Getting a new O or O-A Retirement Visa

[thailen]

It appears i need to leave Thailand to get a new visa. I have the following questions:

1. Suppose I leave Thailand June 10th for Kuala Lamphur,Vientiane or Pnohm Pen for a new O or O-A visa. How long would it take to get it?

2. What documents would I need to bring with me?

3. Should I plan to spend 1-2 weeks there, since I won't be able to travel without a passport? I live in Pattaya and know there are overnight runs to Vientiane, with a day layover and 36 hour turnaround, but only for visa extensions. Would the same turnaround time hold for retirement visas as well?.

4. What other information do I need to know?

Please reply via PM

Edited June 4, 2016 by CharlieH
email address removed

[Eclipse]

You will not get an O-A visa anywhere outside your home country.

[johnatong]

As said an O/A visa can only be applied for/issued in your home country.

if you are over 50 or married to a Thai etc, it is possible to obtain an "O" visa. The requirements depend on the basis of the application

Visa extension can only be obtained from immigration offices in Thailand.

[Issangeorge]

You can go to Savannakhet, and apply for a non immigrant O and pick it up the next day. It will be for 3 months, in the third month you can apply for an extension.

[johnatong]

You can go to Savannakhet, and apply for a non immigrant O and pick it up the next day. It will be for 3 months, in the third month you can apply for an extension.

That might not be true if the "O" is being sought for "retirement"

[jacksam]

One might assume op is over 50 as he was looking at possible OA. OP just go to neighbouring country and obtain a non o (based on retirement). The requirements are in many threads. Easy process.

[johnatong]

One might assume op is over 50 as he was looking at possible OA. OP just go to neighbouring country and obtain a non o (based on retirement). The requirements are in many threads. Easy process.

You have FAILED to mention

1. Those places which will not issue a visa based on being 50 +

2. The financial requirements which MUST be met before such a visa will be issued to someone aged 50+

It is NOT an "easy" process.

[lkv]

You mentioned you are going to Europe in one of the other threads i believe. Apply for the O-A or O there. Are you not going to your home country?

What's the point wasting time and money with a Laos trip?

Edited June 4, 2016 by lkv

[jacksam]

The OP has already been advised that OA is only available in his own country, hence my advice is clearly about obtaining an non o (based on retirement) ...Clear as mud and EASY process.

Edited June 4, 2016 by jacksam

[johnatong]

The OP has already been advised that OA is only available in his own country, hence my advice is clearly about obtaining an non o (based on retirement) ...Clear as mud and EASY process.

Can the visa be "easily" obtained from ie. Savannakhet, KL or Singapore ?

If you do not know then refrain from saying " just go to neighbouring country" because your "advice" could result in expense and a wasted journey

Will you recompense those who take your "advice" and fail to obtain their visa ?

[jacksam]

The OP has already been advised that OA is only available in his own country, hence my advice is clearly about obtaining an non o (based on retirement) ...Clear as mud and EASY process.

Can the visa be "easily" obtained from ie. Savannakhet, KL or Singapore ?

If you do not know then refrain from saying " just go to neighbouring country" because your "advice" could result in expense and a wasted journey

Will you recompense those who take your "advice" and fail to obtain their visa ?

Clearly one would read up on advice from TV and not run off to somewhere like KL. He can do his own research what best suits him. Again stop polluting threads.

[lkv]

The OP has already been advised that OA is only available in his own country, hence my advice is clearly about obtaining an non o (based on retirement) ...Clear as mud and EASY process.

Yes, and the non O is likely to also be obtained wherever he is travelling for a month starting with the 27th (he said). Why make a trip to Laos on the 10th then? His visa exempt permission of stay expires on the 29th.

OP, can you clarify what country will you be travelling to for a month starting with the 27th?

Edited June 4, 2016 by lkv

[Estrada]

As said an O/A visa can only be applied for/issued in your home country.

if you are over 50 or married to a Thai etc, it is possible to obtain an "O" visa. The requirements depend on the basis of the application

Visa extension can only be obtained from immigration offices in Thailand.

If you are over 50, and can show 800K in a Thai bank for the last two months, you can obtain a Type "O" Visa at Thai Immigration. If you do not have the requisite two months, leave the country and return on a tourist visa exempt entry. Go to immigration, show your 800K in the bank together with a confirmation letter from your Thai Bank and Immigration will extend you permission to stay whilst your 800K ages to two months. You then go back to immigration and they give you 12months on the basis or retirement. Type "O" is normally the only Visa issued by Thai immigration and usually only for retirement. Your 800K must not dip 1 satang below 800K at any time, so best to put it in a Time Deposit account.

This is how I got my Type "O" visa and 12 months permission to remain based on retirement at Immigration Chaengwattana.

[Tidybeard]

OP - To get an O-A visa is not easy. When I got mine in China ( where I was resident ) I had to provide many papers concerning income, status, residence etc .... this could have been the China office strictness or it could be similar for all countries.

The most difficult piece of the Jigsaw was the medical ! You will need to have a special medical to prove you don't have several conditions, and this may take some time to organize. If I remember correctly amongst others they tested me for TB, and Elephantitus ( a condition where limbs grow extra large ) I had never even heard of this, but it was stipulated by the medical, and took some time to find a doctor who could perform the tests....

