The visa fog thickens

[khunron13]

I am about 4 months out from making my retirement move from the US to Thailand. I have been researching the visa requirements for a couple of years trying to determine which is best for ME, to the point I'm suffering from analysis paralysis. I had pretty much made up my mind to go the O-A route when I saw a "Non-Immigrant Category O (retirement)" visa on the DC Embassy site (https://thaiembdc.org) last night. I really don't remember seeing this before and thought the Non-O for purposes of retirement had to be done in-country. If I go to the e-visa site (https://www.thaievisa.go.th/) I don't see an option for this. This would actually meet my needs better than the O-A or visa-exempt to Non-O route, so I have a few questions for the forum.

 

1. Is this a new option, or just another TIT moment for whomever created the websites and doesn't really exist?
2. Insurance is required for this visa option, which I'm okay with since I would like some kind of supplement to my Tricare coverage. Will I still be required to show proof of insurance when I request the one year extension?
3. This visa is good for 90-days, so would I only need an initial 90-day insurance policy?
4. If I went the visa-exempt to Non-O route is insurance required when requesting the one year extension? I think not from what I've read, but wanted to verify.

5. From what I've read the THB 800,000 option for the Non-O visa does not have to be "seasoned" before submitting the initial application, correct?
6. The O-A visa requires "a guarantee letter from the bank and a copy of bank statement" for the financial requirement. My credit union has no clue what a "guarantee letter" is, so does anyone know what they actually want to see?
7. My primary care physician is an LPN at a smallish VA clinic. She's willing to sign the medical certificate, but does anyone have experience not having an MD sign the form?
8. The criminal records check is also causing me to consider other options. I've got a clean record, but it seems like such a pain in the <deleted>. Does anyone have experience with the process and know any tips to simplify it?

 

I would appreciate any answers or feedback to my questions above. I know my options, except for the Non-O issue I mentioned, so please don't tell me I'm wasting my time and money considering the process of getting a visa before I depart. I know the cost of insurance and it's not going to ruin my financial plan or wreck my budget, so please save those comments. Cheers!

 

[RedArmy]

4 - No insurance required.

5 - 800,000k Only needed in Thai bank account on day of initial 90 day Non O application.

 

Rather than drive yourself crazy - Chill out, enter visa exempt, extend for another 30 days then apply in country for your 90 days Non O - Only 30 days insurance is required for this option

 

[RedArmy]

Could also just apply for a 60 day Tourist Visa to enter Thailand, extendable for a further 30 days to give yourself 3 months to set everything up for yourself.

[mtls2005]

2 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

Chill out, enter visa exempt, extend for another 30 days then apply in country for your 90 days Non O - Only 30 days insurance is required for this option

Agreed, and focus on opening a bank account - maybe Bangkok Bank, and setting yourself up - by making sure you have any paperwork on file with your U.S. banks - to make the transfer of funds (WISE, Swift Wire Xfer).

[sanuk711]

9 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

Rather than drive yourself crazy - Chill out, enter visa exempt, extend for another 30 days then apply in country for your 90 days Non O - Only 30 days insurance is required for this option

Yes khunron13, for your first Non-O visa, I would take RedArmy's advice--- do it through an agent, then do it yourself after that.

If you say where you plan to stay --your probably get Agent recommendations for that area.

[Upnotover]

47 minutes ago, khunron13 said:

If I go to the e-visa site (https://www.thaievisa.go.th/) I don't see an option for this.

You don't see this option when you apply?

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by Upnotover

[bbko]

Another thing is to find a US bank/credit union with good ATM withdraw fees.  I do monthly Wise transfers to meet the visa extension based on retirement but if/when I need to a ATM withdraw from my US based credit union, I only get charged $1 not the usual 220b (but there's always the Visa international percentage fee).

Side note, I've been living in Thailand for the past 15 years and never used an agent, not overly complicated to DIY.

[sqwakvfr]

I have on OA so I will respond to specifics about this visa:

 

1.  If you have Tricare then are you US Military retired?  Is your  monthly pension around $2,000?  If so then go the 65,000 Baht monthly income equivalent route.  If not then you would just need a bank statement stating you have the equivalent of 800,000 Baht.  Just like the O Visa the money does have to seasoned for the initial application.

2. A medical certificate with a doctors signature is required.

3.  Criminal background check can be completed with companies called "FBI channelers".   I can recommended two but not sure  I can state the companies on this forum

 

 

[skatewash]

Quote

1. Is this a new option, or just another TIT moment for whomever created the websites and doesn't really exist?

It's a real option.  It used to be offered in the past and now it seems it's being offered again.

 

Quote

2. Insurance is required for this visa option, which I'm okay with since I would like some kind of supplement to my Tricare coverage. Will I still be required to show proof of insurance when I request the one year extension?

