Converting Non Immigrant "o" To "o-a" Retirement

[partington]

Dave,

you should really trust lopburi3 and the others. Even Hull has got it wrong in this reply. It isn't as hard as it seems:

1. The O/A is the name of a visa that you apply for outside Thailand on the basis that you are retiring in Thailand. It isn't given inside Thailand.

2. Another way to retire in Thailand is to get a non imm O visa (FOR ANY REASON eg collecting folk songs in Chiang Mai). Then when in Thailand if you suddenly reach 50 and have 800000B in the bank for three months you can go and get your original O visa extended. Basis for extension? Retirement. What you have then got is NOT an O/A visa (Hull's mistake). It's your original O visa, which you have just extended inside Thailand, for the reason of retirement. It is just an extended O, which you can then extend indefinitely annually (or until they change the rules).

Honestly it's that simple. O/A outside Thailand. Extended O inside.

cheers

RESPONSE TO ME (OP) FROM ROYAL THAI CONSULATE (HULL) re applying for "O-A" Visa in Thailand.

I have looked through various comments on the link you provided and my comment is that someone has become confused between the "O" visa

and the "O-A" visa. Every foreigner who wishes to enter Thailand legally for a purpose other than tourism needs to obtain a non-immigrant visa of

some sort. The requirement of a category "O" non-immigrant visa is necessary in a number of situations including people who are entering Thailand

because they wish to apply for retirement status. Information on the website of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Non-Immigrant

Visa "O-A" Long Stay states that whilst applicants may apply at the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General in their home country

(there are no Consulate-Generals in the UK) they can also apply at the Thai Immigration Bureau in Bangkok. Additionally we know it is possible to

apply at Thai Immigration Bureaux in main Thai cities/towns. However, if applying in Thailand, it is not possible to be able to enter Thailand without

first being in possession of a non-immigrant category "O" visa. I can assure you that many UK passport holders have entered Thailand with the

"O" visa and have subsequently successfully applied for the "O-A" (long term) visa.

I hope this helps.

Regards

Alan Taylor

Hon Consul

<div align="left">Royal Thai Consulate

Priory Court

Saxon Way

Priory Park West

Hessle

HULL HU13 9PB

United Kingdom

</div>

[Patriciachas]

Dave

Listen to lopburi 3 Hull is wrong this time.

[JimGant]

I contacted Hull about their error, and their reply was: You *can* get an O-A visa in Thailand and "this is made quite clear on the website of the Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Here's the link to the MFA website: MFA

And here's the pertinent quote:

3. Channels to submit [O-A visa} application

Applicant may submit their application at the Royal Thai embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General in their home/residence country or at the Office of the Immigration Bureau in Thailand located on Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Sathorn District, Bangkok 10120. Tel 0-2287-4948 (direct) or 0-2287-3101 - 10 ext. 2236.

4. Visa fee

2,000 Baht for single entry

5,000 Baht for multiple entries

So, in fairness to Hull, they're just following (erroneous) MFA guidance.

But MFA even contradicts itself right before the info quoted above, when it says about who can obtain an O-A visa:

1.4 Having the nationality of or residence in the country where applicant's application is submitted.

This would seem to rule out Thailand as a source of an O-A visa.

Anyway, that MFA isn't on the same sheet of music as the Immigration Bureau shouldn't be surprising, Heck, the different Immigration offices -- and officers within each -- hear different drummers. So, no big surprise.

And even if you could get an O-A in Thailand, why would you want to, with all the extra steps (medical, police) required in comparison to extending a Non Imm 'O......

Just more slipshod bureaucratic nonsense.

I'm just surprised that Hull, a quality operation usually, isn't more up-to-speed on all of this..........

[davehowden]

Well thanks to you all for the information, I THINK I UNDERSTAND NOW!!

Dave (OP)

[Tafia]

Thanks for your very precise reply and info!! I guess I'll go for the O-A and be done with it. Thing is it can take weeks for me here,...maybe better to go over and hand the applicatoion in to the Embassy and see all is in order.

I think you will find (and I stand corrected) if you apply for an O-A from the RTC in London it has to be done in person whereas an O from Hull can be completed by post.

[fishhooks]

Timed out by the Police:

Having just over a month up my sleeve and from local enquiries and advice on this thread, I was going down the road of getting of getting an "0-A" here in OZ.

But, now the police have lost my "Fingerprint report application" (a requirement here from the Thai Embassy), it's going to be line-ball to finish the process in time before travel as I have to re submit. Mai Bpen Rai, these things happen.

Again with the many favourable reports on this thread, a back-up solution is to get the Multi Non "0". Quick and easy here.

Understanding that the reporting and renewal of a Multi "0-A" is simpler (or just more convenient) once on Thai soil, can someone just give me the reporting/converting timeline of entering with a Multi "0"

I will arriving on 10 December and departing for a 5 day trip to Singapore a few weeks later, then returning to Thailand.

Appreciate that the info is likely elsewhere within all the different posts, but would be really great with this thread covering the various plus's and minus's of the 0 and 0A, to have an actual wrap-up of what one must do with Thai Immigration when holding these visa's.

When departing/re-entering the kingdom at any time during the first year on a multi, is there a cost difference between these visa's?

For those of us about to go into this type of thing, the consequences of not getting it right seem quite strict and extreme if you get it wrong!

[lopburi3]

After any 60 days in Thailand you can extend your stay at Immigration on a yearly basis if you desire and meet the requirements. If not you have a stay of 90 days and then you must leave - you can just enter another country and return for a new 90 day permitted to stay stamp. So you will be paying for a trip every 90 days or less and perhaps a visa for the other country.

