Jump to content


Returning Non-Imm O-A after 6 months in home country


Recommended Posts

I obtained my first retirement O-A visa the first week in November 2014 and arrived in country the third week. During my stay i visited the immigration office one time for my 90 day update (or whatever its called). I then left the country the second week in May 2015. I did not tell the immigration office that i was leaving i simply left to my home country through the airport.

I am considering a visit for another 6 months and am wondering what i will need. It sounds like i just need to arrive before the 3rd week of November 2015 with updated proof of income that exceeds 65,000 bht per month. Am i correct in my thinking?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you arrive before the "enter before" date on your visa, you will be stamped in for 12 months and there are no other requirements. If you subsequently leave, remember to get a reentry permit to keep the "admitted until" date of this entry valid should you later return.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have a valid O/A visa nothing is needed.

Check the "enter before" date clearly marked on the visa.

The visas period of validity runs from the day of issue not the date on which the Kingdom was first entered.

If the visa was issued in the first week of Nov.2014 it will expire in the first week of Nov. 2015.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • The visa will be valid for 1 year from it's issue date. The 'enter before' date will be printed on the visa.

You need to enter again on or before this date if you want to use the visa again.

The visa is expired after this date.

If you enter again before this date you'll be given a 1 year stay and you will not have to prove income again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i am still a little confused... the visa itself says enter before nov 4 2015, which i did on nov 24 2014. the entry stamp says that i am admitted until nov 23 2015, my exit stamp says may 9 2015. i did not get a re-entry permit. I will not be able to return until the 19th of Nov 2015. Does this mean i must go through the entire visa process again? thank you everyone...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i am still a little confused... the visa itself says enter before nov 4 2015, which i did on nov 24 2014. the entry stamp says that i am admitted until nov 23 2015, my exit stamp says may 9 2015. i did not get a re-entry permit. I will not be able to return until the 19th of Nov 2015. Does this mean i must go through the entire visa process again? thank you everyone...

  • Unfortunately yes.
  • The visa expires on the 4th.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes. A re entry permit would have enabled you to be able to return in November 2015 and get a stay until October 2016.

EDIT: I am referring to the scan provided by LM above.

I thought it was the ops Passport so my answer is wrong.

Edited by Eclipse
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The re-entry permit would not of helped much since it would of only been valid until November 23rd.

A bit late for you but a suggestion for others is to do a border hop to get a new entry before leaving on a trip that will put you past the enter before date when you return. Then get a re-entry permit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes. A re entry permit would have enabled you to be able to return in November 2015 and get a stay until October 2016

No it would not.

A re-entry permit does not change the expiration date of the visa. It only allows an entry up to your current permit to stay date.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

whistling.gif Ubonjoe has it exactly right.

Assuming you wanted to get another year from that O-A visa, a short trip out of country to some place in Southeast Asia and a return would have got you another one year entry on the original O-A visa.

You could have then applied for a reentry permit and had a lot of time outside Thailand before you had to return again with that re-entry permit.

But as they say hindsight is always 20-20 and we all have other things we are thinking of at the time when we do things.

What you need to do now, if you still want another one year more BEFORE your original O-A visa expires is to return before its November expiration date if possible to get the last one-year extension. Assuming that is what you want anyhow.

Otherwise , if you don't make it before your original O-A visa expires, you are going to have to do all the application over again in your home country (U.S. I understand?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck starting again. Rules have gotten tighter.

If you are referring to the OP obtaining a new non imm o-a multi entry visa, I just got one (my third) and I have not seen any changes in the rules.

Al,

is Los Angeles still requiring the notarization of police report, bank / income statement, and medical ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck starting again. Rules have gotten tighter.

If you are referring to the OP obtaining a new non imm o-a multi entry visa, I just got one (my third) and I have not seen any changes in the rules.

Al,

is Los Angeles still requiring the notarization of police report, bank / income statement, and medical ?

I have been able to obtain my last two visas without a notarization of the bank/income statement and medical report. In that I get the police report on line, that one is easy to check the box requesting notarization.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, others are still reporting the notary requirement, but my bet is in your case they now just look at the last O-A and see that they issued it, so are not as strict

The requirement is still on the LA Consulate web site so it is like Immigration offices here, sometimes it is just the luck of the draw

In DC the "balkan" lady had a hissy fit once because i did not submit the correct number of extra copies and was holding the visa up until I submitted the correct number. The Consular officer over ruled her and issued the visa immediately when he got my fax of their web page showing the number of copies required was the number submitted. They eventually changed the web page

Thread high jack over wai2.gif

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck starting again. Rules have gotten tighter.

If you are referring to the OP obtaining a new non imm o-a multi entry visa, I just got one (my third) and I have not seen any changes in the rules.

Al,

is Los Angeles still requiring the notarization of police report, bank / income statement, and medical ?

I applied for my O-A in Los Angeles in March 2015 and they required notarized "true copy". See below.

I did mine via walk in - maybe mail in is different. I did ask the guy at the window if this requirement was still in force and mentioned that other consulates may not request the notary. He said he knew that but the LA Consulate interpreted the rules to mean notarized copy were required. He could not comment on why other consulates do it differently.

http://www.ask.com/education/certified-true-copy-4d224623ea22344c

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He couldn't tell you why because the notary rule comes from the MFA ,(Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in Bangkok.

Go to their website and it is clearly stated under the Visa requirements page

Here, too late to edit original post:

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

Para 2, Required Documents

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He couldn't tell you why because the notary rule comes from the MFA ,(Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in Bangkok.

Go to their website and it is clearly stated under the Visa requirements page

Here, too late to edit original post:

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

Para 2, Required Documents

The website is not the final word. There is a choice of notarisation OR certification by a lawyer. Yes I did (in London)

Edited by SheungWan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is up to each Embassy or Consulate, that is why in the US the Embassy and New York Consulate both don't require it, only the consulate in LA and Chicago require it

And if push comes to shove the MFA is the final word, just like The Department of State has the final say at the Embassy in Bangkok or the Consulate in CM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.