O-a Visa Issued -

[redwood13]

Poster on another board has an interesting situation.

He obtained a 1 year multiple entry O-A visa from a Thai consulate in Australia. But, the visa is also stamped, “valid for stay up to 90 days”. He says the 90 days per entry was pointed out to him, but that immigration said “he could ‘convert’ the visa removing the 90 day exit requirement in exchange for a 90 day reporting requirement.)”

Recognizing that per the stamp he was only allowed 90 day stays he exited and re-entered Thailand on two occasions so as not to stay beyond that limit. 1st time re-entered by air at BKK and was given a 90 day admission of stay. The 2nd time he re-entered from Cambodia and was again admitted for 90 days.

But the 3rd time when he re-entered Thailand by air at BKK he was stamped in for 365 days.

He’s now feeling very uneasy about his situation. Should he do another 90 day border run or go to immigration and clarify his admission status given that he now has been given a 1 year stay per the multi O-A?? Is there any likelihood that immigration would rule he’s on overstay?

I'm guessing that the "valid for stay up to 90 days" was stamped in error or is this the way Australian O-A's are issued?

-redwood

[Lite Beer]

All a bit odd.

O-A Visa gives a stay of one year.

O Visa gives a stay of 90 Days.

[ubonjoe]

I suspect he thought he had an OA because he used retirement as the reason for getting the visa.

There is a big difference in the process to get a OA and O visa. For the OA you have to get police and medical certificates and prove income or money in the bank.

The visa would have OA on it if it was one.

He should go to immigration to get the permit to stay stamp problem sorted out or just make a border run. If he stays more than 90 days and the immigration officer notices the error he might have a problem.

The convert you mentioned would not be a coversion it would be getting an extension of stay based upon retirement. He can do this within the last 30 days of any of his 90 day entries if he can meet the financial requirements..

[Lite Beer]

The financial requirements are.

(1) The alien has obtained a temporary visa (NON-IM);

(2) The applicant is 50 years of age or over;

(3) Proof of income of not less than Baht 65,000 per month; or

(4) Account deposit with a bank in Thailand of not less than

800,000 Baht as shown in the bank account for the past 3 months at the filing date of the application. For the first year, the applicant should have that amount in his bank account for not less than 60 days or

(5) Annual income plus bank account deposit totaling not less

than Baht 800,000 as of the filing date of application

[wpcoe]

Agreed that it sounds like he got a Non-Immigrant O visa instead of an O-A.

I understand that in Britain, consulates cannot issue O-A visas; only the Embassy in London can. In the USA, consulates *can* issue O-A visas. What's the situation in Australia? If Australian consulates cannot issue an O-A that would explain why the fellow got a plain Non-Immigrant O visa.

[redwood13]

Agreed that it sounds like he got a Non-Immigrant O visa instead of an O-A.

Looks like that might be the case except on this 3rd re-entry his 'admit until' was extended by a year.

-redwood

[ubonjoe]

Agreed that it sounds like he got a Non-Immigrant O visa instead of an O-A.

Looks like that might be the case except on this 3rd re-entry his 'admit until' was extended by a year. -redwood

Not extended just an error in the permit to stay stamp.

As I said in an earlier post he needs to get it sorted out before he reaches the 90 day mark or he might pay an overstay for their error.

[astral]

Can you post a copy of the visa?

Blanking out your name and passport number.

[lopburi3]

It is not his visa - it is hear say from another web site - so unless he can obtain further information there is not much we can do.

[Hugh Jarse]

The financial requirements are.

(1) The alien has obtained a temporary visa (NON-IM);

(2) The applicant is 50 years of age or over;

(3) Proof of income of not less than Baht 65,000 per month; or

(4) Account deposit with a bank in Thailand of not less than

800,000 Baht as shown in the bank account for the past 3 months at the filing date of the application. For the first year, the applicant should have that amount in his bank account for not less than 60 days or

(5) Annual income plus bank account deposit totaling not less

than Baht 800,000 as of the filing date of application

I have been told that if you are married to a Thai national the deposit is 400k.Also,

that the bank account must be in the applicants name only. Bank deposits in joint accounts are not acceptable any more. The latter has caused a lot of hassle-and outrag- from foreigners who have trusted their spouses sufficiently to hold a joint account. Any one know why this proviso was introduced ;on Thaksin's watch I believe?

///Edit: off topic. There is nothing in the OP to suggest that the person being talked about is married to a Thai national. - Maestro

Edited June 28, 2009 by Maestro
Added edit note - Maestro

[Hugh Jarse]

Agreed that it sounds like he got a Non-Immigrant O visa instead of an O-A.

I understand that in Britain, consulates cannot issue O-A visas; only the Embassy in London can. In the USA, consulates *can* issue O-A visas. What's the situation in Australia? If Australian consulates cannot issue an O-A that would explain why the fellow got a plain Non-Immigrant O visa.

