advice needed on visa

Post by **Ray.Charles** » February 18, 2015, 1:39 pm

I am posting this on behalf of a friend of mine, a citizen of U.K., a long-term resident of Dalat, Vietnam after spending time in Thailand and Philippines; he now prefers to move to Thailand. He wrote to me:

I am over 50, healthy, no criminal record & have 800,000 baht funds available for transfer. But I cannot get an OA visa outside of Thailand before entering LOS. It is impossible to become a permanent resident in Vietnam or neighboring Cambodia, to renew UK residency I'd have to return there for a year. There is conflicting information on Thai websites, some say flatly "No non immigrant O-A VISA inside Thailand", only foreign embassies. Others say go to Thai immigration Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 & take it from there.”

I am in touch with lawyers in Bangkok, Pattaya & Chiang Mai (now horribly polluted) who say they can do it inside Thailand, I don't trust them.

Any ideas ? Are there any lawyers and/or individuals in Udon Thani who can help, for I want to live there"

You can send PM to me, if you prefer. I will pass it to him. Thanks for your help.

Post by **747man** » February 18, 2015, 2:33 pm

Ray, Sent you a PM....

Post by **Ray.Charles** » February 18, 2015, 6:25 pm

On behalf of my friend, I thank for the PMs sent to me. I am forwarding them to my friend in Dalat.

Post by **Bonanza** » February 18, 2015, 8:56 pm

Ray.Charles wrote:.................. to renew UK residency I'd have to return there for a year.

As a UK citizen, I don't understand this passage in the letter. If you are classed as 'non-resident' (for tax purposes) you can become 'resident' again the day you return should you wish to be so.

When applying to the Thai Embassy in UK for a retirement visa you do not have to provide any evidence of residency - only that you are a UK citizen (ie your passport) and proof of funds.

Post by **BobHelm** » February 19, 2015, 7:35 am

For the OPs' friend to return to the UK & obtain a visa that could easily be turned into a yearly extension to stay based on retirement is NOT an easy thing for him to do.

Unless he is an ex-Government employee drawing a pension from HM then a non 'o' visa based on retirement is not an option until he is 65 years old.

That only leaves the OA visa.
For that he would need medical clearance - an expense rather than a problem.
Criminal clearance from the country of the applicant’s nationality or residence - that could be an issue as Scotland Yard may not be willing to do that for the time he has been in Vietnam & it has......
Criminal Record check from own country and country of permanent residence with validity of at least 3 months. Applicants residing in the United Kingdom will need to have a police clearance issued only from here.
Having the nationality of or residence in the country where applicant’s application is submitted - this, I believe, is what he referred to in his email to Ray Charles.

Not easy...

Post by **Ray.Charles** » February 22, 2015, 10:37 pm

On behalf of my British friend, now living in Vietnam:

Ï am 68 years old & have never worked for the government

I don't understand the difference between an Ö" & an ÖA" visa

Under UK law expats cannot regain "legal" rights until after returning to England" for a period of one year. Until then, I have no right to petition the courts, solicitors, lawyers or the police for routine "criminal clearance"

After one year, not one day less, I can request police clearance which is thorough & taken over a ten year period. It starts with an interview & the process mandates documentary evidence. Unless I had been been there for many years they would refer me to the Vietnam Police who have already referred me to the British Embassy in Saigon

Returning to the UK is not an option for me, needless to say, the Thai Embassy in London have ignored my e-mail

The responses I am seeking refer to the three Thai lawyers in Bangkok, Pattaya & Chiang Mai who claim to be able to help, starting with depositing 800,000 baht in a Thai Bank

Post by **sometimewoodworker** » February 22, 2015, 11:59 pm

It looks as if your friend is misunderstanding the visa he needs. A standard Non-O single entry will do him. No need for the OA. Then he converts that to an extension of stay based on retirement in the last 30 days of that entry. You will need to have either ฿65,000 per month income (certified by the British embassy) or 800,000 on deposit for 2 months at the time of application or a combination of income and bank deposit (no seasoning time needed if it's a combination)

He should be able to get the non-O in Vientiane or savannakhet. No police report neded and if it's savannakhet no proof of funds either.

Post by **papaguido** » February 23, 2015, 5:04 am

Ray.Charles wrote:On behalf of my British friend, now living in Vietnam:

Ï am 68 years old & have never worked for the government

I don't understand the difference between an Ö" & an ÖA" visa

Ray,

The Non Immigrant visa is broken down by category:

Purpose of Visit:-
This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes:

To perform official duties: (Category “F”)
To conduct business / to work: (Category “B”)
To study, to come on a work study tour or observation tour, to participate in projects or seminar, to attend a conference or training course, to study as a foreign Buddhist monk: (Category “ED”)
To work as a film-producer, journalist or reporter: (Category “M”)
To perform missionary work or other religious activities with the concurrence of the Thai Ministries or Government Departments concerned: (Category “R”)
To conduct scientific research or training or teaching in research institute: (Category “RS”)
Other activities: (Category “O”) as follows: To stay with the family, perform duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.
To stay after retirement for a person who over 50 years old or older: (Category “O-A”)

Source:

http://www.thaiembassydc.org/?page_id=30

*sent you PM...

