Integrity Legal - Law Firm in Bangkok | Bangkok Lawyer | Legal Services Thailand Back to
Integrity Legal

Legal Services & Resources 

Up to date legal information pertaining to Thai, American, & International Law.

Contact us: +66 2-266 3698

info@integrity-legal.com

ResourcesVisa & Immigration LawThailand Immigration LawThailand Immigration Rules: Thai 7 Day Visa Extension Stamps

Thailand Immigration Rules: Thai 7 Day Visa Extension Stamps

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests we are going to be discussing 7- day extension stamps. What are we talking about? Well Thai visas or for example, a 30-day stamp, things happen. People lose their jobs, sometimes folks got divorced; all type of things can happen that will result in the termination of one's lawful status in the Kingdom.

In most circumstances where one is coming up on the expiration of a visa for example, it may be possible to go ahead and get a one off 7-day extension stamp. Basically one needs to go down and talk to the immigration office and say, for example: “Look, my 90-day B Visa is coming up for expiration. I haven't been able to go ahead and get my work permit in order, or my business isn't set up the way it needs to be yet, whatever, I simply am not going to be able to extend my Visa. I understand I need to leave the country because the Visa is expiring, but I need more time to basically to leave.” In most circumstances I have found Thai Immigration to be pretty amenable to issuing a one-off 7-day stamp to allow for enough period of time for that individual to get their affairs in order to leave the country presumably in many cases to get another visa and come back but sometimes No that is not the case. Especially with respect to job termination, an individual's work permit will be cancelled and they will go ahead and seek a 7-day extension basically to allow them time to get out of the country and move on.

 Again this is kind of a discretionary thing but it is a 7-day stamp it is not particularly a long period of lawful status being granted and it has been my experience that the view of  subsequent officers who are looking at a 7-day stamp, view that as finality; You are not going to be able to extend on top of a 7-day stamp. You have got to do a visa run subsequent to a 7-day stamp so it is simply a delay and it is basically a delay to allow time to leave essentially. But it can be convenient. Like I said especially now that things are tightening up with respect to work permits, visa extensions, corporate matters here in the Kingdom, corporate compliance matters. We are seeing situations where folks are having a harder time getting their work permit or their visa extension on file within the 90-day period of the initial B Visa. In those cases a seven day extension followed by a subsequent application and return on a 90- day B visa, that seven days grace period, if you want to call it that, can be exactly that. It can be some grace to allow that individual or individuals time to get out of the country, get their affairs in order and get back in the country in lawful status.