O Visa ?

[kdf]

Hi Gang,

Sorry for what may be repetitious question. My wife and I got multiple entry type O visas from a consulate here in the US. These state O not O-anything. It is not clear to me what visa we have and what we are allowed to do with it. We are not Thai, nor dependents of any Thais, so I am unclear what this is. Is it supposed to be atype B visa, which is what we thought we were getting or a retirement visa, which we did not apply for. We are confused, any ideas?

[Krub]

Hi Gang,

Sorry for what may be repetitious question. My wife and I got multiple entry type O visas from a consulate here in the US. These state O not O-anything. It is not clear to me what visa we have and what we are allowed to do with it. We are not Thai, nor dependents of any Thais, so I am unclear what this is. Is it supposed to be atype B visa, which is what we thought we were getting or a retirement visa, which we did not apply for. We are confused, any ideas?

The 'O' visa you received has got

1. A validity.

Mine was valid for only 3 months from date of issue (means I had to enter Thaiand within those dates)

2. A number of entries (single, multi only for type O I think)

This means that within the validity of the visa (see 1) you are free if a multi to enter and leave Thailand and receive each time a new period of stay of 90 days (see below)

Once you enter Thailand the immigration officer at the port of entry will give you a stamp with a period of stay (generaly 90 days from your date of entry). You are supposed to get out of Thailand before the end date of the period of stay or

-obtain a re-entry permit which will be valid until the end pf the period of stay.

-obtain an extension of period of stay which will be different depending on the purpose of the extension (retirement, support, work, etc.)

The 'O' visa you obtained is one of the more flexible visa around

[kdf]

Sorry not used to forum techniques.

Thanks for info Jack. Does O visa allow work or investment? Ours do not say employment prohibited on the botom as I have been told some do.

Hi Gang,

Sorry for what may be repetitious question. My wife and I got multiple entry type O visas from a consulate here in the US. These state O not O-anything. It is not clear to me what visa we have and what we are allowed to do with it. We are not Thai, nor dependents of any Thais, so I am unclear what this is. Is it supposed to be atype B visa, which is what we thought we were getting or a retirement visa, which we did not apply for. We are confused, any ideas?

The 'O' visa you received has got

1. A validity.

Mine was valid for only 3 months from date of issue (means I had to enter Thaiand within those dates)

2. A number of entries (single, multi only for type O I think)

This means that within the validity of the visa (see 1) you are free if a multi to enter and leave Thailand and receive each time a new period of stay of 90 days (see below)

Once you enter Thailand the immigration officer at the port of entry will give you a stamp with a period of stay (generaly 90 days from your date of entry). You are supposed to get out of Thailand before the end date of the period of stay or

-obtain a re-entry permit which will be valid until the end pf the period of stay.

-obtain an extension of period of stay which will be different depending on the purpose of the extension (retirement, support, work, etc.)

The 'O' visa you obtained is one of the more flexible visa around

Edited March 17, 2006 by kdf

[thaiflyer1]

Hi............just to add a bit to Krub's post.

The multiple entry visa's you have are normally issued with a validity of one year from date of issue.........this being the type you have there is no need to concern yourself at the moment with re-entry permits.

Re-entry permits are used normally (but not always) by people who have come to Thailand and extended their stay by one year at a time either for retirement purposes or work............basically if for sake of arguement you had extended your stay in Thailand and immigration had given you "leave" to stay until January 07 but you decide to exit Thailand for a holiday before then , then what you would do is apply for a re-entry permit so that when you return you would be allowed to stay as before until Jan 07 without said permit you would have to commence the 1 year extension of stay all over again.

As Krub has said with your visa you can simply come to Thailand and exit and re-enter every 90 days.............by leaving and re-entering just before the visa expires you can almost achieve a total of 15 months stay.

Other options that may be open to you are,

1. Extend your stay by 1 year at a time (for retirement purposes over 50's only)

2. Extend your stay by 1 year at a time for work purposes...........subject to qualifying.

3. Extend your stay by 1 year at a time by means of Investment here (3m baht Govt bonds etc.)

Yes you can work on the back of your O visa providing you obtain a work permit.

