Newbie to Thai Visa's needs advice

[SpikeTW]

Hi all,

looking at the visa options for me, looks like Non-Immigrant 0-x is my only option.. My partner who is from Bangkok and living in UK for 30 years have bought a plot of land in chiangmai and are currently building our home. We plan to spend the UK winters in Thailand and UK summers back in Europe. We are currently not married but am hoping that i can gain the 5 year long stay visa.. it looks like i need to prove i have £20k and an address.. what do you think?

[jackdd]

Depends on how much time exactly you want to spend in Thailand and if making a visa run is an option for you.

For example if you go to Thailand at end of October, enter with visa exempt (30 days), extend it (30 days), then make a border hop for a new visa exempt (30 days) and another extension (30 days) you would have to leave end of february which is a good time to leave before the burning starts. Like this you wouldn't need any visa in advance. If this is all the time you spend in Thailand i also don't think you would have any problems doing it this way.

[SteveK]

The extension for a visa exempt entry is only 7 days at cost of 1900 baht, not 30 days.

[cornishcarlos]

24 minutes ago, SteveK said:

The extension for a visa exempt entry is only 7 days at cost of 1900 baht, not 30 days.

 

It's can be extended for 60 days if he gets married, same price ????

[jabis]

44 minutes ago, SteveK said:

The extension for a visa exempt entry is only 7 days at cost of 1900 baht, not 30 days.

Wrong, it still is 30 days. You might confuse this with the Visa on Arrival for certain countries not able to use the visa exempt (no paperwork at the border) entries.

[SpikeTW]

hi guys, thank you for speedy reply.. are the extensions easy? for this trip i only need Nov-end of january

[UKresonant]

1 hour ago, SpikeTW said:

We plan to spend the UK winters in Thailand and UK summers back in Europe.

The O-X is 2x5years but have to have £83000 in a Thai bank, insurance attached is not cheap, and you would need to read the small print to see if it would provide any cover at all! Also the amount that has to remain in the bank.

The O-A Visa is about £22k (in your UK bank), available from London, 1 year Multi then enter, extend and get a multi re-entry permit, for another year, then repeat. Rumored that in may have insurance attached in future, perhaps not the best value & check the small print type of concept. Ok at the moment it would seem.

Then there is the get a Non-O SE marriage visa, go to Thailand extend stay permission (multi-entry permit option) married to Thai National. 40k+THB monthly or equivalent, SWIFT transferred to a Thai bank, (even if you are not there) obviously from The last calendar years earnings or from savings, or keep 400K (~£11k) in the bank in Thailand

Elite Visa £14k 5 years 

Elite Visa £58k 20 years 4x5years ME....

[UKresonant]

8 minutes ago, SpikeTW said:

hi guys, thank you for speedy reply.. are the extensions easy? for this trip i only need Nov-end of january

Non-O Single entry from one of the Thai Consulates, if in Person Application, 90 day entry Based on Married to Thai National, Need wifes Thai passport/ID card and Thai marriage cert....

 

Senario, Get one of these Visas, extend 60 days in country...

 

[SpikeTW]

6 minutes ago, UKresonant said:

The O-X is 2x5years but have to have £83000 in a Thai bank, insurance attached is not cheap, and you would need to read the small print to see if it would provide any cover at all! Also the amount that has to remain in the bank.

The O-A Visa is about £22k (in your UK bank), available from London, 1 year Multi then enter, extend and get a multi re-entry permit, for another year, then repeat. Rumored that in may have insurance attached in future, perhaps not the best value & check the small print type of concept. Ok at the moment it would seem.

Then there is the get a Non-O SE marriage visa, go to Thailand extend stay permission (multi-entry permit option) married to Thai National. 40k+THB or equivalent SWIFT transferred to a Thai bank, (even if you are not there) obviously from The last calendar years earnings or from savings, or keep 400K (~£11k) in the bank in Thailand

Elite Visa £14k 5 years 

Elite Visa £58k 20 years 4x5years ME....

ok, loads of options if rich lol.. O-A seems a choice, i didn't understand your comments about insurance; do i need to take out health insurance for visa?

