Non-immigrant O Visa

[hawaiianhost]

I am trying to pin down the correct information when applying for a non-immigrant o visa. Are you only able to get this visa if you are married to a Thai national? I am looking to do volunteer work there and want to apply for the non-immigrant o multiple entry visa. Is that even an option if I'm not married to a Thai national?

Also do you have to purchase an airline ticket before applying for a visa or can you apply for a visa even though you haven't pinned down an exact date to leave? And when should you start the application process? I'm looking at going in January. Is it too soon to start applying for the visa? And is it better to go to a Thai consulate in person to apply for the visa or can I just do it by mail?

I'm sorry for all the questions and appreciate anyone's help!

[phibunmike]

Hi,

Others will give more detailed information, but let me start you off.

1. 'O' is for 'Other' and certainly applies to marriage and retirement. I suspect you need a 'B' for work even though voluntary, but I don't know.

2. You are supposed to have a firm travel date. A printed out online booking will do (read between the lines).

3. In Singapore, you apply in person one day and collect the visa the next. I have not heard of mail applications. You must enter Thailand before the visa expires (obviously), but that is the only stipulation. However the validity is from when the visa is issued, not from when you enter.

Good luck,

Mike

[ubonjoe]

Volunteer work does fall under the o category.

- other activities (Category "O") as follows:

to stay with the family, to perfrom duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to stay after retirement for the elderly, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.

The above can be found at following link by clicking the visa button. Link takes you to list of emabassy/consulates worldwide.

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2712.php

To do the work requires a work permit. You would have to be involed with an oranization that is doing it to sponsor you work permit. That would also simplify the application process if you have documation from them.

Suggest you start doing doing some research to find an organization you could work under.

You don't want to have the visa issued until shortly before traveling because it is only valid for a period of time.

The fixed date you are talking about is on the visa application so by the time you are ready to travel you will already have a date set.

You can mail the application in shortly before you are ready to travel or go to a consulate.

Edited October 15, 2008 by ubonjoe

[medegen]

Volunteer work does fall under the o category.

- other activities (Category "O") as follows:

to stay with the family, to perfrom duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to stay after retirement for the elderly, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.

The above can be found at following link by clicking the visa button. Link takes you to list of emabassy/consulates worldwide.

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2712.php

To do the work requires a work permit. You would have to be involed with an oranization that is doing it to sponsor you work permit. That would also simplify the application process if you have documation from them.

Suggest you start doing doing some research to find an organization you could work under.

You don't want to have the visa issued until shortly before traveling because it is only valid for a period of time.

The fixed date you are talking about is on the visa application so by the time you are ready to travel you will already have a date set.

You can mail the application in shortly before you are ready to travel or go to a consulate.

To save making another thread. On the TM.7 form to get the 1 year extension on my first Non-O, on the line where it says "I wish to apply for an extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom for another period of................................. Ok so do i put 365 days? I'm not sure thanks in advance.

[ubonjoe]

To save making another thread. On the TM.7 form to get the 1 year extension on my first Non-O, on the line where it says "I wish to apply for an extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom for another period of................................. Ok so do i put 365 days? I'm not sure thanks in advance.

365 days is correct

[Mario2008]

I am trying to pin down the correct information when applying for a non-immigrant o visa. Are you only able to get this visa if you are married to a Thai national? I am looking to do volunteer work there and want to apply for the non-immigrant o multiple entry visa. Is that even an option if I'm not married to a Thai national?

Also do you have to purchase an airline ticket before applying for a visa or can you apply for a visa even though you haven't pinned down an exact date to leave? And when should you start the application process? I'm looking at going in January. Is it too soon to start applying for the visa? And is it better to go to a Thai consulate in person to apply for the visa or can I just do it by mail?

I'm sorry for all the questions and appreciate anyone's help!

You can get a non-O visa based on volunteerwork. What you need is a letter from the registered charity where you will be doing volunteerwork. With this letter conforming that you will do volunteerwork you can go to a consulate and apply for a non-immigrant O visa. Not sure of they will give you a multiple non-O for volunteerwork, In all likely hood they will just give you a single non-O for 90 days.

In Thailand you have to apply for a work permit with the help of the registered charity (or government organisation) and you can apply for an extension for one year at the immigration office.

Make sure the organisation wil help you with the work permit, as even for volunteering you will need one. Also inquire if the organisation will help you with an extension of stay for one year. (Most organisations won't do this as they don't know how to go about).

[Lite Beer]

Yes. You will need a Work Permit.

[medegen]

To save making another thread. On the TM.7 form to get the 1 year extension on my first Non-O, on the line where it says "I wish to apply for an extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom for another period of................................. Ok so do i put 365 days? I'm not sure thanks in advance.

365 days is correct

Thanks alot

[hawaiianhost]

Thanks everyone for your input. I already have a letter from the Thai charity organization as well as documentation for the parent organization that they belong to. If I apply for the one-year visa and get denied, is it still possible to apply for the 90 day visa, or once you are denied a visa is there a waiting time before you can apply again? I am also looking to apply in Hawaii so I don't know if anyone has had experience getting a visa in Hawaii before? Should I go to the consulate in person or just mail in my application.

[ubonjoe]

As long as the letter is an invitation you should have no problem with getting a one year non-o multiple entry visa. With this visa you would have to make a border run every 90 days. If the organization can assist with work permit and visa you could come on single entry and extend it for one year. If you make contact with consulate they will tell you if they will issue visa or not. There is no wait if denied. It's you choice on mail in or a visit to consulate for visa application.

