BritTim

Never trust Thai embassy/consulate websites on anything other than the services they provide themselves. The sites are riddled with misinformation. Additionally, you should usually treat anything Thai consular officials tell you about Thai immigration rules with extreme scepticism. They have zero training to qualify them to answer such questions.

An alternative to @Red Phoenix's suggestion above would be to apply for a multiple entry Non O visa to visit your Thai wife. This, valid for one year, provides 90-day stays on each entry, and each entry can optionally be extended for 60 days. Thus, if only needing five months, enter using the visa and extend at Immigration. If needing longer, do a border bounce for another 90 days instead of or in addition to the extension.

Stay away from the Non O-A (long stay) visa! However, a basic Non O visa (over age 50) might work well. This gives you a 90-day initial stay, and it allows you to apply directly for one-year extensions on the basis of retirement. If you already have a Thai bank account, the easiest solution might be Apply for a Non O visa (over age 50) before arrival in Thailand and use it to enter. Transfer 800,000 baht from abroad into the bank account,. About 30 days before expiry of the 90-day stay from the Non O visa entry, apply for (i) a one-year extension of your permission to stay based on retirement; and (ii) a multiple re-entry permit. Having done this, you just need to repeat step 3 once a year, near the anniversary of your first one-year extension.

I think it depends on the type of visa you ask for when applying in the US. People tend to automatically gravitate towards the Non O-A (long stay) visa. As you discovered, that has onerous requirements. However, you can also apply for a basic Non O visa (over 50 years old). For that you mainly just need to provide financial proof.

"Certified" in this context just means signed by you and/or your wife as appropriate.

The question is: which website? Back in 2016, the rules were definitely as I described them above. I believe they still are. Regardless, it is prudent to arrive with the full 20,000 baht, even if entering visa exempt.

For a while after the introduction of the e-visa system, it was not. They now issue them, both to visit your Thai spouse and, under unclear circumstances, also retirement.

My opinion remains the same. It is work, but might well be tolerated as it does not compete with Thais for work. If the authorities are aware, it comes down to the discretion of the officials. They could definitely come after you if they wanted. I recommend you keep a low profile.

This is not correct. The bank will not report any visa defects to Immigration, but it often affects their decisions. An example discussed on here every day is that banks will not usually open accounts for people on tourist visas.

The word I would use is an "achievement". Even Vientiane is unlikely to give him any more tourist visas.

It is absolutely true that an adult Thai can justify an application for annual extension for a 50 year-old parent based on the child supporting them. Not all immigration offices will allow the application, however, even if you are staying in the same household. It seems your immigration office is one of those that does. If you want to take advantage of this, enter Thailand with a single entry Non O visa to visit your Thai child.

You will be fine. You can choose whether to extend your 30-day visa exempt entry at Immigration (1,900 baht) or to take the flight you purchased to Vientiane (US$40 for a visa on arrival to Laos and other costs). Your choice. It is true that there were cheaper ways of achieving your objective, but it is pointless to worry about that now..

If he is coming without a visa (30-day visa exemption) he first needs to apply for a Non O visa at Immigration. In Pattaya, I think he will need a long term rental or his own condo prior to the application. The application is made using form TM87, proof of his long term accommodation, the TM30 notification receipt (foreigner staying in the property) and financial proof (his bank in Pattaya should understand what this needs to be). If the funds have not been in the bank for a few months already, Immigration will probably want to see proof that the money came from abroad. The application is taken under consideration, with a report back date probably two to three weeks later to receive an initial 90-day stay. Note that the visa application must be done with at least 15 days remaining on his current permission to stay. He can extend his 30-day visa exempt entry by a further 30 days if necessary before submitting the application for the Non O visa. During the final 30 days of the 90-day entry for the visa, he applies for a one-year extension of his permission to stay, based on retirement. This is done using form TM7 and otherwise much the same documents as for the Non O visa application.

Good luck. The experience when using Kuala Lumpur has varied dramatically over the years. The most recent reports suggest it may again be a bad place to apply. Please report back on this forum on your experience. Apart from Vientiane, there is a lack of good places to apply.

For a long time (and I think still) the official limits were 10,000 baht per person (20,000 per family) if entering visa exempt, with a visa on arrival or with a transit visa. The official requirement was 20,000 baht per person (40,000 baht per family) otherwise. However, the recommendation has been to have at least 20,000 baht (or equivalent in foreign currency) cash, regardless of your visa situation.

It would be better if correct terminology had been used, but it is clear in context that he was asking about visa exemptions that he has received before. I often stress the importance of clear, unambiguous language, but there was no ambiguity here if you read his full post.

Consider switching to an LTR-WP (Long Term Resident Wealthy Pensioner) visa. It seems likely that you would qualify, and it frees you from the tyranny of rogue immigration offices. You do need to have good medical insurance but, unlike with the Non O-A visas, they really do accept appropriate overseas plans.

It is worth noting that the excellent Tricare coverage, following a lot of discussion, has now been accepted as meeting the required medical insurance for LTR visa applications. It has never so far been accepted by Thai Immigration for Non O-A or Non O-X visas.

Other possible options for a tourist visa would be Yangon and Kota Bharu, neither a guarantee as we have no recent reports to go on. There are visa agents on Samui that do runs to Kota Bharu and Penang. You could try contacting them to see what they have to say about your situation.

Your chances are not great. I suggest making an appointment for a tourist visa in Vientiane. If the application is successful, enter Thailand via the Friendship Bridge. If not, fly from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai, and plead your case for a visa exemption there. The only airport I am aware of where there have never been reported cases of denied visa exempt entries is U-Tapao, but there are few viable available flights, and you should still stay out of Thailand a few days even using that airport IMHO.

It would be interesting to know how it could be arranged by an agent. In theory, switching from a Non O-A entry to a Non O entry without a border bounce should be completely impossible, regardless of the seniority of the officials the agent liaises with. If the process involves a simulated border bounce without the passport holder accompanying his passport on the journey, I would recommend staying away from it.

Coming back without a visa makes the process a little more involved. Rather than applying directly for a 12-month extension, you apply for a Non O visa at Immigration (using form TM87). This application is taken under consideration with a report back date maybe two or three weeks later to receive an initial 90-day stay. After that, you can apply for one-year extensions in the normal way. It is not too bad, but you might want to consider getting a single entry Non O visa (retirement) prior to your arrival to simplify matters.

Honorary Thai consulates in the UK are now, unfortunately, history. I have fond memories of using them, but they were too useful to survive. Even before they were finally extinguished, their ability to issue multiple entry visas had been removed. At one time, there was an excellent honorary consulate in Bali. That is now gone. I do not know the current status of the honorary consulates in the US, but suspect they are no longer able to issue visas. I suggest you contact one of them to enquire.

While I cannot confirm this for certain, if you entered by air, I do not think you will be required to complete a TM6 before leaving by land. You still need to complete a TM6 if entering by land.

For a Non O-A (long stay) visa, a basic DBS report should be sufficient. As suggested above, there are some drawbacks to the Non O-A visa. If you intend to stay in Thailand long term, a Non O (retirement) with extensions or LTR-WP (Long Term Resident Wealthy Pensioner) visa might be better. If visiting often, but spending significant time outside Thailand, a multiple entry Non O (retirement) visa, valid for 90-day stays on each entry might be a good fit. It is possible for the Non O-A visa to be best, but for most people it is not. I suggest you try to familiarise yourself with the alternative options I mention above, and decide what ultimately will work best for you.