In the USA, considering an Oa or T Visa. Thank you...

[Clay2]

 

 

Advice/confirmation, please?  I am trying to figure out which Thai visa is best, minimizing difficulty and cost.  I am thinking of retiring in Thailand, but I’m not sure.  I am over 60, in the USA, and the two options I’m considering are the Tourist visa (T) and the Retirement visa (Oa).  The T visa looks like a good option because I believe it minimizes cost and difficulty.  Then if I decide to retire in Thailand I can apply for a retirement O visa in Thailand.  I will be vaccinated and hope to travel to Thailand by June 2021.   

 

I am concerned I am missing something/misunderstanding…  Is it so difficult to obtain an O visa in Thailand?  If so, maybe I should apply for an Oa rather than a T visa (in the USA)?  I understand the requirements are basically the same for both the O and Oa.  

 

I was considering a Special Tourist Visa, but I understand I can not change to a retirement visa if I obtain this visa.  Is this correct?

 

I am afraid once I obtain a Tourist Visa (T) and I’m in Thailand it may be very difficult to obtain documents/something from the USA.  Apparently, people do this so can it be that difficult?  I understand everyone is different.    

 

Thank you for your advice.  Any Visa services you can recommend?  I search/read information and still desire confirmation/clarification/Advil...LOL

[Jingthing]

You'll want expert advice on your questions, but I want to add that (if it doesn't change) retired status people that started with an O-A are required to show health insurance (that is specifically approved in Thailand) at each annual extension, and retired status people that started with an O are not. So from expats POV, fewer requirements equals BETTER, so I would advice that IF you can swing it, do go the O path rather than the O-A. You may be planning to always have health insurance anyway, but perhaps the health insurance you might prefer wouldn't be accepted by Thai immigration. So you see, if you can, you're really better off without that requirement. 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Jingthing

[Tanoshi]

Why not consider the Non Imm O Visa to begin with to enter Thailand, which is now available in the US.

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Why not consider the Non Imm O Visa to begin with to enter Thailand, which is now available in the US.

But it requires 90 days of 40/400k baht insurance to get the COE and visa.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

To the OP.

You can enter with a single entry tourist visa or visa exempt and apply for a 90 day non-o visa entry at immigration.

You need to have 800k baht in a Thai bank account on the day you apply for the visa. If you do not already have a Thai bank account that could be a problem since it can be difficult to get done.

List of requirements for the visa is here. https://bangkokimmigration.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/08-edit_NON-O.pdf

[Salerno]

8 hours ago, Clay2 said:

I am thinking of retiring in Thailand, but I’m not sure. 

 

In which case the Non O-A may well be best for you. A little extra cost due to the 40/400 insurance requirement but that's offset by not needing to transfer money into a Thai bank. Gives you almost 2 years to figure out if you really want to retire to Thailand and if so, reconsider your options.

[DrJack54]

OP, enter visa exempt. The issue is to open a bank account. 

Changing to non o at immigration is simple process. 800k in Thai bank a/c on day of application. The non o gives you 90 day stay. In last few weeks, after the money has been in bank for 2 months you can obtain your annual extension. If you need/want to travel outside of Thailand during that 12 months, you buy a reentry permit, single or multiple.

Back to the Bank Account. You can use an agent. One poster gave an account of using an agent SL and it was quick and efficient. You could pre arrange that from usa or while in quarantine.

You could also obtain non O (retirement) prior to travel in USA. Previously could not.

Non O requires insurance for 90 days visa exempt entry does not.

It's a no brainer for me.

Edited March 25, 2021 by DrJack54

[Dan O]

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, enter visa exempt. The issue is to open a bank account. 

Changing to non o at immigration is simple process. 800k in Thai bank a/c on day of application. The non o gives you 90 day stay. In last few weeks, after the money has been in bank for 2 months you can obtain your annual extension. If you need/want to travel outside of Thailand during that 12 months, you buy a reentry permit, single or multiple.

Back to the Bank Account. You can use an agent. One poster gave an account of using an agent SL and it was quick and efficient. You could pre arrange that from usa or while in quarantine.

You could also obtain non O (retirement) prior to travel in USA. Previously could not.

Non O requires insurance for 90 days visa exempt entry does not.

It's a no brainer for me.

Also if applying for Non O in the USA your money can stay in the bank in the USA for the first year if I'm remembering correctly from when I checked into it late last year 

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Also if applying for Non O in the USA your money can stay in the bank in the USA for the first year if I'm remembering correctly from when I checked into it late last year 

The non O retirement gives permission of stay of 90 days. To obtain a 12 month extension would need to have the 800k in Thai bank for 2 months prior to application.

