The O-A Visa Now Appears To Officially Be Long Stay, Not Retirement

[Jingthing]

Many of us, including me, have been calling the O-A visa (obtained in your home country for people over 50) the retirement visa for years. Well, an official name change appears to have taken place and the visa now appears to not be called retirement visa anymore, but rather Long Stay. In Canada, they call it Temporary Resident visa instead. Yes I know this isn't really fresh news, but the name change now seems permanent.

In any case, as this name change seems to be well set, perhaps the naming convention on this board should be changed as well? In other words, shouldn't people talking about retirement options and giving the choices now stop calling the O-A as retirement visa, and call it Long Stay as the Thai embassies and consulates do?

Of course, annual retirement extensions are STILL retirement extensions, not long stay extensions.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Jingthing

[Ginkas]

Yes.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called a "Long Stay Visa" on their website for quite some time now.

It's only been some consulates that have been calling it a Retirement Visa on their own websites,

presumably because the requirements are almost the same as those for an Extension for Retirement.

[Jingthing]

Right but its clear the most authoritative people behind these visa programs are calling it Long Stay now, so my suggestion is that here on Thaivisa those that talk a lot about visas make a terminology naming decision and stop calling the O-A the retirement visa. If done that way, we can really then say there is no such thing anymore as a retirement visa. For retirement, only O visas (O or O-A Long Stay) plus the retirement extensions.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Jingthing

[Maestro]

I am all for calling a spade, a spade and

• tourist visa, not 60-day visa
  
• multiple-entry non-O visa, not one-year visa
  
• non-O/A visa, not retirement visa
  

etc

Incidentally, the official source for visa names, ie this web page on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), uses neither O/A nor Long Stay. Officially, the non-O/A visa appaers to be just a non-O visa but issued for the particular travel purpose of staying long-term in Thailand, ie entitling the holder to a permission to stay for one year instead of the usual 90 days. Or one might call it a variant or a subcategory of the non-O visa.

There is a distinction between visa name and purpose of travel. For example, there is no marriage visa, but there is a non-O visa for the purpose of visiting Thai wife. One visa, the non-O, with different purpoes of travel listed on the MFA website as "to stay with the family, to perfrom duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to stay after retirement for the elderly, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process", with varying requirements depending on the purpose of travel.

There you have it, the non-O visa issued for the purpose of travelling to Thailand "to stay after retirement for the elderly", aka non-O/A visa.

P.S. On this other page on the MFA site there is indeed mention of the "Non-Immigrant Visa "O-A" (Long Stay)", without any additional information about this visa.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Maestro
Added postscript.

[Jingthing]

Seems I have opened a can of worms and the consistency of naming isn't as clear cut as I had thought after looking at some embassy websites. Oh well. Myself, I think I'm going to try out avoiding calling the O-A the retirement visa and see how that goes for now. Keep in mind applicants for the O-A will be going to these embassy/consulate websites and there the O-A is being named Long Stay.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Jingthing

[Maestro]

It looks to me like the MFA put O-A beween quotation marks and Long-Stay between brackets because these are not official names for visas. What designation does it have on the visa sticker or stamp in the passport? This type of visa is still missing in my collection and I'd be grateful if a member who recently obtained it scanned it and posted it here so that I may include it in my album.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/gallery/album/1006-current-stamps-of-visas-extensions-etc/

[Maestro]

A can of worms indeed. The Immigration Bureau itself calls an extension of stay a visa extension on its website. The MFA is inconsistent in the use of visa names. There is no way that we could ever arrive at a commonly accepted and used nomenclature on ThaiVisa.

[Maestro]

I suspect the consulates use what they see being used in communications from the MFA. We, the travellers, cannot go wrong if we use what we see on visa application forms and in our passports. That's why I am curious to see what they put in the passport. For example, is it O-A or O/A? Questions like that keep me awake at night

[wayned]

You guys will argue about anything just for the sake of arguing! Personally I don't care if they call it "OLD FARTS VISA" or "EXTENSION TO STAY TO BE OLD AND LAZY" as long as when I go to immigration with the correct paperwork and 1900 baht they give me another years permisision to stay stamp in my passport! I'm sure that there will be a response that you don't care if I don't care, but I don't care if you don't care that I don't care!

Edited December 7, 2011 by wayned

[Jingthing]

I'm sure that there will be a response that you don't care if I don't care, but I don't care if you don't care that I don't care!

You're clearly psychic.

