Getting Visa paerwork in time

[woodenjake]

US retired couple (formerly lived 6 years in Belize) moving to Thailand in beginning ofJanuary -- will be coming in on the US citizen 30 day non-visa tourist option (we will be unable to get a visa prior to moving as we currently aren't living in the US and didn't  want to leave our passport hours away in the US Embassy in Mexico City for up to 2 weeks ) . We are planning on applying for Non-OA retirement once we arrive in Bangkok (we meet the monthly income requirements) but have some questions about the process -- It seemed simple enough, but I just found out that the criminal record from the FBI takes 12-14 weeks! - I'm going to order it now, but the request will have to be forwarded to FBI then sent to a friend THEN mailed to Thailand --- It seems that people have gone through the retirement OA process through immigration in Bangkok, but what happens when it takes so long for your paperwork to get there????    We have our short-term rentals lined up through mid-March and then will be looking for long=term -- but will immigration allow us to stay while we're in the process? ( we will have an exit airline ticket out within the 30 days since we have to to get in, but weren't really planning on using it),,  Anyone who has recently gone through this process please help with suggestions!

[elviajero]

You can't apply for, and don't need, a Non Immigrant 'O-A' visa after arriving in Bangkok. And you don't need a criminal background check.

 

What you can can do is apply for a Non 'O' visa/entry at Bangkok immigration using proof of your income supplied by the US embassy in Bangkok. You'll need at least 15 days of your 30 day visa exempt entry remaining when applying.

 

Approximately 2 weeks later, on return to Bangkok immigration, you will receive the Non 'O' visa and a 90 day permit to stay. Then at some point during the 90 days you will go back to Bangkok immigration to apply for a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement using the same proof of income.