Thanks ,that is very helpful information. When I visited the London embassy in Nov.2008, I saw , on their useful 'Menu of Visa's Board'(to the right of the appliations window), that there was a 2 year Non Imm O visa for £200. quid) . Rather than park 400k (if married to a Thai), or 800k Baht in a Thai bank this would seem a good option for those who are considering long term/permant residency and dont want to entrust such a sum with a Thai bank. Do any of the readers here know if the 2 year option is stil on the menu?

[Maestro]

I can see nothing on the website of the Thai embassy in London about a two-year non-immigrant visa nor do I believe that it existed a year ago. You memory must be playing tricks on you.

--

Maestro

[fygjam]

Can you post a copy of the visa?

Blanking out your name and passport number.

I am the holder of the said visa that the OP refers to.

As I am not that au fait with the annotation of image files we will have to forgo the "twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one" however

- I applied for a multiple entry O-A visa and went through the full monty of national police check, medical certificate, financial statement etc.

- The actual visa is 6 stamps on one page of my passport.

(1) The stamp or seal of the issuing consulate.

(2) A stamp which includes the visa number, issuing and expiry dates along with that it a multiple entry visa.

(3) Another stamp saying that it is a multiple entry visa.

(4) A stamp saying that the fee has been paid.

(5) Another stamp saying "Valid for stay of up to 90 days".

(6) The final stamp saying "Non-immigrant visa, classification O-A Retirement" although the O-A Retirement bit is hand written over a proforma stamp.

Now examining the "Admitted until" entry stamps, in the first 2 instances the immigration officer has written in "Non-O" as the visa class, perhaps the "90 day" stamp caught their eye rather than the "O-A" bit. It was on the third entry that the immigration officer, perhaps reading the fine print in a bit more detail, decided that it really was an O-A visa and gave me the 365 day entry.

I guess the only question remaining is why the consulate issues O-A visas but with a stay per entry of 90 days. Reading some previous posts it appears that in some countries only the Embassy can issue O-A visas. Perhaps in Australia this is the crossover where the consulate can certify that the applicant has satisfied the requirements of an O-A visa but are limited to only issuing visas with a stay of 90 days. Hence their comment when I collected my passport that if I wanted an uninterrupted stay of 1 year I would need to see the immigration department in Thailand.

And as to what I should do once the 90 days since my last entry is up, I think that prudence dictates that a 7 hour border run is probably better than a possible 7 hour dance around the immigration offices with unpredictable results.

Edited June 29, 2009 by fygjam

[ubonjoe]

Was this at the Sydney consulate? The others are hononrary consulates.

It sounds like they bothched up the job whoever did it. They probably made a mistake when they put the 90 day stamp on it.

The only place that might be able to sort it out would be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If a mistake is made on a visa they are the ones responsible to sort it out.

[fygjam]

Was this at the Sydney consulate? The others are hononrary consulates.

It sounds like they bothched up the job whoever did it. They probably made a mistake when they put the 90 day stamp on it.

The only place that might be able to sort it out would be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If a mistake is made on a visa they are the ones responsible to sort it out.

You are correct sir, it was one of the honorary consulates.

[ubonjoe]

I checked the websites for Hobart and Brisbaine and they don't even mention OA visas.

I think somebody put you through a lot of paperwork for nothing and just gave you a normal 90 day visa.

You could still get an extension of stay during the last 30 days of any of your entries.

[fygjam]

I checked the websites for Hobart and Brisbaine and they don't even mention OA visas.

I think somebody put you through a lot of paperwork for nothing and just gave you a normal 90 day visa.

You could still get an extension of stay during the last 30 days of any of your entries.

Firstly, I think that it is more of an academic discussion now, I will do a visa run of some sort before the 90 days expire to be on the safe side. That will cover me until I next have to go back to Oz.

Second, ok it's the Perth honorary consulate but I won't knock them, they have always provided good service in the past.

They do know about O-A visas because when I got the application from them they also included the "info kit" which, while similar to the info you can download from the Sydney consulate website, it was not the same document. For one thing, it included a list of WA based law firms which could do the required notarising and binding.

And for the record.

[Lite Beer]

It looks like someone put the wrong stamp on the Visa. They have put 90 days instead of 1 year.

You should be OK for another 12 months if you enter before 20th November 2009

[lopburi3]

It appears that whoever wrote 90 days on that valid for stay stamp was in error and that is causing entry Immigration officials to often treat it as a normal O visa. Believe the safe thing to do is you plan - travel every 90 days and get what they give you, but point out that it is OA so try to get one new year stay each time.

Edited June 30, 2009 by lopburi3

[ubonjoe]

I think a trip to the MFA Department of Consular Affairs Visas and Travel Documents Division is in order.

Or email them a copy of your visa to [email protected] and ask them about it.

Contact info can be fournd here: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2633.php

Clicking on Consular affairs will give you a list of divisions.