Insufficient funds to renew retirement visa

[eagle2]

I have a one year retirement O-A Visa issued from the UK., my concern is that in a years time if i do not have the 800,000baht needed for renewal

would i need to leave Thailand and obtain another visa type ie non-immigrant O or can I change the visa type within Thailand.

rgds John

[wayned]

If your O-A visa is multiple entry, every time that you enter Thailand you will get 1 year permission to stay. So if you do a border run on the last day that it is valid, the "must enter by" date on the visa, you will get another year permission to stay even though the visa has expired. If you want to leave and re-enter during that year you need to purchase a re-entry permit which will keep that 1 year valid, single entry 1000 baht, multiple entry 3800 baht. Effectivly you get 2 years with the 1 year visa. No proof of funds are required until you apply for an extension during the last 39 days of the last year.

[eagle2]

thanks for that info, yes I have a multiple entry one year,visa, so i guess after 2 years I would need to change the visa type to a non O having done a border run

once to get the extra year.

[jrtmedic]

You do have a couple options if you cannot meet the 800,000 "In the Bank"

Seek an extension of stay based on income ---- 65,000/month as certified/attested to by your embassy OR

. a combination of income + money in the bank equivalent to 800,000 .

[wayned]

thanks for that info, yes I have a multiple entry one year,visa, so i guess after 2 years I would need to change the visa type to a non O having done a border run

once to get the extra year.

At the end of the second year all you have to do is apply for a 1 year extension of stay if you meet the requirements that are in place at that time. My last post should have stated"last 30 days" not 39.

Edited July 24, 2013 by wayned

[Crossy]

Just to check, you do have an O-A obtained at the embassy in London and were stamped in for one year last time you entered? Some have been confused and actually have O visas which only give you 90 days at a time.

Either can be used to get an extra period by entering just before the 'enter before' date, an O-A will give you another year, and O another 90 days.

[glegolo]

I must ask you guys who has given your answers above. You state that with a Non immigrant O-A multiple entry you can go the last day and leave the country and return on the spot and gain another new year. And than for some reason you cannot do it again.......You have multiple entries why not one full year for each entry????

For me I thought that validity is only 1 year in total. If you feel the need to extend your stay in Thailand, you shall go and seek something called EXTENSION OF STAY based on retirement in this case. If approved this extension is a full one year extension where you have as before go and report each 90 day to the immigration.

If I am wrong in what I am saying, I would be happy to be corrected by your guys that are knowledgeable like Mario 2008, Lite Beer or Lopburi3.. This is serious stuff I guess and needs to be addressed correctly..

Glegolo

[Jingthing]

Multiple entry O-A visa indeed you get an additional new year every time you reenter Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa. That is why you can only stretch that for a few years, not forever! You stretch if for the maximum by exiting and reentering Thailand right before the expiration of the ORIGINAL visa (and getting that "free" year extra). Then after that if you want additional annual extensions you apply at Thai immigration offices. This is ONLY about O-A multiple entry visas. Many people retire in Thailand and never bother to get an O-A visa as it is never a requirement to retire in Thailand, only an option.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Jingthing

[glegolo]

Multiple entry O-A visa indeed you get an additional new year every time you reenter Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa. That is why you can only stretch that for a few years, not forever!

Great Jingthing!! Many thanks, good to know.

BR Glegolo

[tilac2]

These replies do not sound right to me. Surely a multi-entry non-Immigrant visa is valid for a year only, and requires a border run every 90 days. Then either you get a new one or you get an extension based on retirement criteria etc, as Glegolo states. The multi-entry non-Immigrant visa stamp has an expiry date written in it of a year after it is issued.

Sorry if I am misunderstanding. I would like some clarification from an expert such as Lopburi3.

[Jingthing]

These replies do not sound right to me. Surely a multi-entry non-Immigrant visa is valid for a year only, and requires a border run every 90 days. Then either you get a new one or you get an extension based on retirement criteria etc, as Glegolo states. The multi-entry non-Immigrant visa stamp has an expiry date written in it of a year after it is issued.

Sorry if I am misunderstanding. I would like some clarification from an expert such as Lopburi3.

Again, sir, my comments were specifically about the O-A visa and ONLY the O-A visa (multiple entry).

With an O-A visa 90 day border runs are absolutely NOT required.

