QUESTIONS ON APPLYING FOR O-A RETIREMENT VISA

[miketu]

Hi all, I'm going to spend just over 100 days in Thailand this year and am trying to find out if I need to apply for a 1 year Non-Immigrant Category “O-A” retirement visa, OR, can I just get a 60 day tourist visa to enter the country and go to a Thai immigration office when the visa is to expire and get a 30 day extension, and then back to the Thai immigration office after that 30 days and ask for another extension?   Will that work or am I only allowed one 30 day extension on a 60 day tourist visa?

 

I have two questions about applying for an Non-Immigrant Category “O-A” retirement visa:

    1) If I present a copy of my US bank statement showing an income of over 65,000 baht per month, is that sufficient or must I have a bank account in Thailand showing an income of over 65,000 baht per month?

 

    2)  Also, concerning the required "Letter of verification stating that the applicant has no criminal record".  

Do I ask the state police in my US state to do a background investigation on me and then a letter stating I have no criminal record and present that?

 

It would almost seem easier if I just get a 60 day tourist visa before I enter Thailand and, then if it is possible get two 30 day extensions on my tourist visa??

 

Thanks!,

Mike

 

 

[ubonjoe]

You can only get one 30 day extension of a 60 day tourist visa entry. To get more time you could do a border run to get a 30 day visa exempt entry.

1. You only need proof of income in the US. I think you will need more proof than a bank statement for proof of income.

2. You can get it from the state police. In most states you need to request a criminal background check. It varies state to state on how it is done.

If you are only going to stay for 100 days it would be best to get the tourist visa.

[Tanoshi]

Tourist Visa 60 days + 30 day extension at Immigration.

Border run to get 30 day Visa exempt entry.

 

Easiest solution.

[miketu]

19 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You can only get one 30 day extension of a 60 day tourist visa entry. To get more time you could do a border run to get a 30 day visa exempt entry.

1. You only need proof of income in the US. I think you will need more proof than a bank statement for proof of income.

2. You can get it from the state police. In most states you need to request a criminal background check. It varies state to state on how it is done.

If you are only going to stay for 100 days it would be best to get the tourist visa.

Thanks ubonjoe, do you know if when a 30 extension visa is about to run out, can I just fly from BKK to Vientiane, spend a week, and then just fly back to BKK and get a 30 or 15 day visa upon entry into Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

21 minutes ago, miketu said:

Thanks ubonjoe, do you know if when a 30 extension visa is about to run out, can I just fly from BKK to Vientiane, spend a week, and then just fly back to BKK and get a 30 or 15 day visa upon entry into Thailand?

Not sure what you mean by a 30 day extension visa. Are you asking about the 30 day extension of the 60 day enty from your tourist visa?

You would not need to be in Vientiane for more than a few hours to board a flight back and get a 30 day visa exempt entry when you enter the country.

[miketu]

Yes, a 30 day extension of the 60 day tourist visa.  If I have to go to Vientiane I might as well stay there a few days, haven't been there since the war. 

 

So good, you're saying I can just catch a flight from BKK to Vientiane and then fly back to BKK and get a 30 day visa exempt entry stamped in my passport??  Sounds easy enough. 

 

If I decide instead to jump thru the hoops and get an O-A retirement visa, do you know if you have to start from scratch each year to get an O-A retirement visa, or can you just extend the one you have for another year when it's about to expire?

 

Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

47 minutes ago, miketu said:

If I decide instead to jump thru the hoops and get an O-A retirement visa, do you know if you have to start from scratch each year to get an O-A retirement visa, or can you just extend the one you have for another year when it's about to expire?

 

If you got a OA visa you would not need to apply for an extension of stay or another visa for almost 2 years. You can do an entry on the date it expires and get a new one year entry and then get a re-entry permit to keep the remainder of it valid when you enter the country.

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, miketu said:

Yes, a 30 day extension of the 60 day tourist visa.  If I have to go to Vientiane I might as well stay there a few days, haven't been there since the war. 

 

So good, you're saying I can just catch a flight from BKK to Vientiane and then fly back to BKK and get a 30 day visa exempt entry stamped in my passport??  Sounds easy enough. 

 

If I decide instead to jump thru the hoops and get an O-A retirement visa, do you know if you have to start from scratch each year to get an O-A retirement visa, or can you just extend the one you have for another year when it's about to expire?

 

Thanks.

