O-A Long Stay Visa

[Sateev]

Because my original topic was summarily closed, and because seems to be the most general (and recent) O-A Visa topic, I will post my experience here. Mods, please feel free to move this to another thread, if more appropriate.

Brief recap:

I have a multiple-entry, non-immigrant O-A visa, issued in the US. I married a Filipina, AFTER I first entered Thailand on my O-A, but we were married in the Philippines. Due to the Byzantine paperwork process in the Philippines, I had to re-enter Thailand alone, with my bride following some two months later. She arrived on a 30-day visa-exempt stamp.

We attempted to change her stamp to a type O visa at Chaeng Wattana, but were told that it could not be done. When asking how to proceed, we were told that she had to have a non-immigrant visa, and could then apply for extension of stay to match my 'Permitted to Stay' date.

So, we went to Vientiane, with our marriage certificate, and applied for/received a non-O (90 days).

As we were told to do, we went back to Chaeng Wattana today, with a copy of our marriage certificate, and were told by a youngish officer, at the Information desk, that my wife COULD NOT get an extension of stay based on my O-A visa, "chu-ah"!!

When I told her, calmly, that we were following the procedure her colleague had outlined to us, she became indignant, and snotty, and said that it was her "duty", and if I didn't believe her, we could go inside and they would tell us the same thing, "No soup for you!! Next!!".

So, we went in to where the queue numbers are issued, and explained what we were trying to do, and they sent us to the 'L' queue, where we were quickly admitted to see an officer. She started out with the same line, "Your wife cannot get an extension based on your O-A, you have to change to extension of stay." I told her of the regulations stating that if a spouse can not qualify for her own O-A, she will be considered for an O visa, and permitted to stay during the validity of her husband's visa. I also mentioned the Immigration website, which states the same thing.

(note: reasons for preferring an O-A visa to an extension of stay are outlined previously in this thread, by Jingthing, and others)

She wandered off for a few minutes (presumably to confer with a superior), then came back, gave us some forms to fill out, asked for 1900 baht, and, poof, just like that, my wife got her extension to stay to coincide with my "Permitted to Stay" stamp.

I asked her if she saw this situation often, and she admitted that this was her first time. She was older, quite personable and professional, and didn't seem to take it as a loss of face. I was careful to present it in a neutral way, but, in the end, I think we were just lucky to have gotten the right officer.

I guess the summary is that it pays to be firm, but not confrontational, and to realize that there is a wide disparity of training/knowledge/attitude among the Immigration personnel, in whose hands your future is placed.

Hope someone finds this helpful.

[lopburi3]

The O-A visa is technically a one year pre-approved extension of stay rather than a normal O visa entry so that should allow processing of dependent stay as you received. I suspect it is a very unusual situation so required higher sign-off.

[Sateev]

The O-A visa is technically a one year pre-approved extension of stay rather than a normal O visa entry so that should allow processing of dependent stay as you received. I suspect it is a very unusual situation so required higher sign-off.

I agree.