 

Also, i need to open a bank account; i have a HSBC account here and hear that they have a branch in BKK.. i'm guessing they will need evidence of residence? the new home will get an address soon, what can or do i have to do to get officially stamped as living there? be it 5 months a year..?

[SteveK]

18 minutes ago, jabis said:

Wrong, it still is 30 days. You might confuse this with the Visa on Arrival for certain countries not able to use the visa exempt (no paperwork at the border) entries.

If that's the case then I stand corrected, which also means I got totally screwed when extending my VE stay in 2009. I paid 1900 baht to extend my stay and was given 7 days.

[jackdd]

5 minutes ago, UKresonant said:

Non-O Single entry from one of the Thai Consulates, if in Person Application, 90 day entry Based on Married to Thai National, Need wifes Thai passport/ID card and Thai marriage cert....

 

They are not married, read his first post ????

 

9 minutes ago, SpikeTW said:

hi guys, thank you for speedy reply.. are the extensions easy? for this trip i only need Nov-end of january

Single entry tourist visa, gives you 60 days on entry, can be extended by another 30 days at an immigration office in Thailand for 1900 THB. 90 days should cover your stay, the extension is easy to do.

[SteveK]

Just now, jackdd said:

The extension is easy to do.

It ain't hard but you need to allow an entire morning for it after factoring in the travelling and the waiting at CW.

[UKresonant]

4 minutes ago, SpikeTW said:

ok, loads of options if rich lol.. O-A seems a choice, i didn't understand your comments about insurance; do i need to take out health insurance for visa?

Only the O-X at the moment

[SpikeTW]

2 minutes ago, jackdd said:

They are not married, read his first post ????

 

Single entry tourist visa, gives you 60 days on entry, can be extended by another 30 days at an immigration office in Thailand for 1900 THB. 90 days should cover your stay, the extension is easy to do.

blimey, then i'm all set.. i had thought single entry tourist visa was only 30 days.. 

[jabis]

Just now, SpikeTW said:

blimey, then i'm all set.. i had thought single entry tourist visa was only 30 days.. 

Visa exempt entry is 30 (+30 extendable at immigration for 1900baht) while the single entry tourist visa is 60days (+30 extendable at immigration for 1900baht) ???? 

I guess the latter is the answer for you looking at the timetable you posted.

[jabis]

8 minutes ago, SteveK said:

If that's the case then I stand corrected, which also means I got totally screwed when extending my VE stay in 2009. I paid 1900 baht to extend my stay and was given 7 days.

Yeah things might change in odd 10 years or so, mate 

[UKresonant]

16 minutes ago, SpikeTW said:

Also, i need to open a bank account; i have a HSBC account here and hear that they have a branch in BKK.

No retail bank presence in Thailand for HSBC.

Harder to open an account in Thailand these days, more recently,I found it easier to open a Foreign Currency account(2018). If your partner has a Thai Bank Account, she could give you a reference as a trusted customer of the Bank ( apologies I had missed you were not married)

[SteveK]

9 minutes ago, jabis said:

Yeah things might change in odd 10 years or so, mate 

Haha I see where you're coming from, pass me that suspect looking cigarette please.

[SpikeTW]

10 minutes ago, jabis said:

Visa exempt entry is 30 (+30 extendable at immigration for 1900baht) while the single entry tourist visa is 60days (+30 extendable at immigration for 1900baht) ???? 

I guess the latter is the answer for you looking at the timetable you posted.

i'm guessing single entry visa means just that, should i pop over to Vietnam i would need another? sorry for all these silly questions 

[SpikeTW]

10 minutes ago, UKresonant said:

No retail bank presence in Thailand for HSBC.

