Help in applying for non immigrant O-A visa in UK

[Keith5588]

Hi,
I am male, British, age 63 and live in Norwich, England, UK. I finished working 7 years ago.
I came to Khon Kaen just over a year ago and stayed for 2 months.
I am in Khon Kaen now, staying for a total of 4 months this time.
This forum has been very helpful to me e.g. before coming this time I read thoroughly about the 2 different tourist visas. 
I have now met a Thai lady I really like. I have to return to the UK later this month, I intend to let my house and return to live here in Thailand at least for 1 year and hopefully longer if my relationship goes well.

I have read a little and believe I need to apply for a Non-Immigrant Visa  “O-A” (Long Stay) at the Thai Embassy in London.

I would be grateful for comments and advice on below.
I have over £25,000 in savings with Nationwide and so I guess after getting a statement from Nationwide that would satisfy the financial requirement. 
I don't intend to work in Thailand.
Concerning the medical certificate. Do I go to my local doctor's surgery to obtain this?
Concerning the statement of no criminal record. I have no idea where to go for this? My local police station?

Assuming I successfully obtain the Non-Immigrant Visa  “O-A” and return to Thailand. My thoughts are that I would like to open a Thai bank account mainly for security and peace of mind as I have no family now in the UK and would rather not rely on friends if I need help. I am not sure but I probably will not take out medical insurance. My insurance would be a few thousand pounds in a Thai bank.
Thanks in advance
Keith

[CharlieH]

You dont need to go that route with medical/Police report etc which complicates matters for no real gain., You can get a simple 1yr extension of stay based on retirement. You have the financial requirements covered.

 

I would respectfully suggest you re-think the Insurance aspect as a relatively minor accident or illness could wipe you out financially. Check out 'Staysure" in the UK for a policy for your initial stay until you get more settled and sort things out.

 

Plenty of good advice available from knowledgeable people here on the forum, please consider what they have to say.

 

 

[Phuket Man]

Much easier to apply for a 12 month extension in Thailand.

No Medical. No police report.

[glegolo]

Do apply for a Non immigrant "O" instead, maybe a single entry (valid 3 month.... Than apply for an extension of stay at Khon Kaen Immigration during the last 30 days of that VISA. And you will be just fine for a year forward..

 

Glegolo

Edited March 10, 2017 by glegolo

[Keith5588]

Thank you Charlie and Phuket Man

Charlie you have explained what someone I spoke to has done, thanks.

I am not reired officially in that I do not receive a UK state pension yet.

Does this alter things?

So when I come back to Thailand about this coming July do I just come

on a SETV then near the end of my 60 days I apply for the 1 year extension

of stay?

Do you know if the requirements for this 1 year extension based on

retirement are written down officially anywhere?

Thanks a lot for your comments concerning medical insurance, I will 

Make enquiries when back in the UK.

Thanks again

Keith

 

[Keith5588]

glegolo

I have just looked at the Thai Embassy London web page and copied

Below

Category "O"	To visit Thai spouse, children, parents, voluntary job, retirement (with State Pension)
Category "O-A"	To applicants aged 50 and over who wish to stay in Thailand for an extended period without the intention of working.

 

 

I don't think I qualify to apply for the non immigrant O visa

Thanks

Keith

[CharlieH]

6 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

Thank you Charlie and Phuket Man

Charlie you have explained what someone I spoke to has done, thanks.

I am not reired officially in that I do not receive a UK state pension yet.

Does this alter things?

So when I come back to Thailand about this coming July do I just come

on a SETV then near the end of my 60 days I apply for the 1 year extension

of stay?

Do you know if the requirements for this 1 year extension based on

retirement are written down officially anywhere?

Thanks a lot for your comments concerning medical insurance, I will 

Make enquiries when back in the UK.

