O/a Visa

[Patriciachas]

Please confirm anyone that you can stay in thailand for 12 months on a o/a visa before converting it to a retirement visa.

[lopburi3]

The non immigrant O-A is the retirement visa (also called long stay). Upon entry into Thailand it provides a one year permitted to stay stamp from Immigration.

In following years you extend your stay one year at a time for retirement. You do not obtain a new visa in so doing - it is just a normal extension of your original entry stay.

[Patriciachas]

The non immigrant O-A is the retirement visa (also called long stay). Upon entry into Thailand it provides a one year permitted to stay stamp from Immigration.

In following years you extend your stay one year at a time for retirement. You do not obtain a new visa in so doing - it is just a normal extension of your original entry stay.

So is it best to let the visa run its course in thailand before renewing it or do we renew before the year is up,also do we need to apply from thailand for a polce check in the uk or can we do that before we leave the uk

[Maestro]

So is it best to let the visa run its course in thailand before renewing it or do we renew before the year is up,also do we need to apply from thailand for a polce check in the uk or can we do that before we leave the uk

You need the UK police check to apply for the non-immigrant visa O-A at the Thai consulate in the UK, plus other documents the consulate may require. Call the consulate to ask for details.

When you arrive in Thailand you will receive permission to stay for one year. 3-4 weeks before the expiration of this permission to stay you can apply at any immigration office in Thailand for an annual extension of stay. If your O-A visa is valid for multiple entries and if you wish to do so you can do a border run – leave Thailand and re-enter Thailand – before the visa (not the permission to stay) expires and you will again receive an entry stamp with permission to stay for one year and apply for your annual extension towards the end of this second year.

For the application for extension of stay in Thailand you do not need a police check, but remember to have minimum 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account for at least 3 months prior to the application.

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Maestro

[Patriciachas]

So is it best to let the visa run its course in thailand before renewing it or do we renew before the year is up,also do we need to apply from thailand for a polce check in the uk or can we do that before we leave the uk

You need the UK police check to apply for the non-immigrant visa O-A at the Thai consulate in the UK, plus other documents the consulate may require. Call the consulate to ask for details.

When you arrive in Thailand you will receive permission to stay for one year. 3-4 weeks before the expiration of this permission to stay you can apply at any immigration office in Thailand for an annual extension of stay. If your O-A visa is valid for multiple entries and if you wish to do so you can do a border run – leave Thailand and re-enter Thailand – before the visa (not the permission to stay) expires and you will again receive an entry stamp with permission to stay for one year and apply for your annual extension towards the end of this second year.

For the application for extension of stay in Thailand you do not need a police check, but remember to have minimum 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account for at least 3 months prior to the application.

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Maestro

Thanks for the replys i have contacted the thai consul in Hull UK ,they have told me that the police check letter is required in thailand and they are not interested in seeing it can you confirm if they are correct,

[lopburi3]

They are not correct. They can not issue a retirement O-A visa (which requires a police report and medical in home country) as that is only available from the Embassy apparently. They will issue a normal non immigrant O visa and no police report is required for that.

If you obtain an extension of stay for retirement in Thailand (from non immigrant visa) there is no requirement for police report or medical.

[Maestro]

Thai consulates sometimes do not know the requirements of the immigration authorities in Thailand or give wrong information about it.

If the Thai consulate in Hull gives you a non-immigrant visa category O-A without a UK police check, I am happy for you. Accept that visa gratefully, travel to Thailand and enjoy your retirement in Thailand. When the time comes to apply for your annual extension in Thailand, check with the immigration office what they will require at that time, as one can never know when the requirements change.

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Maestro

[bunple]

So is it best to let the visa run its course in thailand before renewing it or do we renew before the year is up,also do we need to apply from thailand for a polce check in the uk or can we do that before we leave the uk

You need the UK police check to apply for the non-immigrant visa O-A at the Thai consulate in the UK, plus other documents the consulate may require. Call the consulate to ask for details.

