Inala

3 hours ago, mosan said:

In all this time since your original post, you haven't done any research.  It's all about the money. Many may qualify for a 90 day Non-Immigrant O  but not necessarily qualify for a Non-Immigrant O-A. There is a big difference in requirements.  Additionally, one must have family ties here in the Kingdom to qualify for a Non-Imm O from most countries - not so with the Non-Imm O-A. With the O-A VISA one can apply for reason of "retirement"...family ties not needed.   

 

I suggest you go back to the embassy website from your home country and study the requirements in their entirety. Try to grasp the nuanced differences between visas. What works for one person may not work for another...

Yeah, you're probably right about the research. I have tried, but basically I'm working such long hours seven days week on a computer to keep my employer afloat in this Covid mess that by the time I get any spare time I'm having trouble focusing. I'm hoping for some time off over Xmas, maybe I can dive into my research then...  

On 10/12/2020 at 9:23 AM, Peter Denis said:

When choosing the Visa to apply for in your home-country you can do this for various purposes/reasons.  And the requirements/conditions are different depending on the type Visa and the reason applying for it.

When you are over 50 years of age (and meet the financial and other requirements) you are eligible to apply at the Thai Embassy/Consulate of your home-country for

- a 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa

- a 5-year Non Imm O-X Visa

In some countries you can also apply for a 90-days Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, but that is not possible in e.g. USA or Australia (there you can only apply for such a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for Family reasons). 

So if you want a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, you need to enter Thailand first on a Visa Exempt or Tourist Visa.  And then with at least 15 days left on your permission to stay that entry provided you, you can apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement at your local IO.  Subsequently you can then in the last month of the 90-days permission to stay, apply for a 1-year extension of that Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.

 

When over 50 years of age and

- wanting to stay long-term in Thailand

- not being married to a Thai national

- not eligible or interested in Visa types for other reasons (e.g. Business, Education, etc.)

and depending on your circumstances the most popular Visa for those over 50 years of age are the 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa and the 1-year extension of the Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement. 

Note: The Non Imm O-X Visa is ridiculously expensive for the little benefits it provides.

 

It depends on your circumstances which of those 2 options Non Imm O-A or Non Imm-O is most beneficial in your situation.

For my specific situation (not married, visiting my home-country occasionally every 1-2 year) there is no doubt that the Non Imm O-A Visa is my choice of preference (not extending it after 2-years but simply re-applying for a new one when visiting my home-country).

 

If you are not clear about which Visa is best for you, do PM me with the following info as these are the factors of relevance to determine your choice:

- Age and nationality

- Married to a Thai national or father of a Thai childr

- Receiving monthly income (e.g. pension or rental income) in excess of +65.000 THB monthly

- Occasionally visiting your home-country (at least once every 2 years)

- Holder of foreign/international or Thai health-insurance with +400K/+40K coverage for in/out-patient care

- Equivalent of at least 800.000 THB on a foreign or Thai personal bank-account for at least 3 months

Peter, in your reply, you mentioned that-

"When you are over 50 years of age (and meet the financial and other requirements) you are eligible to apply at the Thai Embassy/Consulate of your home-country for

- a 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa

- a 5-year Non Imm O-X Visa

In some countries you can also apply for a 90-days Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, but that is not possible in e.g. USA or Australia (there you can only apply for such a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for Family reasons)"

My question is- why would anybody apply for a 90-days Non Imm O visa for reason of retirement, when you can just go ahead anyway and apply for a 1 year Non Imm O-A Visa? So, if you can already get 1 year, why bother with wasting time doing an application for only 90 days??

On 11/6/2020 at 2:19 AM, lovethai123 said:

everyone around me has a child. all my friends have a child. a child would give a purpose to life. else why should i work and rather go to the himalayas and become a sage. 

 

i cant marry this woman due to a few reasons mentioned already and primary being her job in a bar in pattaya. but child is allright. but everything is so damn complicated now. 

What's the problem with her having worked in a bar? There are literally thousands of guys here have made successful lifelong partners from ex bar girls....are you a prude? It sounds like you have may have some religious hang-ups.

To me, you're the one making the situation complicated.

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

The Non Imm O-X Visa is only available for a limited number of nationalities.  So it is well possible that when applying in another country where you are permanent resident that the Thai Embassy/Consulate does not publish it on its website, as locals would not be able to apply for it.

Changing type Visa is not possible in-country, the only exception being applying for a Non Imm O Visa when having entered VisaExempt or on a Tourist Visa.

 

FYI > On Page-1 of this thread I posted a comparison between the O-A and O-X Visa.  And it is crystal clear that the O-X Visa is a very expensive option that provides very little benefits.  

Thanks Peter, got it. And I'll revisit your page 1 comparison!

27 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You may be able to apply for a OA or OX visa at the Thai embassy where you are at if you have proof of residency there. You would need to contact the embassy to find what they require or check the embassy website for info.

This site has all the embassies and official consulates listed with links to the websites.

See: https://www.thaiembassy.org/

Thanks Joe. I followed the link through to the list of requirements, and it seems I only need to show my visa for here, so I think all good! Curiously though, they don't mention the O-X visa anywhere, only the O and O-A.

Can you go in on an O-A and then later change it to an O-X? 

