BritTim

1) If you are in the UK, and can get all the necessary documentation, getting the initial visas in the UK has advantages. Each one-year extension of stay costs 1,900 baht. 2) The school will help you with this process. Each visa applied for at Immigration in Thailand costs 2,000 baht. As with a visa from an embassy outside Thailand, this gives an initial 90-day stay that is subsequently extended a year at a time. 3) A multiple re-entry permit costs 3,800 baht. Every time your permission to stay is extended, you need a fresh re-entry permit. For the initial 90-day permission to stay, you may just want to get single re-entry permits before each trip (most easily at the airport on the day of departure) for 1,000 baht.

The best practical options are unlikely to be acceptable to the legal department of your international company. If you are earning a high enough salary, the LTR-WFTP (Long Term Resident Work From Thailand Professional) or the already mentioned SMART visa may work. Unlikely, but possible, could be for you to be directly employed by the Thai affiliate company (with internal reimbursement of the Thai affiliate by the headquarters company). [Given the extreme paranoia of corporate legal departments, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to take advantage of the reality that digital nomads (no Thai customers or employer) are completely tolerated in Thailand, though not strictly allowed according to the law.]

Some nationalities are not allowed to enter free of charge with no visa (tourist visa exemption) but are allowed to apply for a visa at a special desk at the airport on payment of 2,000 baht. That is when the term "visa on arrival" is accurate, though the visa exemption is often erroneously misnamed a visa on arrival.

Entry with a tourist visa: 60-day permission to stay, 30-day extension possible. Entry visa exempt (without a visa): 30-day permission to stay, 30-day extension possible. Entry with a visa on arrival: 15-day permission to stay, no extension possible.

The appointment system has greatly changed the situation there.

I was aware of that. He applied on Tuesday, so I would have expected him to get the passport back Thursday.

It could be 12 months. It could be less. It all depends on the expiry date of your permission to stay. Under no circumstances will it depend on any visa you currently or previously held.

Normally, unless things have changed again, you would get the passport back with visa on Thursday. Was it your choice to wait until Friday, or was this based on instructions by the embassy?

I believe it was possible in the past, though almost never done. I doubt very much it is possible now after the e-visa system entered use in Canada. They are not set up to receive visa applicants at the embassy any more. Anyway, once you are a Thailand Elite member, you can choose when to travel to Thailand to have the visa actually inserted in your passport. The passport sticker is not really important. During the period of your Thailand Elite membership, you can (if you wish) extend annually at an immigration office in Thailand on payment of 1,900 baht. Apart from still being a Thailand Elite member, there are no other requirements. Of course, this is only ever necessary if you make zero overseas trips in a one-year period.

Odd. Are you sure you are interpreting the numbers correctly. The first two numbers are +6623534121 and +6623534122.

I do not believe there will be. There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about the bank deposits when on an extension of your permission to stay based on retirement. I originally misinterpreted the requirements myself. Arguably (but probably not) you are required to keep money in the bank for three months after the visa is granted to prove it was your money, and not just borrowed. That is unclear. For sure, the deposits through the rest of the year are purely to qualify for the next extension. Just to stress again: the term "Non O extension" is completely meaningless. There are over 20 reasons for which you might have been granted a temporary extension of your permission to stay after originally entering Thailand with a Non O visa. Retirement is only one of these.

1) thailandelite.com 2) Since time is short, I recommend you contact them by phone: +66 (0) 2353 4121, 4122, 4129, 4130 3) If approved, and you have paid, the easiest way of getting the visa stuck in your passport is at the airport on arrival. You notify the company about your flight, and Thailand Elite will meet you at the gate to help you through the process. 4) Once you have paid, I do not think there is any time limit on entering Thailand. However, the clock is ticking, and delaying your arrival will not push back the expiry date. 5) Yes. 6) I know there are restrictions on the owning of bank accounts for trading securities, but am sure of the details. Thailand Elite can probably advise, and some on the Jobs, Economy, Banking, Business, Investments subforum are probably experts.

First of all, my assumption is that by "cancel the Non O", you mean cancelling an extended permission to stay based on retirement. If this is not what you mean, please correct me. Anyway, I am unsure what problem you anticipate from withdrawing your money from the bank. Are you aware of anyone being panelised for this (other than being unable to get further extensions of their permission to stay)? If so, I would be interested in the details.

The fact that you are a student or online worker is irrelevant to your tourist visa application. The exact requirements will depend on your nationality, and where you are applying for the visa. Typically, they will ask to see flight reservations entering and departing from Thailand and hotel reservations. They may also want to see recent bank statements. How long do you want to visit Thailand, and where do you plan to apply? Depending on your nationality and how long you want to stay in Thailand, you may not need a visa at all, being able to enter under the tourist visa exemption scheme.

Indeed. A valid, longstanding, meaning of the word "bong" is a pipe similar to a hookah. I wonder if that is what he wants to buy.

If you are outside Thailand, and planning to receive the Elite visa at the airport, the old extension and re-entry permit in the old passport are not an issue. Immigration will simply fail to reinstate the permission to stay permitted by the re-entry permit. The same would be true if you had an old multiple entry visa: it is simply not used. It is, of course, different if you are in Thailand on an existing Non Immigrant permission to stay. Then, yes, the existing permission to stay must be cancelled somehow.

What you plan is possible, but not recommended. You should inform the officials of your travel plans so they are able to schedule any house visit they deem necessary around your schedule. Since this involves more that just your local office, I doubt you will be able to achieve an earlier "under consideration" period. Indeed, I would be dubious about trying. The report back date for an "under consideration" extension is not a guarantee that all the paperwork will be ready on that date. If you have planned an overseas trip, and are told on the eve of the trip: "sorry, not ready yet; come back next week" it could be problematic.

As requested by the OP, this thread is now CLOSED

There is a long thread here on AseanNow on the Thai citizenship process. Unlike the Permanent Residency application, the application fee for Thai citizenship is negligible, only 10,000 baht.

The credit advice is a document showing the detailed information about a bank transfer. The Thai bank can print a copy. If they are necessary, you will need one for each transfer, and there may be a delay and a charge if you want the credit advice for an older transfer.

This is out of date. It gives the requirements that were in effect during Covid restrictions. Health insurance is no longer required for Non O visas (though it is for Non O-A). The Non O visa (the O stands for "other") is available for a number of different purposes. Including those over age 50 not intending to work in Thailand.

The above is correct. Another way of l0oking at it is that an extension of your permission to stay invalidates any previous re-entry permit you hold.

Well you might ask. It is referring to those granted permanent residence. I am nearly sure the headline is incorrect. The limit on the number of PR recipients for 2023 will be a maximum of 50 stateless persons plus a maximum of 100 per country for those who are not stateless. Thus, it might be 30 stateless, 100 UK, 74 US, 100 India etc. I believe the announced limits are the most allowed by the current laws.

I would suggest including a copy of the lost passport report you used when getting your new passport. That, combined with the issue date of the new passport should satisfy the officials if they have a higher IQ than a lava lamp.

I do not think you will have a problem. It is unclear exactly what they will accept, but mainly (i) they do not want to see indications that you are working illegally in Thailand; and (ii) they want evidence that you are not completely broke. It would be best if the final balance is over 20,000 baht.