Turned down for a tourist visa in Kolkata

[joeyg]

Been in India for 3 months on my way to Thailand. Went into the Thai Embassy to get a tourist visa at a friends recommendation. Goal is to convert to retirement visa. I'm 62 from the USA.

ThoughT I had everything in order down to extensive bank and credit statements with substantial amounts of cash on hand. Plus arrival and departure plane tickets. The woman said you plan to stay for 60 days I said yes.

She said your hotel is only booked for 2 weeks. I said yes i plan to travel and am not sure of the route yet based on the plans of friends I will meet up with in Thailand. She said you need hotels booked for 60 days. I said again but I'm not sure where I'll be staying. She said sorry.

I just laughed and said well I guess no visa then. She said you can stay for 30 days. I said oh thanks a lot. My buddy who's lived in BKK for 35 years was livid as he travels to India twice a year and knows the mentality.

So Now I'll just do a trip to Laos and get the tourist visa there which is routinely done. Either use his address or get a room and use that. Anyway it was just kind of a waste of time being here in Kolkata. The place is really a huge toilet. Sad really.

Fortunately will be leaving for Thailand in a couple days planning to retire there. Wish me luck...

[paz]

Wow, a North Korea visa would have been easier. Some Consuls really try their best to fight the tourism industry.

Anyway, you can have your visa exempt entry converted to non-imm 'O' with a single visit to Bangkok immigration. And the extension anywhere you want.

To be on the safe side check the following about boarding your flight.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/754481-boarding-to-thailand-without-return-ticket/

[joeyg]

Thanks I'll have a look...

[meand]

Everything you have to deal with in thailand will be based in about as much logic. Enjoy.

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post.

[Jingthing]

Where will you be living in Thailand?

It makes a difference as to which immigration office you will need to use.

You can indeed CONVERT your 30 day entry stamp (not a visa) to an O visa as the first step in the retirement extension process.

You can also use a tourist visa, but not required, as said you don't need one.

The latest info I have is you must RUSH in and do the conversion quickly on a 30 day stamp as 21 days left on it will be required.

Normally if your local Thai immigration does do conversions to O (where you will be living in Thailand), you do the conversion there.

If your local office does not do conversions, you do the conversion at Bangkok and then the later retirement extension at your local office, or Bangkok if that is your local office.

A tourist visa would have given you less time pressure to do the conversion.

If you choose, you can visit a neighboring country (Laos, Malaysia, and Cambodia I think) to rather easily get a single entry O visa based on intention to apply for retirement extension in Thailand. Then during the last 30 days of that 90 day stay, you apply for the annual retirement extension at your local Thai immigration office.

Good luck in Thailand.

[ubonjoe]

You might of had better luck applying for a single entry non-o visa Kolkata for being 50 or over. They might not of applied the same rules they have to get a tourist visa there.

You only need 15 days remaining on an entry to to do conversion to a non immigrant visa. The 21 day rule went away several years ago.

Even 15 days to get things done when entering on a visa exempt entry is hard to do. You could go out to get a single entry non-o visa at a nearby embassy or consulate but you would need to have financial proof.

[Jingthing]

You might of had better luck applying for a single entry non-o visa Kolkata for being 50 or over. They might not of applied the same rules they have to get a tourist visa there.

You only need 15 days remaining on an entry to to do conversion to a non immigrant visa. The 21 day rule went away several years ago.

Even 15 days to get things done when entering on a visa exempt entry is hard to do. You could go out to get a single entry non-o visa at a nearby embassy or consulate but you would need to have financial proof.

Thanks for the clarification about so called 21 day rule.

Sometimes its hard to juggle conflicting information.

I was probably thinking about the 21 day thing based on this recent news article in Chiang Mai:

http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=4557

Changing visa status

Under the new rules, changing one's visa status – for example, from a tourist visa to a retirement visa – can no longer be done in one day. The process will now take up to 21 days.

Immigration officers encourage people who wish to change their visas to apply as soon as possible. If someone enters the country on a 30-day tourist visa, for example, they should apply for a new visa within nine days to ensure they can remain in the country legally.