Plan well and make sure you know what is required.

[seedy]

Flaming post Removed

[Kered]

OP - To get an O-A visa is not easy. When I got mine in China ( where I was resident ) I had to provide many papers concerning income, status, residence etc .... this could have been the China office strictness or it could be similar for all countries.

The most difficult piece of the Jigsaw was the medical ! You will need to have a special medical to prove you don't have several conditions, and this may take some time to organize. If I remember correctly amongst others they tested me for TB, and Elephantitus ( a condition where limbs grow extra large ) I had never even heard of this, but it was stipulated by the medical, and took some time to find a doctor who could perform the tests....

Plan well and make sure you know what is required.

Obtaining an O-A visa in Australia takes about one month. You have to obtain a police report which involves a completing a lengthy form together with copy of passport and 2-3 additional items to prove identity and residential address. The copies have to be certified and sent to Melbourne and you have to allow about 14 days for the response. You also need to obtain the medical certificate and the usual bank statements and confirmation letter from the Bank. They require the originals of the documents plus 2 copies and the 3 sets of documents with 3 photographs have to be bound and certified by a Notary Public or Justice of the Peace. Everything has then to be sent to Canberra where it takes 3-4 working days plus postage time.

Not too difficult but time consuming.

[dolphnlvr65]

It may be redundant but I too have questions about the O-Visa / Retirement Visa. My terminology may not always be precise but please bear with me.

My situation is this: Currently, I am on my last 30 days of my Tourist Visa ending on June 28th. My goal was to apply for the Retirement Visa but was told at Immigration that the ques were full and I would not have 21 days left on the Tourist Visa. So, now I must leave the country to obtain another tourist Visa. I went to Laos for the first one. I thought it was quite expensive and I did not like Vientienne at all.

I have my income affidavit, residency certificate and medical certificate.I am guessing I still need to go to Laos for the O visa. How much is it? G4T service charges 12,000 Baht to do the O and an additional 4,600 (aprox) to do the retirement. I thought I could save money and get it done myself.

Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions?

BTW I came here on a Business Visa so this is my first tourist visa.

[ubonjoe]

Vientiane and Penang are the best locations to get a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over. You will need a bank book showing 800k baht on the date you apply or proof of 65k baht by way of a letter from you embassy or a combination of the two totaling 800k baht.

[ubonjoe]

As said an O/A visa can only be applied for/issued in your home country.

if you are over 50 or married to a Thai etc, it is possible to obtain an "O" visa. The requirements depend on the basis of the application

Visa extension can only be obtained from immigration offices in Thailand.

If you are over 50, and can show 800K in a Thai bank for the last two months, you can obtain a Type "O" Visa at Thai Immigration. If you do not have the requisite two months, leave the country and return on a tourist visa exempt entry. Go to immigration, show your 800K in the bank together with a confirmation letter from your Thai Bank and Immigration will extend you permission to stay whilst your 800K ages to two months. You then go back to immigration and they give you 12months on the basis or retirement. Type "O" is normally the only Visa issued by Thai immigration and usually only for retirement. Your 800K must not dip 1 satang below 800K at any time, so best to put it in a Time Deposit account.

This is how I got my Type "O" visa and 12 months permission to remain based on retirement at Immigration Chaengwattana.

To apply for a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at immigration the money does not have to be in bank for 60 days, It only needs to in bank on the date of application.

Only when applying for the extension of stay based upon retirement does it need to be in the bank for 60 days.

You also failed to mention that proof of 65k baht income or a combination of income and money in the bank totaling 800k baht.

[Suradit69]

As said an O/A visa can only be applied for/issued in your home country.

if you are over 50 or married to a Thai etc, it is possible to obtain an "O" visa. The requirements depend on the basis of the application

Visa extension can only be obtained from immigration offices in Thailand.

If you are over 50, and can show 800K in a Thai bank for the last two months, you can obtain a Type "O" Visa at Thai Immigration. If you do not have the requisite two months, leave the country and return on a tourist visa exempt entry. Go to immigration, show your 800K in the bank together with a confirmation letter from your Thai Bank and Immigration will extend you permission to stay whilst your 800K ages to two months. You then go back to immigration and they give you 12months on the basis or retirement. Type "O" is normally the only Visa issued by Thai immigration and usually only for retirement. Your 800K must not dip 1 satang below 800K at any time, so best to put it in a Time Deposit account.

This is how I got my Type "O" visa and 12 months permission to remain based on retirement at Immigration Chaengwattana.

"Type "O" is normally the only Visa issued by Thai immigration and usually only for retirement"

Just to clarify, he would be applying for a conversion to a non-imm O ENTRY. Immigrations is not issuing him a usable visa, but he does end up with a 90 day permission to stay that would enable him to apply for the extension based on retirement in the last month of the permission. Since he would not have a usable visa during the 90 day permission, if he wanted to travel out of the country and back, he would need a re-entry permit, as he would once he obtained the extension.

