Appling for O/A multiple entry visa In London

[Lincsman]

Dear forum members,

This is a long winded first post but I thought that you would need all the elements to make a informed conclusion.

My Details:

Mid fifty's, UK Resident (no pension as yet)

Rental Income per month £1350 (£16200 per annum)

Cash balance In same account as rental approx £9000

 

This trip I was going enter on a 60 day tourist visa then apply to convert it to the 90 Day Non O then get the 1 year extension based on retirement.

But I have read that the Immigration at Jomtien will no longer issue the conversion to the 90 day non O.

 

So now I'm near the point of applying for the 1 Year O/A Visa from the London Thai Embassy as it would appear less hassle than going off to Bangkok or Loas and the multi entry OA would serve me better + the possibility of getting nearly 2 years stay out of it! But I do have a few query's with regards to the bank funds.

Last week I rang the London Embassy to confirm if a combination of rental income + bank balance would be acceptable to reach the £18000 required, he confirmed that would be OK and the cash balance to be in a savings account.

Now due to my Building Society closing I have a new current bank account but I don't have enough cash in a new savings account, so I rang again today to see if my rental income and cash balance which would amount to over £18000 would be OK in my new current account, but she replied that it I needs to be either £1500 per month rental income OR £18000 cash in a current account for easy access to funds and NOT a combination of funds! So now I'm none the wiser which is correct!

 

London Embassy web page quotes the following below which looks to me like the first guy is correct...

 

Non-Immigrant Type O- A Long Stay 

• Copy of bank statement or evidence of adequate finance showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate with monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, (approximately £18,000.00 / annum) or a deposit account plus a monthly income totalling not less than 800,000 Baht. If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary.

 

 

Any experience or advice would be most welcome.

Many thanks.

 

 

 

 
 

[SheungWan]

1 hour ago, Lincsman said:

Dear forum members,

This is a long winded first post but I thought that you would need all the elements to make a informed conclusion.

My Details:

Mid fifty's, UK Resident (no pension as yet)

Rental Income per month £1350 (£16200 per annum)

Cash balance In same account as rental approx £9000

 

This trip I was going enter on a 60 day tourist visa then apply to convert it to the 90 Day Non O then get the 1 year extension based on retirement.

But I have read that the Immigration at Jomtien will no longer issue the conversion to the 90 day non O.

 

So now I'm near the point of applying for the 1 Year O/A Visa from the London Thai Embassy as it would appear less hassle than going off to Bangkok or Loas and the multi entry OA would serve me better + the possibility of getting nearly 2 years stay out of it! But I do have a few query's with regards to the bank funds.

Last week I rang the London Embassy to confirm if a combination of rental income + bank balance would be acceptable to reach the £18000 required, he confirmed that would be OK and the cash balance to be in a savings account.

Now due to my Building Society closing I have a new current bank account but I don't have enough cash in a new savings account, so I rang again today to see if my rental income and cash balance which would amount to over £18000 would be OK in my new current account, but she replied that it I needs to be either £1500 per month rental income OR £18000 cash in a current account for easy access to funds and NOT a combination of funds! So now I'm none the wiser which is correct!

 

London Embassy web page quotes the following below which looks to me like the first guy is correct...

 

Non-Immigrant Type O- A Long Stay 

• Copy of bank statement or evidence of adequate finance showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate with monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, (approximately £18,000.00 / annum) or a deposit account plus a monthly income totalling not less than 800,000 Baht. If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary.

 

 

Any experience or advice would be most welcome.

Many thanks.

 

You might want to go to the Embassy and request their leaflet on O/A requirements. It will not necessarily correspond with what is on the website.  PS I am not clear from your info above what exactly you do have and whether it corresponds. If you are on the margins you will need to clear this up before you have certified all the documentation before submission.

[Lincsman]

1 hour ago, SheungWan said:

 

You might want to go to the Embassy and request their leaflet on O/A requirements. It will not necessarily correspond with what is on the website.  PS I am not clear from your info above what exactly you do have and whether it corresponds. If you are on the margins you will need to clear this up before you have certified all the documentation before submission.

 

Unfortunately I'm over a 100 Miles from the Embassy so its not feasible to go and request. I'm going to phone one more time to try and clarify the web-page info and ask if they have any leaflets as you've suggested, I will post the outcome.

I have well in excess of the £18000, but in a mixture of rental income and cash.

Many thanks for your ideas.

[steve187]

Jomtein should do the conversion

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, Lincsman said:

Unfortunately I'm over a 100 Miles from the Embassy so its not feasible to go and request. I'm going to phone one more time to try and clarify the web-page info and ask if they have any leaflets as you've suggested, I will post the outcome.

I have well in excess of the £18000, but in a mixture of rental income and cash.

Many thanks for your ideas.

The info on the website is correct. I suspect the person you talked was confused about what you were asking about.