[NancyL]

Immigration was very clear about now needing 21 days remaining if you're doing a conversion of a 30-day visa exempt here in Chiang Mai during the recent Immigration presentation at CM Expats Club. Made a big deal about it. Said because now they have to send off the paperwork to Region 5 for approval, so your passport is stamped "30 days under consideration". In the past, they could approve your 90 day O visa right on the spot, calling it "One Stop Service". No more.

Maybe in Bangkok 15 days is OK, because they actually have approval authority there.

[ubonjoe]

You might of had better luck applying for a single entry non-o visa Kolkata for being 50 or over. They might not of applied the same rules they have to get a tourist visa there.

You only need 15 days remaining on an entry to to do conversion to a non immigrant visa. The 21 day rule went away several years ago.

Even 15 days to get things done when entering on a visa exempt entry is hard to do. You could go out to get a single entry non-o visa at a nearby embassy or consulate but you would need to have financial proof.

Thanks for the clarification about so called 21 day rule.

Sometimes its hard to juggle conflicting information.

I was probably thinking about the 21 day thing based on this recent news article in Chiang Mai:

http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=4557

Changing visa status

Under the new rules, changing one's visa status – for example, from a tourist visa to a retirement visa – can no longer be done in one day. The process will now take up to 21 days.

Immigration officers encourage people who wish to change their visas to apply as soon as possible. If someone enters the country on a 30-day tourist visa, for example, they should apply for a new visa within nine days to ensure they can remain in the country legally.

I don't put much weight in offhand comments like that What about the 30 day tourist visa comment (wrong).

At Bangkok immigration it is 15 days. There have been reports of CM immigration doing them with only a few days remaining on an entry.

He is quoted as saying it will take 21 days to get the visa stamp done which I have seen no reports of being done in CM.

Bangkok tells you to come back in 2 weeks.

[khwaibah]

Immigration was very clear about now needing 21 days remaining if you're doing a conversion of a 30-day visa exempt here in Chiang Mai during the recent Immigration presentation at CM Expats Club. Made a big deal about it. Said because now they have to send off the paperwork to Region 5 for approval, so your passport is stamped "30 days under consideration". In the past, they could approve your 90 day O visa right on the spot, calling it "One Stop Service". No more.

Maybe in Bangkok 15 days is OK, because they actually have approval authority there.

May be your wording Nancy "they have to send off the paperwork to Region 5 for approval". Region 5 is northern Thailand and its HQ is Chiang Mai so who are they sending the request to?

[joeyg]

Thanks for the quick replies. Actually I'll be staying in Bangkok near a friends house for a couple of weeks. At the Monamee Hotel don't know the exact address off Sukumvit. Actually I thought about just asking what was the best first step to getting a retirement visa but I am running on fumes from 3 tough months in India and helping seemed like the last thing on her mind.

Knowing there is an option to do this in Bangkok is a plus. can't help thinking how strange it is that the "actual" procedure can vary so much or there are at least so many different experiences/opinions on the process.

I did all the immigration paper work for my ex Thai wife years ago and 2 of my buddies wives. Their transition to US citizenship came off with out a hitch. Everything was 100% "black and white." Unfortunately or fortunately we all got divorced. There was no paper work for that one.

Again thanks for the current updated info...

[oldthaihand99]

Why did you have bank & credit statements plus hotel bookings? No mention is made of them being requirements under "tourist visa" on the Kolkata embassy website page here:

"DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months

Visa application form completely filled out

Two recent photographs of the applicant ( 2 1/2 inches)

plane ticket paid in full

Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht (per family)"

http://www.thaiembassy.org/kolkata/contents/files/services-20120616-150812-664556.pdf

I've never needed bank or credit statements or hotel bookings anywhere i've ever applied for a tourist visa, including Singapore, Hanoi & Canada.

It seems you went to a lot of trouble to try to get a tourist visa. All you were lacking to be successful was to book an online hotel for the duration of your stay. Then cancel it later at no cost to yourself, after you had the tourist visa in your passport.

Why did your friend recommend the embassy in Kolkata for a tourist visa?

