Non imm O-A processes

[norbra]

I am applying for this visa on retirement grounds At RTE Canberra.

Documents I have require 800,000 baht or equivalent in either an Australian or Thai bank. My question is ,will this get me a 60 day visa requiring me to get extension in Thailand? If this is the case will I need to prove the 800,000 baht in Thai bank again to get the extension? Or will the visa be issued with long stay extension?

[paz]

It depends by what do you apply for and with which documents.

If you apply for O/A with the notarized statement, police record and medical, plus approx $200 that is what you will get. Otherwise with a statement only and a smaller fee, single entry non-imm 'O' valiid for a 90 days entry.

[ubonjoe]

A OA visa is a multiple entry visa that gives one year entries for one year from the date issue.

You can get almost 2 years of total stay from it before you need to apply for an extension of stay.

[norbra]

Thanks for your assistance ubonjoe I now understand the options available with this visa.

Thanks again.

[jmd8800]

I have a similar question as the OP, only I am in Los Angeles USA. I will go to the Thai Consulate in Hollywood.

My documentation will show over 800,000 THB of retirement income. How do I present this information. My retirement only provides me with a letter sent via mail with the pension's letterhead. Is there a standardized document the Thai Consulate wants to see? Something notarized by the pension people?

Back to the OP's question: when I apply I assume I will receive a 90 day visa and then when I am in Thailand I apply for the retirement extension. Is this correct?

EDIT: I should add that I will be submitting all other documentation required for a retirement visa such as medical records, police report etc.

TIA

[ubonjoe]

I have a similar question as the OP, only I am in Los Angeles USA. I will go to the Thai Consulate in Hollywood.

My documentation will show over 800,000 THB of retirement income. How do I present this information. My retirement only provides me with a letter sent via mail with the pension's letterhead. Is there a standardized document the Thai Consulate wants to see? Something notarized by the pension people?

Back to the OP's question: when I apply I assume I will receive a 90 day visa and then when I am in Thailand I apply for the retirement extension. Is this correct?

EDIT: I should add that I will be submitting all other documentation required for a retirement visa such as medical records, police report etc.

TIA

From the LA consulate website.

"- or an income certificate with a monthly salary of not less than 65,000 Baht"

See: http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

The letter on pension provider letter head should be enough. If it gives an annual income greater than 780k baht that would be accepted also.

You will be a applying for a OA visa that gives a one year entry just like I posted earlier.

If you don't want to go through the trouble to get the OA visa you could get a single entry non-o visa from one of the honorary consulates listed here. Honorary consulates in US.pdf

You could then apply for a one year extension of stay here at an immigration office during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry the visa allows. You would use a income affidavit from the US embassy to prove your income.

No medical certificate or back ground check would be needed.

[Bullie]

Question for Ubonjoe:

How do you figure the almost two years? As I understand it I can get an additional 3 months if I leave the country just before the expirydate on the OA visa, i.e. one year, giving a total of almost 15 months?

[ubonjoe]

Question for Ubonjoe:

How do you figure the almost two years? As I understand it I can get an additional 3 months if I leave the country just before the expirydate on the OA visa, i.e. one year, giving a total of almost 15 months?

You are confusing non-oa visas and normal multiple entry non-o visas that only give a 90 day entry.

A OA visa gives a one year entry every time you enter the country up to the enter before date on the visa. You can get almost 2 years by doing an entry on or before that date.

[Bullie]

I stand corrected.

Thank you, Ubonjoe.

[jmd8800]

@UbonJoe Thanks for the info. I thought I had the right idea with applying but I was thinking I needed something 'official' from pension people.

I am going to submit everything here and go for the retirement before I leave. It makes sense for me as I have better access to what might be needed from here. I am about 10 miles from the Consulate in Hollywood. My landlord and several friends are Thai. Best handle it from stateside.

[jmd8800]

Also.... does one need a round trip ticket (or onward travel) when using an OA year long visa?

[mpyre]

Question for Ubonjoe:

How do you figure the almost two years? As I understand it I can get an additional 3 months if I leave the country just before the expirydate on the OA visa, i.e. one year, giving a total of almost 15 months?

You are confusing non-oa visas and normal multiple entry non-o visas that only give a 90 day entry.

