My partner and I have lived here for four months. Did one visa run. We are each thinking of getting an oa. Which is a lot of hassle and expense. It has occurred to us that the only advantage of an oa is there are no visa runs. Is this true?

I don't know what Oa is but a non imm o visa you have to do a visa run every 90 days. The Mods will probably move this to the visa forum.

"oa" is presumably a Non-Immigrant O 'A', as distinct from a Non-Immigrant O 'B' (business) visa. It is used primarily by those visiting family and friends.

Not difficult to obtain from some consulates, such as Hull in the UK, but not widely available locally.

As longstebe said its valid for 90 days, although you can extend it for 15 or 30 days depending on the immigration office, so a one year multiple entry O'A' visa means that you have to do a visa run every 90 - 120 days (depending on if you extend it or not each time) and get a new visa every 15 months if you do your last visa run just before the year's validity expires.

If you are under 50 the only ways you can avoid visa runs are to get a work permit, an 'Ed' visa, or marry a Thai. I did them for 14 years!

Moved to visa forum

The advantage of a O-A visa is that you get a 1 year permission to stay in Thailand, as opposed to 90 days on a non-O visa.

Once in Thailand, you can get extensions of stay for 1 year, every year, meaning you don't have to do border runs. The requirements for an extension of stay based on retirement are that you are a least 50 years old and can show:

an income of 65,000 a month (can be from abroad)

OR

800,000 in a Thai bank account for 3 months (first time only 2 months)

OR

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

"oa" is presumably a Non-Immigrant O 'A', as distinct from a Non-Immigrant O 'B' (business) visa. It is used primarily by those visiting family and friends.

Not difficult to obtain from some consulates, such as Hull in the UK, but not widely available locally.

As longstebe said its valid for 90 days, although you can extend it for 15 or 30 days depending on the immigration office, so a one year multiple entry O'A' visa means that you have to do a visa run every 90 - 120 days (depending on if you extend it or not each time) and get a new visa every 15 months if you do your last visa run just before the year's validity expires.

If you are under 50 the only ways you can avoid visa runs are to get a work permit, an 'Ed' visa, or marry a Thai. I did them for 14 years!

Sorry, your post is incorrect. An O-A visa is a visa specifically for retirement, where the 1 year permission to stay is pre-approved. A multiple O-A would give almost 2 years, as each entry on it would give 1 year.

There is no non-O-B visa. You are mistaken with a regular non-immigrant visa, which gives only an entry of 90 days where the O-A visa gives one year. An non-immigrant visa comes in different classes, like non-B and non-O. A non-immigrant visa cannot be extended for 15 or 30 days.

You can get a 1 year extension if you meet the requirements, or you get a 7 day extension on show of proof of leaving the country within 7 days. Perosns married to a Thai national or having a Thai child can get an extension of 60 days.

Some people prefer a Non Imm O-A Visa because they can keep the required 800,000 Baht in their own country rather than move it to a Thai bank.

Your only other option is an ED visa which allows you to stay in Thailand for one year without the need to do visa runs (and can be extended for up to 5 years) provided you attend Thai language classes. The average annual cost is about 25,000 Baht. However, work of any kind is forbidden under the terms of this particular visa.

If you're interested in going this route, check out the Thai language forum @ http://www.thaivisa....-thai-language/

Your only other option is an ED visa which allows you to stay in Thailand for one year without the need to do visa runs (and can be extended for up to 5 years) provided you attend Thai language classes. The average annual cost is about 25,000 Baht. However, work of any kind is forbidden under the terms of this particular visa.

If you're interested in going this route, check out the Thai language forum @ http://www.thaivisa....-thai-language/

There are several other options available depending on one's circumstances, see this english translation of the current visa extension regulations at this link Regulations for Temporary Extension of Permission to Stay

Mario2008, I am so confused about this visa. We have a new friend who has a Non-immigrant O-A visa that under No. of Entry says M. That's multiple, right? She thinks she has to get a new one (renew it?) in a year, but you say:

An O-A visa is a visa specifically for retirement, where the 1 year permission to stay is pre-approved. A multiple O-A would give almost 2 years, as each entry on it would give 1 year.

That seems to mean that she doesn't have to go throught the 800,000 again. If she does, what you wrote doesn't seem to make sense, because it seems to say just leave and come back and you got a nother year. It also seems to be saying that she will have to make a visa run for the second year, and not do it in Thailand.