Thanks again

Keith

 

 Look here: http://www.thaiimmigration.net/thai-retirement-visa.html

 

• The client must be at least 50 years of age or over during the time of the application.
• The client must meet the financial requirement which could be any of the following:
  • Security deposit of 800,000 baht in a Thai bank; or
  • A monthly income or pension of 65,000 baht; or
  • A total of 800,000 baht combination of personal bank deposit and income or pension for the entire year.

[glegolo]

10 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

glegolo

I have just looked at the Thai Embassy London web page and copied

Below

Category "O"	To visit Thai spouse, children, parents, voluntary job, retirement (with State Pension)
Category "O-A"	To applicants aged 50 and over who wish to stay in Thailand for an extended period without the intention of working.

 

 

I don't think I qualify to apply for the non immigrant O visa

Thanks

Keith

Alright than i understand you can not produce any state pension so you cant apply for a non immigrant O in GB..

 

So why not do as you have mentioned before, buy a tourist-VISA, at the end of the last entry go to your local immigration and ask them to apply for an EXTENSION OF STAY based on retirement. That takes only 800.000 baht in the bank..... But it needs to be seasoned in the bank either 2 or 3 months before you apply here in Thailand..

 

Glegolo

Edited March 10, 2017 by glegolo

[Keith5588]

Thanks for your quick response Charlie and the link you have given me

I had a quick look at the link and am a bit confused.

I don't have a Thai bank account and so cannot have 800,000B in one.

I don't have enough regular income each month as the only income I

Have is just over £400 (I started an annuity with one of my pension funds).

I have more than 800,000B equivalent in savings in my UK bank but would

This be OK?

It also states

Getting a 1 year visa extension inside Thailand based on retirement requires an initial application for a Non-Immigrant O visa.

see my post above, I don't think I qualify to initially apply for a non immigrant O visa?

 

Oh dear, is it me being a bit thick?

 

I think I will go to sleep now.

 

Thanks for your help

Keith

 

[Keith5588]

Thanks glegolo,

The problem I now see is that I have read that you cannot open a 

Thai bank account if you are here on just a Tourist Visa, I think it

Is the Thai banks that apply this rule.

So I cannot have 800,000 deposit in a Thai bank?

It's a sort of catch 22 situation.

 

Does this bring me full circle in that it is best for me to apply in the UK

For the non immigrant type O-A visa?

 

Thanks

Keith

[CharlieH]

3 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

Thanks for your quick response Charlie and the link you have given me

I had a quick look at the link and am a bit confused.

I don't have a Thai bank account and so cannot have 800,000B in one.

I don't have enough regular income each month as the only income I

Have is just over £400 (I started an annuity with one of my pension funds).

I have more than 800,000B equivalent in savings in my UK bank but would

This be OK?

It also states

Getting a 1 year visa extension inside Thailand based on retirement requires an initial application for a Non-Immigrant O visa.

see my post above, I don't think I qualify to initially apply for a non immigrant O visa?

 

Oh dear, is it me being a bit thick?

 

I think I will go to sleep now.

 

Thanks for your help

Keith

 

 

 

I am not sufficiently knowledgeable to answer any & all questions on this, the regular Moderator "Ubonjoe" will be able to inform and advise you better than I.

He will probably be here in the morning.

 

 

 

[Flustered]

To answer your questions......

The police check can be done on line

https://www.acro.police.uk/Police_Certificates_Online.aspx

The medical exam can be done by your doctor or any one of dozens of private doctors/clinics, about £50 to  £100. depending on doctor

 

These all need copies taking and a solicitor certifying them

 

Your savings cover the amount required for an O-A visa.

 

Full details on line at

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/en/visa-modern#section2

 

But I am sure you have already checked the requirements and just want to know about the police and doctors.

[berybert]

Is it possible to change a tourist visa to a 1 year extension of stay ? Not sure it is.

I did the A/O  visa late last year.

You can only get the police report done from the link that is on the embassy website which Flustered gives a link to above,

Here is a link to the embassy website page that concerns the A/O VISA.

http://new.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/en/types-of-visa#section8

The medical could be easy or like me you could be unlucky and your doctor could try and make you have the tests done.