[Jingthing]

Thanks for the quick replies. Actually I'll be staying in Bangkok near a friends house for a couple of weeks. At the Monamee Hotel don't know the exact address off Sukumvit. Actually I thought about just asking what was the best first step to getting a retirement visa but I am running on fumes from 3 tough months in India and helping seemed like the last thing on her mind.

Knowing there is an option to do this in Bangkok is a plus. can't help thinking how strange it is that the "actual" procedure can vary so much or there are at least so many different experiences/opinions on the process.

I did all the immigration paper work for my ex Thai wife years ago and 2 of my buddies wives. Their transition to US citizenship came off with out a hitch. Everything was 100% "black and white." Unfortunately or fortunately we all got divorced. There was no paper work for that one.

Again thanks for the current updated info...

Yeah, but where will you be LIVING in Thailand?

You certainly need to do the retirement EXTENSION part of the local office of where you will be LIVING in Thailand, not just visiting.

The process for retirement here is really not as mysterious as you seem to paint it once you know the ropes, BUT it is true there are some choices in how to go about it.

[joeyg]

thai visa requirments.pdf Here's the instructions I got on line for Kollata

[joeyg]

Anyway looks like 2 different sets of requirements. At least on the financial records end of it. I went to Kolkata because that's were I'm departing from. I do have a close friend who has lived in Samut Prakan for about 35 years. He said he would help me and it would be no problem.

I know the instructions are from Delhi but followed those instructions. Who knew it would be different from city to city. the ongoing discussion is important I think as obtaining visa to Thailand is definitely still a convoluted process, at least for me.

And if I knew that not having hotels booked for 60 days was going to be a problem, I certainly would have done that and canceled it later. But who knew? I'm still not sure where i will be living but will stick close to long time friends in BKK until I get this sorted out.

Thanks again for the input. The past 3 months in rural India was tough on this old boy. Not for sissies...

[oldthaihand99]

thai visa requirments.pdf Here's the instructions I got on line for Kollata

Is this from some website?

"The place is really a huge toilet. Sad really."

Perhaps Brits would feel more at home there:

"If Bangalore is the Seattle of India, than Kolkata is the sub-contintent's London."

http://wikitravel.org/en/Kolkata

[joeyg]

Why did you have bank & credit statements plus hotel bookings? No mention is made of them being requirements under "tourist visa" on the Kolkata embassy website page here:

"DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months

Visa application form completely filled out

Two recent photographs of the applicant ( 2 1/2 inches)

plane ticket paid in full

Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht (per family)"

http://www.thaiembassy.org/kolkata/contents/files/services-20120616-150812-664556.pdf

I've never needed bank or credit statements or hotel bookings anywhere i've ever applied for a tourist visa, including Singapore, Hanoi & Canada.

It seems you went to a lot of trouble to try to get a tourist visa. All you were lacking to be successful was to book an online hotel for the duration of your stay. Then cancel it later at no cost to yourself, after you had the tourist visa in your passport.

Why did your friend recommend the embassy in Kolkata for a tourist visa?

So it appears that being less than honest about my travel and lodging plans would have been the recommended way to go. Simply stating the location and duration of my initial hotel and saying I would be traveling was a mistake.

Now I know what things to lie about next time I find myself in this situation. It helps to know what to misrepresent if you know what you need to misrepresent beforehand. However I was just being honest and straightforward as I usually am. figured being honest while applying for a visa to Thailand was the best policy anyway. silly me.

[oldthaihand99]

So it appears that being less than honest about my travel and lodging plans would have been the recommended way to go. Simply stating the location and duration of my initial hotel and saying I would be traveling was a mistake.

Now I know what things to lie about next time I find myself in this situation. It helps to know what to misrepresent if you know what you need to misrepresent beforehand. However I was just being honest and straightforward as I usually am. figured being honest while applying for a visa to Thailand was the best policy anyway. silly me.

Unfortunately it wasn't stated clearly that you need hotel booking(s) for the entire duration of your stay.

Though i'm still wondering why that was even an issue, let alone a deciding one, when their website rules do not even ask for it.

[paz]

At least they didn't keep the application fee like western countries do when refusing a visa.

