Some advice needed to get a Type O visa

[localexpat]

Hello

 

I did a forum search, sorry If this info has been posted.

 

 

I need to re-apply for my Retirement Visa.

I am in Thailand now and believe I need to leave Thailand to  get a Type O visa

Where is the best place to get one, Singapore ( preferred ), Malaysia, Cambodia ???

What documents are needed?? they seem to vary embassy to embassy.

Time required to get on.

Any advise most appreciated.

Regard

[DrJack54]

You can obtain a non O retirement inside Thailand OR you can obtain in nearby consulate such as Vientiane etc.

Choice depends on where you are located in Thailand 

Edited January 6, 2023 by DrJack54

[localexpat]

Hello Dr. Jack

 

Many thanks for your reply, appreciated

 

I am located near Chiang Rai

 

I am presently coming to the end of a Retirement Visa, where in Thailand can I get a non O retirement visa.

 

Can I go from my retirement Visa to a Type O?

 

I though I have to leave thailand and come back in on a new visa

 

Thanks

[DrJack54]

8 minutes ago, localexpat said:

I though I have to leave thailand and come back in on a new visa

You can obtain a non O retirement inside Thailand from a tourist visa entry or visa exempt entry.

8 minutes ago, localexpat said:

I am presently coming to the end of a Retirement Visa, where in Thailand can I get a non O retirement visa.

It's not clear what you have. 

No such thing as a retirement visa.

How did you last enter Thailand meaning what type of visa or visa exempt. 

Or perhaps you are in Thailand on extensions? Not clear from your posts. 

 

Which stamp were you given on last entry? What permission of stay 

Edited January 6, 2023 by DrJack54

[zzzzz]

I just converted from a Visa exempt entry to a non o visa and than added a 1 year extension using an agent

Look at what visa ur on, Is it a NON O or>>>>>?  

IF you hold non O you can get the RE extension ( if you have the 800,000 in the bank or can show an outside income of 65,000 baht/month) at any immigration for 1,900
you will need to have filed a tm 30 as well

if you dont, you can convert in Thailand for 2,000 baht

If you travel to another country you will need show 800,000baht or equivalent  in ANY bank to get a single entry 90 day non o

 

[DrJack54]

41 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

If you hold non O you can get the RE extension ( if you have the 800,000 in the bank or can show an outside income of 65,000 baht/month) at any immigration for 1,900
you will need to have filed a tm 30 as well

if you dont, you can convert in Thailand for 2,000 baht

If you travel to another country you will need show 800,000baht or equivalent  in ANY bank to get a single entry 90 day non o

You are over simplifying few things. 

Just one example is to use monthly income (without embassy letter) would need to show 12 months of transfers. 

To obtain a non O in Thailand he would need 15 days+ remaining on his permit .

At this point not sure what he has. 

 

A non O obtained in consulate outside of Thailand does not require 800k . 

[Andrew Dwyer]

The op @localexpat, needs to return here to explain what he means by this :

” I need to re-apply for my Retirement Visa.

I am in Thailand now and believe I need to leave Thailand to  get a Type O visa “

 

Reading between the lines I would guess that the op had a previous O visa based on retirement ( a retirement visa doesn’t exist ), and possibly extensions also. That visa/extension has expired and he now has returned to Thailand, visa exempt or tourist visa and would like to apply for a new O visa, in both instances can be done without leaving the country.

Some clarification from the op will help others to assist.

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Some clarification from the op will help others to assist.

Yes it is guess work.

The OP states that he is currently in Thailand.

 

My GUESS is that he has a non O based on retirement that he entered Thailand with that visa and no intention of seeking an extension. 

 

Plan may be to exit Thailand and obtain another non O retirement.

 

If that's the case then Vientiane or Savannakhet would be good options or border bounce for a visa exempt entry+ extension and even a non O in Thailand after that.

 

Plenty of options but mystery without details. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by DrJack54

[zzzzz]

15 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

You are over simplifying few things. 

Just one example is to use monthly income (without embassy letter) would need to show 12 months of transfers. 

To obtain a non O in Thailand he would need 15 days+ remaining on his permit .

At this point not sure what he has. 

 

A non O obtained in consulate outside of Thailand does not require 800k . 

the 2 i know require you show the 800,000
 cambodia; https://phnompenh.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/non-immigrant-o-visa-retirement?page=5d73b14415e39c46f40076a1&menu=5d73b14415e39c46f40076a2

Laos; https://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/non-o-visa/
ok

Fyi if they didn't require the 800,000 i could have saved a bundle  ????

