Should I Get An O Or An O-A Visa?

[zziffle]

I have been a lurker on this board for a long time and have very much appreciated the quality information that folks have made available here. This, my first post, is a request for a little bit more information or guidance.

I'm 57 and I've got the one-way plane ticket for November. The plan is to give retirement life in Chiang Mai a shot. I understand the differences in the requirements to obtain a non-immigrant O and an O-A visa, but what I don't understand is the practical differences between having one or the after arriving in Thailand.

In particular, it would suit me best if I don't need to get established right away after arriving in Thailand. I'd prefer to relax and live an extended tourist life for a while, travelling both within and outside the country for many months. I would like to get a drivers license, motor bike and local bank account shortly after arriving, but defer getting a fixed (permanent) address and moving in the 800,000 baht for as much as a year.

In reading the consulate site, it sounds like an O visa is good for only a 90 day stay, hence requiring the need for a fixed address and the 800,000 transfer almost right away after arrival. But it appears the O-A is good for a year thus allowing the address and transfer to be deferred for about 10 months. Have I got this right? Do I need an O-A rather than an O if I want to give myself many months before getting settled and applying for a permission to stay based on retirement? Or, to put it another way, how soon after arrival does the permission to stay need to be applied for under these two visa options?

Thanks in advance...

[moe666]

If you get the multiply O-A you are good for two years.Shortly before the 1rst entry expires make a border run and recieve another year. You will get 2 years. Look at some of the other post concerning this same situation, they will have it all laid out for you.

[zziffle]

Thanks Moe. Yeah, I get that part, and the O-A duration is half the story. The other half is the non-immigrant O duration. With an O, can I do the same 1 year + 1 year before getting the permission to stay, would I need to get the permission to stay within 3 months, or something else???

[Jingthing]

With a single entry O, which is good for a 90 day stay, typically you would apply for the annual extension based on retirement between day 60 and day 90. I think it is VERY OBVIOUS from your OP and your initial plans in Thailand that you will prefer the O-A visa. I usually favor not bothering with the O-A, but not in your case. Oh, and it MUST be a multiple entry O-A to allow both the "extra year" feature and also for your convenience (to save the visa multiple times) as you plan travel outside Thailand.

That said, long term retirees are generally on serial extensions, and there is no difference in status for those who started with an O-A or O.

Also note, not every consulate will issue a single entry O for purposes of retirement; many times they will demand you apply for an O-A even if they don't offer O-As.

[zziffle]

Great info, and very much appreciated. An O-A it is then.

If I were to sum up:

The O-A visa is more hassle to get than the O visa (bank funds verification, police report, medical report), but it gives you more time on the ground before expiry. This extra time can be a benefit if you don't plan on getting settled shortly after arrival.

Cheers...

[CharlieH]

Great info, and very much appreciated. An O-A it is then.

If I were to sum up:

The O-A visa is more hassle to get than the O visa (bank funds verification, police report, medical report), but it gives you more time on the ground before expiry. This extra time can be a benefit if you don't plan on getting settled shortly after arrival.

Cheers...

You also need to remember that no matter what Visa you get you will need to report to immigration every 90 days (thats any 90 day continuous stay inside the Kingdom).This report can also be done by post if required.

[NancyL]

I have an O based on retirement and Hubby has an O-A. We both applied at the Chicago Consulate at the same time, sending in the same type of documentation, requesting O-A visas. Our bank account records are for joint accounts, with more than 1,600,000 baht. In retrospect, we may have made a mistake by including a copy of our marriage certificate in the application packet. When the passports were returned, Hubby had an O-A and I had an O visa. Since it was days before our big move to Thailand we just went, figuring we'd sort out the "mistake" in my visa once we got here.

In reality, we had to scramble around soon after arrival to establish a Thai bank account in just my name and transfer 800,000 baht. Then I was able to extend my O visa for 12 months based on retirement. It wasn't a big hardship; we were planning to transfer funds anyway; just not so quickly. Also, the account here had to be in just my name -- not a joint account. So, to eliminate future hassle for Hubby, we executed a simple Will at the amphur office so he could get the money more easily should I die before him.

After all this initial flurry of activity, the actual mechanics of yearly extensions are identical for each of us, only Hubby uses an income letter from the consulate and I use the 800,000 baht Thai bank account. That, of course, is totally unrelated to the type of visas we have. We each could use either option for visa extensions.

However, lately I've heard of one important distinction that I hope one of the resident visa experts of this forum can address. We'd like to do some volunteer work and understand this can't be done under a "retirement visa". However, I've heard that a WP can be granted to someone with an O visa, but not to someone with an O-A -- that Hubby would have to leave the country, abandon his O-A visa, and start all over applying for an O visa outside the country. Then he could return and get a WP to do volunteer work. Is this true?

