palomnik

I am currently planning to get a non-O visa from here in India. Rather than schlep up to the consulate in Chennai only to be disappointed I've asked the outsourcing company that handles visas for clarification on this. I'll let you know what they say if and when I get an answer.

Perhaps not my business since I'm an American, but wouldn't the factor of maintaining a "residence" (i.e., a mailing address) in your home country and having your pension deposited in a home country bank be sufficient? For US citizens by and large it is sufficient in any situation, with the exception of a few countries (Thailand not one of them, although Vietnam is).

For some Thai consulates it's enough, for others it is not. At which consulate do you plan to apply?

--

Maestro

Chennai (Madras). As ubonjoe cited, thai visa handling is outsourced everywhere in India, although apparently the consulate has final say on what needs to be submitted for any one visa.

I've contacted the visa issuing office for more information, but since this is India I have little faith in getting an answer soon, if at all.

ubonjoe: I'd love to apply for an O visa, but I presume that you need to state a reason. I suppose that I could put down visiting friends, since I have some there, but will that be an adequate reason?

Thanks to everyone! I'd appreciate hearing from anybody who has anything else to say.

Incidentally, I'll be applying for my visa from the Thai consulate in Chennai (Madras), India. Does anybody know anything about their policies?

My apologies if this topic has been raised before. A quick search did not reveal it, to my surprise.

I am a US citizen currently in Thailand on a Tourist Visa Exemption. I will be leaving Thailand in two days. I intend to return by March 1 and to look for work teaching English. Right now my plan is to return on a 60 day tourist visa, and apply for a work visa if and when I find work.

My first question is that in order to obtain a 60 day visa the consulate website indicates that you have to present an "Instrument of means of transportation" - that is, a round trip ticket, or at the least a ticket leaving Thailand, if I understand the meaning correctly.

If for some reason I don't find work I intend to apply for a non-immigrant type O visa - I'm currently retired, and I can satisfy the financial requirements. In any case, I intend to try to stay in Thailand for a while. Given that situation, I don't really want to pay for a ticket to leave Thailand that I will never use. Is anybody aware of a way to deal with this?

My second question is based on the variant of getting a one year visa. My understanding is that you have to be in your home country to apply for one. I am currently living in India, and and although the consulate is only a couple of hours away by car it appears that they can't help me. Is this true?