Post by **BobHelm** » February 23, 2015, 5:12 am

sometimewoodworker wrote:He should be able to get the non-O in Vientiane or savannakhet. No police report neded and if it's savannakhet no proof of funds either.

This is for reason of marriage only. Not retirement.
You need to produce evidence of marriage to a Thai national in order to obtain.

Ray. If he is 68 years old then he should be receiving the British Old Age Pension.
Proof of receiving that is the only evidence he needs to present to the Thai Embassy in London in order to gain a non Imm 'o'visa based on retirement.
He needs to stay in the UK only long enough to arrange an appointment with the Thai Embassy (although he could also do it by post once in England).
A single entry visa will give him 90 days in Thailand,
Once here he needs to open a bank account & deposit 800K baht (or go the '65K income route via the Embassy).
When he has about 30 days left on his visa he should apply to have the yearly extension at Udon Immigration.
It would be a very simple process that he could easily do himself.

If he cannot go to England & get the visa then he may well need the assistance of a third party in order to ease the passage of the visa extension.
On the other hand if he can get an o visa from London then it is a fairly easy process that he could do himself.

Post by **sometimewoodworker** » February 23, 2015, 11:25 am

papaguido wrote:
Ray.Charles wrote:On behalf of my British friend, now living in Vietnam:

Ï am 68 years old & have never worked for the government

I don't understand the difference between an Ö" & an ÖA" visa
Ray,

The Non Immigrant visa is broken down by category:

Purpose of Visit:-
This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes:

To perform official duties: (Category “F”)
To conduct business / to work: (Category “B”)
To study, to come on a work study tour or observation tour, to participate in projects or seminar, to attend a conference or training course, to study as a foreign Buddhist monk: (Category “ED”)
To work as a film-producer, journalist or reporter: (Category “M”)
To perform missionary work or other religious activities with the concurrence of the Thai Ministries or Government Departments concerned: (Category “R”)
To conduct scientific research or training or teaching in research institute: (Category “RS”)
Other activities: (Category “O”) as follows: To stay with the family, perform duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.
To stay after retirement for a person who over 50 years old or older: (Category “O-A”)

Source:

http://www.thaiembassydc.org/?page_id=30

*sent you PM...

You do not need a OA visa to apply for a extension of stay based upon retirement.

You can get a Non-immigrant-O (Pensioner) single entry 3 month and and multiple entry 1 year (3 months each entry) {effectively 15 months}
Or Non-immigrant O-A (Longstay) 1 year {effectively 24 months}

The requirements for the Non-immigrant-O (Pensioner) do not involve a police check

You DO NOT have to get the Non-OA to get an extension of stay for retirement. You can get a Non-immigrant-O visa based on retirement from Vientiane. You will need to show proof of funds

Post by **sometimewoodworker** » February 23, 2015, 11:39 am

♦ Non Immigrant Visa

This type of visa is issued for purposes of business, study, attending conference or seminar, film production, journalism, job volunteer, accompanying Thai spouse or family members or retirement.

1. validity of visa is 90 days
2. visa fee is 2,000 Baht (for single entry)
3. duration of stay permitted upon arrival is 90 days
Source http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/vienti ... lar_check/

Vientiane visa section information.

For information, please call (+856) 21 453916 (between 13.30 - 16.30 hrs. only)

Post by **BobHelm** » February 23, 2015, 12:15 pm

Even if the Non Imm 'o' is available based on retirement from Vientiane it still does not resolve all of Ray's friends immediate problems.
The list of requirements from Vientiane says...

For the purpose of long-stay retirement (an eligible person must be over 50 years of age),
documents required are;
1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Official letter from the concerned Embassy/Consulate certifying the monthly income of at least
65,000 Baht
or Official letter from the Bank in Thailand certifying a valid account of at least 800,000 Baht,
and is being held at least 3 months before visa application.
3. Recent Police clearance or equivalent reference of no criminal conviction
4. Medical certificate

http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/vienti ... lar_check/

I do not know the personal details of Ray's friends' finances but going route 2 (monthly income) may be an issue as the UK Embassy require documented proof of income.
Going down the 800K route is certainly an issue as they require the money in the Thai bank for 3 months.
Item 3 is also an issue as the Vietnamese Police are unlikely to want to issue anything & the UK police cannot.

Personally I have never heard of anyone receiving a non o based on retirement from Vientiane, although visa rules change all the time, of course.
I would certainly be delighted if this was now available & if someone would report back that they had received one..

