1 hour ago, TigerandDog said:

Although I also telephoned my local IO with regards to this and they did say when doing my next annual extension that I could change from O-A to O-X as long as I had the insurance and 3 million in the bank. I'm not entirely convinced that this is correct though.

Your O-A has expired.
They also didn't tell you'd have to apply for the O-X at a Thai Embassy, not at Immigration.

1 hour ago, TigerandDog said:

According to Siam legal it's also what is required for a 5 year O-A visa based on retirement.

 

see this link from Siam legal.  5-Year Retirement Visa Thailand | Thai Immigration.

 

However, after doing some more in depth research it would appear that Siam Legal are incorrect with their post with regards to the O-A based on retirement also being available for 5 years as the Thai Immigration website only makes mention of the O-A for retirement being for 1 year.

 

Although I also telephoned my local IO with regards to this and they did say when doing my next annual extension that I could change from O-A to O-X as long as I had the insurance and 3 million in the bank. I'm not entirely convinced that this is correct though.

Yes it can not be done, i use CW.  for the O-X you need the medical certificate and a police clearance certificate from your home country i tried agents and they all said no, one did quote me 40 000 baht but then said no.

I received mine through embassy in home country, now remember the O-X visa is a 10 year visa, 2x5 years,  and it gets worse the MFA website states 3 million, but after 1 year can go down to 1.5 million, immigration say no must be kept at 3 million, also the MFA website states  that an O-X can be converted in country  to another type of stay, i was told no, i questioned it, showed the printout from the MFA website, they simply said those are not our rules, ask your embassy why they wrote it and that was the end of conversation.  when i went to get my second 5 year, they said i needed to update all the documents that i used for the initial visa.

I can imagine all sorts of issues later on with the DTV visa as the holders will not be dealing through the MFA, but with the rules immigration decide to use

15 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Your O-A has expired.
They also didn't tell you'd have to apply for the O-X at a Thai Embassy, not at Immigration.

did you actually read what I wrote " they did say when doing my next annual extension that I could change from O-A to O-X as long as I had the insurance and 3 million in the bank.  I'm not entirely convinced that this is correct though."

 

Perhaps it would be a good idea if you read and understood what was written before posting an irrelevant comment.

8 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

did you actually read what I wrote " they did say when doing my next annual extension that I could change from O-A to O-X as long as I had the insurance and 3 million in the bank.  I'm not entirely convinced that this is correct though."

 

Perhaps it would be a good idea if you read and understood what was written before posting an irrelevant comment.

No, I fully understood.

The fact you're extending your periods of stay at Immigration tells me your O-A has expired.
Immigration are correct that you could apply for the Non Imm O-X, just not at an Immigration office.!

You could leave the Country now without a re-entry permit to kill your current permission of stay and apply for the O-X from a Thai Embassy.

 

The IO was just suggesting you waited until your current extension was due for renewal before you applied for an O-X visa.

20 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

The question I'd be asking Immigration, if you have the 3 million, is would be possible to transfer from the annual extensions to the 5 year extensions and if so can it be done at the next annual extension?

 

I wouldn't bother.  It may be five yearly extensions, but you still have to go to hell Immigration every year so they can check you still meet the eligibility criteria.

7 minutes ago, Foxx said:

 

I wouldn't bother.  It may be five yearly extensions, but you still have to go to hell Immigration every year so they can check you still meet the eligibility criteria.

Agreed. You either leave the Country each year for a new 1-year entry, or extend your period of stay for 1 year at Immigration.
It doesn't mean you can stay continuously for 5 years without doing anything more as some believe.

Same with the Elite visa.

21 hours ago, Pattaya57 said:

I emailed the company in the OP as I thought it would be funny to hear what they say. I immediately got this response:

 

Welcome to Siam Legal! Your ticket #[xxxxxx] has been created.

 

So Siam Legal advertise this on another site they created but don't advertise it on their main site? I'm guessing whoever they got to update the page on 17 Sept just really stuffed it up

As I said above I emailed the company link in OP requesting info on their advertised "5 year O-A visa". I just got the following email back telling me about the O-X visa which I didn't ask about  😆 

 

I believe the Non-Immigrant O-X Visa you're referring to has been updated. The current O-X Visa allows for a 10-year stay, but you will need to exit Thailand and re-enter during the 5th year to extend your stay for another 5 years. To qualify, you must have a bank deposit of at least 3 million baht in Thailand, or a deposit of at least 1.8 million baht combined with an annual income of no less than 1.2 million baht. The full deposit must be maintained in the bank for at least one year, and no less than 1.5 million baht after that.

 

1 minute ago, Pattaya57 said:

As I said above I emailed the company link in OP requesting info on the "5 year O-A visa". I just got the following email back 😆 

 

I believe the Non-Immigrant O-X Visa you're referring to has been updated. The current O-X Visa allows for a 10-year stay, but you will need to exit Thailand and re-enter during the 5th year to extend your stay for another 5 years. To qualify, you must have a bank deposit of at least 3 million baht in Thailand, or a deposit of at least 1.8 million baht combined with an annual income of no less than 1.2 million baht. The full deposit must be maintained in the bank for at least one year, and no less than 1.5 million baht after that.

You do not need to exit Thailand at the 5 year point, you can get the second 5 year stamp at immigration

8 minutes ago, howerde said:

You do not need to exit Thailand at the 5 year point, you can get the second 5 year stamp at immigration

You missed the point. OP shows they are advertising a 5 year O-A visa, but company responds back talking about O-X which I didn't ask about. I was just proving their advertised 5 year O-A visa doesn't exist

 

1 hour ago, Pattaya57 said:

You missed the point. OP shows they are advertising a 5 year O-A visa, but company responds back talking about O-X which I didn't ask about. I was just proving their advertised 5 year O-A visa doesn't exist

 

Siam got their knickers in a twist .............. again!

3 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Agreed. You either leave the Country each year for a new 1-year entry, or extend your period of stay for 1 year at Immigration.
It doesn't mean you can stay continuously for 5 years without doing anything more as some believe.

Same with the Elite visa.

 

I assumed having an Elite Visa meant you had 5, 10, or 20 years of visa-free activity, if that is the case then what is the point of getting one and wasting all of that money?

 

It only takes me one hour at the immigration office in Phuket, to submit my documents, for my non-0, spend five minutes with the immigration officer, and then pick up the passport and extension of stay the next day, I suppose it would take that much time with the Elite Visa?

13 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

I assumed having an Elite Visa meant you had 5, 10, or 20 years of visa-free activity, if that is the case then what is the point of getting one and wasting all of that money?

Its validity can be for 5,10, or 20 years, but on entry you only receive permission of stay for 1 year.
At the end of that 1 year, you can either exit, re-enter to obtain another 1 year permission of stay, or extend your permission of stay for a further year at an Immigration office.

 

The validity of a visa is the period during which you can use it to enter Thailand.
The period of stay is different from the validity of the visa.

Haha, I emailed Siam Legal back and said I'm not interested in the O-X visa, I'm only interested in the 5 year O-A visa they advertised on their website (included link from OP). They responded with:

 

I recommend that you review the official information provided directly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This source contains the most accurate and up-to-date details, ensuring that you have the latest requirements and guidelines. It's always a good idea to verify from official channels to avoid any potential misunderstandings or outdated information.

 

So in other words don't read what we just published on 17 Sep, always check the MFA site instead if you want accurate information 😀

 

Thread is not credible and has been discussed.

Thread closed.