The combination is allowed according the rules issued by the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

You will need to show separate proof of income from the bank statement such at the lease agreement.

[Tanoshi]

The Financial requirement for the O-A Visa is the same as that required to obtain an extension based on retirement from local Immigration offices.

Quote

Copy of bank statement or evidence of adequate finance showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate with monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, (approximately £18,000.00 / annum) or a deposit account plus a monthly income totalling not less than 800,000 Baht. If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary.

 

Whoever you talked to was incorrect.

You don't meet either the monthly income (£1500) or the cash in the bank method (£18,182) but you do meet the combination method.

£9,000 + £1350 x 12 =  £16,200 = Total of £25,200.

 

At the current BKK bank TT exchange rates used by Immigration 25,200 x 44 (baht) = 1,108,800 baht

Not sure what rate the Embassy use to calculate the equivalent of 800,000 baht, but it would have to be as low as 31 baht for you not to qualify.

 

 

[lamyai3]

If you can temporarily move some money around, the easiest way to do it is to ramp up your bank balance to 18k, then pop into your bank and get a statement printed off and stamped and signed by someone there. This money can be moved in very briefly, just long enough to produce a bank statement. 

 

You won't need to bother with the evidence of income business until well into year two of this visa, assuming you re-enter before the 12 month date. 

[Lincsman]

15 hours ago, steve187 said:

Jomtein should do the conversion

I was hoping that Jomtien would, but I've read from many members on the forum that they will not comply even when all the necessary documents are supplied, Key Visa also reported that the Non O was no longer possible, but not sure if the info is out of date!

 

  https://www.keyvisathailand.com/non-immigrant-visa-obtained-in-pattaya-finished/

[Lincsman]

15 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The info on the website is correct. I suspect the person you talked was confused about what you were asking about.

The combination is allowed according the rules issued by the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

You will need to show separate proof of income from the bank statement such at the lease agreement.

Not sure she was confused, she was adamant that I couldn't combine the the two, even after me quoting the statement from the web page, she then gabled away in Thai checking with her college and still came back with the no can do!

[Lincsman]

15 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

The Financial requirement for the O-A Visa is the same as that required to obtain an extension based on retirement from local Immigration offices.

 

Whoever you talked to was incorrect.

You don't meet either the monthly income (£1500) or the cash in the bank method (£18,182) but you do meet the combination method.

£9,000 + £1350 x 12 =  £16,200 = Total of £25,200.

 

At the current BKK bank TT exchange rates used by Immigration 25,200 x 44 (baht) = 1,108,800 baht

Not sure what rate the Embassy use to calculate the equivalent of 800,000 baht, but it would have to be as low as 31 baht for you not to qualify.

 

 

I knew I was short on both the rental income and cash lump sum, but I could combine them until the lady said no can do!

[Lincsman]

9 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

If you can temporarily move some money around, the easiest way to do it is to ramp up your bank balance to 18k, then pop into your bank and get a statement printed off and stamped and signed by someone there. This money can be moved in very briefly, just long enough to produce a bank statement. 

 

You won't need to bother with the evidence of income business until well into year two of this visa, assuming you re-enter before the 12 month date. 

Yes thanks, that's the way I'm going to do it, I know I have to get the bank statements certified but not sure what they mean by this statement...?

'If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary'

[Lincsman]

9 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

If you can temporarily move some money around, the easiest way to do it is to ramp up your bank balance to 18k, then pop into your bank and get a statement printed off and stamped and signed by someone there. This money can be moved in very briefly, just long enough to produce a bank statement. 

 

You won't need to bother with the evidence of income business until well into year two of this visa, assuming you re-enter before the 12 month date. 

Yes thanks, that's the way I'm going to do it, I know I have to get the bank statements certified but not sure what they mean by this statement...?

'If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary'

[SheungWan]

6 minutes ago, Lincsman said:

Yes thanks, that's the way I'm going to do it, I know I have to get the bank statements certified but not sure what they mean by this statement...?

'If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary'

 

In addition to the statements you need to get a letter from the bank. In my case I visited the bank in person to make the request.

[Lincsman]

5 hours ago, SheungWan said:

 

In addition to the statements you need to get a letter from the bank. In my case I visited the bank in person to make the request.

Thanks SheungWan, I will speak to the bank and request one with the statements.

[steve187]

6 hours ago, Lincsman said:

I was hoping that Jomtien would, but I've read from many members on the forum that they will not comply even when all the necessary documents are supplied, Key Visa also reported that the Non O was no longer possible, but not sure if the info is out of date!

 

  https://www.keyvisathailand.com/non-immigrant-visa-obtained-in-pattaya-finished/

not sure how recent that information is.