1. LEPROSY   2. TUBERCULOSIS (T.B.)   3. ELEPHANTIASIS   4.DRUG ADDICTION   5.  3 THIRD STEP OF SYPHILIS .

Those are the 5 tests.

Numbers 1, 3 and 4 are virtually impossible to have done in this country.

I had to get an email from a Harley Street Doctor to give to my doctor before he would believe me that they couldn't be done  and sign the form.

They are a personal diagnosis rather than a test, basically your doctor should look through your records and see these are problems you have never had and sign the form.

The bank statement is also a mess. On the website it says as below.

 

****If you send a copy of bank statement, the original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary****.

 

Ignore that and just get a copy of your statement from the bank either in the morning or the previous day and make sure it is stamped with the date. Ask them to also print off statements showing you have had the money in your bank for 3 months (these do not need to be certified by solicitor) and probably will be thrown back at you by the embassy staff without even being looked at.

The bank statement, police record and medical certificate all need to be certified, again the embassy page reads as below.

 

 

     *****Note: Copies of bank statement, criminal record, medical record and marriage certificate must be certified by a Notary Public officer or Solicitors****

 

Do yourself a big favour and click on that link. It will take you to Ashtons solicitors, they will charge you £5 per sheet, so 3 sheets will be £15. Do not waste money going anywhere other than those guys. I used them and was in and out within a few minutes.

Their offices are less than a 5 minute walk from Covent garden tube and from there you can get a tube to the Thai embassy.

As long as you are at their place around 11am you can make the embassy in plenty of time to hand your forms in.

It should be pretty easy if everything goes to plan. Or it can be a pain.

Good luck.

 

Edited March 10, 2017 by berybert

[BritTim]

As advised already, wait for advice from @ubonjoe to be sure of your best course of action. Meanwhile, I am reasonably sure the following are true:

• It is possible to open a savings account at a Thai bank when on a tourist entry. Not all branches will let you do it, but some in tourist areas are used to doing it. If you ask around, you will be able to open an account.
• When you are on a tourist entry, and want to get a one year extension of stay on the basis of retirement, the tourist entry must first be converted into a 90-day non immigrant entry. You must initiate the conversion while there is at least 15 days left on your tourist entry (or the extension of it) and need 800,000 baht in your Thai bank account at the time. (I am assuming you cannot use the option of showing 65,000 baht per month income as a alternative. However, if having let your house your income is sufficient, an extension using the income method might be the ideal solution, as you would not need large sums transferred into Thailand.)  Near the end of the 90-day non immigrant entry, you apply for the extension which should go smoothly once you get that far.
• I am assuming you really do not want to transfer your life savings into Thailand to meet the financial proof requirements. If that is the case, your plan of going for a Non Imm O-A (long stay) visa is fine. The criminal records check is pretty easy. Depending on your GP, the medical certificate may be straightforward or a genuine stumbling block. The form is very outdated. A rational doctor ought to be willing to assert (as someone living in England and not running around Taliban controlled areas of Pakistan) that you are not a leprosy carrier. Unfortunately, some doctors seem to believe they cannot confirm this without (almost impossible to arrange) tests.

 

Edited March 10, 2017 by BritTim

[ubonjoe]

9 hours ago, Keith5588 said:

Thanks for your quick response Charlie and the link you have given me

I had a quick look at the link and am a bit confused.

I don't have a Thai bank account and so cannot have 800,000B in one.

I don't have enough regular income each month as the only income I

Have is just over £400 (I started an annuity with one of my pension funds).

I have more than 800,000B equivalent in savings in my UK bank but would

This be OK?

It also states

Getting a 1 year visa extension inside Thailand based on retirement requires an initial application for a Non-Immigrant O visa.

see my post above, I don't think I qualify to initially apply for a non immigrant O visa?

 

Oh dear, is it me being a bit thick?

 

I think I will go to sleep now.

 

Thanks for your help

Keith

 

I would not trust the info on the website Charlie gave you a link to. It is a website set up by a law firm and is not a official website.

