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

[OJAS]

19 hours ago, Keith5588 said:

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

 

 

 

Keith  - of course, if you were able to stretch out the OA visa for a couple of years, you might well be eligible for the UK State Pension come the time you need to start applying for annual extensions of stay here. By my reckoning the State Pension might just about cover the monthly income shortfall in your case - although this would be touch-and-go even at present exchange rates. And who knows where the GBP might stand against the THB in 2 years' time?

[Keith5588]

Good thinking OJAS, you are right in that i just qualify to receive my UK state pension at age 65 so in just over 1 year from now. If i also add on interest from savings to what i have already mentioned i think i would have enough income to qualify for extensions.

I will make sure i copy parts of this thread.

Let's hope Brexit goes well and the pound recovers.

Thanks

Keith

 

[Keith5588]

Yipppeee I received my passport by special delivery today with the Non-Immigrant  O-A visa inside.

 

My experience was as follows:-

 

I telephoned the Thai Embassy in London a total of about 3 times, they were always helpful. There was always an automated message first saying that they were not accepting visa applications by post so I think that applies to all visa applications. I was also told I needed to apply in person for my O-A visa during a morning then collect the next day.

 

They do however accept postal applications on a case by case basis and the last time I telephoned they said I could apply by post.

 

Thanks again for all the help on this forum. One of you advised to obtain proof that I had the necessary savings for 3 months or more. Also during one of my conversations to the Thai Embassy the lady was helpful and specifically said I need my bank to state that I have had the money in my account for more than 3 months so as to prevent corruption of being able to deposit money for a short time.

I am just writing this because I received a bank statement that showed enough savings and could have made the mistake of just sending a copy of that.

 

I had all the copies of bank letter, medical, and police report certified by a local solicitor as was required.

 

Thanks again

Keith

ps I am now excited about returning to Thailand

 

[Evilbaz]

Well done.

Make sure you are aware of how to get the maximum out of your OA Visa and get a re-entry permit for the second year.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Keith, just to back up what evilbaz is saying:
Your visa will have an issue date ( in your case possibly 11th July 2017 ? )and a enter before date ( in your case possibly 10th July 2018 ? ), am just guessing your dates obviously to use as an example.
You are now able to enter Thailand when you want, every time you enter you will be stamped 1 year in advance, so if you leave Thailand and re-enter before 10th July 2018 you will get a stamp for July 2019, this is how to get 2 years from the O-A visa.

BUT: Important to remember you will need a re-entry permit after 10th July 2018 when the visa expires and you are on permission to stay.
SO: O-A visa is multi entry for 1st year then visa expires.
2nd year ( and additional years with extensions ) you need re-entry permits to get back into Thailand.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious here but some people struggle with it and risk losing their permission to stay by not understanding the re-entry permit rule.

[Keith5588]

Thank you Evibaz and Andrew.

I am so pleased that I will not have to do visa runs, I did one this last Winter when I was on a single entry tourist visa and it cost me 3 days and about 3000 THB

 

Andrew you are not stating the obvious, it was my next thing to understand.

My exact date of issue is 7 July 2017 (they must have processed it on Friday 7th, then it was a public Thai holiday on Monday 10th and the Thai Embassy in London was closed, so they must have posted it on the 11th)  ..... so my Enter Before date is 6 July 2018.

 

I am entering Thailand on 23rd August 2017.

 

Do I need to register every 90 days? I thought I read that somewhere?

 

I understand your first paragraph Andrew - that for the first year I can leave and re-enter Thailand as many times as I wish. Then let's say I leave Thailand and re-enter on the 5th July 2018 I will receive a stamp that permits me to stay for a further year until 4th July 2019 ................  is that correct?

 

I don't understand re-entry permits.  

 

So I leave Thailand then re-enter on 5th July 2018.  I can stay in Thailand and without leaving and without any re-entry permits until 4th July 2019- is this correct?

 

Now if I wish to leave Thailand say on 20th July 2018 let's say for a 2 week holiday back to the UK, it is then I will need a re-entry permit?

Can you please tell me when and how I need to obtain this re-entry permit? Would it be on the way out of Thailand on the 20th July?

 

Sorry if I am being a bit slow

Thanks

Keith

 

[Keith5588]

Hi again, I think I am beginning to understand ..... I think.

