-day reporting. Maybe for next year, I will just do these myself. Of course, if you don’t plan to leave Thailand within the 12-month period, then there will be no need for the re-entry permit. You don’t need to get this upfront, but get it before you leave for a trip.
Like I’ve said, if I have planned better, I would probably go with option #1, just simpler and I know how to do it myself. Well, it was a good though expensive learning experience.