Non-Immigrant O Changes?

[Etrazine]

Hi, I was wondering if there had been any change to the Non-Immigrant O visa for Thailand in the last year or so. (from UK)

2 years ago when I visited my girlfriend in Thailand I applied for and received a Non-Immigrant O visa to visit "friends and family" (from the consulate in Hull, UK). I ended up staying in Thailand for almost a full year (with various visa runs every 90 days).

After the year my girlfriend vcame with me to the uk for 6 months.

I'm now getting ready to apply for a new visa to return to Thailand, but it seems that that it is only available to visit non-Thai friends and family living in Thailand (or wife etc).

Is this something new, or did I just manage to get the wrong visa last time?

Thanks for any help.

[lopburi3]

It has changed - they no longer issue to visit GF (and most Consulates have not done so for many years). So now your best option without marriage would be a 3 entry tourist visa (which they will issue) unless over age 50 or have other reasons for visit (such as education).

[Etrazine]

Thanks for your help.

[Etrazine]

PS, we are planing to get married in December, is it fairly straight forward to change to a Non-Immigrant O after the wedding?

Thanks

[lopburi3]

If you can meet the 40k per month income or 400k in bank account financials and 15 days or more remaining on permission to stay it can be done inside Thailand at cost of 2,000 baht as first step in one year extension of stay process. Otherwise you would have to visit a Thai Consulate in another country with proof of marriage, copy of wife ID card and home register to obtain non immigrant O visa.

[Mario2008]

With a proper tourist visa for 60 days you should not have a problem converting, as you can extend that one with anohter 30 days and even 60 days when married.

[Nisa]

If you can meet the 40k per month income or 400k in bank account financials and 15 days or more remaining on permission to stay it can be done inside Thailand at cost of 2,000 baht as first step in one year extension of stay process. Otherwise you would have to visit a Thai Consulate in another country with proof of marriage, copy of wife ID card and home register to obtain non immigrant O visa.

Just to clarify. Are you saying you can get a 1-year visa based on marriage right here in Thailand if you can show proof on income? I was just debating if to go to Laos to do this and am told you don't need the proof of income and based on what you are saying I just want to clarify if that would be the only difference beyond having 15-days left on whatever permission to stay one is currently on.

This would be a huge help to me if true. I hate doing the overnight runs and usually just do a land border crossing to Cambodia and get a 60-day extension.

If this is true, can you confirm if I can just go to the US embassy (being a US Citizen) and sign an affidavit as to my income and the'll give me a letter that would be good for immigration. I use my wife's bank account here and the only other proof of income I would easily be able to come up with is my US bank statements showing the amount of monthly electronic deposits.

Thanks for any info!

[Maestro]

After arriving in Thailand with a tourist visa and after your marriage, you can get a single-entry non-O visa at your local immigration office for 2,000 Baht. This gives you 90 days permission to stay from the date of issue. Subsequently, during the last 30 days of this permission to stay, you apply for and get a one-year extension of stay for 1,900 Baht.

Using income to satisfy the finance requirement for the extension, the immigration office generally only wants the embassy letter but occasionally asks also for supporting documents for the declared income. Therefore, submit the embassy letter and if they ask for supporting documents, give them your printout of the bank statements.

[Nisa]

After arriving in Thailand with a tourist visa and after your marriage, you can get a single-entry non-O visa at your local immigration office for 2,000 Baht. This gives you 90 days permission to stay from the date of issue. Subsequently, during the last 30 days of this permission to stay, you apply for and get a one-year extension of stay for 1,900 Baht.

Using income to satisfy the finance requirement for the extension, the immigration office generally only wants the embassy letter but occasionally asks also for supporting documents for the declared income. Therefore, submit the embassy letter and if they ask for supporting documents, give them your printout of the bank statements.

Thanks Maestro. I am currently on a 60-day marriage extension (from a border crossing) that expires on the 21st. What would be my best options for going towards on a 1-year Visa based on marriage where I can handle the visa locally. If I need to leave the country to get a tourist visa, I might as well get the one year visa outside the country. It is a real pain for me to leave the country for a couple days to deal with a Visa but am getting sick of doing the land border runs and then going to immigration for the 60-day extension.

[Mario2008]

For a multiple there are 2 options in the region, the first one is Savhanakhet (Laos) and the second one is Kuala Lumphur (with need to show 100,000 in the bank). Both are submit in the morning of day 1 and collect in the afternoon of day 2.

Indonesia might also be an option.

[lopburi3]

As said conversion can be done by local immigration office but most will not do for marriage and you will have to visit Bangkok immigration for that step (Bangkok will do regardless of your actual living location). Once the conversion is done you will then do the actual extension of stay at the immigration office serving your location.

[ubonjoe]

Thanks Maestro. I am currently on a 60-day marriage extension (from a border crossing) that expires on the 21st. What would be my best options for going towards on a 1-year Visa based on marriage where I can handle the visa locally. If I need to leave the country to get a tourist visa, I might as well get the one year visa outside the country. It is a real pain for me to leave the country for a couple days to deal with a Visa but am getting sick of doing the land border runs and then going to immigration for the 60-day extension.

If go out to get a visa you can get single entry non-o based upon marriage (not a tourist visa). Then extend your permit to stay for at immigration for one year during the last 30 days of your 90 day permit to stay.

If you do not live near Bangkok a visa run to any nearby Embassy or consulate might be less of problem than a trip to Bangkok to do the conversion.

The one year multiple multiple entry visa would require border runs every 90 days.

[IMA_FARANG]

Regarding "Hull" and a non-immigrant "O" visa....you can no longer simply get one for visiting "friends and/or family in Thailand".

I was one of the last to get that visa around October 2010 and they stopped issuing that visa for that reason soon after.

I believe Perth in Austrailia was also closed down about that same time....it was last the place that still allowed that "reason" for issuing such a visa left (as I believe".

There was a change in the leaders in Hull and their requirements are now much stricter. The old honorary counsol retired and a new one has arrived.

With the new management Hull is much, much stricter (/for example ---- signed copies of Thai marriage certificates or birth certicates presented before approval).

===== Now you have to distinguish in GETTING a non immigrat O visa and EXTENDING the visa you do have in Thailand based upon

1. Retirement (age 50 or older)

2. And marriage to a Thai.

VISAS....the original visa you get to enter Thailand in a Thai consulate OUTSIDE Thailand lets you enter Thailand.

How you convert that visa and then how you extend it for a year or more is the process you use you stay in Thailand....mostly based on one of two reasons.

BOTH of those are an involved process and they need different documents and forms to be approved.

They both have financial forms, pictures, and legal forms to get them aproved.

Go to your local immigration office to get that extension approved after the original visa get's you into Thailand.

I did, work for me, I'm coming up to 3rd year as a :retiree" with two extensions already.

[Mario2008]

Visiting family is still reason to issue a visa, but need to proof family relationship and it cannot be the great uncle of your mother in law.