Harder to open an account in Thailand these days, more recently,I found it easier to open a Foreign Currency account(2018). If your partner has a Thai Bank Account, she could give you a reference as a trusted customer of the Bank ( apologies I had missed you were not married)

Hmmmm, when i asked a year ago HSBC said they had just closed down in BKK.. but now, without any funfair, they have a bank open there.. https://www.hsbc.co.th/1/2/bkh2/contact-us 

[jabis]

16 minutes ago, SpikeTW said:

i'm guessing single entry visa means just that, should i pop over to Vietnam i would need another? sorry for all these silly questions 

No worries. Yes single entry is just that - used on your first entry, and you get stamped in for 60 days initially. Should you fly out the next day that 60 days stamp would also be used and another visa would be needed to be applied ????  Don't remember if you could apply for a re-entry permit for a SE tourist visa, like you could for Non-Immigrant visas, but certainly never heard of anyone applying for such at immigration ???? For hopping around SE-Asia then you would apply for multiple entry tourist visa (aka METV) which has 6 month validity and each time you would enter you'd get 60 days until the visa itself expires, even for landing the last day, you would get 60 days (+30 extendable at immigration for the same 1900 baht) 

[BritTim]

37 minutes ago, SteveK said:

If that's the case then I stand corrected, which also means I got totally screwed when extending my VE stay in 2009. I paid 1900 baht to extend my stay and was given 7 days.

I forget exactly when the 30-day extension for visa exempt entries was introduced. There have been so many changes around visa exempts. It might have been 2010. You were probably not cheated in 2009.

[BritTim]

19 minutes ago, SpikeTW said:

i'm guessing single entry visa means just that, should i pop over to Vietnam i would need another? sorry for all these silly questions 

You could get a tourist visa in Ho chi Minh City or Hanoi, or just return to Thailand visa exempt entry if your remaining time in Thailand will only be less than 30 days.

[UKresonant]

2 hours ago, SpikeTW said:

Hmmmm, when i asked a year ago HSBC said they had just closed down in BKK.. but now, without any funfair, they have a bank open there.. https://www.hsbc.co.th/1/2/bkh2/contact-us 

I would contact them well in advance then, to check they have what you expect....the office staff may be surprised to see you, if you just pop-in....

https://www.hsbc.co.th/1/PA_ES_Content_Mgmt/content/BKH2/en/home/PDF/tariff_pfs.pdf

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, SteveK said:

The extension for a visa exempt entry is only 7 days at cost of 1900 baht, not 30 days.

Surely a first extension is for 30 days and a subsequent one not permitted, but you will be given 7 days to leave the country. 

[ubonjoe]

9 hours ago, SteveK said:

If that's the case then I stand corrected, which also means I got totally screwed when extending my VE stay in 2009. I paid 1900 baht to extend my stay and was given 7 days.

That was the rule in 2009. Since August of 2014 a 30 day extension has been allowed.

[SpikeTW]

20 hours ago, UKresonant said:

I would contact them well in advance then, to check they have what you expect....the office staff may be surprised to see you, if you just pop-in....

https://www.hsbc.co.th/1/PA_ES_Content_Mgmt/content/BKH2/en/home/PDF/tariff_pfs.pdf

you were right! HSBC called me this am to correct what they said yesterday.. the bank is only for commercial use.. shame.. i had hoped to find a way to transfer money easily and less expensive.. mind due, looking at the pound just now, its best i leave it here for now..

[BuckBee]

On 8/9/2019 at 5:49 PM, UKresonant said:

The O-X is 2x5years but have to have £83000 in a Thai bank, insurance attached is not cheap, and you would need to read the small print to see if it would provide any cover at all! Also the amount that has to remain in the bank.

The O-A Visa is about £22k (in your UK bank), available from London, 1 year Multi then enter, extend and get a multi re-entry permit, for another year, then repeat. Rumored that in may have insurance attached in future, perhaps not the best value & check the small print type of concept. Ok at the moment it would seem.

Then there is the get a Non-O SE marriage visa, go to Thailand extend stay permission (multi-entry permit option) married to Thai National. 40k+THB monthly or equivalent, SWIFT transferred to a Thai bank, (even if you are not there) obviously from The last calendar years earnings or from savings, or keep 400K (~£11k) in the bank in Thailand

Elite Visa £14k 5 years 

Elite Visa £58k 20 years 4x5years ME....

elite 20yr can be about half your suggested cost .