O-A Visa

[MikeRR]

Hello,

Would any one please tell me best place to get Non-Immigrant O-A retirement visa?

Thank you

[NancyL]

Hi MikeRR,

What nationality are you and where are you presently living?

[beano2274]

An O-A Visa can only be obtained from your own country if memory serves me right, you can obtain an Extension of your current Visa in Thailand based on Retirement.

[Jingthing]

To the OP, starting with an O-A visa (only from your home country or sometimes third country of established residence) is not required to retire legally in Thailand (on retirement extensions). It's an option though.

[MikeRR]

Thank You

I am in Thailand on Tourist visa

[Jingthing]

Thank You

I am in Thailand on Tourist visa

If you want to go into retirement status without going back to your home country, you will not be getting an O-A visa.

Are you ready now to apply for retirement status, as far as financial requirements?

In Thailand it is done first with an O visa (rather than an O-A) obtained either from a neighboring country or some Thai immigration offices. Then the second step is the retirement extension application.

If you plan on going home first, you can look into an O-A visa from your home country.

[MikeRR]

Thank You

I am in Thailand on Tourist visa

Immigration extended my visa for 30 days and told me to get O-A retirement visa outside of Thailand.

I have 800,000+ in KK bank so i hope i will not have a problem.

I just do not know where to go Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia

[paz]

Thank You

I am in Thailand on Tourist visa

Immigration extended my visa for 30 days and told me to get O-A retirement visa outside of Thailand.

I have 800,000+ in KK bank so i hope i will not have a problem.

I just do not know where to go Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia

You can get an non-im 'O' visa (not O-A) in Vientane. Will need to spend a night there.

[Jingthing]

Thank You

I am in Thailand on Tourist visa

Immigration extended my visa for 30 days and told me to get O-A retirement visa outside of Thailand.

I have 800,000+ in KK bank so i hope i will not have a problem.

I just do not know where to go Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia

Probably try Laos.

You won't be getting an O-A visa in any of those unless they are your home countries or residence countries.

You can get a single entry O visa there and later at your local immigration office apply for an annual retirement extension.

Again you do NOT need an O-A visa BUT you do need an O visa in your passport to be ready to apply for your first retirement extension.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Jingthing

[Koratdave]

MikeRR

I am British arrived on a tourist and changed to an O and then to an OA based on retirement.

Easy to do yourself.

Good luck

[Jingthing]

MikeRR

I am British arrived on a tourist and changed to an O and then to an OA based on retirement.

Easy to do yourself.

Good luck

Not possible. You do not have an O-A in your passport. You have a retirement extension. An O-A is a very specific thing.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Koratdave]

MikeRR

I am British arrived on a tourist and changed to an O and then to an OA based on retirement.

Easy to do yourself.

Good luck

Not possible. You do not have an O-A in your passport. You have a retirement extension. An O-A is a very specific thing.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Koratdave]

Sorry. You are 100% correct and soory about the quote thing

[Suradit69]

Thank You

I am in Thailand on Tourist visa

If you have at least 15 days left on your permission to stay and if you have the Baht 800,000 in a Thai bank or proof from your embassy that you have monthly income of at least Baht 65,000, you can convert your tourist visa entry to a non-imm O entry. At this point, about the only place to do that is at Immigrations in Bangkok.

Then during the last 30 days of your permission to stay given you at immigrations you would go to the immigrations office that serves your area of residence and apply for an extension of stay based on retirement ... not a visa. By the time you do this the Baht 800,000 would need to have been in the Thai bank for at least 2 months. Or you can present an original letter from your embassy verifying that you have at least Baht 65,000 a month in foreign income. Or a combination of the two that comes to at least Baht 800.000.

If you get the extension of stay based on retirement it is not a visa. It allows you to remain within Thailand for a year. If you want to travel out of Thailand and return, you'll also need a re-entry permit.

[IMA_FARANG]

An O-A visa, also known in some Thai consulates as a retirement visa is NOT available in Thailand.

Most times you will be required to get this visa in your home country, often at the Thai embassy in your home country.

In the U.S, this visa will be given only from the Thai embassy in Washington D.C.

Also in the U.S tis visa requires:

• A doctors certificate/exam
• A police records check by the police at your place of residence.

For those two reasons this visa is normally given only (in the U.S. at least) given to only U.S. citizens, or foreigners legally resident in the U.S. when they apply.

This is the most expensive visa to get, and the hardest to get (in terms of time and effort for the applicant).

In most countries, an O-A retirement visa can only be obtained in the applicant's home country by citizens/residents of that country.

As I said it can't be given in Thailand.

