I am an 54 year old retire american citizen. I meet income of over 65,000 easy. My police check will not be so easy because in the past i did do a little or allot drinking in driving in USA. All where Misdemeanors but look very bad. Well they are bad. 3 illegal per se's and 2 negligant engdagerment. Which is a polite ways of say don't drive while taking ambien. I have been to all the treatment requried by law and allot more. I am sure that demon is past. My question is. I would like to stay in thailand at least 9 months a year. Thinking about using triple entry tourist visa or is the one year multiple and option for a criminal like me. I know retirement visa would be the best....but does not look like thai government would give to me considering my my pass. And I know....i would never drink and drive in thailand or any other country again. My coundtry gave me 3 trys and 2 get out of jails....never again for me. If you have some advice please i would love to hear and if you want to slam me for me a d__b f__k in my country you can. I do deserve it.

There is no police check or medical required to extend your stay for retirement - just obtain a single entry non immigrant O visa from an honorary consulate and use that for entry and then after 60-80 days visit immigration to extend for one year using letter of income from your Embassy and paying 1,900 baht fee. You will then do the same process each year at the same time. You can obtain the visa by mail.

http://www.thai-or.com/

My problem is i have not gotten a retirement visa yet. I understatnd there is a police check.?

ok i think i understand. get an o entry visa for 90 days and convert to retirement

are o entry visa easy to get?

There is no police check for a non immigrant O visa or a retirement extension of stay from immigration. It is only the pre-approved one year visa/extension non immigrant O-A visa that requires that - and honorary consulates can not even process that type of visa.

would they deny my visa because of my record you think?

ok new question i usually get my visa from embassy in Washington DC ??? still no problem?

I have no idea if Embassy official consulate would have a problem or not for issue of a non immigrant O-A Long Stay visa. But there is no reason for such a visa if you plan to remain more than 3 months as you can easily extend within Thailand as I outlined. You could actually arrive on a tourist visa or even visa exempt stamp and do it all here (but an extra 2,000 baht step).

I clearly told you to use an Honorary Consulate and provided a link. Washington will not issue non immigrant O for retirement as they provide the O-A visa.

ok thanks so much

Use the Consulate in Portland to get the Non-O visa. Very friendly. : Visa application porcedures, Portland Oregon.doc

Edited May 25, 201313 yr by wayned

My problem is i have not gotten a retirement visa yet. I understatnd there is a police check.?

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If you try to get a O-A (so called retirement visa in the U.S.) you will need a local police check as part of the process.

However, an O-A retirement visa is only one way to do it, it is NOT the only way to retire in Thailand.

You can get a non immigrant O visa from an Thai consulate in the U.S., which will take you to Thailand, and then EXTEND that visa for one year at a time in Thailand by meeting the financial requirements and completing the paperwork at your local immigration in Thailand.

In your case, that might be better for you than trying to go through O-A visa process which would require a police records check from your local police in the U.S.

It's also a little cheaper to do than a full blown O-A visa because an O-A visa requires a:

1. Police records check in the U.S.

2. A Doctor's health certificate in he U.S.

both of which the non immigrant O visa does NOT require.

With the non immigrant O visa (reason visa needed....to apply and complete paperwork and establish bank account in Thailand) you complete the paperwork for a one year extension in Thailand and bypass those two requirements for that O=A visa.

That's how I first came to Thailand in 2010 .... and I'm now on my 3rd yearly extension.

Ask them at the Thai consulate nearest you specifically about getting that visa to process your retirement extension in Thailand.

In fact, they actually prefer you get that visa in many Thai consulates rather than a so-called O_A "retirement" visa (because it's simpler for them to process).

Ask them at the Thai consulate nearest you specifically about getting that visa to process your retirement extension in Thailand.

In fact, they actually prefer you get that visa in many Thai consulates rather than a so-called O_A "retirement" visa (because it's simpler for them to process).

As a rule only the Consular Sections of Thai Embassies can issue the pre-approved One Year Multiple Entry Non Immigrant Category 'OA' Visas with multiple one year entries within a one year period from issue.

Regular Honorary Consulates at best can issue One Year Multiple Entry Non Immigrant Category 'O' Visas for the purposes of retirement, which allow multiple 90 day entries within a one year period from issue.

I would say that only general consulates, which are staffed by Thai government employees, can issue a O-A visa (and for that you have to be a national or resident of the country you apply in.

Honorary consulates are persons asked by the Thai government to perform consular duties, such as issuing a visa. They can only issue a non-O visa.

No problem u will get your visa

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

Yeah , your immigration laws are heavy on drink drivers , but not else where, if I declared I had a DD from Oz, I wouldn't be allowed into the US, but you can come into OZ, some have got caught going from Ca to US and declaring they had a Oz DD (Stupid) and have been kicked out, stuffing up a great trip and bad memories of the US, they don't cross check here in Thailand , much too complicated .

One off-topic post removed - the subject was visas.