My visa has a Enter before date of 6 July 2018 - I can enter and leave Thailand as many times as I like until 6 July 2018, each time it starts the visa which lasts 1 year.

In my example above I left then re-entered Thailand on 5 July 2018, this is when my visa starts, and it lasts for 1 year. 

When in my example I wish to leave Thailand on 20th July 2018 and return to Thailand 2 weeks later I would need to apply for the re-entry permit at a Thai immigration office before I travel. I will be based in Khon Kaen and so I guess I could apply at the immigration office there.

 

Can someone please confirm I have this correct?

Thanks

Keith

I also had a look on this web page https://www.keyvisathailand.com/re-entry-permits-in-thailand/ and copied below from it:-

obtain a re-entry permit or risk losing your long stay visa!

The re-entry permit is designed to protect your visa so if you leave Thailand when you return your visa will still be intact and you will have no fear of it being taken away.

If you do not have a re-entry permit when you arrive back in to Thailand the Thai Immigration officer will disregard your old long stay visa and stamp you with a visa on entry meaning you will have to start the whole process again of obtaining a non immigrant visa and extension.

When you have a one year visa and you think you may be leaving Thailand then it is advisable to obtain a re-entry permit in advance of traveling just in case you need to leave quickly or you have an emergency.

The re-entry form at the Thai Immigration is called a TM8 and can be downloaded before you arrive at the Immigration office or they have many available there. It can be a good idea to download it and fill it in at home before you go.

The Thai re-entry permit is offered in two formats a single entry permit costs 1000 baht and allows you to travel one time.The second is a multiple entry permit which allows you to go in and out of Thailand as many times as you desire and lasts until the expiry of your visa extension, a multi entry permit costs 3,800 baht.

When you arrive at the Thai Immigration office you must take the following with you.

• Passport
• Copy of passport incl. details page, visa page and a copy of the white TM6 card.
• One passport photograph
• TM8 application form

The Immigration Officer will normally try and complete the task the same day depending on how busy they are at the time you arrive. Never leave it until the last moment obtain the re-entry permit in good time.

It is possible to obtain a re-entry permit at Suvarnabhumi airport immigration, however this is subject to the discretion of the immigration officer who you speak to and we do not advise that you leave it until the last minute.

 

[lamyai3]

Congrats on getting the non o/a.

 

To clarify a couple of your questions, you can travel in and out of Thailand during the first year of the visa freely, and on each entry should be stamped in a further 12 months. To validate the visa for a second year, you need to be stamped back in within 12 months of the initial visa issuance date.

 

Re-entry permit is required only for the second year of the visa, single or multiple are available depending on how much you intend to travel outside the country. 

 

The bank funds seasoning period applies to extensions in Thailand - for the initial non o/a application in London only the amount is checked. 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

Thank you Evibaz and Andrew.
I am so pleased that I will not have to do visa runs, I did one this last Winter when I was on a single entry tourist visa and it cost me 3 days and about 3000 THB
 
Andrew you are not stating the obvious, it was my next thing to understand.
My exact date of issue is 7 July 2017 (they must have processed it on Friday 7th, then it was a public Thai holiday on Monday 10th and the Thai Embassy in London was closed, so they must have posted it on the 11th)  ..... so my Enter Before date is 6 July 2018.
 
I am entering Thailand on 23rd August 2017.
 
Do I need to register every 90 days? I thought I read that somewhere?
 
I understand your first paragraph Andrew - that for the first year I can leave and re-enter Thailand as many times as I wish. Then let's say I leave Thailand and re-enter on the 5th July 2018 I will receive a stamp that permits me to stay for a further year until 4th July 2019 ................  is that correct?
 
I don't understand re-entry permits.  
 
So I leave Thailand then re-enter on 5th July 2018.  I can stay in Thailand and without leaving and without any re-entry permits until 4th July 2019- is this correct?
 
Now if I wish to leave Thailand say on 20th July 2018 let's say for a 2 week holiday back to the UK, it is then I will need a re-entry permit?
Can you please tell me when and how I need to obtain this re-entry permit? Would it be on the way out of Thailand on the 20th July?
 