Cheers.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Jingthing

[lopburi3]

As said the non immigrant O-A visa allows a one year stay on each entry (it is actually a pre-approved one year extension of stay) and for the multi entry version each entry during the one year validity of the visa gets a new one year stay from date of each new entry so can cover almost two full years before funds need to be in Thailand for extensions of stay from immigration here.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

These replies do not sound right to me. Surely a multi-entry non-Immigrant visa is valid for a year only, and requires a border run every 90 days. Then either you get a new one or you get an extension based on retirement criteria etc, as Glegolo states. The multi-entry non-Immigrant visa stamp has an expiry date written in it of a year after it is issued.

Sorry if I am misunderstanding. I would like some clarification from an expert such as Lopburi3.

You're mixing up two non-immigrant visas with an O classification.

O-A (only obtainable in your home country) gets you one year stay, plus the bonus feature of staying for an entire extra year. This feature works like this: every time you leave and re-enter Thailand within the O-A visa period, you get a passport stamp that's dated one year out from your entry day -- yes, beyond the visa expiration date. As you close in on your visa expiration date, you can keep leaving and re-entering, getting a new permission to stay stamp.

E.g., O-A visa that runs from Nov. 30, 2012 and expires Nov. 29, 2013. If you leave Thailand Nov. 1, 2013 and return Nov. 28, 2013, your entry stamp (permission to stay) will now be Nov. 27, 2014. So from Nov. 28, 2013 to Nov. 27, 2014, you can remain in Thailand. But if you leave after the visa expiration but before the expiry of the permission to stay stamp, you have to buy a re-entry permit. Either a single or multiple. In summary, you are able to remain in Thailand from November 2012 to November 2014. No trips out of country, unless you choose to do so. You'd be unwise not to use the permission to stay feature.

Non-imm O tourist visas require 90-day border runs.

[tilac2]

Thanks Jinthing. Very helpful. I should have read your post more carefully. I see now when I look in my passport that my previous non-Imm visas issued in the UK were called "O" and not "O-A". That O-A sound like a great visa to have because it would mean the applicant would not have to apply every year for a new visa in his/her own country.

[Suradit69]

Multiple entry O-A visa indeed you get an additional new year every time you reenter Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa. That is why you can only stretch that for a few years, not forever! You stretch if for the maximum by exiting and reentering Thailand right before the expiration of the ORIGINAL visa (and getting that "free" year extra). Then after that if you want additional annual extensions you apply at Thai immigration offices. This is ONLY about O-A multiple entry visas. Many people retire in Thailand and never bother to get an O-A visa as it is never a requirement to retire in Thailand, only an option.

"Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa."

I've been using annual extensions of stay starting from one year after I entered the country to stay full-time, so this is more out of academic interest than anything else.

I was issued a multiple entry O-A visa on Nov 7 and on it, it stated "enter before Nov 6.[of the following year]" The word "expires" was not used. I entered on 26th January and the stamp I received states I had permission to stay up to 25th January of the following year. I never have gone out and have been getting annual extensions of stay that were granted from each January to the next since then.

Since I originally had permission to stay to January 25th, would I have been able to leave and re-enter Thailand and get another year if I did that more than one year after the consulate had issued me a visa but less than one year after getting my Immigrations' stamped permission to stay? Is it the visa or the Immigration stamp that matters for timing the use of the re-entry feature?

Edited July 25, 2013 by Suradit69

[tilac2]

Thanks to all of you and apologies for my ignorance. I'll look into the "O-A" option more carefully. I had literally never heard of this (poor research!) and as far as I recall is not an evident option when applying for a Thai visa through the Hull consulate in the UK.

[marell]

If your O-A visa is multiple entry, every time that you enter Thailand you will get 1 year permission to stay. So if you do a border run on the last day that it is valid, the "must enter by" date on the visa, you will get another year permission to stay even though the visa has expired. If you want to leave and re-enter during that year you need to purchase a re-entry permit which will keep that 1 year valid, single entry 1000 baht, multiple entry 3800 baht. Effectivly you get 2 years with the 1 year visa. No proof of funds are required until you apply for an extension during the last 39 days of the last year.

Good point. I did precisely this a few years back and it worked without problem. Just make sure your O-A is multiple entry.

[Suradit69]

If your O-A visa is multiple entry, every time that you enter Thailand you will get 1 year permission to stay. So if you do a border run on the last day that it is valid, the "must enter by" date on the visa, you will get another year permission to stay even though the visa has expired. If you want to leave and re-enter during that year you need to purchase a re-entry permit which will keep that 1 year valid, single entry 1000 baht, multiple entry 3800 baht. Effectivly you get 2 years with the 1 year visa. No proof of funds are required until you apply for an extension during the last 39 days of the last year.