This isn't really about arguing. I do think it is desirable to have the terminology used in offering visa advice as clear and consistent as realistically possible. Also, often people ask questions with odd terminology and you have to read minds to guess what they really are specifically talking about. So speaking the with same lingo just makes thing easier.

[lopburi3]

It has always been officially called Long Stay but (Retirement) is normally printed following it. It started as a pre-approved extension of stay rather than a visa class (the 'A' [approved] after the 'O' [other]) and required approval from Bangkok before issue when first started. I suspect it was intended to be used as advance approval for more than retirement when conceived so the 'long stay' name.

[Langsuan Man]

It all depends upon where you get your Non Immigrant O-A Visa

The Thai Embassy in Washington, DC, uses just O-A, yet the Consulate in New York uses O-A and Long Stay written on the Visa:

[NancyL]

Is it any wonder that newbies who clearly meet all the requirements to stay in Thailand as retirees pay "lawyers" fees as high as 30,000 baht to get their "retirement visa" for them? It's almost like the Thai government wants to make it confusing to foreigners to provide employment for all these lawyer wannabes.

[Jingthing]

Is it any wonder that newbies who clearly meet all the requirements to stay in Thailand as retirees pay "lawyers" fees as high as 30,000 baht to get their "retirement visa" for them? It's almost like the Thai government wants to make it confusing to foreigners to provide employment for all these lawyer wannabes.

That's their option but anyone can get enough guidance to do it themselves right here on this forum and/or basic easily available research materials.

Edited December 8, 2011 by Jingthing

[Maestro]

It all depends upon where you get your Non Immigrant O-A Visa

The Thai Embassy in Washington, DC, uses just O-A, yet the Consulate in New York uses O-A and Long Stay written on the Visa:

Thank you very much, Langsuan Man. So it's O-A, with a hyphen, not a forward slash. I had it wrong all this time. I gather that the software given to the consulates for printing the visa stickers offers "O-A" as one of the non-immigrant visa choices, but not "O-A (Long Stay)", which is why New York adds "Long Stay" manually because they prefer it that way.

[Maestro]

You guys will argue about anything just for the sake of arguing! Personally I don't care if they call it "OLD FARTS VISA" or "EXTENSION TO STAY TO BE OLD AND LAZY" as long as when I go to immigration with the correct paperwork and 1900 baht they give me another years permisision to stay stamp in my passport! I'm sure that there will be a response that you don't care if I don't care, but I don't care if you don't care that I don't care!

I like your attitude. It's really only important to use the correct terminology when asking for advice on this forum so as to get the right information. Old Farts Visa, not bad.

[Jingthing]

Old Farts Visa, not bad.

O-F?

Edited December 8, 2011 by Jingthing

[wpcoe]

I am all for calling a spade, a spade and

• tourist visa, not 60-day visa
  
• multiple-entry non-O visa, not one-year visa
  
• non-O/A visa, not retirement visa

When I was a wee lad and first started reading this forum, that third descriptor "non-O/A visa," and similar common shorthand like "non-O visa" used to confuse and mislead me.

To me: "non-O/A visa" meant a visa that is "not an O-A visa," and "non-O visa" meant a visa that is "not an O visa", when in fact the "non" is a shortcut for "non-immigrant." I used to scratch my head wondering what type of one-year "non-O/A visa" folks were obtaining that weren't Non-Immigrant O-A visas. I'm not trying to be pedantic, I'm serious. Think back to before you were a visa "expert." What did you think "non-O visa" meant?

[elliss]

Personally I don't care if they call it "OLD FARTS VISA" or "EXTENSION TO STAY TO BE OLD AND LAZY" as long as when I go to immigration with the correct paperwork and 1900 baht they give me another years permisision to stay stamp in my passport!

are you another wanabe retiree?

who pissed on your chips ??

OAP , old and passionate.

:jap:

[Jingthing]

I am all for calling a spade, a spade and

• tourist visa, not 60-day visa
  
• multiple-entry non-O visa, not one-year visa
  
• non-O/A visa, not retirement visa

When I was a wee lad and first started reading this forum, that third descriptor "non-O/A visa," and similar common shorthand like "non-O visa" used to confuse and mislead me.

To me: "non-O/A visa" meant a visa that is "not an O-A visa," and "non-O visa" meant a visa that is "not an O visa", when in fact the "non" is a shortcut for "non-immigrant." I used to scratch my head wondering what type of one-year "non-O/A visa" folks were obtaining that weren't Non-Immigrant O-A visas. I'm not trying to be pedantic, I'm serious. Think back to before you were a visa "expert." What did you think "non-O visa" meant?

