Retirement Extension Expires while Visiting U.S.

[EPICFAIL]

My retirement extension will expire while on holiday in California for a couple months. I know I cannot apply for a retirement extension at a U.S. Thai Consulate/Embassy but I will need a new visa with which I can do a retirement extension upon my return. Should I apply at the Los Angeles consulate for a non-immigrant O visa or a visitor visa? The cost for a single entry non-immigrant O is $80 and a visitor visa is $40. Which is the most advantageous? Thanks!

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Do the Non-O, then you can covert directly to an extension for Retireement in the last 30 days of the Permitted to Stay period when you get back.

If you get a Tourist Visa, there'd be an extra step as it'd need to be converted to a Non-O at Immigration.

Mac

[ubonjoe]

You will not be able to get a non-o visa at the LA consulate. The embassy and the other official consulates will only do a OA visa.

You can get a single entry non-o visa at one of the honorary consulates listed here: http://www.thaiembdc.org/dcdp/?q=consulate_honorary The current official policy is that you cannot apply by mail to them. Perhaps contact the consulate in Portland or one of the others by phone and ask them about doing it by mail.

If you cannot get the non-o you should get a single entry tourist visa that you can change to a non immigrant visa entry at some immigration offices.

[wayned]

Question answered correctly in first post. All other posts are unneeded including mine!

[ubonjoe]

Question answered correctly in first post. All other posts are unneeded including mine!

Can you confirm that a non-o visa can be obtained at the LA consulate for being 50 or over?

[lopburi3]

As said official Consulate will not normally issue O visa for retirement as they provide access to O-A type. However with passport showing extension and explanation of reason (to start that again) they might make an exception. But it would be better to use a local staffed Consulate to be sure.

But remember you are allowed to apply up to 45 days early at most immigration offices - and they might make exception for travel - so I would try to extend prior to travel and avoid this extra step/cost. In worst case you can use the tourist visa option and convert in Bangkok after return if unable to extend or obtain non-O visa.

[briantk41]

I have the same problem as Epicfail, but I will be in Canada when my retirement extension expires. The link for the consulates was for the US. Is there one for Canad? What is the best visa to get when I go back to Thailand to start my retirement extension started again.

Thanks in advance

[ubonjoe]

I have the same problem as Epicfail, but I will be in Canada when my retirement extension expires. The link for the consulates was for the US. Is there one for Canad? What is the best visa to get when I go back to Thailand to start my retirement extension started again.

Thanks in advance

The ones here other than Vancouver are honorary consulates.

http://www.thaiembassy.ca/en/visiting-thailand/visas/obtaining-visa-canada

If you can get it a single entry non-o visa is the best. After that a single entry tourist visa.

[wayned]

Question answered correctly in first post. All other posts are unneeded including mine!

Can you confirm that a non-o visa can be obtained at the LA consulate for being 50 or over?

I was writing my response and posted it before I saw yours as the "another post" message doesn't work very often.

In answer to your question, no I can't confirm that they will, but can you confirm that they won't? The website does not say that they won't as it does not specifically address the issue. However it does say "The Consulate will consider Non-Immigrant Visa applications on a case-by-case basis and may ask for additional documents." The OP should at least call them and ask since the circumstances might justify the issuance of one as Crossy suggested in a later post.

[ubonjoe]

I have never seen a report of any official Thai consulate or the embassy in the US ever doing a non-o visa for being 50 or over for a US citizen or resident.

It is same for most of them in the world. It is a well known policy that they will only do OA visas for citizens or residents where they are located.

The LA consulate website only lists non-o's for visiting family and as a volunteer. http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=34

[wayned]

As I said I was writing my post and did not see yours until I had already posted it and most likely would have reworded it if I had. And II can't confirm that they will, but no matter what you have seen you can't confirm that they won't! The quote in bold above came from the same website that you provided in your link. The OP should call them and ask when he gets to the US or send them an email explaining his situation and ask. I have no intention of arguing with you any further as you obviously are the self proclaimed expert regarding Thai immigration issues and policy and do not desire to go down that path again.

[OJAS]

Do the Non-O, then you can covert directly to an extension for Retireement in the last 30 days of the Permitted to Stay period when you get back.

If you get a Tourist Visa, there'd be an extra step as it'd need to be converted to a Non-O at Immigration.

Mac

And the non-O conversion would in all probability entail 2 awkward trips to Chaengwattana Immigration in Bangkok plus horrendously long waits once he got there if recent reports on here are to be believed. Most of the provincial offices which used to offer this service until recently (e.g. Jomtien) no longer do so.

Alternatively, instead of doing a non-O conversion in Thailand, the OP might be able to obtain a single-entry non-O in Savannakhet - although he would need to prove his finances there as he would for a retirement extension at his local immigration office here, I gather.

However, if he is married to a Thai national, he might still be able to obtain a non-O on marriage grounds at the LA Consulate if I have interpreted their website correctly:-

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=34

[EPICFAIL]

Thanks for all the responses. As usual your answers raise more questions.

I am fortunate in that one of my week-long stops is just a few kilometers from the L.A. consulate so I can drop in and see what my visa options are. It seems clear that I can get either a visitor or O-A visa. I know there is an extra step to convert a visitor visa to an O visa upon my return to Chiang Mai before applying for a retirement extension. Can I directly convert an O-A visa to a retirement extension and save the extra step I would have with a visitor visa?

Also, do I have any options to apply for and recieve a retirement extension if I enter Thailand without a visa? I presume a 30 day stamp cannot be converted to a retirement extension.

By way of background, I am a U.S. citizen and have six previous, back-to-back retirement extensions.

Thanks again for your help with this.

[OJAS]

Thanks for all the responses. As usual your answers raise more questions.

I am fortunate in that one of my week-long stops is just a few kilometers from the L.A. consulate so I can drop in and see what my visa options are. It seems clear that I can get either a visitor or O-A visa. I know there is an extra step to convert a visitor visa to an O visa upon my return to Chiang Mai before applying for a retirement extension. Can I directly convert an O-A visa to a retirement extension and save the extra step I would have with a visitor visa?

Also, do I have any options to apply for and recieve a retirement extension if I enter Thailand without a visa? I presume a 30 day stamp cannot be converted to a retirement extension.

By way of background, I am a U.S. citizen and have six previous, back-to-back retirement extensions.

Thanks again for your help with this.

With a fresh OA visa there should be no need for for you to apply for (let alone "convert to") a retirement extension for up to 2 years as long as you do a border run a few days before it expires, whereupon you'll be stamped for a further year.

If you're relying on the 30-day stamp method, please bear in mind that you may well be denied boarding your return flight to LOS from LAX (or wherever) unless you can show the check-in assistant an onward flight ticket out of Thailand which is valid for the next 30 days max.

[wayned]

As I said in post #11I have no intention of continuing the argument which I won't. Ubojoe was corrrect> I emialed the LA consulte and got the following response:

Thank you for your e-mail request. We do not issue Non-Immigrant O Visas for the purpose of obtaining a Non-Immigrant OA Visa in Thailand. We can issue the Non-Immigrant O Visa if you are married to a Thai or have a Thai child. Otherwise you will need to apply for the Non-Immigrant OA Visa with all of the required documentation or the 60-day Tourist Visa.

Visa Section

The funny thing is they refer to getting an O/A in Thailand which is not possible