Visa Advice For An American Friend

[Wentworth]

Yes, it's for a friend of a Thai friend of mine.

An American who's retired is looking to come and stay in Thailand and he's investigating different options. He's got a Tourist Visa to just check out if staying here will work out for him. He's single and wouldn't qualify for a retirement visa as he doesn't meet the financial requirements. I think he'll initially look at extending the TV but I've warned him that it probably won't be good for long term as I understand that quite a few Thai embassies are starting to refuse TVs after a few consecutive ones have been issued. Also, the 15 day border run is I believe restricted to so many stamps before you have to leave to get a TV or other longer term visa, perhaps someone could let me know how many 15 day stamps you can get in a row.

I am from the UK and have heard that some people go back to UK and get a 1 year visa every year. I would be grateful if anyone has any knowledge or experience about American citizens being able to get the same from back in the States. If that is possible then he might consider going back annually to see friends and relatives. Apart from that any useful advice would be welcome.

[SeanMoran]

America refers to a pair of continents containing around 40 different nations and I read on here a few days ago, by those who seem qualified to give advice on visas, (unlike myself), that the visa runs have been re-perpetuated so it comes down to a matter of whether your friend from the New World can afford to fly out every 30 days or catch a bus or motorcycle taxi to Cambodia every 15.

[Wentworth]

I'm not quite sure how to take the response I received and don't want to offend or give a knee jerk reaction. You gave some friendly advice, for which I'm grateful, mixed in with what looked like pedantic talk or perhaps sarcasm, with regard to what is deemed to refer to the USA and its citizens or the American continents. If the answer wasn't meant as pedantic or sarcastic then accept my apologies. However, if it was intended as pedantic or sarcastic then please bear the following in mind. Yes, I am a UK citizen and don't want to offend people from the USA, by which I mean the 'United States of America' just in case I got that wrong, but most people in the world refer to them as 'American', I honestly can't think right now of how else I should commonly refer to them in one word terms. In my experience people call themselves 'American' As far as I know the word 'American' refers to what country you regard a person to come from etc and is not classed as a derogatory term. If you read back through my message I did mention about people 'back in the States'; this I believe is another universally acceptable term or word to refer to the USA. You also mention about my friend from 'The New World'. I rarely hear that term used but in my experience is used very much in wine circles and can include Australia and New Zealand but I will stand corrected if people want to be pedantic or sarcastic about it.

[thaiphoon]

Financial requirements for extension of stay based on retirement are 800k in Thai bank for 2 months prior to first application OR 65k/month income (certified by embassy if from abroad) OR a combination of the two arriving at 800k. That is the easiest way to obtain 12 month permission to stay if your friend can meet the requirements.

There has been a recent clampdown on the issue of tourist visas and some consulates have been issuing red stamps/declining visas where they believe the applicant is not a genuine tourist. Whilst there is no official limit on the number of back to back land crossings, at 4 he may well be questioned as to what he is doing.

There are a handful of consulates around the globe that are still issuing 12 month multiple entry Non-O visas on the basis of visiting friends. Hull (UK) is one. Stuttgart (Germany) is another. The nearest consulate to Thailand that will issue is Perth (Australia), and requires a signed copy of ID card/passport of Thai friend. Will receive 90 day permission to stay on entry and will have to do border runs every 90 days. Do a final border run just before visa expires to receive new 90 day stamp, stretching the visa to 15 months.

[Jingthing]

Yes, it's perfectly OK to call USA people Americans, except if your talking to left wing Latin Americans who should have better things to worry about. As far as getting multiple entry O visas in the US with light reasons like "visiting friends" my feeling based on reading reports over the years is that it is very difficult to do that from US based Thai consulates (forget the embassy). Probably the best deal at the moment is the ED visa for studying Thai, which does involve actually studying Thai.

Edited February 18, 2010 by Jingthing

[SeanMoran]

I'm not quite sure how to take the response I received and don't want to offend or give a knee jerk reaction. You gave some friendly advice, for which I'm grateful, mixed in with what looked like pedantic talk or perhaps sarcasm, with regard to what is deemed to refer to the USA and its citizens or the American continents. If the answer wasn't meant as pedantic or sarcastic then accept my apologies. However, if it was intended as pedantic or sarcastic then please bear the following in mind. Yes, I am a UK citizen and don't want to offend people from the USA, by which I mean the 'United States of America' just in case I got that wrong, but most people in the world refer to them as 'American', I honestly can't think right now of how else I should commonly refer to them in one word terms. In my experience people call themselves 'American' As far as I know the word 'American' refers to what country you regard a person to come from etc and is not classed as a derogatory term. If you read back through my message I did mention about people 'back in the States'; this I believe is another universally acceptable term or word to refer to the USA. You also mention about my friend from 'The New World'. I rarely hear that term used but in my experience is used very much in wine circles and can include Australia and New Zealand but I will stand corrected if people want to be pedantic or sarcastic about it.

