Tourist Visa Vs Non-immigrant O

[hilary1960]

Looking for advice. i am planning on trying to get the retirement visa O-A in Chiang Mai. I am a US citizen and checked with the consul in New York. They said to get a tourist visa in NY and transfer in Thailand. Is this the easiest way? What about the problem of opening a Thai Bank Account in Chiang Mai? If I arrive in Thailand in late February do I need to open the bank account immediately and how do I extend the visa while waiting the 90 day period for the bank balance? I have the funds as savings to deposit in Thailand but do not have a pension. Are there any other things I should know?

Thanks for any and all advice!

Hilary

[ubonjoe]

The first thing is to contact another consulate and get a non-o visa.

Honorary consulates are the best and give good service for mail in applications. Use the pull the pull down menu at the top of the following page from DC embassy website to get a list of consulates. http://www.thaiembdc.org/AboutEmb/EmbDirect.aspx

Do not mention a non-oa visa to them. A non-oa is different visa all together that can be gotten but requires more paperwork before you leave the states.

Since you are going to do the bank deposit route it might be best to get a multiple entry visa. That way if you can't get the 3 months done in time you can just make a border run and get another 90 days.

Also you can get an affidavit from the US conulate in Chiang Mai for the 65,000 baht income proof. The consulate does not ask for proof and the income can be from any source. You make an oath that what is on the affidavit is true and correct. Some people consider that deposits can be considered income since taking money out of an account on a monthly basis could be considered income. Also you get interest for deposits on a monthly basis. If you go that route I would suggest that you open a bank account and transfer funds into it to show money coming in from outside the country. Chiang Mai immigration has been reported as wanting to see a bank book when applying using the income method,

Another option is to do the income and deposit combined method which does not require the money to be in the bank for 3 months.

Hope this helps.

[Lite Beer]

You can always get a Non O-A Visa in US if you prefer. As said more paperwork is needed. Police Report and Medical Certificate.

http://www.thaiembdc.org/consular/visa/Non-Imglong.aspx

[hilary1960]

The first thing is to contact another consulate and get a non-o visa.

Honorary consulates are the best and give good service for mail in applications. Use the pull the pull down menu at the top of the following page from DC embassy website to get a list of consulates.

Do not mention a non-oa visa to them. A non-oa is different visa all together that can be gotten but requires more paperwork before you leave the states.

Since you are going to do the bank deposit route it might be best to get a multiple entry visa. That way if you can't get the 3 months done in time you can just make a border run and get another 90 days.

Also you can get an affidavit from the US conulate in Chiang Mai for the 65,000 baht income proof. The consulate does not ask for proof and the income can be from any source. You make an oath that what is on the affidavit is true and correct. Some people consider that deposits can be considered income since taking money out of an account on a monthly basis could be considered income. Also you get interest for deposits on a monthly basis. If you go that route I would suggest that you open a bank account and transfer funds into it to show money coming in from outside the country. Chiang Mai immigration has been reported as wanting to see a bank book when applying using the income method,

Another option is to do the income and deposit combined method which does not require the money to be in the bank for 3 months.

Hope this helps.

Okay, but is there a reason to NOT just do the tourist visa and then convert in Chiang Mai? Are there disadvantages to that route? Also I tried to go via the US Embassy but they said since I am a PA resident that I must go through NY.

Confused! Thanks

Hilary

[Maestro]

Yes, you can arrive in Thailand with a tourist visa and then, if you meet the requirements for the retirement extension, apply at an immigration office in Thailand for a change of visa to non-immigrant, followed by an application for an extension of stay for the reason of retirement.

--

Maestro

[ubonjoe]

Okay, but is there a reason to NOT just do the tourist visa and then convert in Chiang Mai? Are there disadvantages to that route? Also I tried to go via the US Embassy but they said since I am a PA resident that I must go through NY.

Confused! Thanks

Hilary

It is mostly a matter going to immigration twice. First you have to go and do a change of visa status (2000 baht) and change to a non-o visa and then go back later and get the one year extension (1900 baht).

That also may mean a new bank letter or proof on income affidavit from consulate also when you back.

The only consulates in the US that observe the area of responsibility rule are NY, DC, LA and Chicago because they are official consulates and are all hard to deal with.

You can choose about any honorary consulate you want and get your non-o by mail. Reports are the one in Alabama is not so good.

[JimGant]

If I arrive in Thailand in late February do I need to open the bank account immediately and how do I extend the visa while waiting the 90 day period for the bank balance?.....Okay, but is there a reason to NOT just do the tourist visa and then convert in Chiang Mai? Are there disadvantages to that route?

I actually see a couple advantages to going the tourist visa route. First, they're straightforward to get, as the Non Imm O can require a little more tap dancing, even with the honorary consulates. And, secondly, if you're going solely the 800k-in-the-bank route, as it appears you are, the tourist visa route will preclude having to do a border run, which you'd have to do with a Non Imm O visa -- which means the Non Imm O would have to be a multi entry type -- which means potentially more tap dancing when you apply.

Logic: With a Non Imm O, your 90-day permitted to stay clock starts ticking upon arrival to Thailand. So, even if you open a bank account immediately, you'll not have the 800k in the bank the required 90 days for your retirement extension before your 90-day permitted to stay stamp expires. Hence, a border run will be required -- and this is why you'll need a multi entry Non Imm O in order to re-enter as a Non Imm O holder. [Note: 30 day extensions to 90-day stamps are not given; and 7 day extensions are almost as rare.]

