What Is The Best Way To Get "o" Visa While In Thailand?

[tuffy]

I will have to make a border run shortly as my 30 day stamp will run out soon. Is there anyway I can get an "O" visa quickly and easily while still here in Thailand? Would I need to go back to the states before I can apply or is there another option? For example going to another country, and get the visa at a Thai embassy over night.

I am married to a Thai so I should qualify for the "O" visa.

Scott

[Axel]

A visa can never be obtained inside the country. Your 30 -days-stamp is just a permission to stay for 30 days as tourist. Extention not more than 10 days possible.

So, you have to go to a neighboring country (Penang, KL, Singapore) to get the O. Bring all the marriage documents in the morning and you should be able to pick up next afternoon.

Once back with the O you will receive 90 days permit to stay. During the last 30 days visit the immigration office and apply for extention up to one year from last entry, based on marriage.

[lopburi3]

Will add two points. You should also take a copy of your wife ID card as that is often required these days, in addition to the marriage certificate. If you meet the requirements (400k in bank account from overseas employment or 40k per month from local work permit job) you can extend for one year at a time but if not you should try to obtain a multi entry non immigrant O visa (which allows 90 day stays for almost 15 months) and presently KL seems to be the best place to do that.

[we_zaa]

Hi Tuffy,

In fact , your transit visa [30 days stamp] can change to be NON-0 visa [ TM.87 Form ] but the valid date of your visa must not less than 21 days so you must change immidiately when you arrive in thailand.

So now your situation is impossible to get non-o visa , you need to leave the country and bring your marriage certificate , your wife ID card , your wife's household Registration to a neighboring country (Penang, KL, Singapore) , and they will stamp non-o visa for you and then you came back to Thailand show your bank statement 400,000 Baht or an income/pension 40,000 per months with all your marriage's document , You can get a one year visa relate to thai wife.

for more information , you can contact sponsor of this website www.lawyer.th.com

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"The ebb and flow of the Atlantic tides,

the drift of the continents,

the very position of the sun along its ecliptic.

These are just a few of the things I control in my world"

Is that clear !!!

we_zaa

[tuffy]

Will add two points. You should also take a copy of your wife ID card as that is often required these days, in addition to the marriage certificate. If you meet the requirements (400k in bank account from overseas employment or 40k per month from local work permit job) you can extend for one year at a time but if not you should try to obtain a multi entry non immigrant O visa (which allows 90 day stays for almost 15 months) and presently KL seems to be the best place to do that.

I am confused on a couple of the fine points...if I have 400K in the bank then i can get the one year extension no problem. In my case I don't so i want to obtain the Multiple entry non Immigrant O visa.

What is the difference? Let me see if I have this right....the one year extension allow me to stay in the county for 1 year with out leaving and the other i must leave every three months? I rotate in and out so the 3 month stay at a time is more than enough for me now .

Why do you suggest KL over the others Lopburi3?

[lopburi3]

Because it is probably the only Consulate that will issue a multi entry in the area. Penang usually also issues multi entry but recently have been saying no to a least some, and maybe all, first time applicants.

The difference is that you only receive a 90 day stay but for you that seems to fit. The other factor is that your time could not count for the 3 years required for PR application but without working and paying tax in Thailand you would probably not be approved anyhow so that is probably not a concern for you either.

[Maestro]

your transit visa [30 days stamp] can change to be NON-0 visa [ TM.87 Form ] but the valid date of your visa must not less than 21 days so you must change immidiately when you arrive in thailand.

Lest somebody be mislead to believe this blatantly wrong information I feel it should be corrected here in this thread.

1. The 30-day stamp on arrival the nationals of many countries can get when entering without visa is not a visa and is not a transit visa.

2. While Immigration has a procedure to apply for a change in visa status, this applies for the change of one visa status to another visa status. It definitely does not apply to someone who entered Thailand without a visa.

Axel and Lopburi gave the correct information and I fail to understand why we_zaa chose to post his disinformation.

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Maestro

[lopburi3]

I believe Sunbelt has reported that it is now possible to obtain a non immigrant visa from a 30 day stamp if there are more than 21 days remaining upon application. I do not know if this would be the case if applicant did not meet extension of stay qualifications. I also do not know if it even applies to support Thai wife type extensions of stay as that is not listed on immigration web site as a valid reason for change. But in this case it is not applicable as poster seems to only have a couple of days remaining.

[bazmlb]

your transit visa [30 days stamp] can change to be NON-0 visa [ TM.87 Form ] but the valid date of your visa must not less than 21 days so you must change immidiately when you arrive in thailand.

Lest somebody be mislead to believe this blatantly wrong information I feel it should be corrected here in this thread.

1. The 30-day stamp on arrival the nationals of many countries can get when entering without visa is not a visa and is not a transit visa.

2. While Immigration has a procedure to apply for a change in visa status, this applies for the change of one visa status to another visa status. It definitely does not apply to someone who entered Thailand without a visa.

Axel and Lopburi gave the correct information and I fail to understand why we_zaa chose to post his disinformation.

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Maestro

what we_zaa says is correct, its on the immigration web site under required documents, change visa, but you need the 400k in the bank at the time of application for the change, if granted your non imm o will be valid from the date you entered thailand on the tourist visa not the day the non imm o is granted, so if you are close to the mark on the 21 days you may have to apply for the 1 year extension immediately after the non imm o is granted.

required documents to change Tourist to Non Imm O

1:Application for Visa Status Alteration. (TM.86)

2:Copy of passport entries.