[DrJack54]

25 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

the 2 i know require you show the 800,000

You are correct.  I was thinking of non O retirement from Oz.

Also Savannakhet also requires the 800k. 

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by DrJack54

[localexpat]

16 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

the 2 i know require you show the 800,000
 cambodia; https://phnompenh.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/non-immigrant-o-visa-retirement?page=5d73b14415e39c46f40076a1&menu=5d73b14415e39c46f40076a2

Laos; https://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/non-o-visa/
ok

Fyi if they didn't require the 800,000 i could have saved a bundle  ????

Many thanks for the professional advise from all people who posted.

 

For information I am now committed to going to Singapore on Monday to get a type O visa

 

I checked on the Royal Thai  Embassy visa info page

 

https://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa

 

The type O visas are as follows

 

• Non-Immigrant Visa-O-A (Long Stay)
• Non-Immigrant Visa-O-X (Long Stay)
• Non-Immigrant Visa-O (Thai Spouse)

I am not married, so what type of type O do I need to facilitate a retirement visa when I return to Thailand.

Once again any advise appreciated

Regards

 

 

 

 

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, localexpat said:

I am not married, so what type of type O do I need to facilitate a retirement visa when I return to Thailand

You need a non O visa based on retirement.

 

Doesn't seem available in Singapore from link you posted.

 

The non O retirement gives you a 90 day stamp when you enter Thailand.

 

You would need to place 800k baht into a Thai bank account in your name only and in last 30 days with the money having been in the bank for 2 months you could obtain a 12 month extension.

 

It's not a retirement visa. 

It's a permission of stay that you can extend each following year.

 

It has ongoing financial requirements regarding maintaining funds in the bank. 

 

BTW you only needed to do a border bounce and enter visa exempt (45 days) and obtain the non O retirement and subsequent extension at immigration office in Thailand.

Edited January 7, 2023 by DrJack54

[oldcpu]

6 hours ago, localexpat said:

For information I am now committed to going to Singapore on Monday to get a type O visa

 

I checked on the Royal Thai  Embassy visa info page

 

https://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa

 

The type O visas are as follows

 

• Non-Immigrant Visa-O-A (Long Stay)
• Non-Immigrant Visa-O-X (Long Stay)
• Non-Immigrant Visa-O (Thai Spouse)

I am not married, so what type of type O do I need to facilitate a retirement visa when I return to Thailand.

 

I recommend you stay away from the "Non-immigrant Visa-OA (Long Stay)" as ultimately you could be hit with Health Insurance requirements that are not suitable for your personal situation.

 

Back in 2019 to 2021 timeframe, living in Thailand, I was on a Type-OA visa for reason of Retirement.  But then Thailand implemented a brand new requirement for that Visa, where one pretty much needed to obtain Health Insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company for subsequent 1-year extensions to the "permission to stay in Thailand" associated with that Type-OA Visa.  In my case I already had very good European Health Insurance that was not recognized by Thailand (as it was not from a Thai branch).   I disliked buying double Health Insurance.

 

So in 2021 to 2022, instead of paying for double health insurance (as I did not want to give up my superior European Health insurance) I went for a 1-year extension, on my permission to stay in Thailand for reason of marriage to a Thai person (where my underlying Visa was still a Type-OA visa).  That extension of the permission to stay in Thailand, for reason of marriage to a Thai person, did not require health insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company. .... However it did have a LOT of extra paperwork associated with it, and extensions took a long time to obtain approval. .... and also since you are not married to a Thai spouse, this approach of an extension on a permission to stay in Thailand is not relevant to you.

 

To (1) reduce paperwork, and (2) avoid the double Health Insurance situation, in 2022 I left Thailand without a re-entry permit on the permission to stay with my Type-OA visa. This basically meant the Visa and its associated 'permission to stay' were now void. 

 

I re-entered Thailand in October-2022 on a 45-day Visa exempt, and about 33 days prior to my 'permission to stay' (on my 45 Visa exempt) expiring, I went to a local Immigration office and applied for a 90-day type-O visa (for reason of "retirement").  Note Type-O .... this is NOT a Type-OA.  

 

That application required 800K THB in the Bank (which I have had for some years).

 

By early December-2022 my Type-O Visa (with it associated 90-day permission to stay in Thailand) was approved. Then within the past week this year (2023) I went back to Immigration and applied for a 1-year permission to stay in Thailand, based on retirement, on that underlying Type-O Visa.  I received this 'extension on my permission to stay' (on the underlying Type-O visa) within 24 hours, and I now have a permission to stay in Thailand until mid-February-2024, based on retirement.  Note this is NOT a retirement Visa. To the best of my knowledge there is no such thing as a "Retirement Visa".

 

The advantage of this Type-O visa, over the previous Type-OA visa (which I had previous) is that I am not compelled to purchase Health Insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company, as the Type-O visa has no associated requirement for a user to buy Health Insurance from a Thai company.

 

So its possible there are superior ways for you to go about this, that could be recommended to you, but its difficult to give a precise recommendation without better understanding your details.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by oldcpu

[Jonathan Swift]

On 1/6/2023 at 5:09 PM, DrJack54 said:

You can obtain a non O retirement inside Thailand from a tourist visa entry or visa exempt entry.

It's not clear what you have. 

No such thing as a retirement visa.

How did you last enter Thailand meaning what type of visa or visa exempt. 

Or perhaps you are in Thailand on extensions? Not clear from your posts. 

 

Which stamp were you given on last entry? What permission of stay 

You contradict yourself. "You can obtain a non O retirement" and then "No such thing as a retirement visa". If there's no such thing as a retirement visa what's this stamp on my visa page? A very vivid figment of my imagination? 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Jonathan Swift

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

You contradict yourself. "You can obtain a non O retirement" and then "No such thing as a retirement visa". If there's no such thing as a retirement visa what's this stamp on my visa page? A very vivid figment of my imagination? 

Those are extension of stay  stamps not visa stickers. 

[Jonathan Swift]

1 hour ago, oldcpu said:

I recommend you stay away from the "Non-immigrant Visa-OA (Long Stay)" as ultimately you could be hit with Health Insurance requirements that are not suitable for your personal situation.

 

Back in 2019 to 2021 timeframe, living in Thailand, I was on a Type-OA visa for reason of Retirement.  But then Thailand implemented a brand new requirement for that Visa, where one pretty much needed to obtain Health Insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company for subsequent 1-year extensions to the "permission to stay in Thailand" associated with that Type-OA Visa.  In my case I already had very good European Health Insurance that was not recognized by Thailand (as it was not from a Thai branch).   I disliked buying double Health Insurance.

 

So in 2021 to 2022, instead of paying for double health insurance (as I did not want to give up my superior European Health insurance) I went for a 1-year extension, on my permission to stay in Thailand for reason of marriage to a Thai person (where my underlying Visa was still a Type-OA visa).  That extension of the permission to stay in Thailand, for reason of marriage to a Thai person, did not require health insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company. .... However it did have a LOT of extra paperwork associated with it, and extensions took a long time to obtain approval. .... and also since you are not married to a Thai spouse, this approach of an extension on a permission to stay in Thailand is not relevant to you.

 

To (1) reduce paperwork, and (2) avoid the double Health Insurance situation, in 2022 I left Thailand without a re-entry permit on the permission to stay with my Type-OA visa. This basically meant the Visa and its associated 'permission to stay' were now void. 

 

I re-entered Thailand in October-2022 on a 45-day Visa exempt, and about 33 days prior to my 'permission to stay' (on my 45 Visa exempt) expiring, I went to a local Immigration office and applied for a 90-day type-O visa (for reason of "retirement").  Note Type-O .... this is NOT a Type-OA.  

 

That application required 800K THB in the Bank (which I have had for some years).

 

By early December-2022 my Type-O Visa (with it associated 90-day permission to stay in Thailand) was approved. Then within the past week this year (2023) I went back to Immigration and applied for a 1-year permission to stay in Thailand, based on retirement, on that underlying Type-O Visa.  I received this 'extension on my permission to stay' (on the underlying Type-O visa) within 24 hours, and I now have a permission to stay in Thailand until mid-February-2024, based on retirement.  Note this is NOT a retirement Visa. To the best of my knowledge there is no such thing as a "Retirement Visa".

 

The advantage of this Type-O visa, over the previous Type-OA visa (which I had previous) is that I am not compelled to purchase Health Insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company, as the Type-O visa has no associated requirement for a user to buy Health Insurance from a Thai company.

 

So its possible there are superior ways for you to go about this, that could be recommended to you, but its difficult to give a precise recommendation without better understanding your details.

 

 

You don't have to use the 800,000 baht in a bank method, you can also use the 65,000 baht per month income method which requires a bank statement showing that income once a month for one year. Regarding your terminology, "the 1 year extension of permission to stay in Thailand on the underlying Type O visa",  my visa very specifically states "non-O-retirement visa" . There is most certainly a "retirement visa". Regardless of your terminology, the extension and the visa are commonly understood to be the Non-O (type O) retirement visa. Attached is a photo of my Non O retirement visa, which you refer to as type O. 