Yes. Take some time to think it through for you're on the right track regarding the nomenclature, and most importantly, it seems from what the experts here have written over the last week or so that it is possible to become a perpetual tourist as it was in yesteryear, as it is in the Philippinesm and as anyone with the cash to pay for the flights can easily manage quite comfortably, although if the budget is tight, buy a motorbike and DIY visa runs.

[Wentworth]

With regard to the Embassy confirmation, other friends from the UK have to show proof to them eg bank statements. Are there any US citizens that can tell me what the American embassy requires from the applicant?

[Mario2008]

If he is 50 or older he can get a (multiple) non-O visa. Note that the equirement for an extension are:

an income of 65,000 baht a month

OR

800,000 in the bank

OR

a combination of yearly income and money in the bank totaling at least 800,000.

Maybe he can make the last requirement? The tourist visas can be extended by 30 days, visa exempt entries are no onger restricted but you now get only 15 days arrviving at a land border and 30 days arriving at an airport.

Yes, Hull will issue a multiple non-O, good for a stay of almost 15 months, but you have to leave every 90 days and can come right back the same day.

Note that you don't need to be a UK citizen to apply there. Also a posibility are Perth and Brisbane (Australia). In the region itself one will not get a multiple non-O.

[Wentworth]

I'm not quite sure how to take the response I received and don't want to offend or give a knee jerk reaction. You gave some friendly advice, for which I'm grateful, mixed in with what looked like pedantic talk or perhaps sarcasm, with regard to what is deemed to refer to the USA and its citizens or the American continents. If the answer wasn't meant as pedantic or sarcastic then accept my apologies. However, if it was intended as pedantic or sarcastic then please bear the following in mind. Yes, I am a UK citizen and don't want to offend people from the USA, by which I mean the 'United States of America' just in case I got that wrong, but most people in the world refer to them as 'American', I honestly can't think right now of how else I should commonly refer to them in one word terms. In my experience people call themselves 'American' As far as I know the word 'American' refers to what country you regard a person to come from etc and is not classed as a derogatory term. If you read back through my message I did mention about people 'back in the States'; this I believe is another universally acceptable term or word to refer to the USA. You also mention about my friend from 'The New World'. I rarely hear that term used but in my experience is used very much in wine circles and can include Australia and New Zealand but I will stand corrected if people want to be pedantic or sarcastic about it.

Yes. Take some time to think it through for you're on the right track regarding the nomenclature, and most importantly, it seems from what the experts here have written over the last week or so that it is possible to become a perpetual tourist as it was in yesteryear, as it is in the Philippinesm and as anyone with the cash to pay for the flights can easily manage quite comfortably, although if the budget is tight, buy a motorbike and DIY visa runs.

Thanks for the reply. I don't want to get into a tit for tat silly argument about what you refer to as Americans. I believe I was correct and no need 'to think it through', what else to think about - you haven't expanded? You have used the word 'nomenclature', which I do happen to understand, but find that it is hardly ever mentioned. I choose not to use it as it tends to imply that I want appear superior in intellect/status or want to boast that I have eaten a dictionary for fun. As mentioned earlier, I don't want to argue anymore about this and so will not reply to any further references to this point.

[SeanMoran]

I'm not quite sure how to take the response I received and don't want to offend or give a knee jerk reaction. You gave some friendly advice, for which I'm grateful, mixed in with what looked like pedantic talk or perhaps sarcasm, with regard to what is deemed to refer to the USA and its citizens or the American continents. If the answer wasn't meant as pedantic or sarcastic then accept my apologies. However, if it was intended as pedantic or sarcastic then please bear the following in mind. Yes, I am a UK citizen and don't want to offend people from the USA, by which I mean the 'United States of America' just in case I got that wrong, but most people in the world refer to them as 'American', I honestly can't think right now of how else I should commonly refer to them in one word terms. In my experience people call themselves 'American' As far as I know the word 'American' refers to what country you regard a person to come from etc and is not classed as a derogatory term. If you read back through my message I did mention about people 'back in the States'; this I believe is another universally acceptable term or word to refer to the USA. You also mention about my friend from 'The New World'. I rarely hear that term used but in my experience is used very much in wine circles and can include Australia and New Zealand but I will stand corrected if people want to be pedantic or sarcastic about it.

Yes. Take some time to think it through for you're on the right track regarding the nomenclature, and most importantly, it seems from what the experts here have written over the last week or so that it is possible to become a perpetual tourist as it was in yesteryear, as it is in the Philippinesm and as anyone with the cash to pay for the flights can easily manage quite comfortably, although if the budget is tight, buy a motorbike and DIY visa runs.

Thanks for the reply. I don't want to get into a tit for tat silly argument about what you refer to as Americans. I believe I was correct and no need 'to think it through', what else to think about - you haven't expanded? You have used the word 'nomenclature', which I do happen to understand, but find that it is hardly ever mentioned. I choose not to use it as it tends to imply that I want appear superior in intellect/status or want to boast that I have eaten a dictionary for fun. As mentioned earlier, I don't want to argue anymore about this and so will not reply to any further references to this point.

Good luck with it then.