Thanks everyone for all your replies...they have been most helpful.

Just one further question on the O-A and/or O-X visas. I think Ubonjoe or someone mentioned in one of the responses that if you're not in Thailand, you have to apply for either of these visas in your home country. In my case, I have lived away from Thailand for 5 straight years in another Asean country. I hold a work permit here and also have tax residency here. Given that this effectively my place of residence and that it's almost impossible to get into Australia at this time, can I apply for either of these visas at the local Australian (or Thai Embassy) here?

Or do I really need to do this in Australia?  

16 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

I suggest you enlighten us on that issue once you have the Non Imm O-X Visa.

But it cannot work the way you describe it, as your local IO would then not be able to check whether you are still meeting the financial and insurance requirements when you are not staying 12 consecutive months.

If this is correct, then that is a real problem for me with this O-X visa. If I am out of the country, say back in Oz for a few months on a short term consultancy work assignment, the nature of my work is that I can't just drop it and go back to Thailand to present to immigration to prove that I'm still meeting the financial and insurance requirements. When I commit to an assignment I have to complete it otherwise I would suffer reputational damage.   

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You have to be 50 or over for both visas. Both can considered as being for retirement. But they are not officially called retirement visas.

Thanks. Is it mandatory I have to go back to Australia to apply for either the O-X or O-A visas, or can I apply at any Australian Embassy in SE Asia?

Or would it just be best to enter Thailand again on a VE and then apply within country? 

I think it could be a long wait before VE entries are ever possible again, whereas an O-A or O-X will probably get in earlier?  

13 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

When applying for a Non Imm O-A Visa at a Thai Embassy/Consulate in your home-country, that type Visa is sometimes referred to as a 'retirement Visa'.  In several countries (e.g. US and Australia) the Thai Embassy/Consulate does not issue 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.  And it is thus the only Visa you can apply for for reason of retirement.

Note: The retirement terminology is also somewhat misleading as you do not need to be retired to be eligible for the Visa, you only need to be +50 years of age.

 

When in Thailand (e.g. having arrived Visa Exempt or on a Tourist Visa) you can apply in country at your local IO for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa.  And you can do this for reason of RETIREMENT if you meet the age (+50) and financial requirements.  In the last month of those 90 days you can then apply for a 1-year extension of stay based on that Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.

 

So it is in fact quite unfair that those who are currently in their home-country having exited Thailand with a re-entry permit that protects the permission to stay of their 1-year permission to stay based on the Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement which they applied for in Thailand, are now blocked from applying for a COE.

And as long as their permission to stay (protected by that re-entry permit) has not expired, they are not even able to apply for the Non Imm O-A Visa or for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage, on which they can apply for the COE to enter Thailand.

 

Imo when they drafted the COE entry options, they have simply forgotten that there are people on a 1-year Non Imm O extension of stay for reason of retirement with a permission to stay protected by a Re-Entry Permit.

Thanks Peter D, appreciate your explanations. 

17 hours ago, howerde said:

The O-X visa is actually a 10 year visa 5+5, you will still need to do 90 day reports if you are in Thailand,  i have one, and it was tight decision between elite and O-X, the O-X requires health insurance from an approved list, though there do seem to be some work arounds, the elite does not have any insrance requirements other than the current covid-19 insurance which all visa holders need to enter Thailand, at the  moment O-A and O-X can enter Thailand, the non 0 (retirement) holders can't at this moment, it's any ones guess at the moment the rules seem to change daily.

Thanks Howerde. On your reply....."at the moment O-A and O-X can enter Thailand, the non 0 (retirement) holders can't at this moment, ".....

I thought an 'O-A' visa is the retirement visa? 

20 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

If you are not in Thailand when a 90 day report is due you obviously don't have to worry about it as you haven't been there 90 days.  Start counting again when you return.  Same applies to all visa/extension types.

Thanks, I wasn't aware of that. It clears up something I've often wondered about.. 

I am Australian citizen, 50 plus and have spent time over many years visiting, living and working in Thailand. The last 5 years or so I've been working elsewhere in Asia with regular vacations spent back in Thailand on VE arrivals. I have a long term Thai gf, we're not married. I plan to semi-retire or retire back to Thailand some time next year whenever the current Covid situation allows. I may also live in Oz now and then for a few months as my gf has Aussie permanent residency and I own a house there. 

I was wondering about the use of a Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O-X” (long stay) visa, rather than a retirement visa or even a Thai Elite? I plan to travel in & out and thought that the 90 day reports for a retirement visa may become a problem with timing, particularly if one needs to be done whilst I'm outside of the country? As I will probably do some part time consultancy work, I may not be able to be in Thailand when the reporting is required. 

I have the financial resources in a Thai bank for either the O-X or Thai Elite visas and do not have any concerns over the seasoning requirements of the "O-X" visa, so do not require any advice on this aspect.

Has anyone here ever used one of these "O-X" long stay visas? They seem to be quite good in that they give you a 5 year stay without 90 day reports? 

Would one of these grant you early or preferential entry over say a standard retirement visa, if the Covid situation is persisting through next year?

On 8/27/2020 at 11:31 AM, Bender Rodriguez said:

so you have no problem to go check in the rear end what they ate yesterday

Ha ha ha, I've never heard it described that way before....slightly off-putting!