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800,000 baht requirement for retirement O-A visa

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I was turned down my retirement visa (O-A) because the balance of my bank account was over 800,00 baht up to June 2016 then dipped below, then 2 days before I attempt to renew I topped it up over 800,000 baht. Still I was refused and need to go outside Thailand and again apply for a brand new 1-year visa (I guess with all the police, medical and financial clearances and payments). Yes I was aware of the 60 day requirement (but totally forgot). Any experience with this?  Should I go back and appeal to the supervise? Any remedial action I can take such as now adding a lot more baht to my account? Any helpful advice appreciated. 

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  • In order to qualify for a 1 year extension of stay you must enter the country with a non-immigrant visa. It doesn't matter if the visa is category 'O' or 'O-A'.   Visas are just required to

  • I think you misunderstand about a VISA and an extension on a visa. A O-A VISA must  be obtained outside of Thailand. When you irst enter the country with that VISA it gives you a one year st

  • Have you actually read any of the info relayed to you in this post??? There is no such thing as a retirement VISA it is an extension of stay based on retirement, not a visa.

I assume you were applying for an extension of stay, not a "retirement visa (O-A)".

  • Theres little chance that an appeal would be successful as you didn't didn't keep the balance above 800K for the required time.
  • You can easily get a new Non Immigrant 'O' Visa from a Thai embassy/consulate in a neighboring country. You just need to show 800K in your Thai bank. Vientiane, Laos is a good choice.
  • You'll get permission to stay for 90 days when you enter with the new visa, and you can apply for a new 1 year extension within the last 30 (maybe 45) days.

Edited by elviajero

I think that you should try to find an 'agent' to intercede on your behalf. You can afford quite a lot of 'fee' with the savings made by not needing travel for a new visa.


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30 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I think that you should try to find an 'agent' to intercede on your behalf. You can afford quite a lot of 'fee' with the savings made by not needing travel for a new visa.


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Thanks. Yes I'm sure the right "agent" can help but where to find. 

  • Author
44 minutes ago, elviajero said:

I assume you were applying for an extension of stay, not a "retirement visa (O-A)".

  • Theres little chance that an appeal would be successful as you didn't didn't keep the balance above 800K for the required time.
  • You can easily get a new Non Immigrant 'O' Visa from a Thai embassy/consulate in a neighboring country. You just need to show 800K in your Thai bank. Vientiane, Laos is a good choice.
  • You'll get permission to stay for 90 days when you enter with the new visa, and you can apply for a new 1 year extension within the last 30 (maybe 45) days.

Yes I mean the extension of the retirement visa. Yes the immigration officer told me I can get the 'O' visa but I'm not so sure and convinced about the conversion of it into a 1 year visa. I have learnt not easily believe anybody at the Bangkok immigration department because they often contradict each other.  Guess it is best to leave Thailand and get a fresh new O-A visa and let this be a lesson to next time keep the balance at above 800k all the time! 

2 minutes ago, webcrawler00 said:

Yes I mean the extension of the retirement visa. Yes the immigration officer told me I can get the 'O' visa but I'm not so sure and convinced about the conversion of it into a 1 year visa. I have learnt not easily believe anybody at the Bangkok immigration department because they often contradict each other.  Guess it is best to leave Thailand and get a fresh new O-A visa and let this be a lesson to next time keep the balance at above 800k all the time! 

You would have to return to your home country to get a OA visa.

You can get easily get a single entry non-o visa in Vientiane. Just your bank book and a letter from the bank like the one you got when you tried to apply for your extension.

No problem to apply for a new extension during the last 45 days of the 90 day entry you will get from the non-o visa. You will need the 800k baht to be in the bank for 60 days when you apply for the extension.

You simply go to Laos and obtain a single entry non immigrant O visa allowing a new 90 day entry and after 45 days or more visit immigration to extend for one year and do so thereafter.  Cheap, easy and not agent is required.

  • Author
12 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You would have to return to your home country to get a OA visa.

You can get easily get a single entry non-o visa in Vientiane. Just your bank book and a letter from the bank like the one you got when you tried to apply for your extension.

No problem to apply for a new extension during the last 45 days of the 90 day entry you will get from the non-o visa. You will need the 800k baht to be in the bank for 60 days when you apply for the extension.

Thanks....and when I ask for an extension will they give me a 1 year extension?  I don't want every time another 90 days...  In Vientiane, how long does the visa processing take? How much? thanks so much

  • Author
13 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

You simply go to Laos and obtain a single entry non immigrant O visa allowing a new 90 day entry and after 45 days or more visit immigration to extend for one year and do so thereafter.  Cheap, easy and not agent is required.

Thanks. So this then is a good as an O-A visa if every time I can just renew it for one year. Has the same requirements as the O-A visa?  Thanks for your advice.

You seem to know the requirements - same as for extension of O-A.  Money in Thailand account 2 months for first extension - 3 months thereafter.  No medical or police check required.  Non immigrant visa as base to start extensions of stay - each for one year.  Each extension costs 1,900 baht for TM.7 application.  Letter from bank of balance and copies of account book/sheet and normal passport copies required.  Should have proof of where you live (and you should have been reported as living there by landlord).

  • Author
6 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

You seem to know the requirements - same as for extension of O-A.  Money in Thailand account 2 months for first extension - 3 months thereafter.  No medical or police check required.  Non immigrant visa as base to start extensions of stay - each for one year.  Each extension costs 1,900 baht for TM.7 application.  Letter from bank of balance and copies of account book/sheet and normal passport copies required.  Should have proof of where you live (and you should have been reported as living there by landlord).

ok thanks very much. An 'O' visa from Lao will be a lot cheaper and faster than applying for an O-A visa.