When you arrive in Thailand you will receive permission to stay for one year. 3-4 weeks before the expiration of this permission to stay you can apply at any immigration office in Thailand for an annual extension of stay. If your O-A visa is valid for multiple entries and if you wish to do so you can do a border run – leave Thailand and re-enter Thailand – before the visa (not the permission to stay) expires and you will again receive an entry stamp with permission to stay for one year and apply for your annual extension towards the end of this second year.

For the application for extension of stay in Thailand you do not need a police check, but remember to have minimum 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account for at least 3 months prior to the application.

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Maestro

Maestro, does that mean if you get your timings right you get do almost 2 years on an O-A extension without showing money?

[Maestro]

It does mean exactly that.

The O-A gives you the additional hassle of the police check and medical certificate, but with just one border run it allows you to delay the transfer of 800k Baht to Thailand by almost two years. For some, this may be important, for others not.

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Maestro

[wpcoe]

Maestro, does that mean if you get your timings right you get do almost 2 years on an O-A extension without showing money?

It does mean exactly that.

The O-A gives you the additional hassle of the police check and medical certificate, but with just one border run it allows you to delay the transfer of 800k Baht to Thailand by almost two years. For some, this may be important, for others not.

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Maestro

If you do a border run just prior to the expiration date of the O-A Visa and get the additional year's permission to stay, you MUST have a re-entry permit if you leave the country after the original expiration date of the O-A Visa (i.e. if you leave any time during the second year), or you start all over again from square one, with no visa.

If you do not exit/re-enter Thailand in that second year, of course, you do not need a re-entry permit.

[Patriciachas]

Thai consulates sometimes do not know the requirements of the immigration authorities in Thailand or give wrong information about it.

If the Thai consulate in Hull gives you a non-immigrant visa category O-A without a UK police check, I am happy for you. Accept that visa gratefully, travel to Thailand and enjoy your retirement in Thailand. When the time comes to apply for your annual extension in Thailand, check with the immigration office what they will require at that time, as one can never know when the requirements change.

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Maestro

once again many thanks,they have now told me that the "O" multiple entry visa is valid for 12 months with a maximum of 90 days for each visit(i have this in writing)The other point about the police check we both have one but they are 13 weeks old on the 6th October and we are not coming to thailand untill january from what i have read we will not need to get another police check done as we will not be asked for it am i right or have i read it wrong,once agin thanks for replies

[Maestro]

So now you are talking about a multiple-entry non-O visa, which is an entirely different thing from the “O/A visa” you mentioned earlier. Of course you don’t need a police check to apply for a non-O visa, and its issuance is not restricted to the consulate in London.

You will not need a police clearance report for your application for an extension of stay for retirement in Thailand, nor will you need it to enter Thailand. With a non-O visa you can forget everything the consulate told you about the police report.

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Maestro

[Patriciachas]

So now you are talking about a multiple-entry non-O visa, which is an entirely different thing from the "O/A visa" you mentioned earlier. Of course you don't need a police check to apply for a non-O visa, and its issuance is not restricted to the consulate in London.

You will not need a police clearance report for your application for an extension of stay for retirement in Thailand, nor will you need it to enter Thailand. With a non-O visa you can forget everything the consulate told you about the police report.

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Maestro

Maestro sorry about the mistake i made regarding visa and thanks for clearing it up for us

[Lite Beer]

So now you are talking about a multiple-entry non-O visa, which is an entirely different thing from the "O/A visa" you mentioned earlier. Of course you don't need a police check to apply for a non-O visa, and its issuance is not restricted to the consulate in London.

You will not need a police clearance report for your application for an extension of stay for retirement in Thailand, nor will you need it to enter Thailand. With a non-O visa you can forget everything the consulate told you about the police report.

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Maestro

Maestro sorry about the mistake i made regarding visa and thanks for clearing it up for us

Also you can stretch it out to 15 months if you make your last exit and return just befor it expires.