[dogfish180]

I was in London embassy last year to apply for my F Visa(I work with the military), and a there was a guy in the line in front of me, and he was having a similar problem to you with his documentation. The girl in the embassy was extremely helpful to him and just suggested a slightly different application(sorry but I don't know what it was), that would allow him to stay in Thailand for the year. To be honest, even with my application they hardly looked at the paperwork, just took my money and said "come and collect your visa tomorrow". 

 

So what I am saying is that I found the London embassy very easy to deal with and very accommodating. If you are planning to travel half way around the world, then your 100 mile trip to London shouldn't be much of an effort! I would just go to the embassy in person and get your answers directly(take your completed application, as it will most likely be ok).

[Tanoshi]

8 hours ago, Lincsman said:

Yes thanks, that's the way I'm going to do it, I know I have to get the bank statements certified but not sure what they mean by this statement...?

'If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary'

 

I would have thought that statement was self explanatory!

 

If you receive original monthly statements from the bank, as in posted to you, these are acceptable.

 

If you print off copies from an online account, you need confirmation from the bank they are original copies.

[lamyai3]

5 hours ago, Lincsman said:

Thanks SheungWan, I will speak to the bank and request one with the statements.

 

I asked for a letter but they wouldn't provide one. Instead they made a printout of my balance, superimposed it on bank letter headed paper, and then stamped it with the branch stamp and signed it. The solicitor then made a certified copy of this and the medical certificate and police check, and these three copies were accepted with the visa application. 

[Lincsman]

8 hours ago, dogfish180 said:

I was in London embassy last year to apply for my F Visa(I work with the military), and a there was a guy in the line in front of me, and he was having a similar problem to you with his documentation. The girl in the embassy was extremely helpful to him and just suggested a slightly different application(sorry but I don't know what it was), that would allow him to stay in Thailand for the year. To be honest, even with my application they hardly looked at the paperwork, just took my money and said "come and collect your visa tomorrow". 

 

So what I am saying is that I found the London embassy very easy to deal with and very accommodating. If you are planning to travel half way around the world, then your 100 mile trip to London shouldn't be much of an effort! I would just go to the embassy in person and get your answers directly(take your completed application, as it will most likely be ok).

If it was just one trip to London I do it, as the visa is not ready until the next day staying over night or second trip to London just keeps adding to the cost and very time consuming. I don't know if they will post back when the visa application is made in person.

[Lincsman]

8 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

 

I would have thought that statement was self explanatory!

 

If you receive original monthly statements from the bank, as in posted to you, these are acceptable.

 

If you print off copies from an online account, you need confirmation from the bank they are original copies.

Thanks for clearing that one up, I just found the wording was a little vague, on the MFA website Its slightly different..

 

'In the case of submitting a bank statement, a letter of guarantee from the bank (an original copy) is required'

[WhiteHatPhil]

What exactly does the “letter from the bank” need to state, please?

[SheungWan]

4 hours ago, WhiteHatPhil said:

What exactly does the “letter from the bank” need to state, please?

Confirmation of account

This letter is to confirm that Mr X holds an account with X bank with the following details:

sort code

acc number

This account has been held since (date) and is still currently active

 

signed

name

position

[WhiteHatPhil]

Thank you!

 

[JackThompson]

On 10/3/2017 at 7:37 AM, steve187 said:

Jomtein should do the conversion

If they used the 'official' list from Bangkok, which I received at the front desk, maybe. 

The "home-made" list I was given by the person in charge of conversions, when I went to apply, does not even have an income option.  Also, they wanted bank-funds seasoned. 

 

It appears to be even worse, now, then it was when this was written:

 

[oldwelshman]

6 hours ago, JackThompson said:

If they used the 'official' list from Bangkok, which I received at the front desk, maybe. 

The "home-made" list I was given by the person in charge of conversions, when I went to apply, does not even have an income option.  Also, they wanted bank-funds seasoned. 

 

It appears to be even worse, now, then it was when this was written:

 

I recently visited the London Embassy and the guy I spoke to was next to useless lol If I was to go down same route, am I right in saying the O A mulita entry gives me another year on re entry? If so how long does this go on for as I will be leaving often. It is this or go on exemption, get married and convert to spouse but I cannot hang around for the 30 days processing as I need to fly out for work after 20 days.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, oldwelshman said:

I recently visited the London Embassy and the guy I spoke to was next to useless lol If I was to go down same route, am I right in saying the O A mulita entry gives me another year on re entry? If so how long does this go on for as I will be leaving often. It is this or go on exemption, get married and convert to spouse but I cannot hang around for the 30 days processing as I need to fly out for work after 20 days.

With an O-A visa you receive a one-year permission to stay each time you enter Thailand up until the Enter Before date stamped on the visa. The Enter Before date, in turn, is one year after the visa is issued.

Since you receive a full one-year permission to stay each time you enter using the visa, if you enter just before the expiry (Enter Before) date of the visa, you receive almost a full second year of stay. However, during this second year, you must take care to purchase a reentry permit if you want to exit and reenter Thailand to keep the permission to stay intact.