Smart Visa / Non-O

[Aswellian]

Unsure of how to proceed with Visa Application process, hoping to get some constructive feedback from some of you good folks...

 

Myself and my non-Thai partner are returning to Thailand after 4 years away. This time I will be getting a Smart-S Visa, and she will be getting a non-O for retirement. We are not exactly sure what our travel dates are (within the next 2-3 months), but would like to start the process now to ensure there are no issues. It seems the best way forward is to get the type of non-O that allows one 90-day entry, and then convert to the desired Visa type when in country, as we have done before. That would, theoretically, allow us to travel and quarantine together, and to handle the details of our desired Visa types in country, where we can be face-to-face with people.

 

The questions are:

1) What type of non-O allows a single 90-day entry? We were issued a single-entry 90-day non-O on previous occasions at the Portland and Boston consulates, but they are closed and I am unclear which non-O Visa type to select on the Embassy site (perhaps O-A or O-X?): https://thaiembdc.org/onlinevisaapplication/

 

2) Are there known reports of couples quarantining together? Perhaps something can be communicated during the ASQ signup process?

 

3) I have already communicated with, and am ready to proceed with a firm that works with Immigration and the BOI for Smart Visas and company formation, but it seems handling those details in country would be easier, and would allow more time to get settled before the clock starts ticking for getting the business started. Any disadvantage to converting our Visas in country versus applying from abroad?

 

Thanks in advance, as these current times are complicating things a bit...

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Aswellian
clarity and correctness

[ubonjoe]

1. At this time the Non-OA visa might be the best option since the a single entry non-o visa for retirement requires the same health insurance it does. Info here: https://thaiembdc.org/2020/09/30/nonimmigrantoaox/

Another advantage of the OA visa is that she would not have to open a Thai bank and transfer 800k baht into it or to show proof of 65k baht transferred into the account for the one year extension of stay based upon retirement.

2. Yes 

     When selecting a ASQ hotel you would have to ask them what their policy is since it is their decision.

3. Look at the embassy website I do not see the smart visa listed on this page that shows the entry requirements.

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/  I can only see the non-b visa those work working here and have a work permit.

 

One option might be getting single entry tourist visas that can be changed to the smart visa or a non-o visa for retirement at immigration. It allows a 60 day entry that can be extended for 30 days.

 

 

 

[Aswellian]

Thanks ubonjoe, very helpful info as usual.

 

I have a year before hitting the 50 mark, and am therefore not yet eligible for any of the O visa types listed at the DC Embassy website. I did check my passport, which contains the O visa issued by the Boston consulate, and it is a plain O. Maybe the age requirement changed in the last 5 years.

 

Good to know the tourist visa is able to be changed at Immigration, that seems to be the best way to handle as we can convert once in country. For some reason I thought tourist visas could only be converted to another visa type out of the country, but I could be mistaken, or perhaps that has changed in recent years.

 

From what I understand it's most common to switch from whatever visa one enters the Kingdom with to a Smart visa while in country. I was told it was possible to get a Smart visa from outside of the country, but it involves Immigration in Thailand working with the local Embassy, as those visas are handled by a special department. Assuming I understood correctly, handling the Smart visa once in country seems the least complicated way to proceed.

 

Thanks again, much appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, Aswellian said:

For some reason I thought tourist visas could only be converted to another visa type out of the country, but I could be mistaken, or perhaps that has changed in recent years.

It has been possible to do for many years. Only qualifying for certain extensions of stay can do the change.

[Aswellian]

Maybe that is it, depends on the type of visa you have and what it's being converted to.

 

I entered with an O visa back in 2015, and had to make a trip out of the country to convert it to an Education visa, in order to take a Thai language course at Chiang Mai University. However, can see how it could be easier for me to convert from tourist to a Smart visa, and her to a OA. Think the issue last time was switching to Education...

[ubonjoe]

14 minutes ago, Aswellian said:

Maybe that is it, depends on the type of visa you have and what it's being converted to.

Only visa exempt or tourist visa can be changed to to a non immigrant visa at immigration. You wife would be applying for a non-o visa not a OA visa.

 

17 minutes ago, Aswellian said:

I entered with an O visa back in 2015, and had to make a trip out of the country to convert it to an Education visa, in order to take a Thai language course at Chiang Mai University.

You were not trying to change the type of non immigrant visa entry you had. You were trying to apply for a extension of stay based upon attending a school with non-o visa entry instead of having a non-ed visa.

[Aswellian]

Quote

Only visa exempt or tourist visa can be changed to to a non immigrant visa at immigration. You wife would be applying for a non-o visa not a OA visa.

Okay, that is good to know. Definitely the best way to proceed.

 

Quote

You were not trying to change the type of non immigrant visa entry you had. You were trying to apply for a extension of stay based upon attending a school with non-o visa entry instead of having a non-ed visa.

Actually just looked at my old Passport, in 2015 when entering the Thai language course at Chiang Mai University, they did give me paperwork that converted to a non-Ed, and I had that done in HK. The visa received in HK in my old passport is a non-Ed. Not sure why they recommended that route instead of extending the non-O as you mention, but it does make sense that I had to leave, as it was a completely different visa type...