Good point. I did precisely this a few years back and it worked without problem. Just make sure your O-A is multiple entry.

" If you want to leave and re-enter during that year you need to purchase a re-entry permit..."

Not sure if this applies to all consulates/embassies or was just the policy used by the consulate in Dubai where I got my O-A, but they said they automatically issued a multiple entry O-A visa, but that after one year I would need to obtain a re-entry permit from Immigrations if I wanted it.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Suradit69

[Jingthing]

It has been reported here that all O-As issued in the USA are multi-entry, done automatically. Perhaps that's a global change. I don't know for sure.

[Sophon]

Multiple entry O-A visa indeed you get an additional new year every time you reenter Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa. That is why you can only stretch that for a few years, not forever! You stretch if for the maximum by exiting and reentering Thailand right before the expiration of the ORIGINAL visa (and getting that "free" year extra). Then after that if you want additional annual extensions you apply at Thai immigration offices. This is ONLY about O-A multiple entry visas. Many people retire in Thailand and never bother to get an O-A visa as it is never a requirement to retire in Thailand, only an option.

"Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa."

I've been using annual extensions of stay starting from one year after I entered the country to stay full-time, so this is more out of academic interest than anything else.

I was issued a multiple entry O-A visa on Nov 7 and on it, it stated "enter before Nov 6.[of the following year]" The word "expires" was not used. I entered on 26th January and the stamp I received states I had permission to stay up to 25th January of the following year. I never have gone out and have been getting annual extensions of stay that were granted from each January to the next since then.

Since I originally had permission to stay to January 25th, would I have been able to leave and re-enter Thailand and get another year if I did that more than one year after the consulate had issued me a visa but less than one year after getting my Immigrations' stamped permission to stay? Is it the visa or the Immigration stamp that matters for timing the use of the re-entry feature?

The expiration date of your visa is the same as the "Enter before date".

As Jingthing stated, in order to get a second year out of a multiple entry Non Immigrant OA visa, you have to enter before the VISA expires (not your permission to stay). It's the visa that gives you a one year permission to stay each time you enter, so if you had entered for the second time more than one year after the visa was issued it would have expired and you would not have received a new one year permission to say.

Sophon

[Jingthing]

A very important distinction indeed.

Over the years we've heard some sob stories of people with O-A visas thinking they were due for a new year's stamp at the airport and instead got 30 days!

[Ginkas]

Thanks to all of you and apologies for my ignorance. I'll look into the "O-A" option more carefully. I had literally never heard of this (poor research!) and as far as I recall is not an evident option when applying for a Thai visa through the Hull consulate in the UK.

That's because the Hull consulate cannot issue an O-A Visa.

Only the Royal Thai Embassy in London can issue an O-A in the UK.

[marell]

If your O-A visa is multiple entry, every time that you enter Thailand you will get 1 year permission to stay. So if you do a border run on the last day that it is valid, the "must enter by" date on the visa, you will get another year permission to stay even though the visa has expired. If you want to leave and re-enter during that year you need to purchase a re-entry permit which will keep that 1 year valid, single entry 1000 baht, multiple entry 3800 baht. Effectivly you get 2 years with the 1 year visa. No proof of funds are required until you apply for an extension during the last 39 days of the last year.

Good point. I did precisely this a few years back and it worked without problem. Just make sure your O-A is multiple entry.

" If you want to leave and re-enter during that year you need to purchase a re-entry permit..."

Not sure if this applies to all consulates/embassies or was just the policy used by the consulate in Dubai where I got my O-A, but they said they automatically issued a multiple entry O-A visa, but that after one year I would need to obtain a re-entry permit from Immigrations if I wanted it.

When I did mine in the US there was an option betweeen single and multiple entry O-A. Not sure if there are other procedures elsewhere. All I'm saying is that if you have a multiple entry O-A the options mentioned are correct. But you're right in that after expiration of the actual visa a re-entry permit is necessary for out of country travel. Otherwise you're back to square one.

Edited July 25, 2013 by marell

[marell]

Multiple entry O-A visa indeed you get an additional new year every time you reenter Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa. That is why you can only stretch that for a few years, not forever! You stretch if for the maximum by exiting and reentering Thailand right before the expiration of the ORIGINAL visa (and getting that "free" year extra). Then after that if you want additional annual extensions you apply at Thai immigration offices. This is ONLY about O-A multiple entry visas. Many people retire in Thailand and never bother to get an O-A visa as it is never a requirement to retire in Thailand, only an option.

