I and my wife are moving to Thailand. I am in the process of obtaining an O-A visa for the purposes of retirement, and I meet all the requirements (over 50; pension sufficient (over THB65,000 per month), etc.). My wife is Thai, but is a naturalized U.S. Citizen. We traveled to Thailand in November 2014 and spent a lot of time doing the various things required in order to renew her Thai passport, and we anticipate when we return to Thailand in late January (me sporting my O-A visa) that she will be able to complete the last steps of getting her Thai passport renewed.

I purchased two one-way tickets to Thailand -- one for me, and one for my wife. I am ready to submit my application for my O-A Visa, and I am almost ready to submit an application for my wife's Non-O visa. If we go this route, I believe my wife's Non-O Visa would be based on her being married to me, and so she would need to qualify on that basis. I'm wondering if there are income requirements or bank requirements that may prove difficult to meet, and rather than twist myself into a pretzel trying to meet them, perhaps she really doesn't need a Non-O Visa, since I anticipate we will be getting her Thai passport in short order after arriving in Thailand. That is, she could travel to Thailand in a Visa-Exempt status, and we will likely be able to obtain her Thai passport before the end of either the first 30 days or the second 30 days (after obtaining an extension of stay).

But without a Visa, and with only a one-way ticket, will the airline allow her to board the plane without an onward ticket? Should I buy some kind of refundable ticket for return travel? Would it need to be back to the U.S., or just somewhere outside of Thailand? Or should I go ahead and get the Non-O for her? As I said above, the only reason I'm hesitating about applying for the non-O Visa for her (apart from the $200 cost of the visa) is that she does not have a pension and I don't want to have to show a certain balance in a certain bank in order to qualify her for a Visa that she really will not need, once she gets her Thai passport renewed.

What, in the opinion of the wise ones here on TVF, is my best plan of action?

Your wife is Thai, she doesn't need a visa or tickets and she will enter as Thai not foreigner. Just show a passport even if an expired one.

At arrival they may try to give her an hard time but if she stands her ground, she will enter as Thai citizen.

Paz, thanks for your reply. Perhaps I was not clear. I realize boarding is no problem sans onward tickets if in possession of a visa.

My question is, should I go through the pain of pursuing a visa (even though we ultimately don't really need it), or so something else (such as buying a refundable ticket)? I also am trying to gauge exactly how much or how little pain there may be in getting the non-O visa for my wife. If relatively little, I would pursue the non-O visa.

She does not possess a Thai passport, expired or otherwise. It is our expectation she will have one shortly after our return.

As mentioned above: because you wife is Thai, she does not need any visa or ticket to board or enter Thailand.

He expired passport is sufficient for both purpose. She can also obtain a new passport from the embassy or consulate in your country, with her birth certificate.

My wife is Thai but arrived in the U.S. in the Vietnam War era, and if she ever had a Thai passport it is long gone. I should have included that info, but I was trying to be as succinct as possible. We are well along in the process of getting her Thai nationality confirmed and getting her a new passport.

My wife is Thai but arrived in the U.S. in the Vietnam War era, and if she ever had a Thai passport it is long gone. I should have included that info, but I was trying to be as succinct as possible. We are well along in the process of getting her Thai nationality confirmed and getting her a new passport.

Then the best is for her to apply for a single entry non-imm 'O' visa on that basis, include copies of any document she got with the application.

Once in Thailand she can apply for one year extension of stay without any funds required, cost is Bt 1,900, reason 2.23

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=280330

Once she has her Thai passport and/or ID card will need to leave country and re-enter, possibly by air, to swap passports.

She can get a single entry non-o based upon being a returning Thai national if she has any proof at of that. If not a single entry non-o as your dependent (no financial proof needed for her).

Many thanks to UbonJoe and Paz. She does have a copy of her expired Thai ID Card from long ago, and some recent documents reflecting our efforts to re-establish her Thai identity, which we can provide to the Thai Embassy, so perhaps that will be sufficient to apply for her Non-O based on being a returning Thai. We will give that our best shot. Thanks for the advice!

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, depending on what documents she has available, she can get a Thai e-passport in the US and even get an emergency e-passport good for a year if she need to travel before the passport is issued.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/1415/21482-e-Passport-Application-for-Thai-Nationals-Living-A.html

What to do when you have already applied for an e-Passport at a Thai embassy or consulate-general but there is an urgent need to use a Passport to travel and cannot wait for the new e-Passport to be issued.
- Thai embassies and consulate-generals abroad can issue a temporary Passport which is valid for 1 year. The application fee is 200 Baht and when the applicant receives his/her new e-Passport, the temporary Passport will be cancelled

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/1415/21483-Frequently-Asked-Questions-(FAQs).html

They will only issue an emergency passport if a person is traveling to a country other than Thailand.
They would issue a "Certificate of Identity" if traveling only to Thailand.

Info here in Thai on London embassy website because DC website is down. http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/18

Here's a brief update: We traveled to the Thai Embassy in DC today. I described the situation with my wife, and the consular officer stated that our best option would be to apply for my wife to obtain a non-O based on "to accompany husband", and to submit my O-A application together with my wife's non-O application. I already had all my wife's documents together, except for any income or financial documentation. The consular officer said that a recent bank statement for an account in the name of my wife with at least $700.00 would meet their requirement, so I went and obtained a copy of said statement. My application required three copies of everything (including a income verification letter, medical certificate, and criminal background check from my state of residence), but my wife's application required only one copy of the required documents (two passport photos), with no medical certificate or criminal background check required. I returned with the required documents, and two money orders for $200.00 each, and submitted the applications. I will return in two days, hopefully with the visas in hand.

They sold your wife a multiple entry visa that she will never use fully. It should of only been a single entry visa that would cost $80.

I am aware of that but things were rolling and I did not want to stop the progress. Plus, my understanding (from reading several posts here on TVF) is that the Thai embassy in Washington DC only provides multiple entry visas. I could have asked but again they were being accommodating and I did not want to diminish their helpful enthusiasm.

I suppose I would be enthusiastic if I was getting 250% markup in a product I was selling lol but hey I would probably pay even more than that. I won't tell them if you won't either.

They will do a single entry non-o visa. OA visas are only done as a multiple entry.