What's the best way to get a long term visa?

[jerryw]

I am a U.S. citizen, 61 y.o.

Here's the situation:

I have lived and worked in Thailand for the last four years.

The university where I worked took care of Work Permits and Non-Immigrant visa extensions.

On 14 September, 2014 my Non-Immigrant visa expired, and so did my contract with the university.

I went to Cambodia for a while and came back overland and got a 30 day visa-on-arrival.

That visa is good until 27 October.

Now I live in Koh Samui.

All the information on visas and visa extensions has become confusing, and trying to contact the authorities has become futile.

So, for right now, I want a 60 day visa - single entry is fine.

Question 1: What exactly do I need to get a 60 day visa at the Thai Consulate in Penang?

a. Do I need proof of onward travel? (Would a train ticket to Butterworth suffice?)

b. Do I need any kind of bank statement or proof of funds?

c. Do I need any kind of health certificate?

d. Can the 60 day visa be extended for 30 days at the immigration office in Samui?

Question 2: After 60 or 90 days, I plan to begin application for non-immigrant visa and retirement extension.

a. Can I make this application in Thailand or Penang? Or do I need to do this in the U.S?

b. For a financial statement: If I start with about $10,000 (or THB 300,000) on November 1, and show an income of THB 65,000/month for the next two months, will that be enough?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

And sorry if this has been answered before.

Jerry

[ubonjoe]

If you have the financial proof to show you can get a single entry non immigrant O visa for being 50 or over in Penang and then apply for an extension of stay at immigration.

Question one is no to all but D which is yes.

Question two I partly answered already. Why do you want to wait so long.

If you have 65k baht income you can do a income affidavit at he US embassy in Bangkok. You will need to make an appointment to get the affidavit. You can download the affidavit or fill it out online plus find appointment info here. http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/notarial-services.html#income_affidavit.

With the affidavit you can give a copy of it to Penang of visa and show the origninal. Then use the affidavit to apply for an extension of stay during the last 30 days of the 90 entry. If you want to use it to convert to a non immigrant visa and then the extension at immigration you will need to get 2 affidavits.

If you don't have the income you will need to show 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days to apply for the extension.

To apply for the non-o in Penang or to do a conversion to a non immigrant visa entry at immigration the money just has to be in the bank it does not need to be there for 60 days.

Edit: If you need time to get organized for all the above you can go to immigration and get a 30 day extension (new rules) of your 30 day visa exempt exempt entry. The fee will be 1900 baht.

[Zlabermacht]

You do not have a visa-on-arrival Sir, you do have a Visa exempion stamp.

If you only want to stay two months, then buy your ticket back to the US, go to Penang and apply for a tourist VISA.

If you actually plan to stay more than two months, then I would enroll in any kind of educative course and try to apply for a Non-Immigrant ED VISA. As long as you appear nice and clean and have some money in your bank account (yes, a recent bank statement paper is always a good thing to have when applying for a Visa, just like some good cash money in your wallet) you will not be refused.

Good luck!

[Zlabermacht]

P.S. For the Non-Immigrant O Visa, Ubonjoe said more than enough.

[Zlabermacht]

A train ticket to Butterworth would be formally sufficient, yet you could be questioned, I guess, about your planned holiday in the region if the officer suspects you already really plan to live in Thailand. Prepare a good story about your being a tourist.

[jerryw]

Edit: If you need time to get organized for all the above you can go to immigration and get a 30 day extension (new rules) of your 30 day visa exempt exempt entry. The fee will be 1900 baht.

Thank you ubonjoe. I do need the time.

How often can I get a 30 day extension at immigration?

Instead of an extension at immigration, is it possible to get another 30 day visa exemption at the border?

Let's say I went to Penang for a day or two and came back - would I get another 30 day visa exemption stamp?

I'm wondering because I may need to go to Penang, anyway, not just for the visa.

[ubonjoe]

You can only get one 30 day extension for each entry.

You could get one 30 day entry at the border.

It would be best to get a tourist visa since you will be in Penang anyway.

[neilyboy]

You can only get one 30 day extension for each entry.

You could get one 30 day entry at the border.

It would be best to get a tourist visa since you will be in Penang anyway.

Since you are out of the country why don't you apply for either a 60 tourist visa or a 30 or 60 day double entry tourist visa. i had a 60 double entry and only last week crossed the boarder and went straight back and no i am on my 60 second half, the hole trip rom Undon Thani to Laos and back took 3 hours.

[Strangebrew]

Enough said.