Two questions re Non Immigrant O & OA visas

[The Deerhunter]

1. What is the difference if any, between a Non-Im O and a Non-Im O-A visa.

2. Is a medical certificate or report required to renew a NON-Im O-A on the first or any subsequent renewal?

2a. If so, what is it called & what medical conditions or circumstances does it follow or inquire about?

[ratcatcher]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/664387-difference-between-o-and-oa/

[partington]

1. A Non-Imm O can be single or multi entry, and each entry allows a 90-day stay; it does not normally require a police or a health certificate, although some documentation will be necessary depending on the reason for application, and the country where the application is made.

A Non-Imm OA is now always multi entry, and allows a 1 year stay for each entry; applications are usually for purpose of retirement in Thailand, with the requirement for the applicant to be over fifty, have 800,000 baht in a home country bank account, or 800,000 baht annual income, with documentary proof, plus a health certificate and a police certificate showing no criminal record.

The health certificate specifies the applicant does not have any prohibited diseases that is: Leprosy, Tuberculosis [T.B], Elephantiasis, Drug addiction, Alcoholism, or 3rd stage of syphilis. The form does not have a name other than "medical certificate ' and can be downloaded from many Thai Embassy sites

[e.g. http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/pdf/medical_certificate.pdf]

2. You cannot "renew" a visa. To get another visa you must go outside the country and make a fresh application with all the same requirements.

Most people, if they meet the requirements, instead of applying for a new visa, instead remain in the country and apply for the period they are allowed to remain in the country to be extended for a year using a TM 7 form. This is called "an extension of stay" and is not a visa.

For example if you have an O or an OA visa, and you want to stay an extra year on the grounds of retirement, then in the last 30 days of your current permission to stay you go to immigration with proof that you have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, and have had this for 60 days for your first application, or 90 days for all subsequent applications ( or you have an income of 65,000baht a month, or a combination of income and a Thai bank account that adds up to 800,000 baht annually). You also need copies of all your relevant passport pages, a passport size photograph, and often a proof of address. The exact documentary requirements have been listed here many times, and can be searched. They can differ slightly at different immigration offices.

You do not need a police or health certificate for this route if the reason for the extension is retirement. The extension can also be applied for on the grounds of marriage to a Thai woman: for this the documentary and income requirements are slightly different and can also be searched.

Remember this is an extension of permission to stay not a visa.

[The Deerhunter]

Partington, Thanks for all that. I knew a lot of the other stuff but thanks for clarifying the difference between O & OA.

I apologize for incorrectly using the word renew. I meant "extend"

My reason for asking was I have it on excellent advice that a senior Immigration staff member VERY RECENTLY said in person that a medical certificate was required to extend a retirement visa. When asked what medical conditions were to be covered, the answer was "Just ask the doctor or clinic. They know what we want."

My understanding was always that no medical certificates were needed.

I am happy to enter into private message with one of the immigration expert moderators on this subject.

[ubonjoe]

There are some odd immigration offices that want a medical certificate. It is the same one they do for a drivers license and It normally only cost 50 baht to get at a clinic.

[The Deerhunter]

There are some odd immigration offices that want a medical certificate. It is the same one they do for a drivers license and It normally only cost 50 baht to get at a clinic.

Thanks for that. As I suspected. Parkinson's law at work. Make the job more complex & time consuming. Get two more people filing the extra paperwork, answering to you & get another salary grade raise. Oh well the persons concerned will play their silly game. Elephantiasis, leprosy & third degree syphilis must be the growth diseases (I don't think.). Perhaps the medical cert requirement hasn't changed since 1955.

Great when there is no uniform monitored document requirement nation-wide.

Thanks everyone.

[The Deerhunter]

There are some odd immigration offices that want a medical certificate. It is the same one they do for a drivers license and It normally only cost 50 baht to get at a clinic.

Very Odd offices?????

[partington]

There are some odd immigration offices that want a medical certificate. It is the same one they do for a drivers license and It normally only cost 50 baht to get at a clinic.

Thanks for that. As I suspected. Parkinson's law at work. Make the job more complex & time consuming. Get two more people filing the extra paperwork, answering to you & get another salary grade raise. Oh well the persons concerned will play their silly game. Elephantiasis, leprosy & third degree syphilis must be the growth diseases (I don't think.). Perhaps the medical cert requirement hasn't changed since 1955.

Great when there is no uniform monitored document requirement nation-wide.

Thanks everyone.

The medical certificate for a driver's license is not the same as the one specified for OA visas - it covers a different range of conditions, mostly, like epilepsy, heart disease, sleep disorders and so on.

Apparently they are very cheap and easy to get, since no real examination is done, so not a big task even if you do need one.

The vast majority of Immigration offices don't ask for this. Bangkok doesn't for sure.

[ubonjoe]

The medical certificate for a driver's license is not the same as the one specified for OA visas - it covers a different range of conditions, mostly, like epilepsy, heart disease, sleep disorders and so on.

Apparently they are very cheap and easy to get, since no real examination is done, so not a big task even if you do need one.

The vast majority of Immigration offices don't ask for this. Bangkok doesn't for sure.

Of course if you were applying for a OA visa your home country it would not be the same.

But to satisfy the requirements of a rogue immigration office here it will be the same as the one for the drivers license.