[Jonathan Swift]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Those are extension of stay  stamps not visa stickers. 

Here is the non O retirement visa, it is not a sticker, there is no sticker for this. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Jonathan Swift

[DrJack54]

36 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

You contradict yourself. "You can obtain a non O retirement" and then "No such thing as a retirement visa".

By ......"You can obtain a non O retirement ".

Refers to a non O 90 day visa based on retirement. 

Just omitting couple of unnecessary words.

 

You then post picture of extension stamp.

 

I will stop there as you are not familiar with the fundamentals of visa types and extensions. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by DrJack54

[DrJack54]

21 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

,  my visa very specifically states "non-O-retirement visa"

You are quoting from "common misunderstanding Thailand visas and extensions 101" 

 

You don't even have a valid visa.

You have an extension of a permission of stay based on retirement. 

[zzzzz]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:54 AM, DrJack54 said:

You need a non O visa based on retirement.

 

Doesn't seem available in Singapore from link you posted.

 

The non O retirement gives you a 90 day stamp when you enter Thailand.

 

You would need to place 800k baht into a Thai bank account in your name only and in last 30 days with the money having been in the bank for 2 months you could obtain a 12 month extension.

 

It's not a retirement visa. 

It's a permission of stay that you can extend each following year.

 

It has ongoing financial requirements regarding maintaining funds in the bank. 

 

BTW you only needed to do a border bounce and enter visa exempt (45 days) and obtain the non O retirement and subsequent extension at immigration office in Thailand.

this is what i just did over Xmas

FYI: the 800,000 if ur getting a non O Outside Thailand, does not have to be in a thai bank but any bank in any currency as long as its equivalent to 800,000baht

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by zzzzz

[DrJack54]

23 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

this is what i just did over Xmas

FYI: the 800,000 if ur getting a non O Outside Thailand, does not have to be in a thai bank but any bank in any currency as long as its equivalent to 800,000baht

Yes that's true.

Not all consulates require 800k equivalent some examples UK, AU etc.

Regardless after entering Thailand with the non O you would receive a 90 day stamp.

You would then need to place 800k in a Thai bank account in your name only and have in the bank for 2 months in order to obtain a 12 month extension. 

 

Obviously if someone has no intention of obtaining an extension then no Thai bank account would be required. 

 

As vague as the OP is he seems to looking to obtain a 12 month extension..

Edited January 8, 2023 by DrJack54

[oldcpu]

On 1/7/2023 at 6:04 PM, Jonathan Swift said:

Here is the non O retirement visa, it is not a sticker, there is no sticker for this. 

 

All that indicates is your Type-O was granted for reason of retirement. 

 

If you go around calling it a "Retirement Visa" you will likely confuse everyone as to the type of Visa.  One can obtain a permission to stay in a Visa for more than just reason of retirement ...  Its far more clear if one states "Type-O Visa" or "Type-OA" visa, and then add to that the reason one is using to justify the visa or the permission to stay, such as "Retirement" or "Marriage" or other ...

Edited January 18, 2023 by oldcpu

[NoDisplayName]

On 1/6/2023 at 5:02 PM, localexpat said:

I am presently coming to the end of a Retirement Visa, where in Thailand can I get a non O retirement visa.

 

The other posters seem a bit confused.

 

Maybe if you state specifically what kind of visa you have, when it expires or expired, whether you're on an extension.

 

Can you post photos of the immigration visa/extension stamps in your passport?

[BritTim]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:46 AM, localexpat said:

Many thanks for the professional advise from all people who posted.

 

For information I am now committed to going to Singapore on Monday to get a type O visa

 

I checked on the Royal Thai  Embassy visa info page

 

https://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa

 

The type O visas are as follows

 

• Non-Immigrant Visa-O-A (Long Stay)
• Non-Immigrant Visa-O-X (Long Stay)
• Non-Immigrant Visa-O (Thai Spouse)

I am not married, so what type of type O do I need to facilitate a retirement visa when I return to Thailand.

Once again any advise appreciated

Regards

What a mess!

 

I assume you are not a Singapore citizen. Based on that, forget applying for the O-A and O-X visas which are only available from your home country. If you are married to a Thai, you could apply for a Non O (spouse) visa. Most likely, Singapore does not offer a regular Non O visa for those over age 50 (what is often called "retirement visa") but you could ask them.

 

If already in Thailand on an extension of your permission to stay based on retirement, and meet the requirements, you can apply for a further one-year extension at your local immigration office. You can apply right up to the expiry of your current permission to stay.