 

You get the 30 day extension to your Tourist Visa at your local Immigration office.

 

You can then fly out, or just cross the border and immediately return to get a 30 day Visa exempt entry.

No need to visit a local Embassy or Consulate.

[miketu]

 

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

If you got a OA visa you would not need to apply for an extension of stay or another visa for almost 2 years. You can do an entry on the date it expires and get a new one year entry and then get a re-entry permit to keep the remainder of it valid when you enter the country.

Thanks ubonjoe, where would I get the new one year entry a year later when I enter Thailand?, at my arrival at BKK airport when I am going through the immigration line? 

 

I'm asking all these questions because the Thai embassy in Washington is useless to try and contact by phone.

 

[miketu]

15 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

 

You get the 30 day extension to your Tourist Visa at your local Immigration office.

 

You can then fly out, or just cross the border and immediately return to get a 30 day Visa exempt entry.

No need to visit a local Embassy or Consulate.

Thanks for the info Tanoshi.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, miketu said:

Thanks ubonjoe, where would I get the new one year entry a year later when I enter Thailand?, at my arrival at BKK airport when I am going through the immigration line? 

You get it when you enter the country at any airport or border crossing. It would be the same as you entering the country the first time with the visa.

[Tanoshi]

27 minutes ago, miketu said:

 

Thanks ubonjoe, where would I get the new one year entry a year later when I enter Thailand?, at my arrival at BKK airport when I am going through the immigration line? 

 

I'm asking all these questions because the Thai embassy in Washington is useless to try and contact by phone.

 

 

A multi entry Non Imm O-A Visa. (Long stay). Valid 1 year. Can be issued to those who are over 50 who intend to remain in Thailand for long periods. This Visa allows unlimited 1 year entries before the ‘enter before’ date of the Visa, at which point this Visa is ‘used’.

If you leave and re-enter just before the ‘enter before’ date of this Visa type you are granted another 1 year permission to stay. You will however require a re-entry permit if you intend to leave and re-enter Thailand during this 2nd year permission to stay period.

This is because when the Visa expires on the ‘enter before’ date, so does the ME facility which is only valid until the ‘enter before’ date of the Visa.

You can obtain each 90 day permission to stay by either reporting to your local Immigration office (90 day reports), or exiting and re-entering Thailand. If used correctly, you can stay in Thailand for almost 24 months with this Visa type.

[miketu]

46 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You get it when you enter the country at any airport or border crossing. It would be the same as you entering the country the first time with the visa.

ok, got it, thanks ubonjoe.

[miketu]

29 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

 

A multi entry Non Imm O-A Visa. (Long stay). Valid 1 year. Can be issued to those who are over 50 who intend to remain in Thailand for long periods. This Visa allows unlimited 1 year entries before the ‘enter before’ date of the Visa, at which point this Visa is ‘used’.

If you leave and re-enter just before the ‘enter before’ date of this Visa type you are granted another 1 year permission to stay. You will however require a re-entry permit if you intend to leave and re-enter Thailand during this 2nd year permission to stay period.

This is because when the Visa expires on the ‘enter before’ date, so does the ME facility which is only valid until the ‘enter before’ date of the Visa.

You can obtain each 90 day permission to stay by either reporting to your local Immigration office (90 day reports), or exiting and re-entering Thailand. If used correctly, you can stay in Thailand for almost 24 months with this Visa type.

Thanks.  What would a Non Imm O-A Visa (Long stay) have for an "enter before" date if the visa was issued on November 10, 2017?

 

When I have gotten 60 day tourist visas in the past it always has an "enter before" date that is 3 months from the date of the visa issuance.  e.g. if my tourist visa is issued on November 10, the visa says I must enter before February 10. 

 

 

[Tanoshi]

29 minutes ago, miketu said:

Thanks.  What would a Non Imm O-A Visa (Long stay) have for an "enter before" date if the visa was issued on November 10, 2017?

 

When I have gotten 60 day tourist visas in the past it always has an "enter before" date that is 3 months from the date of the visa issuance.  e.g. if my tourist visa is issued on November 10, the visa says I must enter before February 10. 

 

 

The 'enter before' date would be Nov 10th 2018, if it was issued on Nov 10th 2017.

 

You should always enter asap after the Visa is issued to maximise your stay.

You would have to be in Thailand and cross a border on Nov 9th 2018, to get permission to stay until Nov 2019, to utilise the Visa to it's maximum.