Hello,

I have a Non-Immigrant O-A visa issued in Canada and my entry stamp is valid for stay until Jan 2016. I am going to apply for a new Non-Immigrant O-A from within Thailand next December. I was under the impression that I must have my 800,000 baht in a Thai bank for 3 months before my visa expires in Jan. Today I was at immigration in Chiang Mai and they told me that it was two months before not three. Is that correct?

thanks

the first extension is 2 months seasoning, next year you'll need 3 months. BTW it's not an OA the one you're gonna get but it's an annual extension of your Non Immigrant .

Ok thanks, only two months. Somewhat confusing though; I was looking at the Siam Legal website (http://www.siam-legal.com/thailand-visa/Thailand-Retirement-Visa.php) and they say:

Things you need to know about the Thai retirement visa:

• Thailand retirement visa is the popular term for "Non-Immigrant OA-Long Stay Visa".
• The visa is renewable every year and the renewal process can be done inside Thailand (requirements for the visa renewal still apply).

and then

• Bank Account

  The retirement visa is valid for a year and can be renewed by presenting the same requirements during the initial application. Please note that the required amount of funds in your bank account must be at least 3 months old before your can renew your visa.

This is what lead me to believe it was three months since I will be renewing the Non O-A I got in Canada.....

Edited August 13, 201510 yr by manfromcanada

You will not get an O/A visa in Thailand!

What can be obtained is an "extension of stay" which is not a visa.

The information provided by the Chiang Mai immigration officer is correct.

the first extension is 2 months seasoning, next year you'll need 3 months. BTW it's not an OA the one you're gonna get but it's an annual extension of your Non Immigrant .

-------------------------

That is correct. The initial (first) application requires a 2 month (actually I believe 60 days) seasoning of the bank account.... each renewal after that requires a 90 day seasoning.

Although be aware, that different immigration offices may interpret that slightly differently rom other immigration offices.

Tis is Thailand, sometimes things get slightly changed in the translation from Thai to English.

You need to learn to be flexible.

The info you posted from that website is about 7 years out of date and is wrong in other ways.

For the first extension it is 60 days and after that it is 3 months.

I have a Non-Immigrant O-A visa issued in Canada and my entry stamp is valid for stay until Jan 2016.

If you have a still valid O-A visa (still less than one year since it was issued in Canada) you can do a border crossing out and in and get one more year's permission to stay without applying for an extension. During the second year of your stay in Thailand, your visa will expire, but your permission to stay will be good up to the date stamped in your passport by immigrations at the border. During the 2nd year, after the actual visa has expired, you would need a re-entry permit to leave & return to Thailand without losing your permission to stay.

Be certain that you have an O-A and that the "use by" date on the visa sticker has not passed.

If you have already exhausted the visa and the 2nd year's permission to stay, you could then apply for an extension of stay based on retirement (not an extension of the expired visa, but only an extension of your permission to stay in Thailand).

Your first extension of stay based on retirement would require the money to have been in the bank 2 months at most offices. Subsequent annual renewals of the extension require the money to be in the bank for three months ... assuming you're using the bank method and not income verification.

Anytime you are in the country on an extension of stay, you will need a re-entry permit for any travel out of Thailand and returning.

Edited August 13, 201510 yr by Suradit69

I have a Non-Immigrant O-A visa issued in Canada and my entry stamp is valid for stay until Jan 2016.

If you have a still valid O-A visa (still less than one year since it was issued in Canada) you can do a border crossing out and in and get one more year's permission to stay without applying for an extension.

Isn't this only if the OA has the M that stands for Multi-entry?

All OA visas are issued as a multiple entry visa. They have not been issued as a single entry for several years now.

All OA visas are issued as a multiple entry visa. They have not been issued as a single entry for several years now.

Oh, I didn't know about that, I'm happy that I brought that out and learned something new.

Thank You