3:4 X 6 cm. Photograph.

4:Application fee of 2,000 baht.

5:I.D. card and house registration papers of the Thai national ; and for the foreign national residing in Thailand : residence certificate, foreign national registration certificate, passport, work permit, and house registration.

6:Document proving that the applicant is the father or mother or child, a marriage certificate or birth certificate, as the case may be.

7:Letter from a government office, embassy or consulate, certifying that the applicant belongs to the referred family.

8:A letter form The Embassy or Consulate certifying in that the applicant is single.

also required is a letter from the bank stating the 400k must be TT from overseas and in an account in your name and a copy of the bank book

at the interview about the marriage make sure you take some pics from the wedding as they as for stuff like that too

baz

[Maestro]

I believe Sunbelt has reported that it is now possible to obtain a non immigrant visa from a 30 day stamp if there are more than 21 days remaining upon application.

what we_zaa says is correct, its on the immigration web site under required documents, change visa

Wonders never cease!

My apologies to We-zaa!

Bazmlb, I went looking for it on the immigration web site but couldn’t find the reference to the change from a non-visa entry with 30-day stamp on arrival to a non-O visa and the 21-day limit for application; my fault, no doubt. Would you be so kind as to tell me under what sub-heading under “Change Visa” it is? I looked under “To receive assistance from or give assistance to a Thai citizen” but if it’s there it is hidden very well (or I need a new prescription for lenses ). I would like to copy it for my reference in case a friend should ask about it.

The text you quoted refers to the change from a tourist visa to a non-O visa. ( A tourist visa is a stamp or sticker in the passport that says “Type of visa – Tourist; Category – TR” at the top and gives permission to stay for 60 days. Picture courtesy of Michael W)

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Maestro

[bazmlb]

its under the Required documents section

so go here then

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/ba...hp?page=service

then select change visa heading and then

To receive assistance from or give assistance to a Thai citizen

baz

[lopburi3]

its under the Required documents section

so go here then

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/ba...hp?page=service

then select change visa heading and then

To receive assistance from or give assistance to a Thai citizen

baz

Para 6 reads: "Document proving that the applicant is the father or mother or child".

Are you the father/mother/child? It says nothing about "spouse".

Heading of section is "visa change" and a 30 day stay is not a visa.

As I said; recent report was that they will now change this 30 day stay stamp if done in first week, but there is nothing on website to confirm this.

[bazmlb]

Para 6 reads: "Document proving that the applicant is the father or mother or child".

Are you the father/mother/child? It says nothing about "spouse".

Heading of section is "visa change" and a 30 day stay is not a visa.

As I said; recent report was that they will now change this 30 day stay stamp if done in first week, but there is nothing on website to confirm this.

so it only applies to 60 day tourist visa, not 30 day on arrival

Paragraph six actually reads

"Document proving that the applicant is the father or mother or child, a marriage certificate or birth certificate, as the case may be."

The case, for me is marriage, so a marriage certificate is required to support a thai wife.

there are many cases to give or receive assistance so they have just put the various cases in one section rather than make several sections to simplify things.

If i was a fater of a child i wanted to support and was getting the visa for then i would need a birth certificate stating i was the father, in this case you could apply for a non O even if you dont marry the girl but i wouldnt like your chances, unless the wife had passed away or some other reason why you couldnt marry.

Hope this clears it up

[Axel]

Para 6 reads: "Document proving that the applicant is the father or mother or child".

Here I smell a typo, should read "father or mother OF child" (not OR) than it would make more sense. Perhaps the Thai text is clearer?

Compare: DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION FOR VISA STATUS ALTERATION (NON-O) TO FULFILL THE DUTY OR RESPONSIBILITY AS AN IMMEDIATE MEMBER OF A FOREIGN FAMILY IN THAILAND OR TO BE EMPLOYED AS HOUSEHOLD HELP BY SAID FAMILY.

9. Documents proving that the applicant is the father or mother of child ; a marriage certificate or birth certificate, as the case may be.

But the original post, I believe, is now clear. A 30-day-stamp is not a visa and therefore cannot be changed from non-visa to non-imm O. Although there seems now to be a way to do this, if done within the first week of arrival (as Lopburi says referring to Sunbelt)

Actually, I spent an hour or two checking other pages incl. immigration, MFA, Tillecke & Gibbins.

Cannot find any reference to changing from visa-exempted-entry-status (30 days-stamp) to entry under non-imm O-visa-status.

So the easiest way still would be, to leave the country, get a non-imm O, re-entry the country with this and apply after 60 days for extension of stay. Alternatively, come back with no visa, enter under the exemption (30 days-stamp) and apply for change within the first week.

[bazmlb]

PS if applying in Bangkok to change from TR to Non imm O, then they will interview you about the marriage, its good to take and they will ask for and having some idea now just makes it easier to answer on the spot

Photo's from the wedding

how long you know each other

how you met

how you knew the process to lodge for the visa, ie:website, laywer etc

what each of you do for work

they wont ask for but it shows you living together and just helps

bills/mail showing the same address for both of you

any other documents, photos to support you have known each other for an extended period of time

[bazmlb]

well i got my visa now converted to Non Imm - O, and got 45 days free on top

it really helps to dress well and look smart i think