There is a consulate in Hawaii. This link will take you a page on embassy website and by using the pull down menu at top of page if you select Honarary consulate you will find contact info for for all consulates in US.

http://www2.thaiembdc.org/AboutEmb/EmbDirect.aspx

Edited October 15, 2008 by ubonjoe

[phibunmike]

Thanks everyone for your input. I already have a letter from the Thai charity organization as well as documentation for the parent organization that they belong to. If I apply for the one-year visa and get denied, is it still possible to apply for the 90 day visa, or once you are denied a visa is there a waiting time before you can apply again? I am also looking to apply in Hawaii so I don't know if anyone has had experience getting a visa in Hawaii before? Should I go to the consulate in person or just mail in my application.

If I were you I would go in person. They can change the period applied for on the spot. Make sure you have all the paper work asked for, plus extra copies, plus the other documents they don't tell you about .

Good luck,

Mike

[Soupdragon]

Rather than start a new thread asking a similar question I am asking here.

Can I get a multiple entry non "O" visa on the grounds of child support. I live wih my girlfriend (we are not married) and our 2 year old son. My son has a birth certificate stating I am the father. Also which country is more likely to grant a muliple entry at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

[tracer5050]

Good advise alway a help here when its needed.

[ubonjoe]

Rather than start a new thread asking a similar question I am asking here.

Can I get a multiple entry non "O" visa on the grounds of child support. I live wih my girlfriend (we are not married) and our 2 year old son. My son has a birth certificate stating I am the father. Also which country is more likely to grant a muliple entry at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

Yes you can get a multiple entry to visit your child. You will need the original of the birth certificate. They give it back to you when you get your passport back.

Any consulate should do it. If your country has honarary Thai consulates they are normally the most helpfull.

Some honarary consulates may request a translated copy because they do not have anybody that can read Thai.

Edited October 18, 2008 by ubonjoe

[GungaDin]

Rather than start a new thread asking a similar question I am asking here.

Can I get a multiple entry non "O" visa on the grounds of child support. I live wih my girlfriend (we are not married) and our 2 year old son. My son has a birth certificate stating I am the father. Also which country is more likely to grant a muliple entry at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

Your nationality?

[Maestro]

From his original post I gather that hawaiianhost is currently living in Thailand and would like to know what consulate in the region is currently known to issue a multiple-entry non-O visa to visit family, ie his child. I believe that only Penang and Kuala Lumpur give this visa to visit the wife but I don’t know if they also do it for visiting the child. Who has recently got the multiple-entry non-O visa for this purpose in the region?

--

Maestro

[ubonjoe]

It wasn't the OP asking the question.

Edited October 18, 2008 by ubonjoe

[cloud96]

I am looking to do volunteer work there and want to apply for the non-immigrant o multiple entry visa. Is that even an option if I'm not married to a Thai national?

Also do you have to purchase an airline ticket before applying for a visa or can you apply for a visa even though you haven't pinned down an exact date to leave? And when should you start the application process? I'm looking at going in January. Is it too soon to start applying for the visa? And is it better to go to a Thai consulate in person to apply for the visa or can I just do it by mail?

I'm sorry for all the questions and appreciate anyone's help!

I applied for a 1 year type O visa for volunteer work by mail to the consulate in New York. I had to send a letter from my organization. They asked for confirmation of both arrival and departure date (only sent confirmation printout). They called me and told me they only wanted to do a 90 day type O single entry, and that I could renew after that. I didn't argue and got the 90 day visa. You have to enter Thailand within 90 days of visa issue, so don't apply more than 90 days or so from applying. You only need 2 or 3 weeks by mail.

Also, I never got a work permit. My organization isn't officially recognized, and they say they can't get one. Kind of a bad situation, making me a bit paranoid, especially considering I don't have a tourist visa.

Now I have a question for everyone. My 90 day visa expired and I filled out a form for extension of visa, hoping to get at least another 90 day extension. Went to the border at Mae Sot and the woman at immigration wouldn't even look at my application. She wouldn't explain why. She just told me to go over the border and come back. When I came back I again asked about the application but she just gave me a 30 day stamp. Someone told me with the 90 day type O I could get a 90 day stamp. But she wouldn't do this. What gives? Did I do something wrong? Now my visa expired, is there any easy way to get a 90 day stamp or other way to avoid border runs ever 30 days? Assuming I can't do this, and I have to renew my visa at the consulate in Laos like most people, how can I go about maximizing my stay here at lowest cost and hassle? (US citizen)

[digitalchromakey]

Now I have a question for everyone. My 90 day visa expired and I filled out a form for extension of visa, hoping to get at least another 90 day extension. Went to the border at Mae Sot and the woman at immigration wouldn't even look at my application. She wouldn't explain why. She just told me to go over the border and come back. When I came back I again asked about the application but she just gave me a 30 day stamp. Someone told me with the 90 day type O I could get a 90 day stamp. But she wouldn't do this. What gives? Did I do something wrong? Now my visa expired, is there any easy way to get a 90 day stamp or other way to avoid border runs ever 30 days? Assuming I can't do this, and I have to renew my visa at the consulate in Laos like most people, how can I go about maximizing my stay here at lowest cost and hassle? (US citizen)

You should have gone to your local immigration dept, not to the border for an Extension of Permision to Stay.

[Mario2008]

In short: no WP no extension for your visa based on volunteering.

You just will have to make a visa run every 90 days and apply for a new non-O based on volunteerwork.