Non O at Vientiane with no proof of retirement?

[virgomjh]

A fellow Brit is planning to go to Vientiane next week for a single entry non O with a view to obtaining a 12m retirement extension in Thailand. The complication is that he is 60 and is not in receipt of any private or state pension, and although he has considerable funds on deposit in Thailand he doesn't have any form of regular income. 

 

The experienced feedback on a recent thread suggested that all nearby Thai consulates require proof of retirement except for Vientiane which will accept just a bank book and bank letter (confirming his account and balance) proving B800k+ funds (with no minimum stipulated deposit period), and without requiring any proof of pension. The ground does seem to shifting more than usual at the moment - can anyone confirm that the non O requirements at Vientiane are still as stated? 

[ubonjoe]

Vientiane has recently been asking for a medical and police clearance certificate to get a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

If he could prove any  income he could get the income letter from the UK embassy. It does not have to be pension income.

Dependent upon where he is located he may be able to apply for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry at immigration. He would need have proof the 800k baht came from abroad by way of a letter from the bank confirming it or proof it was earned here legally.

[dentonian]

In a similar recent thread, Savannakhet or Penang seemed a better alternative.

Still need financial proof, 800,000 in Thai bank, Income letter from your Embassy (65,000 PM) or a combination of the two, but no medical or police clearance required.

[hgma]

Years ago, when i needed a non o i just showed my possessions in Thailand....Car- house 30yr lease- even motorcycle....never asked for anything more...times are changing.

Material possessions , Guy's (just in case!)

[virgomjh]

On ‎02‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 1:50 AM, ubonjoe said:

Vientiane has recently been asking for a medical and police clearance certificate to get a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

If he could prove any  income he could get the income letter from the UK embassy. It does not have to be pension income.

Dependent upon where he is located he may be able to apply for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry at immigration. He would need have proof the 800k baht came from abroad by way of a letter from the bank confirming it or proof it was earned here legally.

Thanks a lot for the update. This could be a problem because his current TV extension expires on 8th May ie Monday! He had been planning to just take along his bank book and bank letter based on the February feedback. He doesn't have any form of income, just funds in the bank, so the Income Letter route has never been an option hence Vientiane being his only route to the non O given his circumstances.

Is it possible for him to get a medical certificate and police report to take with him to Vientiane? Would he have to go to one of the hospitals in Nakhon Si Thammarat for the medical certificate before leaving? If so this is doable, but where would he get the police report and how long does this take?

My late response hasn't helped the situation but I have been away for a couple  of days and taken my eye of the ball. I would be grateful if you could let me know asap because he needs to be prepared for refusal and re entry on a 30 day exemption / TV if he cant get the docs for the non O in time. Thanks so much for your advice on these issues Ubonjoe - you deserve some major recognition for your services to the ex pat community on these forums!

[ubonjoe]

A cheap medical certificate from a clinic wout be accepted. A police clearance certificate can only be applied for in Bangkok and it takes about a month to get it.

Perhaps he could do a statement at the UK embassy stating he is retired.

Unless he has already done 2 visa exempt entries at a border crossing this year he should not have a problem getting one.

I suggest he contact his local immigration office about doing an application to get a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry based upon qualifying for an extension based upon retirement. There have been reports of several offices that could not do them before doing them now.

 

[virgomjh]

On ‎05‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 3:05 AM, ubonjoe said:

A police clearance certificate can only be applied for in Bangkok and it takes about a month to get it.

Thanks for the advice. By police clearance certificate is this the same as the 'criminal record check' that has to be obtained from ACRO for an OA visa when applying at the London embassy? As a British National could he apply for this online from Thailand, and use it for his application at Vientiane rather than going to Bangkok for it?

 

On ‎05‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 3:05 AM, ubonjoe said:

Unless he has already done 2 visa exempt entries at a border crossing this year he should not have a problem getting one.

As his visa expires on Monday he plans to go to Vientiane and try for a non O anyway without the extra docs, and if this is not possible to apply for a third consecutive TV from there - 30 days might be a bit tight to obtain the Police Report. I will let you know how he gets on with the non O application which might be useful info for others applying there.

 

On ‎05‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 3:05 AM, ubonjoe said:

I suggest he contact his local immigration office about doing an application to get a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry based upon qualifying for an extension based upon retirement. There have been reports of several offices that could not do them before doing them now.

It may be easier to try a conversion now if it has become more difficult at Vientiane. He is in Nakhon Si Thammarat and the local immigration there has been very unfriendly there, even warning him that they wont do any more TV extensions for him. You mentioned before that Bkk was the closest location for a TV conversion - would you say this is still the case or are there any closer options. Has Surat Thani started issuing conversions by any chance or would it be difficult to apply there anyway if he lives in another province?

 

Thanks again Ubonjoe for your help. It is especially difficult for the 50-65 year old group to find the right way in on a non - O.

[YetAnother]

maybe i am the last one to this party: i have an OA and have for years; latest renewal OCT last year; is there a new requirement for proof of income 

?

police report 

?

i use the 800k option now

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

maybe i am the last one to this party: i have an OA and have for years; latest renewal OCT last year; is there a new requirement for proof of income 

?

police report 

?

i use the 800k option now

I suspect you an extension of stay obtained at immigration not a OA visa. No police report or medical is needed to apply for it. The topic is about getting a single entry non-o visa in Vientiane.

[YetAnother]

thanks ubonjoe; you are right:extension; what do you do ? work in thai immigration ? 

