New OA Visa Financial Requirements?

[sqwakvfr]

Just perused the Washington DC Embassy and Los Angeles Consulate websites for the OA Visa and saw this:

 

1. Recent bank statement showing the applicant's name and ending balance of no less than $30,000 or proof of monthly income of not less than $2,500/month) along with the current bank statement showing incoming income

 

Based upon current exchange rates $30,000 is slightly over 1 Million Baht and $2500 is slightly over 83,000 Baht.

 

 if looks the days of the 800K or 65K for an OA Visa are over. 

[Pattaya57]

Nothing new here as all embassies apply a poor exchange rate. Simple example is a tourist visa is supposed to cost 1000 baht but it costs $40 and non-imm O is officially 2000 baht but costs $80. This means they use an exchange rate of 25 (instead of around 35)

 

Another example using 25 exchange  is new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) advertised at 10,000 baht, but cost $400 in US (about 14,000 baht)

 

$30,000 as equivalent to 800,000 baht is actually better than the usual 25 exchange as it's 26.67

 

[TheAppletons]

Or - and this is pure speculation - this could be the new thresholds promised when the DTV was introduced.  

 

IIRC, one of the other initiatives announced at the same time was revision of the non-O visa categories and requirements.

[sqwakvfr]

19 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

Nothing new here as all embassies apply a poor exchange rate. Simple example is a tourist visa is supposed to cost 1000 baht but it costs $40 and non-imm O is officially 2000 baht but costs $80. This means they use an exchange rate of 25 (instead of around 35)

 

Another example using 25 exchange  is new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) advertised at 10,000 baht, but cost $400 in US (about 14,000 baht)

 

$30,000 as equivalent to 800,000 baht is actually better than the usual 25 exchange as it's 26.67

 

Yes but that is truly poor  a exchange rate for USD. 65,000 Baht/ $2500 = 26 Baht to the $.  Currently it is 33 to 1. 

[Pattaya57]

13 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

Or - and this is pure speculation - this could be the new thresholds promised when the DTV was introduced.  

 

IIRC, one of the other initiatives announced at the same time was revision of the non-O visa categories and requirements.

Except the Washington Embassy OP quoted has both 800,000 / 65,000 baht and $30,000 / $2500 mentioned for the O-A. Clearly just their exchange rate

 

From Washington Embassy O-A eligible criteria

 

Applicant must have a bank deposit of no less than 800,000 Baht in the last three months or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, 

 

And to upload

 

Recent bank statement showing the applicant's name and ending balance of no less than $30,000 or proof of monthly income of not less than $2,500/month....

 

[Captain Monday]

2 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Just perused the Washington DC Embassy and Los Angeles Consulate websites for the OA Visa and saw this:

 

1. Recent bank statement showing the applicant's name and ending balance of no less than $30,000 or proof of monthly income of not less than $2,500/month) along with the current bank statement showing incoming income

 

Based upon current exchange rates $30,000 is slightly over 1 Million Baht and $2500 is slightly over 83,000 Baht.

 

 if looks the days of the 800K or 65K for an OA Visa are over. 

It is nonsense from a website. I got O-A with 800k equivalent a couple years ago. You can even black out the account number with a marker pen. They don’t care

[AAArdvark]

You are mixing O and OA requirements

[KhunBENQ]

Wonder why anyone goes for the Non O-A at all.

Particularly if you have a regular (pension) income (>65k Baht) that you can transfer month by month.

I think it's for those without regular income and not wanting to transfer and freeze 800k Baht?

But adding the health insurance obligation!

 

I am happy to have unloaded that status by a border run in 2022.

 

Otherwise I searched misc sources and all unchanged in Thai Baht numbers, 65'000/800'000.

For Germany I could not find the numbers in Euro (just pointing to some MFA powerpoint).

[sandyf]

42 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Otherwise I searched misc sources and all unchanged in Thai Baht numbers, 65'000/800'000.

For Germany I could not find the numbers in Euro (just pointing to some MFA powerpoint).

Quite. From the London site.

1. Financial evidence showing monthly income of no less than 65,000 THB (£1,500) or having the current balance of 800,000 THB (£18,000), e.g. bank statements, proof of earnings
   - Applicant’s recent official UK/Ireland bank statement shows your name, address (Screenshots are not accepted). For monthly income of last 3 months no less than £1,500/month. 
2.  https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/retirement-visa

[Maestro]

9 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Just perused the Washington DC Embassy and Los Angeles Consulate websites for the OA Visa and saw this:

 

1. Recent bank statement showing the applicant's name and ending balance of no less than $30,000 or proof of monthly income of not less than $2,500/month) along with the current bank statement showing incoming income
   …

 

The OP, @sqwakvfr, started this topic with the text quoted above, without giving a link to his source.

 

Just now, I looked the information up on the website of the Thai embassy in Washington DC and found it on this page:

https://washingtondc.thaiembassy.org/en/page/non-oa

 

The information regarding financial requirements is shown twice, first under the heading "Eligibility", then under the heading "Required documents". These two texts are contradictory and thus confusing and useless.

 

Eligibility

6. Applicant must have a bank deposit of no less than 800,000 Baht in the last three months or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht,  or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht (in one year). In the case of submitting a bank statement, a letter of guarantee from the bank (an original copy) is required

 

Required documents to upload in the system

4. Recent bank statement showing the applicant's name and ending balance of no less than $30,000 or proof of monthly income of not less than $2,500/month) along with the current bank statement showing incoming income

 

What shows up in the online application form on the eVisa site, I wonder ?

[Pattaya57]

22 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

The OP, @sqwakvfr, started this topic with the text quoted above, without giving a link to his source.

 

Just now, I looked the information up on the website of the Thai embassy in Washington DC and found it on this page:

https://washingtondc.thaiembassy.org/en/page/non-oa

 

The information regarding financial requirements is shown twice, first under the heading "Eligibility", then under the heading "Required documents". These two texts are contradictory and thus confusing and useless.

 

Eligibility

6. Applicant must have a bank deposit of no less than 800,000 Baht in the last three months or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht,  or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht (in one year). In the case of submitting a bank statement, a letter of guarantee from the bank (an original copy) is required

 

Required documents to upload in the system

4. Recent bank statement showing the applicant's name and ending balance of no less than $30,000 or proof of monthly income of not less than $2,500/month) along with the current bank statement showing incoming income

 

What shows up in the online application form on the eVisa site, I wonder ?

I already posted this in the 5th post of thread.

 

I also checked the e-visa website and it says 800k/65k baht but doesn't matter as the Washington Embassy will be the one processing the e-visa application and they expect $30,000/$2500 as per their stated O-A requirements

 

[kimothai]

My opinion is Immigration wants to eliminate the "OA" visa.  Other the initial procurement, the only difference (to my knowledge) is the medical insurance that has to be from a Thai company.  Why not the "O"?  As we move through our 70's toward our 80's the insurance cost is well past 100,00 baht and with all the exclusions (due to priors) it's practically useless.  I was about to change to an "O" but the LTR came along to save the day with none of these silly banking requirements.

[KhunBENQ]

16 hours ago, sandyf said:

Financial evidence showing monthly income of no less than 65,000 THB (£1,500) or having the current balance of 800,000 THB (£18,000),

That's quite fair.

[KhunBENQ]

14 hours ago, kimothai said:

My opinion is Immigration wants to eliminate the "OA" visa

And as I wrote above: think twice why you would need it.