[joeyg]

thai visa requirments.pdf Here's the instructions I got on line for Kollata

Is this from some website?

"The place is really a huge toilet. Sad really."

Perhaps Brits would feel more at home there:

"If Bangalore is the Seattle of India, than Kolkata is the sub-contintent's London."

http://wikitravel.org/en/Kolkata

This place is really like a huge toilet sounds like something i said. the other I don't know. I've been to India many time since 1975. For yoga and ayurveda in the old days. It's always been a difficult place. Unfortunately it seems things have just gotten worse. My last trip here was 1989. Sad to say it really is filthy, dirty and disgusting

having said that I have stayed at some nice temples and ashrams over the years. But as soon as you step outside campus you are back in time 40 years and yes in the likes of a giant toilet.

Sorry a bit off topic . just replying to the question. I'm sure the visa will be worked out OK in BKK. If not I'll just go back to the states. I mean I'm retiring I don't want to knock my head against the wall. I'd like to relax after working hard all these years.

[FiestyFarang]

You will NOT be able to get a Retirement Visa unless you have at least 800,000Baht in a Thai bank account if you are relying on savings only. Overseas accounts are not accepted although rules might have changed. Therefore you need to open a Thai bank account to get a Retirement Visa. Krungsri did let foreigners open an account without a Work Permit maybe others do now but many did not earlier this year, check their websites. I am not sure if Krungsri still do. Have a look at - http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/docs/retirementvisachecklist.pdf

[Jingthing]

Yes to financially qualify for the conversion to O visa in Thailand and also the second step, the initial retirement extension, you need to show:

At least 65K baht monthly income (via embassy letter)

OR

At least 800K in THAI bank account (needs to seasoned for TWO months for FIRST extension) ... seasoning NOT needed for the CONVERSION to O step

OR

A combination of the income and bank account monies totaling at least 800K baht annually (seasoning rules in this case may vary by office, generally no seasoning required, certainly no seasoning required for the CONVERSION to O part)

If you can't do this, an O-A visa from home country abroad can be had with showing money OUTSIDE Thailand (but eventually will need to show money inside Thailand for the 800K method if you ever wish to do annual retirement extensions in Thailand

[joeyg]

Again thanks for the additional info. I've been to Thailand many times and love it. I was married to a Thai gal for years. Honestly though I want a simple life. I'm thinking better just to stay in the USA and keep Thailand for holidays. We'll see.

[SOTIRIOS]

...for some people...for whatever reason.....they like to 'play God'......

[Jingthing]

Again thanks for the additional info. I've been to Thailand many times and love it. I was married to a Thai gal for years. Honestly though I want a simple life. I'm thinking better just to stay in the USA and keep Thailand for holidays. We'll see.

Well, I for one, am not trying to SELL anyone on moving to Thailand to retire! But for those who decide they want to do that, there is very good technical visa advice on offer here ... free.

[FiestyFarang]

Again thanks for the additional info. I've been to Thailand many times and love it. I was married to a Thai gal for years. Honestly though I want a simple life. I'm thinking better just to stay in the USA and keep Thailand for holidays. We'll see.

Thailand is easy to retire in. If you are relying on savings only you have 800,000Baht each year which is not a large sum for many foreigners, try living in the USA on that!

The Visas should not put you off they are not that difficult if you have the 800,000 and only have to report to Immigration every 90 days to confirm your address, no leaving Thailand anymore unless you want to. The other country I was considering living in was Australia and there the Visas are far more complex in many cases.

[Jingthing]

Australia retirement visas are for those with high wealth levels only.

[rbt]

It is the local people who sit in Thai consulates who create problems for visa applicants. I went to the Thai embassy in Colombo, sri lanka, and they were mostly sri lankans who had no idea that a European passport holder like me could get a Thai visa on arrival in Bangkok.

[Jingthing]

If the OP is not very committed to do what it takes to retire in Thailand, that's perfectly fine! As said, no, it really isn't that hard (assuming the financial qualifications can be met). I think retirement to Thailand compared to international competition at similar financial levels is actually an EASY VISA country but the permissions are very limited in time, only one year. So pros and cons.