[fishhooks]

So rather than go to the expense of a "multi non imm 0" at this end, and seeing that I'll only be staying less than a month first up on this next visit, I could just enter on a normal 60 day Tourist Visa and extend it to 1 year retirement before the 60 days expire.

The trip to Singapore for 5 days in January I understand would be 'within' the 60 days.

[lopburi3]

He would need a re-entry permit at 1,000 baht to keep the tourist visa alive. If he is going to use 800k in bank account it has to be there 3 months before application.

[fishhooks]

Okay, assuming that the 800,000 is there and has been transferred into SCB from off-shore over recent months, is it still more economical (and convenient) to make this next December entry on a 60 day tourist visa and start the retirement extension from there-on in.

I take it where you are talking about 90 days in the earlier post, you are referring to extending a 60 day tourist visa by 30 days, if one has not in a position to extend into 1 year retirement at the 60 day point.

[lopburi3]

If you enter on a tourist visa you have to pay an extra 2,000 baht to convert to a non immigrant O visa and then wait 2 months before you can apply for extension of stay. As you plan to leave shortly after arriving you will need to obtain a re-entry permit to keep that tourist visa alive. As the multi O is quick and easy and gives you much more flexibility (you can stay almost 15 months before you need to extend) and only costs about 5,000 baht this would be your best choice (unless you are sure you want to extend as soon as possible). You would have cost of tourist visa about 1,000 baht, cost of re-entry permit 1,000 baht, cost of conversion 2,000 baht so almost the same price as a non immigrant multi entry which will not require you to obtain a re-entry permit or change your visa type.

[fishhooks]

Great and thanks.

The advanced title under my 'nick' doesn't apply in these matters.

The issues with the various visa's are never ending!

Edited November 14, 2007 by fishhooks

[fishhooks]

My thanks again lopburi3, as it turns out I have no option now but to go the "Multi 0" route.

Not only did the Victorian Police, muck up my initial fingerprint application, now Australia Post have still not delivered the police check back to my address. The police posted it in Melbourne nearly a week back and it should normally take a couple of days to get to my home.

With only a couple of weeks to go before my flight and an "0-A' application needing to go interstate to Canberra, I won't risk it.

Can't change my Singapore Airlines flight as even though the ticket allows, SIA flights out of Australia are always full months in advance.

I guess I'm posting this as a reminder to myself and advice to others in this part of the world, to get-in well in advance in arranging visa's.

Just hope that extending a "Multi 0" later on in Thailand doesn't present with any problems rather than arriving over there with the 'real thing'

I well remember only a few months back the number of rumors that swept through these threads about massive changes that were about to happen to retirement matters on 1st October, just last month!

So many 'well intentioned' TV members had heard such strong rumors from their great contacts in Thai Immigration that the bomb was about to drop to tighten things up.

Yes, I know we shouldn't be surprised at anything that happens, but first hand reports from members about their ACTUAL experiences make so much better reading and understanding here for the inexperienced as I am!

[fishhooks]

Okay, here I am again next day after the last post and hoping for some advice, as the strategy needs to change slightly.

Anyway this should be right "0n-Topic" for this thread.

Have just returned from the consulate with a receipt for A$180 (about THB5,300) for a '2 X 90 day entry 0 Visa'

Apparently Multi's will not be given here for reasons to do with retirement. Multi's only available for partner or family issues.

That's fine and as I've said before the staff here are efficient and friendly.

Thus, with a 2 entry '0' I'm looking for some hints!

With me going out to Singapore a few weeks after arrival in LOS next month, I suppose the best way to get maximum use out of this '0' before extending it to retirement, would be to try not to use the first visa and get a 30 day stamp on arrival. But I imagine that is entirely up to the first immigration encounter where they are more likely to use-out the first entry of the double visa.

Is this right, or can I request a 30 day stamp first up?

If as I think not by choice, I'm into the first visa on arriving, I guess the next best thing to do is to keep this first visa 'alive' by getting a re-entry permit for the Singapore trip, knowing that this will not lengthen it.

On coming back from Singapore is next where I would appreciate a strategy on the best way to get maximum use out of this 2 entry '0' and the best time to convert it to staying on for reason of retirement. I understand that I'm not converting to an '0-A' Visa.

Even with the Multi (if I had been able to get it), I didn't plan on going out and coming back more than 3 or 4 times anyway.

Supplementary question: Is this 2 entry '0' extendable 2 times X 30 days for the 1,900 Baht fee if required, as you can do with a Tourist Visa?

Thanks in anticipation.

[lopburi3]

1. Normally immigration will allow a 30 day entry stamp - do not fill in any information on the arrival card and request a 30 day stamp telling them you plan to travel next week.

2. If you do have to use it the re-entry permit sounds logical if you really want the extra time before extension.

3. You should apply for extension when in the last 30 days of an entry. If using 800k that will mean the money most have been in account for that period of time.

4. No a non immigrant visa can not be extended in the same manner as a tourist visa (for 30 days).

[fishhooks]

Could not have been summed up better l,3

Thanks muchly.

[fishhooks]

Have just today received my Passport back wth the "2 entry Non Imm 0"

Just a hopefully quickie question as I have not sighted this type of visa before?

I take it the "EXTENSION OF STAY NOT PERMITTED" statement at the foot of the stamp just refers to the fact that the 2 entries of the visa are not extendable as such and that 'converting' the visa to a stay based on retirement is not affected!

[lopburi3]

It is the standard stamp for non immigrant visas so you don't think you can receive a normal 30 day extension like a tourist visa. It can still be extended by Immigration for retirement.