You're kind on to the intent of my point in the OP. Of course, people will call all kinds of things all kinds of things, but most people aren't visa experts in the beginning, or ever, and don't really need to be. However, on this forum there is a tendency for the most active advice givers to offer "corrections" of language. For example people often talk about renewing their retirement visas, and quite commonly are "corrected" that what they are really doing is applying for a retirement extension. People say they want a retirement visa and we don't know if they mean an O-A, an O to start, or an extension. So while a clean enforcement of naming style is over the top and impossible, there are naming conventions that COULD be (and in my view already are) encouraged here, if desired. Why might this be desirable? More clarity, obviously.

Edited December 9, 2011 by Jingthing

[jshorts]

On a positive note: Yesterday I received a one year extension stamped "retirement" from Jomtien/Pattaya Immigration. I was in and out in fifteen minutes. Highlights: As a United States citizen I brought the US embassy notarized affadavit of income; no bank letter, nor bankbook required. I brought two (color) copies of every passport page and each one was signed, plenty of pictures, two copies of form TM7(a) which now requires the addition of a personal telephone number. I also had two copies of a recent telephone bill in my name for proof of residency. Paid 1900B. Five out of the six people who helped me were friendly and helpful. The sixth didn't look in my direction. One stop shopping at its best! A pleasure!

[TechnikaIII]

I am all for calling a spade, a spade and

• tourist visa, not 60-day visa
• multiple-entry non-O visa, not one-year visa
• non-O/A visa, not retirement visa

When I was a wee lad and first started reading this forum, that third descriptor "non-O/A visa," and similar common shorthand like "non-O visa" used to confuse and mislead me.

To me: "non-O/A visa" meant a visa that is "not an O-A visa," and "non-O visa" meant a visa that is "not an O visa", when in fact the "non" is a shortcut for "non-immigrant." I used to scratch my head wondering what type of one-year "non-O/A visa" folks were obtaining that weren't Non-Immigrant O-A visas. I'm not trying to be pedantic, I'm serious. Think back to before you were a visa "expert." What did you think "non-O visa" meant?

Reads like a script for a Marx Brothers sketch. All it lacks is punctuation with a honk of Harpo's horn.

[Orgathai]

Is it any wonder that newbies who clearly meet all the requirements to stay in Thailand as retirees pay "lawyers" fees as high as 30,000 baht to get their "retirement visa" for them? It's almost like the Thai government wants to make it confusing to foreigners to provide employment for all these lawyer wannabes.

I am sure they are consistent in their (Thai) language

[SwaziBird]

Just to throw another cat amongst the pigeons; I have never had any words or letters beyond the "O" on my one year visas/extensions.

I pays me money and I stays the course!

A simple annual payment and I get another year's extension.

Don't really care what name or initial they want to put in my passport as long as they don't send me packing!

I'm a happy chappy.

Cheers.

[BlueEasySleep]

So if it's long-stay, does the age requirement no longer exist?

[Aardvark]

This is from the Embassy in Canberra Aus. .... http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/doc/info/visa/info_long_stay_visa.pdf Still looks like hard work to me !!

[tonypace02]

My visa issued September 1, 2011 says "Retirement Visa." It was issued inside Thailand.

[Hurricane51]

Half of my visa extensions have RETRIEMENT stamped in them, half do not. These are renewed at the Bangkok office. The most recent one with that designation is from last August, so it appears to still be used as an "official" designation.

[lopburi3]

My visa issued September 1, 2011 says "Retirement Visa." It was issued inside Thailand.

They do not issue long stay (retirement) visas inside Thailand. You have an extension of stay of your previous entry and the reason is "retirement".

[hellodolly]

I'm sure that there will be a response that you don't care if I don't care, but I don't care if you don't care that I don't care!

You're clearly psychic.

This isn't really about arguing. I do think it is desirable to have the terminology used in offering visa advice as clear and consistent as realistically possible. Also, often people ask questions with odd terminology and you have to read minds to guess what they really are specifically talking about. So speaking the with same lingo just makes thing easier.

I could care less. I have a retirement visa and when I go to immigration I have no trouble caling it a retirement visa weather it is my 90 day or yearly.

This is all a waste of time if the consulates are still using different names I really don't think what TV posters think matters.

Until all the powers that be agree on a singe name the misunderstandings will continue.:jap: