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Non Imm. Type O For Scuba Instructor With Thai Girlfriend


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Hi, I have been reading the forums diligently trying to figure out my visa options and was wondering if yall could clarify for me. Here is my deal:

Im a US citizen and I want to travel to Thailand for a period of at least one year. I have a girlfriend (Thai national) there and it is possible that we will get married at some point. We are both divers and wish to travel all over the surrounding region on dive trips (Bali, Japan, etc..). I am a PADI instructor and may at some point want to obtain a work permit. I have well over 500,000 B saved. I am 38 years old. I have a one way ticket to Bangkok for the middle of June.

If I understand what I have read, I should be able to obtain a 1 year, multiple entry, non-immigrant type O visa for this purpose. My girlfriend said that she would be happy to provide a copy of her passport and a letter of intent to submit with my application if need be.

My question is: Do I have my information correct, and will I be granted this visa on these grounds? Do I need to submit a medical form with my application, and/or a criminal background check? I am planning on submitting my application to the Washington DC office. Any advice you can provide me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a dumb question...I have tried to make sense of it all, but this is my first visa. Thank you in advance!

Morgan

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Hi, I have been reading the forums diligently trying to figure out my visa options and was wondering if yall could clarify for me. Here is my deal:

Im a US citizen and I want to travel to Thailand for a period of at least one year. I have a girlfriend (Thai national) there and it is possible that we will get married at some point. We are both divers and wish to travel all over the surrounding region on dive trips (Bali, Japan, etc..). I am a PADI instructor and may at some point want to obtain a work permit. I have well over 500,000 B saved. I am 38 years old. I have a one way ticket to Bangkok for the middle of June.

If I understand what I have read, I should be able to obtain a 1 year, multiple entry, non-immigrant type O visa for this purpose. My girlfriend said that she would be happy to provide a copy of her passport and a letter of intent to submit with my application if need be.

My question is: Do I have my information correct, and will I be granted this visa on these grounds? Do I need to submit a medical form with my application, and/or a criminal background check? I am planning on submitting my application to the Washington DC office. Any advice you can provide me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a dumb question...I have tried to make sense of it all, but this is my first visa. Thank you in advance!

Morgan

You should be able to get a Multi Entry Non O Visa. You can stretch it out to 15 months.

You would be better off not applying at Washington. You will find an Honorary Consulate more helpfull. A lot of Americans recomend Huston. Apply by post.

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I see these kind of posts quite often and I always seem to seem the same recomendation regardless of the country of origin... go to an honorary consulate not the official consulate.

Can anyone explain the difference between the two? Why do they always seem to have different standards in issuing visas?

Do you have to be a citizen of the country in order to use an honorary consulate?

Do none of the regional countries have honorary consulates? Could that be why it is more challenging to get some types of visas?

Sorry to sort of hi-jack this post but it is still some what on topic....

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I see these kind of posts quite often and I always seem to seem the same recomendation regardless of the country of origin... go to an honorary consulate not the official consulate.

Can anyone explain the difference between the two? Why do they always seem to have different standards in issuing visas?

Do you have to be a citizen of the country in order to use an honorary consulate?

Do none of the regional countries have honorary consulates? Could that be why it is more challenging to get some types of visas?

Sorry to sort of hi-jack this post but it is still some what on topic....

Hey no problem on the hi-jack...I was actually wondering that too...I have read several times that the one in the UK will do it (not the one in London, but the other one...cant remember the location right off...hand) and was wondering if I could send my stuff there even though I am not from there...

And, thanks yall for the responses! I will take your advice and give it a try... should I get my girlfriend to send me a copy of her passport and letter of intent, then? Medical form? Background check? Thanks again!

Morgan

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They are normally a local national who has had diplomatic or business dealings with the Consulate country and has been appointed to act as there representative in an undeserved area of the country. The official Consulates are staffed by foreign service people from the Consulate country (even if the person serving you is not) and are official diplomatic properties.

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They are normally a local national who has had diplomatic or business dealings with the Consulate country and has been appointed to act as there representative in an undeserved area of the country. The official Consulates are staffed by foreign service people from the Consulate country (even if the person serving you is not) and are official diplomatic properties.

This is too funny to ignore even though I know it's a typo.

Do you mean underserved?

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From personal experience a letter from you Gf and medical have nothing to do with getting a multi entry non imm type O. What they can do in the UK cant be done as easy in the states...Call or email one of the consulates get a list of requirements. You can also get this going to the thai embassy website. You are going to need a valid reason. Visting your GF or friends doesnt seem to work...a letter from a friend living in thailand doesnt work either but i have not contacted every consulate in the states. please keep us informed

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Why would he be entitled to a non-O? Just because he is a dive instructor with a Thai Girlfriend? hahaha He wants to get a visa that will last a year?

Doesnt everyone?

DIve instructors with Thai girlfriends who stay in Thailand are a dime a dozen

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Hi, I have been reading the forums diligently trying to figure out my visa options and was wondering if yall could clarify for me. Here is my deal:

Im a US citizen and I want to travel to Thailand for a period of at least one year. I have a girlfriend (Thai national) there and it is possible that we will get married at some point. We are both divers and wish to travel all over the surrounding region on dive trips (Bali, Japan, etc..). I am a PADI instructor and may at some point want to obtain a work permit. I have well over 500,000 B saved. I am 38 years old. I have a one way ticket to Bangkok for the middle of June.

If I understand what I have read, I should be able to obtain a 1 year, multiple entry, non-immigrant type O visa for this purpose. My girlfriend said that she would be happy to provide a copy of her passport and a letter of intent to submit with my application if need be.

My question is: Do I have my information correct, and will I be granted this visa on these grounds? Do I need to submit a medical form with my application, and/or a criminal background check? I am planning on submitting my application to the Washington DC office. Any advice you can provide me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a dumb question...I have tried to make sense of it all, but this is my first visa. Thank you in advance!

Morgan

Not being married to a Thai National with legal marriage paperwork, best you will get is a 3 month single entry Visa.

One way ticket... don't even think about flying without some type of Thai Visa in your passport. You may be refused to board the plane in the USA or you could be refused entry in Thailand....

Girlfriend? Must agree with other writer... not much! Can be rented very cheaply here in Thailand and more than one at a time too!!!! Don't tell her about you 500K baht... the love will run out when that does!

Have seen a lot of "Green" guys crash and burn in Thialnd and leave with nothing nit the clothes on their back! 38 still Green!

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Well, thanks for the input, guys....the first part of this thread sounded more encouraging, but Im going to give it a try and see what happens. Im going to FedEx everything off to the consualte in Houston tomorrow, so I should know something by the end of next week...I will let yall know what happens either way. Luckily, if this doenst work, I have a Plan B...and a Plan C...one way or the other, though, Im going and Im not coming back. And about the bread, well...its all good :o

38 and green...yeah, that sux, huh? Better late than never :D and Im not as green as I seem...

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As a professional PADI Instructor (and American, with Thai GF) I can tell you that you need a LOT more for a 1 year VISA than you seem to think.

My Advice : Apply NOW to various Dive Centers, and when you get here and do an outstanding job (and you DO speak 3 languages, right?) they will GIVE you a work permit (as they have done for me), but many dive centers will not accept this because you will be working illegally in the interim (trial) period....remember you need a WORK permit, apart from any visas you mentioned!

Option 2-- form your own company, costs about US$1000 and there are many Thai Law Offices that specialize in this, and you will be have a longer term visa and can work legally here, BUT there are lots of rules and hidden expenses associated with this, so check carefully....

Last option (NOT recommended!)--marry your GF, then apply for spousal visa..takes a long time, lots of paperwork, and also that does NOT fully entitle you to work legally, just stay in Thailand. And there are financial requirements for minimum funds needed, etc...Again, check the rules carefully.

Best is option 2, leave the GF OUT of the picture until you get established.

HB

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There is no spousal visa. If you are married you can obtain a visa to visit your wife under category "other" reasons. It does not take more than a day or two to make the marriage legal and involves one sheet of paper from your Embassy/translation/legalization and another sheet of paper registering the marriage. It does not allow you to work. And it does not allow you to stay in Thailand. It does allow you to apply for non immigrant visas and, if you meet income requirements, to extend your stay on a yearly basis.

Edited by lopburi3
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Easiest way would be: come to Thailand on a visa exempt or tourist visa (since you have a 1-way ticket I would recommend tourist visa) and start/buy an existing company here. That should cost you around 60,000 Baht all in all.

You then employ yourself, go to a Thai embassy in a neighbouring country, apply for a Non immigrant B-visa, come back to Thailand and arrange a work permit. Nearly all instructors working here in the area do it that way, unless they have fixed employment with a diving centre and that diving centre provides them with the necessary paperwork to obtain the visa and work permit.

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Be aware that any such purchase of an active company requires extreme caution and diligence to be sure what you get is what you expected; and not loaded with debts.
Yes, of course you have to be careful. In general this is not a problem at all though, happens every year lots of times here in the area, there are always empty companies for sale by diving instructors.
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  • 2 weeks later...

So I decided not to mess around...hopped a plane to the UK, went to Hull with all my paperwork, and got the visa in person. Took about 20 minutes and they were very nice. Thanks for the advice, everyone...it helped me make my decision and I got what I wanted! :o

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So I decided not to mess around...hopped a plane to the UK, went to Hull with all my paperwork, and got the visa in person. Took about 20 minutes and they were very nice. Thanks for the advice, everyone...it helped me make my decision and I got what I wanted! :D

Good for you ! :o

I was laughing at all the posts by the usual "doom and gloom" merchants................you can't do this, you need that, its impossible...blah blah blah.

Nice one ! :D

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