 

[Suradit69]

3 hours ago, YetAnother said:

maybe i am the last one to this party: i have an OA and have for years; latest renewal OCT last year;

 

Since you can't renew a visa, you apparently have been renewing an extension of stay based on retirement, not an O-A visa.

[fdch]

On 5/2/2017 at 0:59 PM, dentonian said:

In a similar recent thread, Savannakhet or Penang seemed a better alternative.

Still need financial proof, 800,000 in Thai bank, Income letter from your Embassy (65,000 PM) or a combination of the two, but no medical or police clearance required.

why all this trouble of traveling pay a few extra bath to an visa assist office and stay at home the bankbook with the 800 k is sufficient been there, done this, easy as pie.

why go to this ugly city  vientiane

traveling , hotel, visa laos  some drinks food same cost and lose 2 or 3 days of ur live 555

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, fdch said:

why all this trouble of traveling pay a few extra bath to an visa assist office and stay at home the bankbook with the 800 k is sufficient been there, done this, easy as pie.

why go to this ugly city  vientiane

traveling , hotel, visa laos  some drinks food same cost and lose 2 or 3 days of ur live 555

Short answer:

Also, different requirements.  In Penang, you could use money-proof which is in a non-Thai account, for example.

[Saradoc1972]

On 5/5/2017 at 9:05 AM, ubonjoe said:

A cheap medical certificate from a clinic wout be accepted. A police clearance certificate can only be applied for in Bangkok and it takes about a month to get it.

Perhaps he could do a statement at the UK embassy stating he is retired.

Unless he has already done 2 visa exempt entries at a border crossing this year he should not have a problem getting one.

I suggest he contact his local immigration office about doing an application to get a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry based upon qualifying for an extension based upon retirement. There have been reports of several offices that could not do them before doing them now.

 

Out of interest... how is a police clearance certificate applied for? Where is that police station located?

I have come across the webpage of theirs, but it all sounds like gobbledygook to me. Do I (or can I) appear there in person, will they send the report to a Thai address? 

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, Saradoc1972 said:

Out of interest... how is a police clearance certificate applied for?

Info here: http://www.pcscenter.sb.police.go.th/eng/

This from this file. http://pcscenter.sb.police.go.th/filedownload/infomation-service-4.pdf

Quote

An applicant can opt to collect the certificate at our office. Or for your convenience, we also provide postal service at our office. An applicant responsible for the postage fee.

 

[ThaiWai]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Info here: http://www.pcscenter.sb.police.go.th/eng/

This from this file. http://pcscenter.sb.police.go.th/filedownload/infomation-service-4.pdf

 

 

The first link leads here to a set of downloads.   I noticed the form download for taking prints for outside of Thailand has only 2 exceptions being the USA and Singapore.  What is the process for an American then for submitting fingerprints or in general requesting a police clearance certificate while outside of Thailand?

 

[ubonjoe]

12 hours ago, ThaiWai said:

 

The first link leads here to a set of downloads.   I noticed the form download for taking prints for outside of Thailand has only 2 exceptions being the USA and Singapore.  What is the process for an American then for submitting fingerprints or in general requesting a police clearance certificate while outside of Thailand?

 

This file states the following. http://pcscenter.sb.police.go.th/filedownload/infomation-service-2.pdf

Quote

Two sets of original fingerprint. Fingerprint must be taken at local police or Thai Consulate or Thai Embassy in your country together with the official seal and signature of the official taking the fingerprint.

Not sure why that comes up when downloading  that file. Looking at the form it appears to be the one they use at PCS,

[virgomjh]

On ‎05‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 3:05 AM, ubonjoe said:

A police clearance certificate can only be applied for in Bangkok and it takes about a month to get it.

Would an ACRO criminal record check certificate obtained from the UK be acceptable for the purpose of a non O application at Vientiane?

If so

a. Would it be easier to apply online for this rather than applying via the Bkk police clearance service centre?

b. Could a Brit based in Thailand use the UK service?

 

You mention that some local immigration centres have started to grant TV to non O conversions. In view of the additional requirements at Vientiane, if you are in the 50-65 group then applying locally for a conversion is looking increasingly attractive  if you have  B800k+ on deposit but no regular income . My friend could make the two required trips to Bkk from Nakon Si Thammarat but what about Surat Thani - any reports on TV conversions being available there yet?

[virgomjh]

On ‎02‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 1:50 AM, ubonjoe said:

Vientiane has recently been asking for a medical and police clearance certificate to get a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

Just heard from my friend who has travelled to Vientiane in the hope of getting a non O. You are correct as usual on this Ubonjoe - his agent contact there confirmed that you cannot get a non O there without a medical certificate and police clearance certificate. The agent said that his contacts in the consulate have said it is due to the high number of criminals trying to get non O's using false id's. How true this is I don't know. But if the authorities do think this a solution, I suppose it is possible that a PCC could become a standard requirement for all non O applications in the region the way things are going?

 

He also said that agents are not so welcome in the consulate anymore and all applicants are being encouraged to go into the consulate in person. His agent used to be able to pay something to get his visa picked up before noon - agents cant do this any more apparently. Because of the one day closedown there this week and the restriction on early visa pick ups he will be stuck there from Monday to Friday and says the place is so awful he is already feeling suicidal.

 

It was too late to cancel his trip there but at least he was forewarned and thanks to you he was ready to fall back on another TV application. He has decided to do the two trips to Bangkok for a non O conversion - certainly seems the best route now in his circumstances rather than applying for police clearance certificate and another trip to Vientiane!