return to Thailand via Hua Hin recharge

[Antaro]

i was living in Thailand on retirement visas since 17 years.

currently i am in germany ,

i  want to return to Hua Hin in october.

I do have a rented apartment (contract with me) in Hua Hin

 and i do have 800k on my Kasikorn bank account.

I do have an expat health insurance ,which covers covid 19.

my retirement visa is still (would be still) valid till december 2021.

stupidly i forgot to get a multiple entry stamp before leaving Thailand and  (also) my passport expires in july 2022.

i suppose i cant use my old passport and my retirement visa anymore.

please help me to find the most easy and non expensive way to get back to Hua Hin in october.  (i will get a new passport now)

thank you so much for your support,

 

yours Antaro

[JamesE]

The rules still haven't been published but Recharge is supposed to be modeled after the Sandbox. My guess is that you will fly into BKK and take approved surface transport to HH, be stuck in your room for a day, and then be released out. But that's just a guess. Once the rules are published we'll know more.

 

[AussieBob]

October/November is 'planned' as the opening back up of Thailand, and by the end of this month you should be able to know how to get back before your Retyrement Visa expires. 

BUT - did you get a 'permission to re-enter' before you left Thailand, or did you just leave? 

If you did - then you have until the Visa expires to get back into Thailand - via Hua Hin, or Phuket, or Bangkok. Just get back in before it expires and then you can apply for an annual 12 months extension.

If you did not -  then you have 'expired' your Visa and you must re-apply for a new one.  OR you can come back in with a standard Tourist Visa, and after you arrive you can then apply for permission to extend your stay based on 'retirement'. 

Either way, talk to the local Thai Embassy in Germany and get their advice. 

Once you arrive and get to Hua Hin (in either situation) then ASAP go to the Hua Hin Immigration and ask them when and what you need to do in order to apply to extend your stay, and then go get that all done.

[Faz]

Hi Antaro,

It's obvious you had an extension of stay based on retirement (a permit, not a Visa).
If you exited Thailand without a re-entry permit then your permission of stay ended the day you departed.

1. Obtain a new Passport.
2. Either apply for a new Non O Visa based on retirement to re-enter Thailand, OR, enter Visa exempt (without a Visa) then apply for the Non O > 1 year extension at your local Immigration office.
You have proof of sufficient funds in your Thai bank account for either option.

I'd be extremely surprised if the plan to open Hua Hin to arrivals will open anytime before November or later. You could enter the Sandbox then move to Hua Hin after quarantine.

[BlueSphinx]

1 hour ago, Faz said:

Hi Antaro,

It's obvious you had an extension of stay based on retirement (a permit, not a Visa).
If you exited Thailand without a re-entry permit then your permission of stay ended the day you departed.

1. Obtain a new Passport.
2. Either apply for a new Non O Visa based on retirement to re-enter Thailand, OR, enter Visa exempt (without a Visa) then apply for the Non O > 1 year extension at your local Immigration office.
You have proof of sufficient funds in your Thai bank account for either option.

I'd be extremely surprised if the plan to open Hua Hin to arrivals will open anytime before November or later. You could enter the Sandbox then move to Hua Hin after quarantine.

Hi Antaro,

@Faz provided you with fully correct advice.

#1 - When you left Thailand without having bought a Re-Entry Permit, the permission to stay date from your 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, expired the moment you left Thailand.

#2 - You have indeed two options now.

a) Re-entering Thailand VisaExempt which will provide you with a 45-day permission to stay stamped in your passport on arrival.  After having gone through the 15-day quarantaine, you can then apply at the local Immigration Office of the province where you plan to stay, for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.  This has to be done when you still have at least 15 days (some Imm Offices require 23 days) left on that 45-day permission to stay you received on entry.  Also you would need to provide evidence of +800.000 THB on a personal Thai bank-account at moment of application for that 90-day Non Imm O Visa.  In your case having those 800K already long time on your personal Thai bank-account you will not be required anymore to provide proof of the foreign origins of those funds.  In the last month of that 90-day Non Imm O Visa you will receive, you can then apply for a 1-year extension of stay based on that 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, and having done so you would once again be in same situation as before leaving Thailand.

b) Alternatively you can also apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement at the Thai Embassy in your home-country.  For that purpose you can make use of the +800K on your personal Thai bank-account when the funds you have in Germany are insufficient to meet the financial requirements.  When entering Thailand on that Visa you will then be stamped in for a 90 day permission to stay.  In the last month of those 90 days you would then need to apply - just as for (a) - for a 1-year extension of stay at the local Immigration Office of the place where you have your official Thai address for immigration purposes.  Such application can be done until last day of the at 90-day Non Imm O Visa and requires that you provide evidence of having +800K on your personal Thai bank-account seasoned for at least two months.  In your case having kept +800K already long time on your Thai bank-account, you will not be required anymore to provide evidence of the foreign origins of those funds.

Your choice for a) or b) will depend on what is most convenient for you, i.e. applying for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, at the Thai Embassy in Germany before departure to Thailand, or applying for such Visa at your local Immigration Office when having entered Thailand Visa Exempt.   

A factor that might influence your choice is the fact that you need a 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment insurance as part of the CoE requirements to enter Thailand.  When opting to enter Visa Exempt you would need such insurance for at least 45 days (the period for which you will be stamped in on arrival).  But entering Visa Exempt also requires that you have an outward bound flight-ticket on a date before the expiry of that 45-day permission to stay you will receive on entry.  Cheap 'throw-away' tickets (e.g. from Bangkok to HoChi Minh  City, or from HuaHin to Kuala Lumpur are available on-line for approx 1.000 THB) or alternatively you can buy a legit flight-reservation ticket on-line (approx 10 US $) that you do not intend to use and which will be cancelled automatically 2-3 days after purchase, so you need to buy it day before or day of departure.  Such outward bound ticket is not required when having gotten the 90-day Non Imm O Visa at the Thai Embassy in Germany, but that Visa does require that the 100.000 US $ covid-19 insurance is valid for at least 3 months (covering the full period of the 90 days your will be stamped in on entry). 

As your current passport expires July 2022, it is indeed highly recommended to get a new one while you are currently in your home-country, as that will save you a lot of administrative hassle of having to apply for it at the German Embassy in Thailand and having to 'transfer' your Visa/permission to stay to that new passport.

Cheers and success!

[JerseyBKK]

Hi Antaro,

@BlueSphinxgave a very detailed and accurate explanation. Last August I traveled to the US and my passport and extension both expired in January this year. I returned April 1 when 7 day Q started and used option A.

Only thing I would add is take your old passport (assuming Germany returns the old voided one like in the US) with you when you apply for the new non-O if you decide to do option A. I had copies of the info page from old and new passport and Immigration in Bangkok also wanted a copy of the expired original non-O and last extension stamp from the old passport.

The procedure in Bangkok is to apply for the non-O and come back 7-10 days later and get your passport stamped with the new visa . Then go back after 2 months to get the annual extension. When you get the extension, that starts the timer for 90 day reports.

I always get my multi re-entry permit at Immigration. Most people get a permit at the airport in Bangkok but I prefer to have a one less thing to worry about I'm traveling.