Not quite sure what you mean by investment............but there are no restrictions on bringing money into Thailand............restrictions do apply on property ownership however.

If you do a search on this Forum you will a bit more detailed info on all the above.

[kdf]

WOW!

It is starting to look like we fell into the best possible visa for us at this time.

1. Leave every 90 days no problem, beats the 30 day run

2. Can work with addition of work permit Great, no need to work right now, but may find it interesting, and posible w/addition of permit obtainable in LOS maybe with Sunbelt help

3. Can change later to O-A while in LOS which I assume is the retirement visa

4. Can change later to investment type

Only real visa question left is How does this differ from a B visa, if I can work with addition of permit?

Another question involves bringing in and storing household goods, which to bring, which to buy, how to set up? I will do search on these things as per suggestion.

Thanks folks!

Hi............just to add a bit to Krub's post.

The multiple entry visa's you have are normally issued with a validity of one year from date of issue.........this being the type you have there is no need to concern yourself at the moment with re-entry permits.

Re-entry permits are used normally (but not always) by people who have come to Thailand and extended their stay by one year at a time either for retirement purposes or work............basically if for sake of arguement you had extended your stay in Thailand and immigration had given you "leave" to stay until January 07 but you decide to exit Thailand for a holiday before then , then what you would do is apply for a re-entry permit so that when you return you would be allowed to stay as before until Jan 07 without said permit you would have to commence the 1 year extension of stay all over again.

As Krub has said with your visa you can simply come to Thailand and exit and re-enter every 90 days.............by leaving and re-entering just before the visa expires you can almost achieve a total of 15 months stay.

Other options that may be open to you are,

1. Extend your stay by 1 year at a time (for retirement purposes over 50's only)

2. Extend your stay by 1 year at a time for work purposes...........subject to qualifying.

3. Extend your stay by 1 year at a time by means of Investment here (3m baht Govt bonds etc.)

Yes you can work on the back of your O visa providing you obtain a work permit.

Not quite sure what you mean by investment............but there are no restrictions on bringing money into Thailand............restrictions do apply on property ownership however.

If you do a search on this Forum you will a bit more detailed info on all the above.

[thaiflyer1]

Here's a bit of info regards importing effects courtesy of Sunbelt's website....

http://www.lawyer.th.com/QR-household-items.asp

B visa still requires a work permit.............B is normally issued to investigate the possibilties of work or have work lined up.

O-A is a pre-approved visa that allows you to recieve a years stay stamp upon arrival i.e you have already met the requirements to recieve the years stay......this visa is issued in your country of residence.

What you have is an O visa that can be extended by a year once you are in Thailand subject to meeting requirements........this years extension is normally applied for within the last 30 days of any 90 days stay.

[rishi]

Another difference beween "B" and "O" is that the "B" is tightly related to job and WP - loose your job and you'll loose your WP and if your extension of stay is based on a "B" you'll have to leave Thailand within a week.

This is not so with an "O", simply because your stay is based on other reasons than work and WP. In case you're at that age, be aware that you cannot get a WP, if your extension of stay is based on retirement reasons (simply because retired people aren't supposed to work).

[JimGant]

It is not clear to me what visa we have and what we are allowed to do with it.

Uh, out of curiosity, what did you say on your application to the Consulate? Presumably, it was more than "goin' to Thailand, need visa?" How did you know to send in $125 (the price of a multi-entry Non Imm visa)? Sounds like maybe Consulate advised you prior to submitting your application...........(?)

Just curious, as "O" visas usually require more than blind luck.

[kdf]

Hello Jim,

It was not just blind luck, but close. I had looked around on the web and here, but most information available was contradictory and a lot is based on having a Thai wife. When folks who know what they are talking about disagree, I find it is because the "facts" are fluid. I was about to pony up for Sunbelt's visa help (I am likely to use their other services), but decided to give it a go myself. I talked to a very helpfull someone at the consulate and they had me fill out a very short one page form and send it with a picture and passport. 4 business days later I had my visa in hand. I knew to ask for a multiple entry visa and they asked for $125. I was not real sure what kind of visa I was going to get. Turned out to be an O. Found out here what that means.

