Visa based on Retirement for Australians

[Polaky]

Hopefully someone who has applied for one in oz can shed some light on the following:

 

If an application is submitted in Canberra then.....

 

:: ONLY THE ROYAL THAI EMBASSY IN CANBERRA HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ISSUE A RETIREMENT VISA ::  

  } RETIREMENT (O-A VISA) for 50 years old or above (on date of submitting) and having the NATIONALITY of / PERMANENT RESIDENCE of Australia 

     } Documents required are 3 sets [ONE ORIGINAL SETand 2 PHOTOCOPY SETS] 

     } ALL SETS must be BINDING certificate by the NOTARY PUBLIC or JUSTICE OF PEACE. 

     } Required documents EACH SET to be combined with: (APPLICATION FORM A must be the first page of each set) 

        A completed "VISA APPLICATION FORM A"(atteched each FORM with ONE recent Australian passport size photo (3.5cmx4.5cm) taken within 6 month) 

        A photocopy of BIOGRAPHIC OR PERSONAL INFORMATION PAGE(S) of PASSPORT  Passport valid for at least 18 months from expected date of travel) 

        A completed "PERSONAL DATA FORM" (this FORM can be downloaded from our website) 

        A completed "MEDICAL CERTICATE FORM" with rubber stamp of medical doctor to confirm its authenticity (this FORM can be downloaded from our website) 

        An Original Criminal Record"(NAME CHECK ONLY)  issued by the country of residence (shall not be older than 3 months) 

        A CERTIFIED BANK STATEMENT showing a deposit account for last 3 months 

        A BANK'S CERTIFICATE OF BALANCE showing a balance of the amount equal to not less than 800,000 Baht, OR AN INCOME CERTIFICATE with a monthy  

        salary of  no less than 65,000 Baht  OR A COMBINATION  OF A DEPOSIT ACCOUNT PLUS MONTHY INCOME totaling not  less than 800,000 Baht a year 

NOTE        } All documents submitted must be in A4 PAPER SIZE ONLY, and be arranged properly and orderly as advised in the application form 

 

Notice the statement on top which indicates that you can only apply from Canberra, what is a binding certificate?, is that like stapled together Hehe,

 

And now from the Sydney office.........

 

Non-Immigrant Visa type O-A (Australian passport holders only)
(for retirement long stay: must be 50 years of age and over)
Three sets of the following documents (1 original set and 2 copies):

Passport or travel document with a minimum validity of 6 months, and copy
Retirement Visa application form, fully completed
Recent passport-sized photograph (3.5 x 4.5 cm) of the applicant
Evidence of adequate finances:
a deposit account of at least THB 800,000 (approximately AUD 32,000), or
an income statement with a monthly salary of THB 65,000 (approximately AUD 2,600), or
a deposit account plus monthly income of no less than THB 800,000 (approximately AUD 32,000 AUD) a year
Police name check certificate issued less than 3 months prior to submitting the application
Additional documents required for 5-year visa
Eligible applicants: citizens of Japan, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States

Evidence of adequate finances:
a deposit account of at least THB 3,000,000 (approximately AUD 120,000), or
a statement of income with an annual amount of more than THB 1,200,000 (approximately AUD 48,000), or
a deposit account plus monthly income with a total amount of more than THB 3,000,000 (approximately AUD 120,000) per year
Evidence of health insurance from a Thai insurance company

 

 

In Sydney There is nothing to say they need "Binding certificate by the NOTARY PUBLIC or JUSTICE OF PEACE" , a medical form is attached to the application form, to me it appears that Sydney would be a better choice to submit an application, not as stringent as Canberra, however is it at all possible? as that bold statement stating you can only apply through the Canberra office hold any water?

Cheers.

 

[MalandLee]

I live in Perth.
I used the "Sydney list"
Bound everything with one of those binder thingy's from Officeworks $3.00
Sent to Canbera in "Platinum bag" from OZ Post.
Put a paid up "platinum bag" for return postage.
Process took 5 working days

Sent flowers to the fantastic Thai Lady who seemed to answer all calls.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY.
Mal

[Expatthailover]

3 hours ago, MalandLee said:

I live in Perth.
I used the "Sydney list"
Bound everything with one of those binder thingy's from Officeworks $3.00
Sent to Canbera in "Platinum bag" from OZ Post.
Put a paid up "platinum bag" for return postage.
Process took 5 working days

Sent flowers to the fantastic Thai Lady who seemed to answer all calls.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY.
Mal

Well done for rewarding the fantastic thai lady who assisted you.

Thai people deserve far more praise for their efforts in thailand and overseas.