Two issues.  First, insurance is required from everyone to enter Thailand at this time, $10K health insurance cover to include coverage for covid.  Second, when you go to extend your stay health insurance is required for Non-OA visas and extensions derived therefrom, while it is NOT required for Non-O visas and extensions derived therefrom.

 

Quote

3. This visa is good for 90-days, so would I only need an initial 90-day insurance policy?

People have reported that their Thailand Pass was approved with just 30 days of insurance coverage so that should be all that you need (despite the fact that you are supposed to have insurance for the term of your permission to stay which for a Non-O visa would be 90 days).

 

Quote

4. If I went the visa-exempt to Non-O route is insurance required when requesting the one year extension? I think not from what I've read, but wanted to verify.

No, it is not for Non-O.  Only for Non-OA visas and extensions derived therefrom.
 

Quote

5. From what I've read the THB 800,000 option for the Non-O visa does not have to be "seasoned" before submitting the initial application, correct?

Correct.  If you apply for the Non-O in the US it will only have to be in a bank account the day you apply and can of course be a US bank.  If you apply for the Non-O in Thailand (after entering Thailand visa-exempt or on a Tourist Visa) it would need to be in a Thai bank (no seasoning required, just the day of the application is fine).

 

Quote

6. The O-A visa requires "a guarantee letter from the bank and a copy of bank statement" for the financial requirement. My credit union has no clue what a "guarantee letter" is, so does anyone know what they actually want to see?

I would think it would be enough to show an official bank statement from a US bank, but if a "guarantee letter" is really required for the visa then I imagine it would follow the form of what is expected in Thailand which is the following:  your full name, your passport number, your account number, your account balance on the date of the letter, when the account was opened, signed and stamped by an authorized official of the bank.  It doesn't "guarantee" anything other than maybe the fact that you exist and have a bank account at that bank with the balance shown on the date of the letter.

 

Quote

7. My primary care physician is an LPN at a smallish VA clinic. She's willing to sign the medical certificate, but does anyone have experience not having an MD sign the form?

This might be a problem, because as she's not a doctor she doesn't have a doctor's license and that is probably required.  You would have to get a doctor to sign off on the medical certificate (which by the way merely certifies that you don't have 5 dread diseases:  leprosy, tuberculosis, elephantiasis, drug addiction, third state syphilis.  In Thailand this is done by visual inspection and is frankly not taken seriously, costs 100-150 baht, but in the US they may insist on actually running expensive tests).  In Thailand your 100-150 baht medical certificate is stamped with the doctor's license number, so if this were missing I think it would be a problem.
 

Quote

8. The criminal records check is also causing me to consider other options. I've got a clean record, but it seems like such a pain in the <deleted>. Does anyone have experience with the process and know any tips to simplify it?

Apparently it's not that hard to get actually, but there may be a wait as it has to be a state-issued or FBI-issued. 

In my opinion it's one of the things that make a Non-OA an inferior visa to a Non-O (that and the insurance thing which is the big reason).

 

Quote

I would appreciate any answers or feedback to my questions above. 

My feedback is this.  Do the Non-O visa either in the US or in Thailand.  This gets rid of the health insurance requirement when you go to extend your stay.  I'm not against having insurance I'm against having to jump through the hoops of getting health insurance that's going to satisfy immigration's notion of what it should cover, when it should start, which company it's with, etc.  In my opinion, whether I have medical insurance and anything about my medical insurance is my business, not the business of Thai immigration.

You don't need an agent.  Save the money.  Learn the procedure.  Big learning curve the first year, almost no learning required the second year. ????

I personally do the retirement extension (based off a non-O visa) every year for the last 6 years.  Costs me 1,900 baht a year in immigration fees.  Costs me 1,000 baht for single entry re-entry permit or 3,800 baht for multiple if I decide I wish to leave Thailand and re-enter during my annual extension of stay.

[skatewash]

5 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I have on OA so I will respond to specifics about this visa:

 

1.  If you have Tricare then are you US Military retired?  Is your  monthly pension around $2,000?  If so then go the 65,000 Baht monthly income equivalent route.  If not then you would just need a bank statement stating you have the equivalent of 800,000 Baht.  Just like the O Visa the money does have to seasoned for the initial application.

2. A medical certificate with a doctors signature is required.

3.  Criminal background check can be completed with companies called "FBI channelers".   I can recommended two but not sure  I can state the companies on this forum

 

 

The US Embassy Bangkok unilaterally (UK and Australia also) decided to no longer issue embassy letters for income so that is no longer an available option for those nationalities.  They have to do the money in the bank method (800K baht) or they must show a 12-month history of having brought into a Thailand bank 65K baht/month.

