Non-O visa in Vientiane, for foreign wife of retirement visa holder

[cyberjunkie]

I'm going to get my retirement visa.

My wife is a US national and can get the same visa of the husband, but she must get a Non-O visa first.

We planned to go to Vientiane to get it, but we got conflicting informations.

Somebody says that the only two needed documents are the marriage certificate in english and the passport of the husband with the retirement visa.

Others say that they COULD also ask for a criminal record and the paper from the bank (we are in a hurry and we don't have such papers).

Anybody out there with RECENT informations?

We are going to leave for Vientiane, but it would be a bummer if we are asked papers we don't have!

 

Thanks in advance for the help

 

cheers

 

Paolo

[ubonjoe]

If you will be applying for a single entry non-o visa based upon being 50 or over for retirement you will need the medical certificate and a police clearance certificate. You wife would not need them to get one as your dependent.

Savannakhet would be better choice than Vientiane.

[cyberjunkie]

Thanks a lot.

I don't need a visa, i will have a retirement visa in my passport when i leave.

My wife needs to get a non-O visa as a preliminary step to eventually get a retirement visa as dependent.

I think i'll get a re-entry permit and leave with her. As far as understand she just needs copy of my passport (all pages is better, i've been told), the original marriage certificate and a photocopy, plus the usual photos. Am i right?

 

I have already been told that Savannakhet is better than Vientiane. Never understood why. More lax? :)

 

Thanks again for your invaluable work as moderator, and for the support

 

Ciao

Paolo

[BritTim]

53 minutes ago, cyberjunkie said:

I don't need a visa, i will have a retirement visa in my passport when i leave.

My wife needs to get a non-O visa as a preliminary step to eventually get a retirement visa as dependent.

It is less confusing if you distinguish between "visas" and "permissions to stay in Thailand, optionally extended". What you will already have is an "extension of stay on the basis of retirement". It is not a visa, and the distinction is important in many ways.

[ubonjoe]

12 hours ago, cyberjunkie said:

As far as understand she just needs copy of my passport (all pages is better, i've been told), the original marriage certificate and a photocopy, plus the usual photos. Am i right?

No need for a copy of every passport page. That only happens at some immigration offices.

She will only need a copy of her passport photo page and a copy of the Lao visa/entry stamp. Copies of your passport photo page and extension of stay stamp.

[Suradit69]

16 hours ago, cyberjunkie said:

I don't need a visa, i will have a retirement visa in my passport when i leave.

As BritTim pointed out, there are several important differences between a visa and an extension of your permission to stay based on retirement.

 

One difference will arise if you accompany your wife to Laos.

If you have an extension of stay (not a visa), make sure you get a re-entry permit before you leave Thailand or you will essentially cancel the validity of your extension when you return

 

If you actually have a valid unexpired non-imm O-A visa that you obtained at an embassy outside Thailand, then that is a visa and is multi-entry, so a re-entry permit would not be needed.

 

Visas are not extended, so once it expires, if you got an extension an immigration office in Thailand, that is only an extension of your permission to stay in Thailand.