This is the single most expensive mistake a long stay foreigner can make, and it is entirely avoidable. Your extension of stay is cancelled the moment you leave Thailand without a valid re-entry permit. Not suspended. Cancelled.
People fly home for a funeral, come back a week later, and find that the one year extension they paid for and queued for no longer exists. Then they start the whole process again from the beginning.
Single or multiple?
A single re-entry permit covers one departure and one return. A multiple covers every trip until your current permission to stay expires.
The arithmetic is simple: if you will leave Thailand more than twice before your next extension, the multiple is cheaper. If you travel rarely, buy singles as you need them. Either way, buy before you fly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get one at the airport?
Yes, there is a counter at the major airports, but it means arriving early and standing in another queue on a travel day. Arranging it in advance with us takes the risk out of it.
I left without one. Is my extension gone?
In most cases yes, the extension is cancelled and you re-enter on a fresh entry. Come and talk to us as soon as you land: what matters now is choosing the fastest route back to a long stay status, and there are usually options.
Does a re-entry permit extend my stay?
No. It preserves the permission to stay you already have. Your existing expiry date does not move.
Flying out soon?
Tell us your travel dates on LINE and we will arrange the right permit before you go. It takes a day and saves you a year.
Related services
- Visa servicesThai retirement visa in PattayaThe one year extension of stay based on retirement, prepared, filed and renewed for you, without the Jomtien Immigration queue.
- Visa servicesThai marriage visa in PattayaThe extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai national, with a lower financial requirement than the retirement route and no minimum age.
- Visa services90 day reporting in PattayaYour address notification filed for you at Jomtien Immigration, usually the same day, without you setting foot in the building.
- Visa servicesVisa runs and border runs from PattayaTransport, timing and paperwork organised for you, with honest advice on whether you should be doing a border run at all.