[blackcab]

42 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

3.  Criminal background check can be completed with companies called "FBI channelers".   I can recommended two but not sure  I can state the companies on this forum

 

In this instance it's OK as it is a one-off and you are not actively advertising or promoting the companies. 

[DrJack54]

3 hours ago, khunron13 said:

I have been researching the visa requirements for a couple of years trying to determine which is best for ME, to the point I'm suffering from analysis paralysis. I had pretty much made up my mind to go the O-A route when I saw a "Non-Immigrant Category O

Frankly surprised posters have been so understanding.

If you have researched for couple of hours you would be well aware of non O retirement or marriage.

Non O-A is not best option currently and also moving forward.

You state this .....

"I am about 4 months out from making my retirement move from the US to Thailand."

A non O-A would be foolish idea.

Suggest you do more research..

[bluejets]

20 hours ago, bbko said:

but there's always the Visa international percentage fee

which is.....??

[rwill]

I don't think you can use your corrent insurance to meet the O-A insurance requirement.  Perhaps you could use it for your initial entry but only if they will provide the required form for you.  Most insurance companies will not do that.  Before you could get an extension you would have to get an approved insurance.

The link below lists the companies that can be used.  At the top there is a link for the form your current insurance company would have to provide you with.

 

- Health Insurance for Long Stay Visa in Thailand (tgia.org)

[jimn]

18 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Frankly surprised posters have been so understanding.

If you have researched for couple of hours you would be well aware of non O retirement or marriage.

Non O-A is not best option currently and also moving forward.

You state this .....

"I am about 4 months out from making my retirement move from the US to Thailand."

A non O-A would be foolish idea.

Suggest you do more research..

Wow a sensible response

[jimn]

21 hours ago, khunron13 said:

had pretty much made up my mind to go the O-A route

Dont I repeat dont go down this route you will regret it. An extension of stay based on Retirement is the only sensible option. 

[Andrew Dwyer]

Imho the previously desirable non-imm OA should be bottom of the list.

Enter visa exempt, obtain an O visa in Thailand with subsequent retirement extension, is your easiest and cheapest option.

 

Your biggest hurdle could be getting yourself a bank account here, do some research on that subject.

[bbko]

26 minutes ago, bluejets said:

which is.....??

1%, when I used to withdraw 20,000thb/aprox $600 USD depending on the exchange rate, I'd get charged $6 in addition to the $1 USD my credit union charged me.

 

[86Tiger]

7 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Imho the previously desirable non-imm OA should be bottom of the list.

Enter visa exempt, obtain an O visa in Thailand with subsequent retirement extension, is your easiest and cheapest option.

 

Your biggest hurdle could be getting yourself a bank account here, do some research on that subject.

This is the way to go. 

 

I would seriously consider agent for first time.  I have done both ways and the proper agent will make it a turn key, drive it off the lot experience so easy you will wonder why you didn't do this years ago.

 

But as always  YMMV  and every one has a different opinion

[statman78]

As a number of people suggested, come into Thailand visa exempt or on a 60 day tourist visa.  This is what I did several years ago.  Applying for and getting the non-o visa while in Thailand is not that difficult.  You only need to show the money in the Thai bank.  You do not need a medical exam or a police report.  

[khunron13]

22 hours ago, Upnotover said:

You don't see this option when you apply?

 

Thanks for the confirmation. For whatever reason, the drop down boxes weren't working on the main page. I went ahead and registered, started an application and was able to see it. Thank you.

[mrwebb8825]

OP - as it seems the whole visa thing has been explained, I would offer this as a fellow 'Merican; I've been here 22 years and had I known then what I know now I would have:

Learned Thai before coming - keep it to yourself and listen when you get here - 

Opened an account at the NYC branch of Bangkok Bank - only requires money and everyone working there speaks English -

Done the 'Bar Scene' on previous visits - get the 'crazies' out of the system before deciding where to live -

Avoided every tourist spot - the rest of Thailand is much nicer and cost about 1/3 to live in -

 

Just a couple of things to consider - 

Island Paradise is for the rich and foolhardy or the movies

There's no such thing as a retired/reformed bar girl

Nobody in a uni uniform truly loves you

 

Good Luck

[skatewash]

8 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Opened an account at the NYC branch of Bangkok Bank - only requires money and everyone working there speaks English

No reason to regret not opening an account at the NYC branch of Bangkok Bank because it is only a commercial bank branch and does not have retail banking accounts.  So it is not possible, but moreover is not necessary as using the transfer services of Bangkok Bank's NYC  branch is already possible for any American customer who has a Bangkok Bank account in Thailand.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post and a reply has been removed.