Fantastic, forgiving, helpful and polite people despite some  ( not all ) of the disrespectful, ignorant and downright rude foreigners they encounter on a daily basis.

 

[wozza]

Polaky

I have recently applied for an OA visa from the Thai Embassy in Canberra and had only praise for them , they answered all email questions most times in less than 10 minutes , Sydney however never replied at all .

As for binding , after the JP signed mine, i asked about binding and the old guy who was way older then me  said not my problem sonny,  staple them yourself.

I had dealt with Australia Post with my past employer and i wouldn't trust them with my docs and passport thus is why I flew to Canberra to lodge them myself plus if anything was not right i had the chance to correct it ,which turned out it was all ok , Lodged at 09.30 and picked up next day at 14.00 flew home at 17.00.

Looking at the application at first concerned me thinking it was all too hard ,but in the end it was a piece of cake. 

[NZAMBOY]

Hi to you all...first time poster here...

i live in NZ and am now preparing the "O-A long stay" visa application from the Thai Embassy in Wellington...most of the check list it fine, except for the "personal data form or cv"...i have rung and am told there is not specific form and to just do a cv...well, for me i am worried i might not do this properly and my app will be kicked back...

just asking for advice or samples of what they are looking for...i know it might be different in Aussie, so this is just a shot in the dark...

any help very much appreciated...

cheers

James

[ubonjoe]

19 minutes ago, NZAMBOY said:

Hi to you all...first time poster here...

i live in NZ and am now preparing the "O-A long stay" visa application from the Thai Embassy in Wellington...most of the check list it fine, except for the "personal data form or cv"...i have rung and am told there is not specific form and to just do a cv...well, for me i am worried i might not do this properly and my app will be kicked back...

just asking for advice or samples of what they are looking for...i know it might be different in Aussie, so this is just a shot in the dark...

any help very much appreciated...

cheers

James

They  have this form on their website that most embassies call a personal data form. http://www.thaiembassy.org/wellington/contents/files/services-20120615-182032-770602.pdf

 

[Swimman]

For the purpose of your application for the O-A visa  the CV only needs to be a simple outline

You will find some sample CVs in the link which will provide you with and idea

https://standout-cv.com/blogs/cv-writing-advice-blog/115702276-example-of-a-good-cv 

 

 

[Kirawn]

I also got an O-A Visa from Canberra recently.

Had some questions I  needed answering .

Unable to get through initially so left a message. Got a call back within an hour and had a very helpful and friendly chat for thirty minutes.

I delayed  submitting  my forms as I was working on ensuring my visa began at a time suitable to me to get maximum usuage.

Two weeks later  the embassy called me to say they were worried they had not received my documents.They were concerned they had gone astray in the post. 

 

After  I sent the documents  I got them back within five working days.

I was very impressed with  the professionalism, kindness and concern from the head of the Visa section. She was very knowledgeable and helpful.

I stapled the documents myself and had no problems.

While the requirements seem rigid and bureaucratic the head of visa handled all my queries with genuine warmth.

[wozza]

 My OA Visa has an entry date of 1 year from date of issue, I was under the impression it was valid for entry for 6 months , What is normal 6 months or 12 months, I did point out the date to the staff at the Embassy and he did say you can use this before 1 year.

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, wozza said:

 My OA Visa has an entry date of 1 year from date of issue, I was under the impression it was valid for entry for 6 months , What is normal 6 months or 12 months, I did point out the date to the staff at the Embassy and he did say you can use this before 1 year.

All multiple entry non immigrant visas are valid for a year from the date of issue. Only a multiple entry tourist visa is valid for 6 months.

You can make unlimit entries for the year it is valid. You will get a new one year entry every time. You can do a entry just before the visa expires and get a new one year entry. You can get almost 2 years of total stay here by getting a re-entry permit for the last entry if you want to travel.

[Polaky]

Thank's for the advise and replies guy's, I did email Sydney and got no reply, the to-do list seems difficult but as you say not so bad, I'll try Canberra, I take it if you apply for a 1 year you don't need to send in a flight out?, 

Ubonjoe what is the procedure to get a second year?, do I just fly in before the one year expires and they stamp passport?, no extra fees and such?.

Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Polaky said:

I take it if you apply for a 1 year you don't need to send in a flight out?, 

Ubonjoe what is the procedure to get a second year?, do I just fly in before the one year expires and they stamp passport?, no extra fees and such?.

No need for a ticket out of the country.

Just enter the country before your visa expires and get stamped in for another year. No fees or anything else.

Just remember you need a re-entry permit if you want to travel to keep that last entry valid.