[Lite Beer]

A Non Imm O Visa would only give him 90 days.

A 12 month extension based on retirement would not allow him to be issued with a Work Permit.

So neither of you can legally work.

[lopburi3]

To work requires a work permit (even non-paid) and that is not normally issued on retirement extensions of stay (the O-A is a pre-approved extension of stay). So a new visa entry would be required to obtain the work permit.

As for both obtaining retirement status most couples will only have one on retirement and the 'dependent' will then follow on that basis without need for financials.

[Tafia]

Great info, and very much appreciated. An O-A it is then.

If I were to sum up:

The O-A visa is more hassle to get than the O visa (bank funds verification, police report, medical report), but it gives you more time on the ground before expiry. This extra time can be a benefit if you don't plan on getting settled shortly after arrival.

Cheers...

Get the Multi Entry which will fit into your plans nicely, You won't need to show funds in Thailand for almost 2 yrs.

Just before the end of the first year a border run (returning before the visa expires) will give you another year.

In the 2nd year re-entry permit will be required should you wish to continue traveling outside the country.

Report to Immigration every 90 days.

[Jingthing]

Great info, and very much appreciated. An O-A it is then.

If I were to sum up:

The O-A visa is more hassle to get than the O visa (bank funds verification, police report, medical report), but it gives you more time on the ground before expiry. This extra time can be a benefit if you don't plan on getting settled shortly after arrival.

Cheers...

Get the Multi Entry which will fit into your plans nicely, You won't need to show funds in Thailand for almost 2 yrs.

Just before the end of the first year a border run (returning before the visa expires) will give you another year.

In the 2nd year re-entry permit will be required should you wish to continue traveling outside the country.

Report to Immigration every 90 days.

Yes, the multi-entry O-A visa, that is.

[zziffle]

Get the Multi Entry which will fit into your plans nicely, You won't need to show funds in Thailand for almost 2 yrs.

Just before the end of the first year a border run (returning before the visa expires) will give you another year.

In the 2nd year re-entry permit will be required should you wish to continue traveling outside the country.

Report to Immigration every 90 days.

Does this imply that during the first year on a multi-entry O-A visa you do NOT need to get a re-entry permit before travelling outside the country?

[lopburi3]

You do not want to have such a re-entry permit as a multi entry visa will get you a new one year from entry stamp on each return - a re-entry permit would only provide your previous permitted to stay until stamp date. Only after the visa (date on visa itself) expires do you want a re-entry permit for travel.

[Tafia]

Get the Multi Entry which will fit into your plans nicely, You won't need to show funds in Thailand for almost 2 yrs.

Just before the end of the first year a border run (returning before the visa expires) will give you another year.

In the 2nd year re-entry permit will be required should you wish to continue traveling outside the country.

Report to Immigration every 90 days.

Does this imply that during the first year on a multi-entry O-A visa you do NOT need to get a re-entry permit before travelling outside the country?

Correct; only for the 2nd year exactly as Lopburi has explained

[zziffle]

The information provided here that one does not require, and should not get, a re-entry permit for travel outside of the country during the first year of stay on a multi-entry O-A visa seems to directly contradict the information posted on the Vancouver Consulate General site.

Upon arrival, holder of this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for 1 year from the date of first entry. During the one-year period, if he or she wishes to leave and re-enter the country, he or she is required to apply at the Immigration office for re-entry permit (single or multiple) before departure. In the case of leaving the country without a re-entry permit, the permit to stay for 1 year shall be considered void.

Is there something I'm missing here? I remain quite confused about whether travel on an O-A visa needs a re-entry permit or not.

Thanks...

[TerryLH]

They are talking about a single entry O-A. That would require a re-entry permit.

A multiple entry O-A will give you a year from the date of entry as long as the visa is valid.

[lopburi3]

The O-A visa is issued in both single and multi entry versions. If multi entry you do not need a re-entry permit as each entry gets a new one year stay from date of entry during the validity of the visa. Only for an entry after the visa validity would a re-entry permit be required to keep the current entry stay. A single entry becomes invalid after first use so would require a re-entry permit to keep that stay.

[zziffle]

The O-A visa is issued in both single and multi entry versions. If multi entry you do not need a re-entry permit as each entry gets a new one year stay from date of entry during the validity of the visa. Only for an entry after the visa validity would a re-entry permit be required to keep the current entry stay. A single entry becomes invalid after first use so would require a re-entry permit to keep that stay.

Yes, this makes perfect sense. Otherwise, what's the point of a multi-entry visa? I think the potential confusion results from that warning I quoted above from the Consulate site being bolded and emphasized and placed immediately after the price for a multi-entry visa.

Thanks again....