Denied O Visa

[cali]

Hi, this is my first post. I have been reading this forum and the archives gained a lot of useful information. I wish to move to Thailand for several years and read that it is good to get a real visa in one’s home country. I am from the USA, age 40, not working, and not married. I called a number of consulates, including Denver and Houston and each declined to offer me an o visa. They asked me questions about whether I fell into defined categories which I do not and each said o is not the right visa for me and that I should get a tourist visa. Some consulates only offer single entry but I received confirmation on the phone that Houston offers triple entry. I am concerned about staying in Thailand for several years stringing together tourist visas. I have a substantial amount of money, but am not comfortable with the elite card from a value or longevity standpoint. I just want to do things the right way and have peace of mind. Are perpetual tourist visas really the best I can do or are there other options that would be more reliable and give peace of mind?

[jinjok]

dude - not at all shocked no o visa. at 46 ive never had the balls to apply for o in usa and ive a plethora of visas/stamps actually my 4th pp and have 72pp at current!

if you can get a triple in houston, go for it.

as for living in thailand on tourist visa (which you must do for at least ten years) - them days be gone. in many ways a perpetual tourist visa could be perfect for you if you back to us each year AND can obtain a triple. hel_l, i worry if they will even grant a double.

as an american i would add that thailand is not half the value it was two years ago. between the petrol costs, the inflation in and of itself and hipsters hedging thb vs world currencies - id think it thru. since ive been away i read on another board the girls are asking for more dosh as well.

but the first thing you need to do is get to thailand and decided if you even like the place and can live outside the usa for the balance of your life. this process ususally is not easily undertaken and takes years of going bcak and forth as well as a myriad of other decsions.

also remember... you cannot work.

there is no peace of mind and there never was. there were better times and more taxing times. the time right b4 the govt fell was a good time and the stamps flowed like wine. few years b4 that were not bad either.

asia is a huge place and you could spend a year easily just seeing south east asia done right.

if your only interested in planting your arse on a barstool, drinking and your fave slice of pie every few days - well then, you might want to look elsewhere or... at least remember that thailand is offically for those over 50 and willing to put us22500 in a thai bank and go thru some hassles every year for eternity (which you can spend down but must top up) OR those on a 30 day holiday (complete with r/t ticky in hand).

chok dii

Edited April 4, 2007 by jinjok

[astral]

Unfortunately for you this is correct.

There is no visa to allow a 40 year old to move to Thailand and stay,

unless you meet the girl of your dreams and get married.

There used to be an investment visa, but I cannot find a reference to it any more.

Mind you I should quote myself here and say that you should not invest more money in Thailand

than you are prepared to walk away from.

[monty]

There used to be an investment visa, but I cannot find a reference to it any more.

Yep, they took that away. You had to invest 3 million in a first-hand condo, or put it in a government bank or buy government bonds with them.

However they reasoned that this rule made it much to easy for mafia type persons to stay here, since 3 million is peanuts for these criminals.

As a result they decided that the easy way out was to rule that everybody with 3 million to spare is a criminal and take away their long stay visa option...

They did grandfather in the people already holding such a visa, but the feeling you get at immigration when extending is that definitely you fall under the criminal category, with them trying to find any reason not to extend. Once you miss one extension you lose the visa and can't re-apply anymore.

[mel2surf]

Hey Cali and JinJok ! I too am American,am 46,unmarried,no condo or bank acct in Thailand. I have some dough in the bank(B of A-Holes) in California.About a yr.and a half ago I was given a multi entry non imm.type "O" in about three days through the Denver consulate...beautiful....but that was THEN. I was just back in the United Police States of America last month to retry my luck on the "O" (I do realize I am a falang,and it is a priveledge granted to visit)...I was looking into retirement possibilities,or a condo purchase...some OTHER way to stay long term without marrying,putting big dough in a Thai acct for a year(no interest) ...seems nowdays in LOS the more things change,the more they CHANGE!...and they really don't want us under 50's here(even though Christ Knows I put money into the local economy)...anyway, THIS time both Denver AND Houston said no,and tried to pawn me off on the DC consulate or WORSE L.A. Houston seemed aggro,so I emailed a nice gal at Denver,and though they said no on the "O" I got a triple entry with the advice to get "extensions right at Soyouwannabehere airport" Now I'm here on a triple entry with a TR 60 dy.stamp on left page side given to me at airport (60 days from landing date)...and with all the changes and talk of extensions etc.I'm more confused than ever,and don't even know exactly how long I can stay....but anyway,my plan now is to just watch what transpires here and keep my dough in American acct. and travel light as usual,in case Vietnam,Cambodia or Malaysia becomes a "land of smiles"

I love Thailand,but feel unwanted.Having said that,things could still change for the better,but my advice is don't put all your eggs...ya know.

Mel

[blizzard]

hey mel

trust me on this vietnam isnt going to be a new land of smiles. i went there to check it out and get a tourist visa, i couldnt wait to get the hel_l out of there.

there is a reason thailand can support many a forums and these other countries cant. most of us want to be in thailand not vietnam, malaysia, phom penh, etc. if we wanted to be in those countries we would be there...lol.

[Artisi]

One option you have is to come to Thailand and teach - if you have a degree in any field you can usually get a job teaching English and occassionaly other subjects. The pay is not great but you can survive if you live a reasonably moderate like style. While teaching it will give the the opportunity to see if you really want to make a home here and investigate the options to stay.

[sunshine13]

you can get 60 day tourist visa, then extend it 30 days, then 14 days then 7 days. Total cost is like 3000 baht for all of this... this is around 2005 though, so maybe it has changed.

[begsaresponse]

Understand you frustration. But if you do decide to go down the teaching route be prepared to have your background checked to establish if you have any criminal record.

[smartecosse]

.........................

since ive been away i read on another board the girls are asking for more dosh as well.

................................................

another quakity tourist

[lopburi3]

you can get 60 day tourist visa, then extend it 30 days, then 14 days then 7 days. Total cost is like 3000 baht for all of this... this is around 2005 though, so maybe it has changed.

Not anymore.

[PeaceBlondie]

One option you have is to come to Thailand and teach - if you have a degree in any field you can usually get a job teaching English and occassionaly other subjects. The pay is not great but you can survive if you live a reasonably moderate like style. While teaching it will give the the opportunity to see if you really want to make a home here and investigate the options to stay.

True, but teaching in Thailand takes some of the smiles and paradise out of the lifestyle. For about 30K per month, full time, usually starting out in non-airconditioned classrooms, huge classes of disinterested students, 99% chance you'd be working illegally, etc......not what most fun-loving expatriates want.

They might, indeed, want a criminal record check, and an academic transcript, and a recording of Al Yankovic mocking Madonna on "Like a Surgeon."

[Artisi]

quote]True, but teaching in Thailand takes some of the smiles and paradise out of the lifestyle. For about 30K per month, full time, usually starting out in non-airconditioned classrooms, huge classes of disinterested students, 99% chance you'd be working illegally, etc......not what most fun-loving expatriates want.

Yes - you might well be correct in some of the cases but - there are legitimate jobs out there and not all are big classes of dis-interested students, and lets face it the life style of smiles and paradise is a bit of an illusions now-a-days with the new visa regs and at least this is one way of seeing what Thailand is really like before severing all ties with "home"

[torrenova]

Some consulates are using outdated rules to deny visas. As are nearby countries who have even emailed me incorrecd rules and then defend them even though they admit they are out of date.

For the seriously wealthy, there is the BOI.