It seems your best option at this time is to get the OA long stay visa from the embassy in london. That would allow you a total stay of almost 2 years if you get a new one year entry just before the visa expires.

To meet the 65k baht income requirement for an extension of stay based upon retirement at immigration you can use any income to meet it by obtaining income letter from the UK embassy here.

Since you cannot get a non-o visa in the UK you would have to go to a nearby embassy or consulate to get it or apply for a change of visa status to get 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) at Bangkok immigration. The Khon Kaen office cannot do one. 

 

[Keith5588]

Charlie,
Thanks again for your help. Five months ago when I read about tourist visas Ubonjoe was so knowledgeable and precise.
Thank you

 

Flustered, 
Thank you so much for the links and advice. I am now feeling better and understand a bit more what I need to do and how to do it.
Thank you

 

Berybert,
Thank you so much for all the good advice, links and explanations, especially concerning seeing my doctor.
Thank you

 

BritTim
Thank you also for all your advice.
Now I think again I am sure you are right about being able to open a Thai bank account when on a tourist visa (recently I also read about obtaining a Thai driving licence which you cannot do when on a tourist visa and I think that was in my brain).
Thank you

[Keith5588]

Hi Ubonjoe, I was just going to summarise my thoughts after all the good advice given to me and was going to write I think it would be best to try to obtain a non immigrant O-A visa while I am in the UK.
It means a lot that you have also advised me to do this.
Thank you also for pointing out the link Charlie gave me is not an official site. Information on it could be useful but it is good to know that it is not official.

 

Up until now I have spoken casually to a couple of people who said they have a retirement visa. I had read only a little but had looked on the Thai Embassy web page and my reply was I don't think there is a retirement visa and I thought they must have actually a non immigrant O or O-A.  One person showed me his passport and I was surprised that it had "Retirement" written. After what you have just written I now realise it was a visa extension to their type O visa these people were referring to (that they both obtained in Bangkok) and not the actual visa.
Phew, things are becoming clearer

Thanks

[Keith5588]

One more question.

I now shouldn't need this but it would be nice to know.

About proof of monthly income. Even after letting my house I would only have an income of about £1000 per month (£400 private pension + £600 from house) which is not enough to qualify.
If I can add on the interest from my savings I would exceed income of the equivalent of 65,000B per month and qualify.
Does interest from savings qualify towards monthly income?

Thanks

Keith

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

Does interest from savings qualify towards monthly income?

Yes it does.

[Keith5588]

Thanks Ubonjoe, I thought it should but it helps a lot that you have confirmed it.

 

I now feel so much better, I think it would have taken me a long time to get the information I have had from this forum in a few hours.

 

You have all been so helpful

Thanks once again

[OJAS]

3 hours ago, Keith5588 said:

Thanks Ubonjoe, I thought it should but it helps a lot that you have confirmed it.

 

I now feel so much better, I think it would have taken me a long time to get the information I have had from this forum in a few hours.

 

You have all been so helpful

Thanks once again

You could also prove finances for a retirement extension on the basis of monthly income plus money in the bank (commonly referred to on here as the "combo" method). Since your monthly total occupational pension and rental income equates to around 42,000 THB, this would mean that you would need to hold at least 276,000 THB (at present GBP:THB exchange rates and on the basis of a monthly shortfall of 23,000 THB x 12) in a Thai bank account, and have this amount confirmed by a bank letter. In theory this amount would not need to be seasoned for 2 months for your first extension (and 3 months for subsequent extensions) as in the case of the full 800,000 THB bank balance method of proving finances, but, beware, a number of immigration offices are now insisting on such seasoning in practice. Don't know if Khon Khaen are one of them, though.

Edited March 11, 2017 by OJAS

[Keith5588]

Thank OJAS,

My saving have been seasoned in my UK bank for much longer than 3 months and there is more than the equivalent of 800,000B but after reading your post I will also include all my monthly income. I will try to be thorough and overkill any requirements as I am thinking I will post everything to the Thai Embassy in London as I live over 100 miles from London.

