Seasoning requirement for O-A at home embassy.

[Lovethailandelite]

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

Seems like they're all over the map with this. Reply from London embassy just posted in another current thread:

 

When did he send the E mail? They never updated the info until Wednesday morning London time. In all honesty, it makes little difference anyway. At the end of the month, the online application system makes the decision in Bangkok once you upload the required documents.

 

Edited March 10, 2019 by Lovethailandelite

[Jim7777]

On 3/8/2019 at 3:16 PM, ubonjoe said:

Not required at the Thai embassy in the US.

Source: https://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/non-immigrant-visas/non-immigrant-category-oa/

No problem to use a USAA account as far as I know.

It is now shown on the embassy in London website.

I’m on a marriage visa extension so I don’t know anything about initially applying for a retirement visa at a Thai Embassy even though I am actually retired here, I’m just a little younger than 50 years old but my wife’s a Thai citizen.  Anyway the Thai Consulate in New York City is really easy to deal with that’s where I obtained my initial visa was at the Thai Consulate in New York City.  I’m not sure how they do Retirement Visas there but everyone I talked to about that Thai Consulate when I was actually there including people applying for Retirement Visas had nothing but good things to say about them.  Everyone said that the New York City Thai Consulate is one of the best and I got my marriage visa really easily there with very little paperwork I had to submit and it was ready the next day, it took less than 24 hours to get my visa in New York.  Although I understand that there’s more paperwork required for an initial Retirement Visa so this might not help.  

 

My wife and I have also been to the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. when we lived in that area when my wife needed to update her Thai ID Card and passport, and I can say for sure that the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. is a lot busier and slower than the Thai Consulate in New York City.  From my experience the Thai Consulate in New York City is a lot faster and easier to deal with then the Thai Embassy in DC.  

 

But that was back in 2014 so I don’t know how much has changed.  The Thai Embassy in DC I remember moved 3 times between 2007 and 2014.  I still remember when the Thai Embassy in DC was still in Georgetown but now it’s way on the other side of DC.  The first time we visited the Thai Embassy in DC it was still in Georgetown but it’s far away from that side of DC now.  I remember when the Thai Embassy was still in Georgetown they seemed a lot more helpful than the new location.  The Thai Consulate in New York City I think is the best choice but again I haven’t been there since 2014.  

[stud858]

All down to the staff working at embassies.

I've met some strange ones. One time, one general was pretending not to be in to avoid contact with anybody. The staff said he was out. They didn't expect me to wait so long. Eventually, after an hour or so he steps out of a room and asks what I wanted.

If you get sincere professional people, you end up with professional results. Well done New York.

 

 

[claynlr]

On ‎3‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 12:58 PM, marcusarelus said:

I sent an email to embassy Washington DC a few days ago asking those same questions.  No word back yet.

I sent an e-mail to Washington Embassy 3 weeks ago and no answer back yet!

[marcusarelus]

28 minutes ago, claynlr said:

I sent an e-mail to Washington Embassy 3 weeks ago and no answer back yet!

Do they ever answer or is the email address only a placebo? 

[ubonjoe]

31 minutes ago, claynlr said:

I sent an e-mail to Washington Embassy 3 weeks ago and no answer back yet!

I cannot find a email address for the consular section.

Or did you send a message using the contact form on this webpage. https://thaiembdc.org/contact/

[oznomad]

On 3/9/2019 at 2:23 PM, farangx said:

And I am wondering if I get a bank letter here (seasoned 800k 3 months), get a medical certificate here, and other relevant paperwork here before I fly home and use them to apply for an OA.  Will the embassy except these doco especially they are all in Thai?  My purpose is to reduce the time spent back home running around gathering info.

 

Also watching for an answer.

[farangx]

14 minutes ago, oznomad said:

Also watching for an answer.

I would get all the doco here irregardless. It is easy and I can get them all in one morning.  Even if they accept some or maybe not, I got nothing to lose.

Edited March 10, 2019 by farangx

[SunsetT]

On 3/9/2019 at 1:25 PM, lamyai3 said:

"Bank statement or evidence of adequate finance for the past 3 months showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht (approximately £20,000.00)" 

 

How is this possible with a single bank statement? The wording here doesn't really make sense. "Bank statement" is only referred to in the singular, and it's not clear what they mean by "evidence of adequate finance". I'm wondering if it's a syntax error and rather than "for" the past three months, they meant "from"? Otherwise they've sneaked in a significant overhaul of the rules here.

 

In the past it's been required for this money to be in a current account, which means pulling it out of savings long enough to produce a statement, since even easy access savings accounts tend not to generate monthly statements like a current account does. If they're expecting people to park £20000 in a non interest bearing current account for up to four months in order to produce three months of statements they're going to catch many people out. This incidentally is an unrealistic demand, few people would leave that amount of money in their current account for that length of time and it would require planning several months ahead of time. 

I think, given their English is so poor, that they just forgot the 's' on 'statement'. They cant pronounce it anyway! Either that or they were just too f-e-c-k-i-n lazy! Good examples of Thainess before u even get to Thailand....lol.

 

Edited March 10, 2019 by SunsetT

[stud858]

28 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

I think, given their English is so poor, that they just forgot the 's' on 'statement'. They cant pronounce it anyway! Either that or they were just too f-e-c-k-i-n lazy! Good examples of Thainess before u even get to Thailand....lol.

 

I reckon a "statement" by a bank can include several "statements."

 

 

[Limey125]

On 3/10/2019 at 7:29 PM, oznomad said:

Also watching for an answer.

I emailed the Embassy in London,  February this year and asked if  could use my 800,000Bt in my Bangkok Bank account and a Medical certificate issued in Thailand , this is the reply I received. 

[D3030]

On 3/8/2019 at 9:04 PM, stud858 said:

I intend to keep reapplying for non oa visas every two years at my home country, oz. Is there anyone who has been forced on the extension method route?

I currently plan on doing the same as you.  I had every intention on going the 65k a mth route, and would have attempted to get a one year extension this month, but had a private matter come up back home. So I applied for another OA visa from the Royal Thai Consulate in Los Angeles.

 

I enjoyed my time back home, got a 3 week break from my family here, that I just plan on returning back to the States every 2 years.

Edited March 14, 2019 by D3030