Please understand, an O-A retirement visa is NOT the same thing as a Non O visa, which is sometimes used to bring a person to Thailand who then applies or a retirement extension in Thailand once he or she is here on the Non O entry visa.

The O-A retirement visa, and the Non O visa are two different things, and shouldn't be confused.

Often they are, however.

Sometimes even by the Thai embassy.

Edited January 12, 2015 by IMA_FARANG

[2fishin2]

An O-A visa, also known in some Thai consulates as a retirement visa is NOT available in Thailand.

Most times you will be required to get this visa in your home country, often at the Thai embassy in your home country.

In the U.S, this visa will be given only from the Thai embassy in Washington D.C.

Also in the U.S tis visa requires:

• A doctors certificate/exam
• A police records check by the police at your place of residence.

For those two reasons this visa is normally given only (in the U.S. at least) given to only U.S. citizens, or foreigners legally resident in the U.S. when they apply.

This is the most expensive visa to get, and the hardest to get (in terms of time and effort for the applicant).

In most countries, an O-A retirement visa can only be obtained in the applicant's home country of by residents of that country.

As I said it can't be given in Thailand.

Please understand, an O-A retirement visa is NOT the same thing as a Non O visa, which is sometimes used to bring a person to Thailand who then applies or a retirement extension in Thailand once he or she is here on the Non O entry visa.

The O-A retirement visa, and the Non O visa are two different things, and shouldn't be confused.

Often they are, however.

I am a US citizen. I guess the expensive 1900 baht "retirement visa" I got in BKK Thailand is not legal. Please check "your facts" they are incorrect, I think.

[ubonjoe]

In the U.S, this visa will be given only from the Thai embassy in Washington D.C.

Wrong.

A OA visa can also be obtained at the 3 official consulates in LA, NY and Chicago.

[steve187]

An O-A visa, also known in some Thai consulates as a retirement visa is NOT available in Thailand.

Most times you will be required to get this visa in your home country, often at the Thai embassy in your home country.

In the U.S, this visa will be given only from the Thai embassy in Washington D.C.

Also in the U.S tis visa requires:

• A doctors certificate/exam
• A police records check by the police at your place of residence.

For those two reasons this visa is normally given only (in the U.S. at least) given to only U.S. citizens, or foreigners legally resident in the U.S. when they apply.

This is the most expensive visa to get, and the hardest to get (in terms of time and effort for the applicant).

In most countries, an O-A retirement visa can only be obtained in the applicant's home country of by residents of that country.

As I said it can't be given in Thailand.

Please understand, an O-A retirement visa is NOT the same thing as a Non O visa, which is sometimes used to bring a person to Thailand who then applies or a retirement extension in Thailand once he or she is here on the Non O entry visa.

The O-A retirement visa, and the Non O visa are two different things, and shouldn't be confused.

Often they are, however.

I am a US citizen. I guess the expensive 1900 baht "retirement visa" I got in BKK Thailand is not legal. Please check "your facts" they are incorrect, I think.

IMA FARANG was talking about a non 'O' 'A'. you are talking about an extension of a permission to stay stamp. different things

[2fishin2]

Ok he was talking about not being able to get a retirement visa if the person was already in thailand and that he must apply while he is in the US which is incorrect. Come on over and you can do everything here and skip all the crap required when you do it in the states. Thats the jist of this post not the proper wording geesh you guys....

[Expattaff1308]

Ok he was talking about not being able to get a retirement visa if the person was already in thailand and that he must apply while he is in the US which is incorrect. Come on over and you can do everything here and skip all the crap required when you do it in the states. Thats the jist of this post not the proper wording geesh you guys....

The wording is important if you want the correct advice.

Too many complicate the issues and often get confused by not understanding the difference between a Non O an OA and an Extension of Stay, hence the conflict of advice given.

Each one of them are different and can be sourced from different areas, it is important to know and understand the difference, then you will understand the requirements for each of them. It is very simple when you get your head around it.

[NancyL]

All this confusion comes about because there are several different ways to end up on the same path -- a 12 month permission to stay in Thailand due to retirement.

And people are very imprecise in their use of terminology. None of the ways to get to the long-term objective is necessarily better than the other. If someone is planning to stay here long-term for retirement, in the end the annual retirement extension process is going to be the same no matter what path was used to get there.

Edited January 12, 2015 by NancyL

[2fishin2]

N

All this confusion comes about because there are several different ways to end up on the same path -- a 12 month permission to stay in Thailand due to retirement.