A OA visa gives a one year entry every time you enter the country up to the enter before date on the visa. You can get almost 2 years by doing an entry on or before that date.

I entered in September 2014 with a one year O/A multi-entry visa I obtained in the USA, but immigration only gave me a stamp that was good for 90 days...not the 1 year I often read about here... I also have read in this forum I will get a 1 year stamp if I enter again (currently in States) by the "enter by date" stamped on visa (July 22 2015) Is that true? Why did I only get a 90 day stamp the first time? Should I bring it to the attention of an immigration supervisor if that happens again?

Thanks for any help the group can give me.

[ubonjoe]

Also.... does one need a round trip ticket (or onward travel) when using an OA year long visa?

If you have a valid visa of any kind you do not need a return or onward ticket to board your flight or enter the country.

[NancyL]

Question for Ubonjoe:

How do you figure the almost two years? As I understand it I can get an additional 3 months if I leave the country just before the expirydate on the OA visa, i.e. one year, giving a total of almost 15 months?

You are confusing non-oa visas and normal multiple entry non-o visas that only give a 90 day entry.

A OA visa gives a one year entry every time you enter the country up to the enter before date on the visa. You can get almost 2 years by doing an entry on or before that date.

I entered in September 2014 with a one year O/A multi-entry visa I obtained in the USA, but immigration only gave me a stamp that was good for 90 days...not the 1 year I often read about here... I also have read in this forum I will get a 1 year stamp if I enter again (currently in States) by the "enter by date" stamped on visa (July 22 2015) Is that true? Why did I only get a 90 day stamp the first time? Should I bring it to the attention of an immigration supervisor if that happens again?

Thanks for any help the group can give me.

If it truly is an O-A visa you should get a stamp for 365 days, not 90 days. You should have politely brought it to the attention of the officer at the time you received the stamp and asked to speak to a supervisor at the time if s/he didn't offer to correct the stamp or provide an explanation that made sense. Don't wait and try to have someone else correct it later at a different location.

[ubonjoe]

Question for Ubonjoe:

How do you figure the almost two years? As I understand it I can get an additional 3 months if I leave the country just before the expirydate on the OA visa, i.e. one year, giving a total of almost 15 months?

You are confusing non-oa visas and normal multiple entry non-o visas that only give a 90 day entry.

A OA visa gives a one year entry every time you enter the country up to the enter before date on the visa. You can get almost 2 years by doing an entry on or before that date.

I entered in September 2014 with a one year O/A multi-entry visa I obtained in the USA, but immigration only gave me a stamp that was good for 90 days...not the 1 year I often read about here... I also have read in this forum I will get a 1 year stamp if I enter again (currently in States) by the "enter by date" stamped on visa (July 22 2015) Is that true? Why did I only get a 90 day stamp the first time? Should I bring it to the attention of an immigration supervisor if that happens again?

Thanks for any help the group can give me.

The immigration officer stamped the wrong date when you entered the country. You could of gone to an immigration office to have it corrected.

Next time you enter the country check that they give you a one year entry before leaving the arrival immigration area. If wrong you can get it fixed then.

[jmd8800]

Also.... does one need a round trip ticket (or onward travel) when using an OA year long visa?

If you have a valid visa of any kind you do not need a return or onward ticket to board your flight or enter the country.

@ubonjoe. thanks again

[jmd8800]

Following up on this, I am now ready to apply for O-A visa. The Thai Consulate website says that certain documents must be notarized. specifically 5-7 listed on this page (as ubonjoe mentioned) http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

One of the papers to be notarized is the pension income award. So I am wondering whos' signature gets notarized? I called the pension people and explained what the consulate wants and they had not heard of notarizing their paperwork. However, it would seem to me that the Thai Consulate wants to verify that my pension plan is legitimate. Correct me if I am wrong. If I just take these 3 sets of papers to a notary and verify who I am then it is simple. But somehow I don't think things are ever as simple as they seem.

The other papers to be notarized are the background check and medical forms.

I am doing this here in the US mostly because I want to have access to any documents I need before I head to Thailand. However, it seems easier to obtain the 90 day visa then switch to the retirement visa just before the 90 day visa.