While there have been reports of some offices accepting an application for conversion, most will not, in which case the applicant would need to go to Bangkok immigrations twice to complete the conversion. Even those few other offices that do accept the application will need to send it to Bangkok for consideration.

If the applicant is using an income certification from his embassy, he should show the original embassy letter but hand over a copy when applying for the conversion. If he's using the income or combination method for his extension, he will need the original for that.

For some people it is simpler to get a non-imm O visa outside the country.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Suradit69

[NancyL]

It may be redundant but I too have questions about the O-Visa / Retirement Visa. My terminology may not always be precise but please bear with me.

My situation is this: Currently, I am on my last 30 days of my Tourist Visa ending on June 28th. My goal was to apply for the Retirement Visa but was told at Immigration that the ques were full and I would not have 21 days left on the Tourist Visa. So, now I must leave the country to obtain another tourist Visa. I went to Laos for the first one. I thought it was quite expensive and I did not like Vientienne at all.

I have my income affidavit, residency certificate and medical certificate.I am guessing I still need to go to Laos for the O visa. How much is it? G4T service charges 12,000 Baht to do the O and an additional 4,600 (aprox) to do the retirement. I thought I could save money and get it done myself.

Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions?

BTW I came here on a Business Visa so this is my first tourist visa.

Aha -- poor "dolphnlvr65" is in Chiang Mai as evidenced by his allusion to "G4T service charges 12,000 baht to do the O" and beidng "told at Immigration that the ques were full"

It is suppose to be possible to do a "visa conversion" in Chiang Mai, but Imm. has turned this process into a nice little earner, making the process unduly complex and forcing everyone into using agents who charge a fee well in excess of the standard 2000 baht gov't charge. The fee is always 10,000 baht in excess of what the gov't charge should be.

Dolphinlvr65, you can obtain another 30 day extension on your tourist visa at Imm. Promenada office. Then you can go to the Imm office near the airport that handles visa conversions and apply for your O visa. Arrive early, like 4 am to get in the queue. When they tell you the "queue is full" it's just for that day. They don't take appointment for days in advance, you just have to arrive early enough to get a queue number. They may give you a run-around and say you're missing a document, but stand your ground if you know you have everything correct. I suggest you go to the Imm. office at the airport the day before and get the correct form and have your passport copies and photo made there, so it's the correct size and on the correct background.

I know someone who was successful in doing his own visa conversion a week or two ago at CM Immigration, with the help of his Thai wife who had lived in the U.S. for 22 years. After they'd been turned away three times for B.S. reasons, she finally had enough and started shouting at the Imm officer, in Thai. "What is it? Are you looking for the white envelope with 10,000 baht? Well, you're not going to get that from us. We're not going to pay a bribe. I know that everything is in order and we aren't leaving until my husband has his O visa". He got his O visa.

[dolphnlvr65]

It may be redundant but I too have questions about the O-Visa / Retirement Visa. My terminology may not always be precise but please bear with me.

My situation is this: Currently, I am on my last 30 days of my Tourist Visa ending on June 28th. My goal was to apply for the Retirement Visa but was told at Immigration that the ques were full and I would not have 21 days left on the Tourist Visa. So, now I must leave the country to obtain another tourist Visa. I went to Laos for the first one. I thought it was quite expensive and I did not like Vientienne at all.

I have my income affidavit, residency certificate and medical certificate.I am guessing I still need to go to Laos for the O visa. How much is it? G4T service charges 12,000 Baht to do the O and an additional 4,600 (aprox) to do the retirement. I thought I could save money and get it done myself.

Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions?

BTW I came here on a Business Visa so this is my first tourist visa.

Aha -- poor "dolphnlvr65" is in Chiang Mai as evidenced by his allusion to "G4T service charges 12,000 baht to do the O" and beidng "told at Immigration that the ques were full"

It is suppose to be possible to do a "visa conversion" in Chiang Mai, but Imm. has turned this process into a nice little earner, making the process unduly complex and forcing everyone into using agents who charge a fee well in excess of the standard 2000 baht gov't charge. The fee is always 10,000 baht in excess of what the gov't charge should be.

Dolphinlvr65, you can obtain another 30 day extension on your tourist visa at Imm. Promenada office. Then you can go to the Imm office near the airport that handles visa conversions and apply for your O visa. Arrive early, like 4 am to get in the queue. When they tell you the "queue is full" it's just for that day. They don't take appointment for days in advance, you just have to arrive early enough to get a queue number. They may give you a run-around and say you're missing a document, but stand your ground if you know you have everything correct. I suggest you go to the Imm. office at the airport the day before and get the correct form and have your passport copies and photo made there, so it's the correct size and on the correct background.

I know someone who was successful in doing his own visa conversion a week or two ago at CM Immigration, with the help of his Thai wife who had lived in the U.S. for 22 years. After they'd been turned away three times for B.S. reasons, she finally had enough and started shouting at the Imm officer, in Thai. "What is it? Are you looking for the white envelope with 10,000 baht? Well, you're not going to get that from us. We're not going to pay a bribe. I know that everything is in order and we aren't leaving until my husband has his O visa". He got his O visa.