"Thailand as long as the ORIGINAL VISA is valid. The original visa is a one year visa."

I've been using annual extensions of stay starting from one year after I entered the country to stay full-time, so this is more out of academic interest than anything else.

I was issued a multiple entry O-A visa on Nov 7 and on it, it stated "enter before Nov 6.[of the following year]" The word "expires" was not used. I entered on 26th January and the stamp I received states I had permission to stay up to 25th January of the following year. I never have gone out and have been getting annual extensions of stay that were granted from each January to the next since then.

Since I originally had permission to stay to January 25th, would I have been able to leave and re-enter Thailand and get another year if I did that more than one year after the consulate had issued me a visa but less than one year after getting my Immigrations' stamped permission to stay? Is it the visa or the Immigration stamp that matters for timing the use of the re-entry feature?

The expiration date of your visa is the same as the "Enter before date".

As Jingthing stated, in order to get a second year out of a multiple entry Non Immigrant OA visa, you have to enter before the VISA expires (not your permission to stay). It's the visa that gives you a one year permission to stay each time you enter, so if you had entered for the second time more than one year after the visa was issued it would have expired and you would not have received a new one year permission to say.

Sophon

Bingo!

[eagle2]

Thanks for all the comments, just to clarify the one year O-A retirement visa is available from the London Thai Embassy, not Hull consulate.in the UK.

My only reason for getting this visa was to avoid 90 day border runs, but it is a bit more expensive as you need

Health certificate £120 ( NHS won't do it for free), Police Acro certificate £45, UK Bank statement, d the documents need to be notarised, £85 for all three.

Visa fee £100, seems worth it though as I can get another additional year before applying for an extension.or changing visa type.

[kbb]

Hi - I've seen this a few times, and am left scratching my head -

65,000/month as certified/attested to by your embassy OR a combination of income + money in the bank equivalent to 800,000 .

Can someone explain how they calculate this? Is it prorated between the two?

(If I had 400,000 baht, I could then have 400,000/800,000 (50%) of income - @which is 32,500 Baht a month?)

Regards -

kbb

[jrtmedic]

kbb

Seems easy to me

400,000 in the bank + income of 400,000 equals 800,000 in total

400,000 in income amounts to approximately 33,333 a month

[Jingthing]

Hi - I've seen this a few times, and am left scratching my head -

65,000/month as certified/attested to by your embassy OR a combination of income + money in the bank equivalent to 800,000 .

Can someone explain how they calculate this? Is it prorated between the two?

(If I had 400,000 baht, I could then have 400,000/800,000 (50%) of income - @which is 32,500 Baht a month?)

Regards -

kbb

For the "combo method" it's easier to annualize both elements.

ALL of these would work under the rules (for examples, use any numbers you like as long as the TOTAL is at least 800K annualized)

100K annual income plus 700K in Thai bank

300K annual income plus 500K in Thai bank

400K annual income plus 400K in Thai bank

500K annual income plus 300K in Thai bank

700K annual income plus 100K in Thai bank

Under the rules when using the combo method, NO money seasoning is needed for the banked money.

The examples show exact totals of 800K. While technically that's the rule, it would be pretty insane to try to match the exact total (considering constant exchange rate fluctuations). In reality, you would show a total combination some amount OVER the total of 800K.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Jingthing

[meatboy]

Thanks for all the comments, just to clarify the one year O-A retirement visa is available from the London Thai Embassy, not Hull consulate.in the UK.

My only reason for getting this visa was to avoid 90 day border runs, but it is a bit more expensive as you need

Health certificate £120 ( NHS won't do it for free), Police Acro certificate £45, UK Bank statement, d the documents need to be notarised, £85 for all three.

Visa fee £100, seems worth it though as I can get another additional year before applying for an extension.or changing visa type.

where or who gave you them costs?

health cert.£120 mine was free off my doctor.still in a sealed envelope never been asked for.

police check £10 still in a sealed envelope never been asked for.

embassy character ref.from bkk.needed to open a bank acc.in thailand with your residence address,that apart from visa obtained in the uk.was my only cost.

[other than the sick buffalo]

[JHenry]

Never stops amaze me how much bullshit and myths is about the immigration. One year is one year, do not think you cab fool these guys. A re-entry never gives you an extention on the retirement or working visa. When your retirement or working visa expires you can do a visa run and re-enter on a tourist visa for 3 months. That's about it. If you want to go back on the retirement visa, the entire process of getting it should be repeated.