Sorry if I am being a bit slow
Thanks
Keith
 

Keith, yes you need to report every 90 if you stay in Thailand, of course if you leave and re-enter then the clock starts again on the day you enter Thailand ( day one). Your local immigration office is the place ( Khon Kaen?).

Yes, exactly, if you leave and re-enter on 5th July 2018 you will receive a entry stamp until 4th July 2019 ( this is how you achieve the often quoted "2 years from O-A visa " ).

Yes, you are under no pressure to leave Thailand during this period, you can stay the full year, only report to immigration every 90 days of course.
If you do leave you need a re-entry permit ( single or multi) available from immigration and the airport ( Swampy), not sure about other airports.

Yes, if you re-enter after the 5th July 2018 you will need a re-entry permit to gain entry back into Thailand and keep your permission to stay valid ( your O-A visa will have expired on 6th July 2018 ).

I have yet to obtain a re-entry permit, my O-A was issued 17th October 2016 ( entry before 16th October 2017 ), but around the beginning of Oct I will go to my local immigration to obtain a re-entry permit ( multi in my case ) as I will visit uk on 10th October 2017 till 20th November 2017.

I recently came back from uk on 21st June so gained a entry stamp to maintain permission to stay until 20th June 2018 , when I will then need to get the 1 year extension from immigration ( the next hurdle [emoji51]) and then on it goes.
In my case I got 1 year and 8 months from O-A visa.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Hi again, I think I am beginning to understand ..... I think.

My visa has a Enter before date of 6 July 2018 - I can enter and leave Thailand as many times as I like until 6 July 2018, each time it starts the visa which lasts 1 year.

In my example above I left then re-entered Thailand on 5 July 2018, this is when my visa starts, and it lasts for 1 year. 

When in my example I wish to leave Thailand on 20th July 2018 and return to Thailand 2 weeks later I would need to apply for the re-entry permit at a Thai immigration office before I travel. I will be based in Khon Kaen and so I guess I could apply at the immigration office there.

 

Can someone please confirm I have this correct?

Thanks

Keith

 

I also had a look on this web page https://www.keyvisathailand.com/re-entry-permits-in-thailand/ and copied below from it:-

obtain a re-entry permit or risk losing your long stay visa!

The re-entry permit is designed to protect your visa so if you leave Thailand when you return your visa will still be intact and you will have no fear of it being taken away.

If you do not have a re-entry permit when you arrive back in to Thailand the Thai Immigration officer will disregard your old long stay visa and stamp you with a visa on entry meaning you will have to start the whole process again of obtaining a non immigrant visa and extension.

When you have a one year visa and you think you may be leaving Thailand then it is advisable to obtain a re-entry permit in advance of traveling just in case you need to leave quickly or you have an emergency.

The re-entry form at the Thai Immigration is called a TM8 and can be downloaded before you arrive at the Immigration office or they have many available there. It can be a good idea to download it and fill it in at home before you go.

The Thai re-entry permit is offered in two formats a single entry permit costs 1000 baht and allows you to travel one time.The second is a multiple entry permit which allows you to go in and out of Thailand as many times as you desire and lasts until the expiry of your visa extension, a multi entry permit costs 3,800 baht.

When you arrive at the Thai Immigration office you must take the following with you.

• Passport
• Copy of passport incl. details page, visa page and a copy of the white TM6 card.
• One passport photograph
• TM8 application form

The Immigration Officer will normally try and complete the task the same day depending on how busy they are at the time you arrive. Never leave it until the last moment obtain the re-entry permit in good time.

It is possible to obtain a re-entry permit at Suvarnabhumi airport immigration, however this is subject to the discretion of the immigration officer who you speak to and we do not advise that you leave it until the last minute.

 

Yes, you have understood correctly.

 

There was a case on here recently ( Thaivisa ) of someone leaving Thailand and not obtaining a re-entry permit then upon entry not understanding why they got a 30 day stamp instead of 1 year [emoji15].

I for one would not want to go through the whole process again !!

 

EDIT: just reading the last paragraph of your post, I believe it is not possible to get a re-entry permit at Swampy on arrival, only when you leave !!

I believe that this is the case ( someone please correct me if I'm wrong )

[Keith5588]

Thank you Lamyai and Andrew.

Thanks for your thorough detailed explanation Andrew,  it helped me a lot to understand.

 

Cheers

Keith