With a tourist visa, you can open your bank account within the first two or three weeks of arrival, then visit Immigration before 39 days of stay have expired (i.e., while you have at least 21 days left on your 60-day permitted to stay stamp). By all reports I've seen, Immigration should convert your tourist visa to a Non Imm O as long as you can show 800k in the bank -- but with no time-on-deposit requirement. And, they'll give you a new 90-day permitted to stay stamp, telling you to come back in 60 days to get your retirement extension. So, if your money's been in the bank for, say, already 20 days, come back in 70 days -- and you should be good to go.

Other observations. It might be harder to open a bank account with just a tourist visa vice a Non Imm O. However, reports on this are all over the map, from needing a work permit, to being able to open an account on just a visa exempt stamp. So, a lot of shoe leather (worn out thongs?) might be required finding a bank and/or teller who will accomodate you.

And, if a border run is not a problem, the Non Imm O route will give you a lot longer to get a bank account established (but, the tourist visa route, if I did the math correctly, will allow at least 3 weeks to establish a bank account. So, not a big deal in this area, IMO).

Cost: A tourist visa plus the 2000 baht conversion fee to Non Imm O visa is cheaper than the cost of a multi entry Non Imm O visa. (But, this a small factor. To me, amount of hassle avoided would be the prime factor.)

And, yeah, you'd probably need two letters from the bank -- one each for conversion and for subsequent extension. Painless.

[hilary1960]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for all your input; things are clearing up a bit. A couple of follow-ups, if you don't mind. If I have a non-immigrant O multiple entry visa am I correct in thinking I can stay for 90 days and do a border run and reenter on that same visa? For how long?

Related, I may have to leave Thailand for a few weeks after 90 days; if I come in on a single entry non-immigrant O (or a tourist visa) and open my bank account during that first 90 days, can I return to Thailand on a visa-free tourist entry and then convert that to a retirement visa since my bank account would be appropriately aged?

Many, many thanks!

Hilary

[hilary1960]

Okay, but is there a reason to NOT just do the tourist visa and then convert in Chiang Mai? Are there disadvantages to that route? Also I tried to go via the US Embassy but they said since I am a PA resident that I must go through NY.

Confused! Thanks

Hilary

It is mostly a matter going to immigration twice. First you have to go and do a change of visa status (2000 baht) and change to a non-o visa and then go back later and get the one year extension (1900 baht).

That also may mean a new bank letter or proof on income affidavit from consulate also when you back.

The only consulates in the US that observe the area of responsibility rule are NY, DC, LA and Chicago because they are official consulates and are all hard to deal with.

You can choose about any honorary consulate you want and get your non-o by mail. Reports are the one in Alabama is not so good.

Thanks a lot! I am checking now with the other honorary consuls; thanks for the tip! If you don't mind please take a look at the other info I posted below in response to Jim and if you have any other words of wisdom on that front, I'd be grateful.

Thanks,

Hilary

[ubonjoe]

A multiple entry visa is valid for 1 year you can make as many entries as you wish within that year and get a 90 day permit to stay. If you make your last entry just before the experation date you can get another 90 days which adds up to almost 15 months.

If you have single entry yes you can leave and re-enter on a 30 day visa exempt entry. If you do that you will have 9 days after entry to apply for a change of visa status. Immigration requires you to have 21 days remaing on that type of entry to do a visa change.

Even with a your deposit being in the bank for 3 months some immigration offices will require you to go back later and apply for the extension. If they do it all at one time you still have to pay 1900 baht for the extension.

If you can get a multiple entry that is what I would do. The difference in cost is only about 1000 baht when you take into account the cost of the visa change (2000 baht). Plus not needing to do 2 trips to immigration.

[JimGant]

If you can get a multiple entry that is what I would do. The difference in cost is only about 1000 baht when you take into account the cost of the visa change (2000 baht). Plus not needing to do 2 trips to immigration.

Granted. But the OP will be in Chiang Mai, where the Immigration office is a lot closer than the border. To me a second trip to Immigration would be easier than having to do a border run.

But, that's me. And, it sounds like the OP is planning to travel; so if a border run by default is in the cards, Non Imm O may be the soundest approach.

[JimGant]

I may have to leave Thailand for a few weeks after 90 days; if I come in on a single entry non-immigrant O (or a tourist visa) and open my bank account during that first 90 days, can I return to Thailand on a visa-free tourist entry and then convert that to a retirement visa since my bank account would be appropriately aged?

Yeah, you could. But some recent reports have shown that some Immigration folks have never heard of a TM87, so they won't convert a visa exempt entry into a Non Imm O visa. That roadblock could ruin your whole day.

To go back to my tourist visa plan, if you also get a re-entry permit when you convert your tourist visa to a Non Imm O, this would allow you to travel "a few weeks after 90 days" and allow you to leave and re-enter Thailand without jeopardizing your Non Imm O 90-day permitted to stay status. Finally getting your one-year retirement extension as that 90-day stamp approached expiration could continue on track.

[hilary1960]

A multiple entry visa is valid for 1 year you can make as many entries as you wish within that year and get a 90 day permit to stay. If you make your last entry just before the experation date you can get another 90 days which adds up to almost 15 months.

If you have single entry yes you can leave and re-enter on a 30 day visa exempt entry. If you do that you will have 9 days after entry to apply for a change of visa status. Immigration requires you to have 21 days remaing on that type of entry to do a visa change.

Even with a your deposit being in the bank for 3 months some immigration offices will require you to go back later and apply for the extension. If they do it all at one time you still have to pay 1900 baht for the extension.

If you can get a multiple entry that is what I would do. The difference in cost is only about 1000 baht when you take into account the cost of the visa change (2000 baht). Plus not needing to do 2 trips to immigration.

Thanks very much for the info.