O VISA (extension of stay )

[crazykopite]

Hi everyone need a little advice for a friend who is currently in Palm Springs , Florida. He has had a extension of stay visa for some 12 years and even tho he was married to a Thai who was sadly killed in a traffic accident he never went down the road of a marriage visa. In June last year he went back to the US for a family visit which was meant to be 3 weeks however he fell ill and has ended up having had Heart surgery which in turn meant a long delay in his return to Thailand. His extension of stay visa ran out mid December and I would imagine that his re-entry stamp would have done so as well. He has just had the all clear from the Hospital and a letter from his Doctor stating he is fit to travel. So here comes the issue I am trying to sort . The guy concerned is 76 years of age so I suggested that he obtain a 90 day visa from his local Thai consulate in Miami this he can then convert into a O visa at our local immigration however the Thai consulate have informed him that he need to be married to a Thai to get a 90 day visa or if this is not the case he can have a 60 day visa my question is can he convert a 60 day tourist visa into an O visa . I have to assume that as his wife died some 18 months ago and although we have marriage and death certificates the consulate may not accept that he is married. His daughter is intending driving to the consulate next week so I am hoping that someone out there can offer some advice . I am trying to avoid him coming in on a 30 day tourist visa and having to go to Malaysia to then get another visa, at 76 he sometimes gets confused , as I said any advise would be welcome this is genuine so please no sarcastic remarks on this issue please

[BritTim]

Assuming finances are not an issue, the easiest solution is probably to travel to Thailand on a tourist visa, followed by conversion to a non immigrant entry and then a one-year extension on the basis of retirement. There are numerous threads on this board that discuss this option. Whereabouts in Thailand is he planning to live? In some locations, if willing to pay the extra money, it can be easier to use an agent to help get the conversion and extension of stay.

[ubonjoe]

I assume his daughter is not Thai going by the info you supplied.  If she was he could get the non-o visa based upon being her father.

The honorary consulate in Miami is difficult to deal with. They could issue a single entry non-o visa based upon being over 50 years old but have refused to do them.

The honorary consulate in Portland Oregon will issue one and accepts mailed in applications. A member recently got one from them. Their website does no mention it but the do issue them. See: http://www.thai-or.com/

 

[elviajero]

8 hours ago, crazykopite said:

 ... he can have a 60 day visa my question is can he convert a 60 day tourist visa into an O visa

Yes, but he would need 800K in the bank, or a certified income of 65K pm, or a combination of the two when applying.

 

• After entering Thailand he would need to go to his local immigration office (maybe Bangkok as not all offices will do it) and apply for a non -immigrant visa. He must have at least 15 days left of his 60 day stay when applying. It will cost 2,000 baht.
• About two weeks later he will have to return to the same immigration office. They will issue the non-immigrant visa and give him permission to stay for 90 days.
• Towards the end of the 90 days he goes to his local immigration office and applies for a 1 year extension of stay (1,900 baht), at which point he will have to meet the financial requirements again.