I have been told that if you can present yourself at Immigration with any legal entry you extend your stay as if you had an OA visa .
You're not asking for much after all, so the fee wouldn't be as much as if you had no money at all in the bank which is about 20000. You are fully qualified but for a piddling technicality and trying to save the trouble of leaving the country. Agents advertise, even here I think.


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8 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I have been told that if you can present yourself at Immigration with any legal entry you extend your stay as if you had an OA visa .
You're not asking for much after all, so the fee wouldn't be as much as if you had no money at all in the bank which is about 20000. You are fully qualified but for a piddling technicality and trying to save the trouble of leaving the country. Agents advertise, even here I think.


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Yes, due this this "piddling technicality" I was told to leave the Kingdom next week as my 1-year visa expires and because I had not kept my balance over 800k for past 3 months I must leave.... 

I know, it's quite Scandalous when you consider all the fiddles that are tolerated. Sometimes I think that following the letter of the law doesn't make us very attractive, so perhaps this is an opportunity for you to increase your status with Immigration.


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Is the Vientiane 90 day visa issued on the spot? Or next day? Thanks guys

9 minutes ago, webcrawler00 said:

Is the Vientiane 90 day visa issued on the spot? Or next day? Thanks guys

Next day. You have to apply before 11:30 on day 1 and collect the visa after 13:30 on day 2.

42 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

opportunity for you to increase your status with Immigration.
 

What does that mean and how do you 'increase your status with Immigration'?

do I have this right, I think so?  when it's a one year extension for retirement or marriage... not at the border where things are stretched... it's different..... the rules are simple, set fairly low and don't get stretched. 

so then it's.... if they broke the rule for X amount for X days then what about X+1 and what about X+2, X+3.... so they draw the line where it is.
 

Edited by maewang99

You are more value to them if you use an agent, scottiejohn




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On 12/2/2016 at 4:21 PM, elviajero said:

I assume you were applying for an extension of stay, not a "retirement visa (O-A)".

  • Theres little chance that an appeal would be successful as you didn't didn't keep the balance above 800K for the required time.
  • You can easily get a new Non Immigrant 'O' Visa from a Thai embassy/consulate in a neighboring country. You just need to show 800K in your Thai bank. Vientiane, Laos is a good choice.
  • You'll get permission to stay for 90 days when you enter with the new visa, and you can apply for a new 1 year extension within the last 30 (maybe 45) days.

May I please ask.....towards the end of the 90 day 'O' visa, is the extension another 12 months, or just 9 months so total is 12 months (3 mo + 9 mo)?  And, at the end of that extension, can I extend for 1 year as I would have done with the O-A Retirement visa? Thanks so much.

  • Author
On 12/2/2016 at 5:41 PM, lopburi3 said:

You seem to know the requirements - same as for extension of O-A.  Money in Thailand account 2 months for first extension - 3 months thereafter.  No medical or police check required.  Non immigrant visa as base to start extensions of stay - each for one year.  Each extension costs 1,900 baht for TM.7 application.  Letter from bank of balance and copies of account book/sheet and normal passport copies required.  Should have proof of where you live (and you should have been reported as living there by landlord).

May I also ask you please.....towards the end of the 90 day 'O' visa, is the extension another 12 months, or just 9 months so total is 12 months (3 mo + 9 mo)?  And, at the end of that extension, can I extend for 1 year as I would have done with the O-A Retirement visa? Thanks so much.

Extension will be 12 months - the first 90 days is from non immigrant O entry or conversion.

I have a non o 90 day single entry as over 65 on pension I need an extention of 30 days what do I need for immigration

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4 minutes ago, duffyah01 said:

I have a non o 90 day single entry as over 65 on pension I need an extention of 30 days what do I need for immigration

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There is no 30 day extension you can apply for. The only extensions you can get is 7 days to leave the country or one year.

What do I need for the one year

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1 minute ago, duffyah01 said:

What do I need for the one year

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You would need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800 baht.

I think you misunderstand about a VISA and an extension on a visa.

A O-A VISA must  be obtained outside of Thailand.

When you irst enter the country with that VISA it gives you a one year stay stamp and it is a multi entry VISA.

Now by using that O-A visa the correct way you can stretch it to a  two years stay.

After that two years you may then apply for an EXTENSION based on retirement which allows you to renew that extension annually in Thailand based on retirement in Thailand.

It is that EXTENSION that requires the 800K Thai Baht  funds in a Thai Bank in your name or by showing an income of 65K Baht monthly.

It is not the Visa that requires the the funds it is that annual yearly extension that requires the funds

 

  • Author
2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Extension will be 12 months - the first 90 days is from non immigrant O entry or conversion.

Thanks Lopburi. And after those 12 months, can I extend for another 12 months, and again and again, or is that only possible with the 'O-A' visa? Thanks 

  • Author
37 minutes ago, IMA_FARANG said:

I think you misunderstand about a VISA and an extension on a visa.

A O-A VISA must  be obtained outside of Thailand.

When you irst enter the country with that VISA it gives you a one year stay stamp and it is a multi entry VISA.

Now by using that O-A visa the correct way you can stretch it to a  two years stay.

After that two years you may then apply for an EXTENSION based on retirement which allows you to renew that extension annually in Thailand based on retirement in Thailand.

It is that EXTENSION that requires the 800K Thai Baht  funds in a Thai Bank in your name or by showing an income of 65K Baht monthly.

It is not the Visa that requires the the funds it is that annual yearly extension that requires the funds

 

Thanks. How many times can the "O" visa be renewed for 1-year periods? 

34 minutes ago, webcrawler00 said:

Thanks Lopburi. And after those 12 months, can I extend for another 12 months, and again and again, or is that only possible with the 'O-A' visa? Thanks 

You can keep getting the one year extension year after year.

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