I don't think I need my money in a Thai bank as I will be applying for a non immigrant O-A visa while in the UK?

As I understand it now I would only need money in A Thai bank account if I apply for the extension of stay whilst in Thailand.

Keith

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

I will try to be thorough and overkill any requirements as I am thinking I will post everything to the Thai Embassy in London as I live over 100 miles from London.

You have to apply for the OA visa in person. They don't accept applications by post for them.

You apply between 9 am to noon on one day and pickup the next day between 11 and noon.

[Flustered]

20 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You have to apply for the OA visa in person. They don't accept applications by post for them.

You apply between 9 am to noon on one day and pickup the next day between 11 and noon.

I think you are wrong here Joe.

 

You can apply by post at the London Thai Embassy. (Unless they changed their rules and did not tell anyone).

 

"Who Can Apply for the Visa by Post

• Anyone who resides permanently in the UK and Ireland"

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/en/visa-modern

[ubonjoe]

14 minutes ago, Flustered said:

I think you are wrong here Joe.

 

You can apply by post at the London Thai Embassy. (Unless they changed their rules and did not tell anyone).

 

"Who Can Apply for the Visa by Post

• Anyone who resides permanently in the UK and Ireland"

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/en/visa-modern

That is for most other types of visas but not for the OA visa.

If you scroll down the page where the statement you posted is on the webpage you will not see the OA listed for applications by post.

 

[Keith5588]

When i wrote my last post I wondered a bit if i would need to apply in person.

So thanks Joe for looking and raising the point.

Thanks Flustered for being very thorough and posting the link, i would much prefer to just post it as i can apply in plenty of time.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

When i wrote my last post I wondered a bit if i would need to apply in person.

So thanks Joe for looking and raising the point.

Thanks Flustered for being very thorough and posting the link, i would much prefer to just post it as i can apply in plenty of time.

Before you attempt to do it by post I suggest you contact them about it.

Every report I have seen of getting a OA visa in London they were done in person. Before they revamped their website it was clearly stated the OA visa application had to be done in person.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Keith,

I went the O-A route last year and like you was in Thailand a few times before obtaining the visa.

Reading the various threads about the medical certificate I.e. some people had difficulty getting it done in UK due to the types of tests needed whilst others stated it was a piece of cake !

Anyway, I decided to get it done in Thailand as well as getting a letter from my uk gp: downloaded and printed the form from website and went to local hospital ( Pathum Thani) with Thai gf, 30 minutes and cost 360 baht.

Turns out the letter from uk gp was not accepted and Thai medical certificate was !

Note: this is only an option I am providing but it certainly helped me a lot as I had traveled from Yorkshire to London for the visa and would have been in the s$&t if it wasn't for the Thai version.

As you're in Thailand now you could get this as a backup plan but be aware it's only valid for 3 months.

Anyway, good luck with the O-A and remember not to call it a retirement visa ( although that's what it is often referred to) as some people on TV get upset !!

[Keith5588]

I noticed that under applying by post it did not at first mention the non immigrant O-A, but if you scroll down a bit you see

Visa Types Fee (£) 1 .Transit (3 months validity / Single Entry) 20 2. Tourist (3 months validity / Up to 60 days/Single) 25 3. Tourist (6 months validity/Up to 60 days/Multiple Entries) 125 4. Non-Immigrant (3 months validity/Single Entry/up to 90 days) 50 5. Non-Immigrant (1 year validity/ Multiple Entries)   125 6. Non-Immigrant O-A (1 year validity/ Multiple Entries/Up to 1 year) 125 7. Non-Immigrant (3 year valid     Scroll down a bit more and it details applying in person. Again it does not mention non immigrant O-A under  Applying in person. M'mmmmmmmm Maybe this is one point i need to telephone the Embassy about Before i apply. Thanks for all your help Keith

 

[Keith5588]

Thanks Andrew for your advice on what happened with yourself