I do have a trip to Hollywood planed for next week and I can stop by the consulate if necessary.

[paz]

Following up on this, I am now ready to apply for O-A visa. The Thai Consulate website says that certain documents must be notarized. specifically 5-7 listed on this page (as ubonjoe mentioned) http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

One of the papers to be notarized is the pension income award. So I am wondering whos' signature gets notarized? I called the pension people and explained what the consulate wants and they had not heard of notarizing their paperwork. However, it would seem to me that the Thai Consulate wants to verify that my pension plan is legitimate. Correct me if I am wrong. If I just take these 3 sets of papers to a notary and verify who I am then it is simple. But somehow I don't think things are ever as simple as they seem.

The other papers to be notarized are the background check and medical forms.

You should apply by mail to the embassy in DC. They do not require notarization.

[Langsuan Man]

Following up on this, I am now ready to apply for O-A visa. The Thai Consulate website says that certain documents must be notarized. specifically 5-7 listed on this page (as ubonjoe mentioned) http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

One of the papers to be notarized is the pension income award. So I am wondering whos' signature gets notarized? I called the pension people and explained what the consulate wants and they had not heard of notarizing their paperwork. However, it would seem to me that the Thai Consulate wants to verify that my pension plan is legitimate. Correct me if I am wrong. If I just take these 3 sets of papers to a notary and verify who I am then it is simple. But somehow I don't think things are ever as simple as they seem.

The other papers to be notarized are the background check and medical forms.

I am doing this here in the US mostly because I want to have access to any documents I need before I head to Thailand. However, it seems easier to obtain the 90 day visa then switch to the retirement visa just before the 90 day visa.

I do have a trip to Hollywood planed for next week and I can stop by the consulate if necessary.

Yes, either apply to the Embassy in DC where there is no notary requirement or just go to a notary and have them notarize the police report, medical, and pension letter. Most notaries will notarize the document with the statement " a true copy " which will satisfy the clerk at LA Consulate since a notary cannot certify the truthfulness of the document presented to them for notarization. This is why the Embassy in Washington and the Consulate in New York do not require them to be notarized

(there is a TV member Spokane Al who reports that he did not have to obtain a notarization at LA but the LA Consulate web site still shows that requirement)

[jmd8800]

Thanks for the replies.

[jmd8800]

Follow-up. I have all the paper work completed now. 4 of each (LA consulate requires 4) Police check, medical exams, income statement from 2 different pension plans well over 800,000 THB and I will include a bank verification on my accounts. These will be notarized as 'true copies'.

The application, personal data form, picture page of passport need not have notary.

Next week (week of 03/16) I will drive down to the Los Angeles consulate and submit it.

Tanks for all the help

[Langsuan Man]

Follow-up. I have all the paper work completed now. 4 of each (LA consulate requires 4) Police check, medical exams, income statement from 2 different pension plans well over 800,000 THB and I will include a bank verification on my accounts. These will be notarized as 'true copies'.

The application, personal data form, picture page of passport need not have notary.

Next week (week of 03/16) I will drive down to the Los Angeles consulate and submit it.

Tanks for all the help

Since you are going to do it in person please ask and report here if they still require all the documents to be notarized

Thanks in advance

[jmd8800]

Both the personal data form and application ask for a couple of things I am unsure of:

1) Entry date and flight number. Can I submit this without knowing this? It seems many people would not know when submitting the form and the Thai gov't would issue the visa to used by a certain date.

2) Both forms ask for a reference person in Thailand. Can I get by leaving this blank? I do know people in Thailand but would rather leave this blank.

TIA

@Langsuan Man I will ask when I am there. Likely this coming Friday the 20th

[ubonjoe]

Just leave both of those blank

[jmd8800]

I just returned from the Thai LA consulate. My application was approved for Non-Immigrant O-A. Thanks for all the help!

To answer the question about notarization I asked the person at the LA office and he said yes you must have the 3 things (police report, medical cert and any income verification) notarized. He went on to explain the idea of notary in this case. What I did with my notary (and he confirmed this was a good way) was to have the notary fill out a form for 'custodian of records' or similar. Many people have used the term 'true copies' and this is the same idea. What you are having notarized is the papers you are submitting are in fact copies of the 'original'. I know there is going to be a bunch of well how do they really know questions .. but that is not the point. If the notary suspects these copies are not copies of the original then the notary will not put their stamp on it. The notary does not care about content of the documents. I happened to keep my envelopes the originals were mailed to me in, so that may have helped. One retirement income certificate was sent to me in pdf format so I took the original file on a USB drive.

