O visa to O - A visa

[eljuwa]

In June 2019 I was forced to go to the Royal Embassy in Los Angeles, California. I was given an " O  " visa which was good until June 2020.

 

On 30 December 2019 I returned from an overseas trip at Suvarnabhumi. On my arrival card, I requested a one year stay. A really lovely Thai Immigration Lady Officer without any questions gave me an " O - A" visa which is good until 29 December 2020.

 

No fuss. No muss. Easy peasy lemon squeezy .

 

No questions about health insurance nor income nor any form of deposits.

 

On 7 January 2020, I went into Chiang Mai Immigrations, I applied for a multiple entry visa. Once again, no questions asked. Received the visa until 29 December 2020

 

My overall impressions, at least for the immediate present, the whole attitude at Thai Immigration has changed quite a lot.

 

I am over the moon.

 

I wanted to share this with you

[ThaiBunny]

Or, to put it another way: 

1. In June 2019 you got a "O" visa which entitled you to enter Thailand at any time in the next 12 months
2. In December 2019 you did indeed enter Thailand and were given "Permission To Stay" for 12 months (not an "OA visa"). As it was an "O" visa you used to enter Thailand there was no need to question you about funds (the Los Angeles office should have done that) nor health insurance (which doesn't apply to the "O" Visa (yet))
3. Earlier this month you applied for and were granted an multiple-entry permit for which no questions about funds are ever asked and which covers the same period as your Permission To Stay

Edited January 10, 2020 by ThaiBunny

[eljuwa]

On my entry endorsement, it says O - A visa. No reference to an O visa.

 

Repeating...the endorsement says....O - A visa

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, eljuwa said:

On my entry endorsement, it says O - A visa. No reference to an O visa.

 

Repeating...the endorsement says....O - A visa

Therefore your entry Permission To Stay mistakenly states that your visa on which the Permission To Stay is based is OA when as you yourself have said it is an O. I'd put it down to an error by the Immigration officer. She hasn't given you an OA visa as they are not issued at the airport

Edited January 10, 2020 by ThaiBunny

[Peter Denis]

Hi eljuwa,

I don't want to appear pedantic but you are using incorrect terminology when sharing your story.

Most TVF members will understand what you mean, but it might create confusion when maybe later you request some advice and use that same incorrect terminology.

So I corrected your story and rendered the correct terminology in bold

> In June 2019 you applied in LA for a Non Imm OA (long-stay) Visa, which was provided and Visa validity date is till June 2020. 

On 30 December 2019 you re-entered Thailand on that Non Imm OA Visa, and were stamped in with a permission to stay till 29 December 2020.

On 7 January 2020 you bought a multiple entry re-entry permit at Chiang Mai IO, which - when exiting/re-entering Thailand after expiry of your OA Visa validity (June 2020) - will keep the 29 December 2020 permission to stay alive. 

Two comments:

- You did buy the the mulitple entry re-entry permit way before your OA Visa validity expires.  When you exit/re-enter Thailand before your OA Visa validity expires (June 2020), you will be stamped in for the 12 months permission to stay that OA Visa provides you.  So you could have waited with buying the multiple re-entry permit as you won't need it the next 5 months.  Normally you only buy the re-entry permit just before or after the Visa validity date has expired.  And when you exit/re-enter just before the Visa validity expires, you would have a permission to stay till June 2021.  Buying the re-entry permit at that moment, will keep that June 2021 permission to stay alive when exiting and wanting to re-enter Thailand after the original Visa validity has expired.

- Be aware that when your permission to stay expires (29 December 2020) you can apply for a 1-year extension of stay.  By exiting/re-entering Thailand just before your Visa validity date (June 2020) expires, you can extend that permission to stay till June 2021.  So you can have an additional 5 months stay before you need to apply for the 1-year extension.

Note: You might consider just letting your permision to stay expire, and take the steps to convert to a Non Imm O - retirement (or marriage) Visa.  That Non Imm O Visa does not require the now mandatory bogus thai-approved health-insurance which is imposed on extensions of Non Imm OA Visa for reason of retirement  But that's still at least 1 year from now (when timed right 1,5 year), so no need to worry about that yet.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Peter Denis

[Peter Denis]

23 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

Or, to put it another way: ...

HI ThaiBunny, the OP succeeded in confusing you by using incorrect terminology, and incorrectly stating that he was issued an O Visa at his home-country. 

See my post #4 above.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Peter Denis

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

I don't want to appear pedantic but you are using incorrect terminology when sharing your story.

You are not pedantic.

The OP is one of the most confusing since long.

"O-A visa" at Suvarnabhumi immigration checkpoint?

"multiple entry visa" at Chiang Mai immigration?