Post by **sometimewoodworker** » February 23, 2015, 8:00 pm

BobHelm wrote:Even if the Non Imm 'o' is available based on retirement from Vientiane it still does not resolve all of Ray's friends immediate problems.
The list of requirements from Vientiane says...

For the purpose of long-stay retirement (an eligible person must be over 50 years of age),
documents required are;
1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Official letter from the concerned Embassy/Consulate certifying the monthly income of at least
65,000 Baht
or Official letter from the Bank in Thailand certifying a valid account of at least 800,000 Baht,
and is being held at least 3 months before visa application.
3. Recent Police clearance or equivalent reference of no criminal conviction
4. Medical certificate

http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/vienti ... lar_check/

I do not know the personal details of Ray's friends' finances but going route 2 (monthly income) may be an issue as the UK Embassy require documented proof of income.
Going down the 800K route is certainly an issue as they require the money in the Thai bank for 3 months.
Item 3 is also an issue as the Vietnamese Police are unlikely to want to issue anything & the UK police cannot.

Personally I have never heard of anyone receiving a non o based on retirement from Vientiane, although visa rules change all the time, of course.
I would certainly be delighted if this was now available & if someone would report back that they had received one..

I would suggest calling the embassy (or posting the question on TV for UbonJoe or lopburi3) as the requirements for the OA & O have been mixed together on the embassy website.

For the non-O
You will probably find that a bank book with the deposit of 800,000 Bhat is OK
You will almost certainly find that no police report is needed
For getting a visa there is usually no need to season the money in the bank.

The first extension of stay only needs the money seasoned for 2 months not 3

There is no need for a connection between a Vietnamese Police report and the UK police, the police report is usually from the country in which you are resident, although the length of time you have been residing in that country will be a factor

I had missed the fact that he was resident in Vietnam

http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en ... stay).html

Non-Immigrant Visa “O-A” (Long Stay)

Required Documents
- Passport with validity of not less than 18 months.
- 3 copies of completed visa application forms.
- 3 passport-sized photos (4 x 6 cm) of the applicant taken within the past six months.
- A personal data form.
- A copy of bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totalling not less than 800,000 Baht.
- In the case of submitting a bank statement, a letter of guarantee from the bank (an original copy) is required.
- A letter of verification issued from the country of his or her nationality or residence stating that the applicant has no criminal record (verification shall be valid for not more than three months and should be notarised by notary organs or the applicant’s diplomatic or consular mission).
- A medical certificate issued from the country where the application is submitted, showing no prohibitive diseases (Leprosy, Tubercolosis, Drug Addiction, Elephantiasis and Third Step of Syphilis) as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535) (certificate shall be valid for not more than three months and should be notarised by notary organs or the applicant’s diplomatic or consular mission).
- In the case where the accompanying spouse is not eligible to apply for the Category ‘O-A’ (Long Stay) visa, he or she will be considered for temporary stay under Category ‘O’ visa. A marriage certificate must be provided as evidence and should be notarised by notary organs or by the applicant’s diplomatic or consular mission.

Post by **sometimewoodworker** » February 23, 2015, 9:41 pm

BobHelm wrote:
Personally I have never heard of anyone receiving a non o based on retirement from Vientiane, although visa rules change all the time, of course.
I would certainly be delighted if this was now available & if someone would report back that they had received one..

Here is the report you want http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762 ... us-update/

Post by **broon97** » April 16, 2015, 3:39 pm

Looking to apply for Retirement Visa in Udon after my visa by marriage to a Thai issued in Savannakhet.
Any advice would be welcome

Post by **waanjai** » April 16, 2015, 9:13 pm

broon97 wrote:Looking to apply for Retirement Visa in Udon after my visa by marriage to a Thai issued in Savannakhet.
Any advice would be welcome

First, a clarification. You can only - in principle - obtain a visa for Thailand from a Thai embassy or consulate outside of Thailand. That is, what You do in Savannakhet. You will have to apply for a Non-Immigrant-Visa based on Thai Wife.

Within Thailand - at the Immigration Office of your province of residence - You can ask for the permission to extend your granted stay for up to one year and further yearly extensions. This is no Visa, this is a Permission to Stay in Thailand for a certain requested period - normally one year. Technically spoken it will always be an "extension of stay" of your originally granted Non-Immigrant-Visa outside of Thailand.

Second, as You know, once You have entered Thailand with a Non-Immigrant-O-(Single or Multiple Entry) Visa You can choose for the "extension/permission" of/to stay between a variety of options. The options "extension of stay based on Retirement" and "extension of stay based on Thai Wife" being the two most often used.

The two options differ as far as the documents required and proof of income are concerned. It is clear that an extension of stay based on Retirement demands more income to be shown but had - at least in the past - the advantage that the application would be processed directly in the immigration office on the same day.