I thought that a one year single entry visa let you stay for a year if y ou didn;t leave a country, and a one-year multiple entry allowed to stay for one year but you could visit other coutries whenever you want.

My confusion is going to overwhelm me.

Lightbeer,

The above woman is retired but thinks she has to move her 800,000 bat to Thailand next year.

But you wrote: Some people prefer a Non Imm O-A Visa because they can keep the required 800,000 Baht in their own country rather than move it to a Thai bank.

Or are you talkingh about only the first year?

The "M" means multi entry and a non immigrant O-A of that type allows a one year permitted to stay on any entry made during the one year validity of the visa (from date of issue). So if the person makes a new entry into Thailand on day 364 they will get a new one year permitted to stay stamp. But during that time (after expiration date of visa) any travel would require a re-entry permit to be able to return for the last permitted to stay stamp time.

At the end of this period the person can either extend inside Thailand with funds proof here or travel back to home country and obtain another O-A visa.

The options for retirement are,

A. Obtain a Non Imm O-A in your own country. If using the money in the bank method it can be in your bank in your country.

B. Obtain 12 month extensions in Thailand. The money has to be in a Thai bank.

Some people prefer to keep the 8000,000 in their own country and transfer other to Thailand when required.

Sorry, your post is incorrect. An O-A visa is a visa specifically for retirement, where the 1 year permission to stay is pre-approved. A multiple O-A would give almost 2 years, as each entry on it would give 1 year.

There is no non-O-B visa. You are mistaken with a regular non-immigrant visa, which gives only an entry of 90 days where the O-A visa gives one year. An non-immigrant visa comes in different classes, like non-B and non-O. A non-immigrant visa cannot be extended for 15 or 30 days.

My apologies, I was confusing O-A and non-imm O.

I did, however, always get an extension on my non-imm visas, albeit I have not used this visa for 3 years, and I know others who still get extensions on these without any problem; maybe it varies from office to office, as some things do.

And there has not been any extension of stay on a 90 day non immigrant visa entry of 15-30 days in those three years. The only (non approved but allows stay) extension application now is 7 days unless you have valid reasons such as Thai family visit (60 days allowed) or Thai wife/child or such with one year extensions allowed.

The "M" means multi entry and a non immigrant O-A of that type allows a one year permitted to stay on any entry made during the one year validity of the visa (from date of issue). So if the person makes a new entry into Thailand on day 364 they will get a new one year permitted to stay stamp. But during that time (after expiration date of visa) any travel would require a re-entry permit to be able to return for the last permitted to stay stamp time.

At the end of this period the person can either extend inside Thailand with funds proof here or travel back to home country and obtain another O-A visa.

My single entry O-A expires in Nov. Is there a way I can take advantage of this extension? Would I need to visit immigration to get a permission to leave/re-enter?

You will need to apply for a 12 month extension at Immigration.

2.22 In the case of a retiree: Permission will be granted for a period of not more

than 1 year at a time.

(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

Any exit without a re-entry permit will cancel your current permitted to stay. But a re-entry permit will only keep your current permitted to stay alive. There is no extra year available using a single entry. You have to do the extension of stay if you wish to remain here in retirement status.

Any exit without a re-entry permit will cancel your current permitted to stay. But a re-entry permit will only keep your current permitted to stay alive. There is no extra year available using a single entry. You have to do the extension of stay if you wish to remain here in retirement status.

So in other words the 12 month extension stamp can only be obtained with an 'M' type O-A and not an 'S' type? Wish they'd told me that when I originally applied in Vancouver.

If when I get my extension I obtain a multiple entry, does that 12 month re-entry now apply to it?

Edited October 3, 201015 yr by sticklee

So in other words the 12 month extension stamp can only be obtained with an 'M' type O-A and not an 'S' type? Wish they'd told me that when I originally applied in Vancouver.

Correct.

So in other words the 12 month extension stamp can only be obtained with an 'M' type O-A and not an 'S' type? Wish they'd told me that when I originally applied in Vancouver.

Correct.

please see my edit

When you get your 12 month extension the Re Entry Permit keeps the expiry date alive . It does not add time.

If your extension expires January 2012 that is when the Re Entry Permit will expire.

E.G. If you leave the country in August 2011 and return in September 2011 you will stamped up until January 2012.

Here's the link to the visa page at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs which might be useful to you.