It is not clear to me what visa we have and what we are allowed to do with it.

Uh, out of curiosity, what did you say on your application to the Consulate? Presumably, it was more than "goin' to Thailand, need visa?" How did you know to send in $125 (the price of a multi-entry Non Imm visa)? Sounds like maybe Consulate advised you prior to submitting your application...........(?)

Just curious, as "O" visas usually require more than blind luck.

[tjo o tjim]

...So, which consulate was this? We have to head to the one in LA on Monday...

[JimGant]

I talked to a very helpfull someone at the consulate

The Thai Honorary Consulates are first class -- and it's apparent this is where you did busines. They're staffed with local folks, who, not too surprisingly, seem much more flexible to accomodate the needs of visitors (albeit, fellow citizens) to Thailand. As has been voiced here before, giving away the identity of these 'most accomodating consulates' might lead to crackdowns -- although, this has not yet apparently happened.

Anyway, congrats on your "O." Glad you went the "Honorary" way.

[Gary A]

...So, which consulate was this? We have to head to the one in LA on Monday...

Has the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles improved? Several years ago when I was getting ready to make the move I found a lady working there who was snotty and that description is generous. She was absolutely NO help and when I asked questions she simply shoved more papers to me. I wanted a retirement visa and ended up with a six month tourist visa. I had problems with the doctor's statement. My insurance wouldn't pay for the expensive tests and my doctor wouldn't sign off without the tests. I do know many people complained about her so maybe she has been moved or replaced.

Do try to get a Non Imm visa because if not you will need to go out of Thailand to get one. They will NOT issue a retirement visa from a tourist visa.

[lopburi3]

...So, which consulate was this? We have to head to the one in LA on Monday...

//delete//

Do try to get a Non Imm visa because if not you will need to go out of Thailand to get one. They will NOT issue a retirement visa from a tourist visa.

They most surly will do so but it involves an extra 2,000 baht step. Many have done this. What you can not do is obtain it from a 30 day entry without visa stamp.

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION FOR VISA STATUS ALTERATION (NON-O) FOR RETIREMENT PURPOSES.

Application for Visa Status Alteration. (TM.86)

Copy of passport entries.

4 X 6 cm. Photograph.

Application fee of 2,000 baht.

A bank statement from a bank in Thailand showing that the applicant has an account of not less than 800,000 bath. Or

A guarantor-letter from The Embassy or Consulate, proving the monthly pension of the applicant not less than 65,000 baht per month.Or

Evidence proving that the total amount of money from the pension and bank account amounts to the sum stated above.(800,000 baht)

Remarks

The applicant must sign every page of application.

The visa applicant must arrange the documents in proper order and must prepare the originals as proof.

Call 02-2873101-10 ext.2237 for details.

[Gary A]

A 2,000 baht fee certainly would have been cheaper and more convenient than a trip out of the country. Pattaya Immigration gave me no options. Just told me "CANNOT".

They most surly will do so but it involves an extra 2,000 baht step. Many have done this. What you can not do is obtain it from a 30 day entry without visa stamp.

[thaiflyer1]

A 2,000 baht fee certainly would have been cheaper and more convenient than a trip out of the country. Pattaya Immigration gave me no options. Just told me "CANNOT".

They most surly will do so but it involves an extra 2,000 baht step. Many have done this. What you can not do is obtain it from a 30 day entry without visa stamp.

Gary A.............dont quote me on this but i/m 90% certain that on a recent TV interview with Pattaya Immigration they said that under new law changes can now offer the Tourist to Non Imm step at Pattaya Imm..........its only just coming in now though.

Edit......before it presumably could only be done through Bangkok ?

Edited March 19, 2006 by thaiflyer1

[kdf]

First of all much thanks to those who have helped. Yes the Honorary way is the best. LA consulate has been impossible to reach of rude when I have. Sooo try an honorary consul, much nicer.

Also it looks like I may need to change from O visa to get some few household goods in. Any further suggestions than the sunbelt page?

kdf