The non O-A does not require funds to be in Thai bank.

Edited March 25, 2021 by DrJack54

[DrJack54]

9 hours ago, Clay2 said:

I am thinking of retiring in Thailand, but I’m not sure.

OP, having another read of your post, I also put a non O-A up for consideration.

You seem well aware of options. The non O-A prior to the nonsense insurance requirement was a ripper. If you indeed went that way you would get almost 2 years out of that visa and all your greenback remains in usa. This is all in @Salerno post.

On the other hand @Jingthing makes good points for the non O 

I don't think you have a bad option. They all have plus and minus. 

Lot depends on financial situation.

Having said all that, I would still enter visa exempt. 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by DrJack54

[Andrew Dwyer]

@Clay2

hi, this guy @PeterDenishas compiled a Guideline on how to meet the health-insurance requirement when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country’.

[Andrew Dwyer]

@Clay2

Have pm’d you.

 

[DrJack54]

14 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

@Clay2

hi, this guy @PeterDenishas compiled a Guideline on how to meet the health-insurance requirement when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country’.

@Peter Denis

[Dan O]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

The non O retirement gives permission of stay of 90 days. To obtain a 12 month extension would need to have the 800k in Thai bank for 2 months prior to application.

The non O-A does not require funds to be in Thai bank.

I've looked at so many visa types and combinations in the last several months in my effort to get back I must be mixing stuff up. Pay no attention to me 

[Tanoshi]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

But it requires 90 days of 40/400k baht insurance to get the COE and visa.

 

 

 

Your point being what exactly?

 

For the Non O-A Visa, the OP would require 12 months Thai 400/40K Health and Covid Insurance, then the Thai Health Insurance for any future 1 year extensions of stay, which is why I dismissed it.

 

Entry by VE or TV (as many suggest) but fail to advise what's entailed with the process to obtain a Non O and subsequent 1 year extension of stay. This requires 3 x visits to Immigration.

One to apply for the Non O.

Two to return after the 'consideration' period to obtain the Non O.

Three to apply for a 1 year extension.

 

Now the US offer the Non O, in my opinion it would be far simpler to apply for the Non O to enter Thailand, then 1 visit to Immigration to apply for the 1 year extension.

 

For me the choice of obtaining 90 days Health Insurance cover (400/40K), which can be purchased online for the Non O from the US, is far less strenuous than visiting Immigration and going through the procedures to obtain the Non O in Thailand.

 

 

[moontang]

Almost two years to bring over the 800k, if using that method (which is a lot more straight-forward), could save you a bundle.  The USD/THB can be like a train moving in one direction.  Right now the THB is weakening, 3% in a month approximately.  I would say there is a 30% chance we could see 36 in the next 24 months.  There is that pesky health insurance thing, though.  Many are using what we call the throw away policy with LMG for about 200 usd per year.  I have been here 7 years, and things have been on the decline the entire time, since an event in May 2014, and another major event in October 2016.  Doing common business here is a nightmare, and the language barrier is a relatively small part of it. 

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Your point being what exactly?

To be sure he was aware that is also a requirement.

Not sure it would be much harder to get the non-o visa at immigration considering that the non-o visa has to be applied for on line and then the passport and etc mailed to the embassy or one of the official consulates.

 

[Tanoshi]

19 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

To be sure he was aware that is also a requirement.

Not sure it would be much harder to get the non-o visa at immigration considering that the non-o visa has to be applied for on line and then the passport and etc mailed to the embassy or one of the official consulates.

 

Is it not far easier to submit an application online, then complete the process by mail, rather than visits in person to a Thai Immigration office, especially if the OP lives any distance away.

 

Everybody has their own opinions and preferences, but the OP needs to be fully aware of not only his options, but also the procedures required for each option in order for him to make an informed opinion.

[moontang]

So you can get an O for retirement, 90 days, at Kalorama, DC nowadays?  That wasn't an option for me in late 2013.  

[Jingthing]

It's a good point that the OP is not sure if he wants to retire in Thailand.

 

Perhaps he can quantify his level of uncertainty. 

 

For example if he is 90 percent sure he wants to then the O path is probably better but if it's the other way around then definitely the OA.

 

The consequences of starting with an OA are the health insurance requirement indefinitely. The consequences of the O path and transferring in 800K baht are a potential problem getting the money out of Thailand if he decides not to stay. On the other hand he can have some wonderful holidays here spending down that money!

[Tanoshi]

11 minutes ago, moontang said:

So you can get an O for retirement, 90 days, at Kalorama, DC nowadays?  That wasn't an option for me in late 2013.  

Yes, only as of last month as the online E-Visa application system has been expanded to include the US now, along with China, the UK and France.

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Yes, only as of last month as the online E-Visa application system has been expanded to include the US now, along with China, the UK and France.

They started issuing them several months ago due to covid 19. I think it may go away again later.

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

They started issuing them several months ago due to covid 19. I think it may go away again later.

I don't think so Joe.

The UK took the  90 day Non O of the UK site for age 50 around 2015, but it was reinstated by courtesy of the introduction of the online E-Visa application system. But it took the option of the ME Non O away, which was previously offered to Thai wife/family.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

I don't think so Joe.

They started doing them when they started allowing those on retirement visas or extensions of stay to enter the country.

This how they announced it on the embassy website. 

Source: https://thaiembdc.org/visas/

[moontang]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

 

 

 The consequences of the O path and transferring in 800K baht are a potential problem getting the money out of Thailand if he decides not to stay. On the other hand he can have some wonderful holidays here spending down that money!

That is mostly an urban/TV myth.  I sent back 400K on Monday.  Reason given was repatriation of half of money required for retirement visa (extension).  It hit my Fidelity account in about three hours.  Absolutely no documentation was required, but I think it looks better if the money is in your account as opposed to a brown bag.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, moontang said:

That is mostly an urban/TV myth.  I sent back 400K on Monday.  Reason given was repatriation of half of money required for retirement visa (extension).  It hit my Fidelity account in about three hours.  Absolutely no documentation was required, but I think it looks better if the money is in your account as opposed to a brown bag.

If you say so.

I contend that many people have had problems. 

Just because you didn't doesn't prove anything. 

But please say which Thai bank.

[moontang]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

If you say so.

I contend that many people have had problems. 

Just because you didn't doesn't prove anything. 

But please say which Thai bank.

in 2018 did 2 x 300K at BBL main branch CM, and also did 300k at BBL UTH, zero docs in all three cases.  Monday was at a bank spelled sort of like CHIMP.  There has been a loosening of the rules on outbound transfers within the last few years.  A friend sent back 7 milion in one swipe at Krungsri HH, in 2019, after he sold a house in his companies name...I will have to ask if they looked at anything.  50,000 USD is the mark that needs BOT approval, and adds a few days to the process.  It is another one of those issues that overlays laziness, ignorance, the language barrier, dislike of foreigners, and not being up to date with the rules or familiar with the process.  My mistake was not going to the main branch at Si Lom, but it did get done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, moontang said:

in 2018 did 2 x 300K at BBL main branch CM, and also did 300k at BBL UTH, zero docs in all three cases.  Monday was at a bank spelled sort of like CHIMP.  There has been a loosening of the rules on outbound transfers within the last few years.  A friend sent back 7 milion in one swipe at Krungsri HH, in 2019, after he sold a house in his companies name...I will have to ask if they looked at anything.  50,000 USD is the mark that needs BOT approval, and adds a few days to the process.  It is another one of those issues that overlays laziness, ignorance, the language barrier, dislike of foreigners, and not being up to date with the rules or familiar with the process.  My mistake was not going to the main branch at Si Lom, but it did get done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In any case even its a small risk not having money here is no risk.

[moontang]

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

In any case even its a small risk not having money here is no risk.

The states of California and New York levee bank accounts every day, without due process.  Then there is the IRS...so US bank accounts arent exactly full proof.  You do want to balance the different risks/rewards and exposure to currency fluctuations.  There may be a window in the coming months that is a good time to bring some chunks over.  we saw 33 pretty quickly last year, I think now, there are many more compelling reasons for a slide in the THB.  

Thailand would be immune from the emmininent collapse of Myanmar's banking system, and I wont even speculate about future C19 numbers, here.

Edited March 25, 2021 by moontang

[Jingthing]

21 minutes ago, moontang said:

The states of California and New York levee bank accounts every day, without due process.  Then there is the IRS...so US bank accounts arent exactly full proof.  You do want to balance the different risks/rewards and exposure to currency fluctuations.  There may be a window in the coming months that is a good time to bring some chunks over.  we saw 33 pretty quickly last year, I think now, there are many more compelling reasons for a slide in the THB.  

Thailand would be immune from the emmininent collapse of Myanmar's banking system, and I wont even speculate about future C19 numbers, here.

You're talking about issues that are way off my concern which was strictly about possible difficulties in transferring money OUT of Thailand.