Another aspect the person at the LA consulate mentioned is, when doing a custody of records, one copy of each will be placed in separate stacks. And this is what the notary did. We created 4 stacks (remember LA asks for 4 copies of each document) of the documents to be notarized as true and placed one of each in the stacks. This was a necessary step she said. As the documents were in the proper order, when I arrived in person the information desk sorted the rest of the documents (the ones not notarized as true copies) and then made 4 complete stacks. I would guess that if you are mailing your application in, you would have the notary complete the forms and make the stacks of just the notarized true copies. Keeping the other papers in order and let the people at the consulate make the final stack. I say this because the notary is not notarizing the application, passport picture page etc.

I left contact person and arrival dates in Thailand blank. When I received the passport back I asked about first entry. I was thinking I had to enter within 90 days. This is not true. I have approximately 1 year to enter Thailand. The 'enter by' date will be stamped on your passport.

Edit: I forgot to add. If you follow the FAQ links for visas from the Thai Embassy in DC to Ministry of Foreign Affairs you will find a page that says some documents need to be notarized there as well. This is worded quite funny but the same idea applies I think.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-%22O-A%22-%28Long-Stay%29.html

Hope this helps.

[Langsuan Man]

Thanks for the update, and yes the MFA page says the documents must be notarized but neither New York or Washington enforces that requirement, only Chicago and LA

Be aware that your one year clock starts ticking the day the O-A visa is issued. Yes, you can enter up to a year (minus one day) after issue but if you do that then you will only get one year "permission to stay" when you enter Thailand

An O-A visa can give you up to two years of use so long as you leave and return to Thailand before the "Enter Before" date since they are now only issued as Multiple entry visas

[jmd8800]

@Langsuan Man

From another board there was a discussion of the 1 year stay upon reentry. The jist of the discussion was that the multiple entry ends at the 1 year date from issue of the Non-Immigrant O-A and after the end of that while one has the right to stay in Thailand they must buy reentry permits for the second year.

I would imagine that if I find Thailand a good place to hang my hat for year two I will just renew the Non-Immigrant O-A with multiple entries.

By the way.... I have a grand total of $381 (including the $200 fee paid to Thai consulate) invested in this. For me this is peanuts for a clear visa to live in Thailand for almost 2 years. Border runs will cost you that much let alone the uncertainty of not being allowed reentry at some point. Better to do it upfront than gamble I think.

[Maestro]

This is correct. With a last entry into Thailand made on the "enter before" date shown on the multiple-entry non-O/A visa you get again permission to stay for one more year and you can keep this permission to stay alive by getting a re-entry permit before making a trip outside Thailand. I've seen a number of Thaivisa members posting that they used this procedure. Ideal for a two-year sabbatical in Thailand and allows trips to explore other countries, if desired.

[TheAppletons]

@Langsuan Man

From another board there was a discussion of the 1 year stay upon reentry. The jist of the discussion was that the multiple entry ends at the 1 year date from issue of the Non-Immigrant O-A and after the end of that while one has the right to stay in Thailand they must buy reentry permits for the second year.

I would imagine that if I find Thailand a good place to hang my hat for year two I will just renew the Non-Immigrant O-A with multiple entries.

By the way.... I have a grand total of $381 (including the $200 fee paid to Thai consulate) invested in this. For me this is peanuts for a clear visa to live in Thailand for almost 2 years. Border runs will cost you that much let alone the uncertainty of not being allowed reentry at some point. Better to do it upfront than gamble I think.

Yes, you can get two years out of the original O-A visa and in the second year you'd need a re-entry permit. You can purchase a single re-entry permit for 1000 thb or a multiple re-entry permit for 3800 thb.

Either would be easier and less expensive than flying back to the U.S. to "renew the Non-Immigrant O-A with multiple entries", if by that you mean re-apply for another original non-immigrant O-A visa.