And people are very imprecise in their use of terminology. None of the ways to get to the long-term objective is necessarily better than the other. If someone is planning to stay here long-term for retirement, in the end the annual retirement extension process is going to be the same no matter what path was used to get there.

Not entirely true. If you do this out of country you will need a police check, in country you do not. A medical ck in-country will take all of 10 minutes and 100baht on a walk in basis. If out of country, it will more than likely require an appointment and a much bigger outlay of cash. Like I said come on over and do it here, much easier

[Lite Beer]

A medical check is not needed when apply for a 12 month extension of stay at Immigration in Thailand.

[ichirich]

just go to thai immigration and ask

email thai embassy in Cambodia or Malaysia and ask for specific documents they may want so that way you will be 100% sure

you will get "0" Non-immigrant visa

O-Visa.pdf

[Madgee]

Lite Beer, on 12 Jan 2015 - 13:46, said:

A medical check is not needed when apply for a 12 month extension of stay at Immigration in Thailand.

With all due respect, some immigration offices require a medical check for a retirement extension albeit not in the listed requirements.

Amnat Charoen is a definite. Well, at least for myself and a few other ex-pats I know who use this office.

As always, it's best to check with your designated immigration office for your particular area.

[Lite Beer]

It is not a requirement, however one or two offices do not seem to be aware of this and prefer to make up there own rules.

[ichirich]

Lite Beer, on 12 Jan 2015 - 13:46, said:

A medical check is not needed when apply for a 12 month extension of stay at Immigration in Thailand.

With all due respect, some immigration offices require a medical check for a retirement extension albeit not in the listed requirements.

Amnat Charoen is a definite. Well, at least for myself and a few other ex-pats I know who use this office.

As always, it's best to check with your designated immigration office for your particular area.

"email thai embassy in Cambodia or Malaysia and ask for specific documents they may want so that way you will be 100% sure"

[SpokaneAl]

An O-A visa, also known in some Thai consulates as a retirement visa is NOT available in Thailand.

Most times you will be required to get this visa in your home country, often at the Thai embassy in your home country.

In the U.S, this visa will be given only from the Thai embassy in Washington D.C.

Also in the U.S tis visa requires:

• A doctors certificate/exam
• A police records check by the police at your place of residence.

For those two reasons this visa is normally given only (in the U.S. at least) given to only U.S. citizens, or foreigners legally resident in the U.S. when they apply.

This is the most expensive visa to get, and the hardest to get (in terms of time and effort for the applicant).

In most countries, an O-A retirement visa can only be obtained in the applicant's home country by citizens/residents of that country.

As I said it can't be given in Thailand.

Please understand, an O-A retirement visa is NOT the same thing as a Non O visa, which is sometimes used to bring a person to Thailand who then applies or a retirement extension in Thailand once he or she is here on the Non O entry visa.

The O-A retirement visa, and the Non O visa are two different things, and shouldn't be confused.

Often they are, however.

Sometimes even by the Thai embassy.

Actually one can obtain a non imm O-A visa from Thai Consulates in the US as well. I have obtained one from the LA Thai Consulate on two separate occasions.

I also don't think they are particularly difficult to obtain. Just follow the guidelines at the particular Thai consulate/embassy, give yourself a bit of time before your departure and you should be fine.

I realize that these points may not be totally relevant to the point of this post trail and may be a bit off track, but did want to clarify some potential misconceptions.

Edited January 12, 2015 by SpokaneAl

[NancyL]

IMO, the major reason to apply for an O-A in your home country would be to avoid the need to bring funds into Thailand for as long as two years if you don't have 65,000 baht in income and are going to need to use the 800,000 baht bank account method to justify the financial requirements.

If you can demonstrate financial worth via income, it doesn't really matter if you apply for an O-A in your home country or come here visa exempt and apply here or come here with a single-entry 90-day O visa and get a retirement extension in Thailand during the final 30 days of that O visa.

Given the need to supply a police report and medical check to get an O-A vs. not needing them for most visa extensions in Thailand, I don't really understand why people go to the bother of applying for an O-A in their home country if they're using the income method to demonstrate financial worth.

Edited January 12, 2015 by NancyL

[Jingthing]

In the SPECIFIC case of the OP who is already in Thailand, is already financially qualified IN THAILAND for a retirement extension, and does not wish or need to return his home country for an O-A visa, it is very clear that his best path is getting a single entry O visa good for a 90 day stay (not O-A) in either a neighboring country or at Bangkok as a "conversion" and then later applying for his first annual extension based on retirement at his local immigration office. I'm assuming the conversion to O is not available at his local immigration office. In cases where it is, it can be done in Thailand at your local immigration office.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Jingthing