pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 3, 2019, 2:34 pm

Has anybody come across these two rules very recently,
Rule 1. To get a 12 month Long Stay Thai Non-immigrant O-A Visa, you must show evidence, i.e. a Letter from current Employer of Intention to Retire on a not too distant date or of actually have already Retired ??
Rule 2. That, if you get a 12 month Long Stay Thai Non-immigrant O-A Visa, you must Report to the Thai Immigration (In country) every 90 days, meaning you must be in Thailand every 90 days or so

pipoz4444

Each embassy can make up their own rules, so for number 1 its the rule in that location or the rule given by that embassy official on that day.

The embassy has nothing to do with the immigration department and clearly they do not understand the rules.
90 day reporting is only ever required if you are in Thailand for more than 90 days. if you are in Thailand for 90 days or less no report is ever needed.

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 3, 2019, 2:34 pm

AD Girl: Yes we can give you 12 month or 6 month?? But, she then says if I give you 12 month Long Stay Thai Non-immigrant O-A Visa, you will need to Report to the Thai Immigration every 90 Days.

There is no 6 month visa apart from the multi entry tourist visa which gives 60 dates each entry

sometimewoodworker wrote: ↑

February 3, 2019, 5:12 pm

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 3, 2019, 2:34 pm

Has anybody come across these two rules very recently,
Rule 1. To get a 12 month Long Stay Thai Non-immigrant O-A Visa, you must show evidence, i.e. a Letter from current Employer of Intention to Retire on a not too distant date or of actually have already Retired ??
Rule 2. That, if you get a 12 month Long Stay Thai Non-immigrant O-A Visa, you must Report to the Thai Immigration (In country) every 90 days, meaning you must be in Thailand every 90 days or so

pipoz4444

Each embassy can make up their own rules, so for number 1 its the rule in that location or the rule given by that embassy official on that day.

The embassy has nothing to do with the immigration department and clearly they do not understand the rules.
90 day reporting is only ever required if you are in Thailand for more than 90 days. if you are in Thailand for 90 days or less no report is ever needed.

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 3, 2019, 2:34 pm

AD Girl: Yes we can give you 12 month or 6 month?? But, she then says if I give you 12 month Long Stay Thai Non-immigrant O-A Visa, you will need to Report to the Thai Immigration every 90 Days.

There is no 6 month visa apart from the multi entry tourist visa which gives 60 dates each entry

Thank you STWW and I am in the pursuit of my intended Retirement letter from my Employer, to satisfy the bunnies at the Thai Embassy

She (Miss AD) did say, if you get this extra letter confirming you will Retire, all will be fine and I will get my 12 month Long Stay Thai Non-immigrant O-A Visa, in front of the other Counter Girl (who doesn't appear to know much at all)

Fingers crossed and I will hopefully have another crack at the Thai process later this week

pipoz4444

Still on the pursuit of the "Application"

I did go back to the Thai Embassy last week, with my letter from my Employer, which confirmed my of Intention to Retire on a not too distant future. She was happy with that, but then said the Consulate (apparently he is new, from late December 2018), did not like the Medical Certificate that I had just got from the Bangkok Hospital in Thailand, the week before, at a cost of TB 200.

After having explained that previously, several months earlier they (The Thai Embassy) had suggested to my colleague that he do this, because a Medical Certificate from a Thailand Hospital was preferred over that from local Hospital (here), she simply said "Sorry, this what he (The Consulate) want. He now want you to get the local (Qatar) Hospital Medical Certificate, but also get it attested to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

So away I went and now I have a Qatar Hospital Medical Certificate, attested to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a total Hospital and Attestation cost of, USD 191.

This week I am back down to the Thai Embassy, will all in hand, hoping that there are no more last minute requests, from Mr C.............

pipoz4444

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 9, 2019, 11:14 am

Still on the pursuit of the "Application"

I did go back to the Thai Embassy last week, with my letter from my Employer, which confirmed my of Intention to Retire on a not too distant future. She was happy with that, but then said the Consulate (apparently he is new, from late December 2018), did not like the Medical Certificate that I had just got from the Bangkok Hospital in Thailand, the week before, at a cost of TB 200.

After having explained that previously, several months earlier they (The Thai Embassy) had suggested to my colleague that he do this, because a Medical Certificate from a Thailand Hospital was preferred over that from local Hospital (here), she simply said "Sorry, this what he (The Consulate) want. He now want you to get the local (Qatar) Hospital Medical Certificate, but also get it attested to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

So away I went and now i have a Qatar Hospital Medical Certificate, attested to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a total Hospital and Attestation cost of, USD 191.

This week I am back down to the Thai Embassy, will all in hand, hoping that there are no more last minute request for Mr C.............

pipoz4444

Thanks for the updates on all of this.

While the requests and requirements may change for the next guy, it is a prime example of how to expect anything and everything, to just smile and comply.

Hi LS

I have learnt to be tolerant with the Thai processes over the years, if not with this Thai Embassy, then whenever ones goes into a Thai Bank for a simple issues, that seems to take hours. "Tolerance is another word for indifference"

In the pursuit of happiness in the "Land of Smiles", I will just shrug it off and try again

pipoz4444

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 9, 2019, 11:14 am

Still on the pursuit of the "Application"

I did go back to the Thai Embassy last week, with my letter from my Employer, which confirmed my of Intention to Retire on a not too distant future. She was happy with that, but then said the Consulate (apparently he is new, from late December 2018), did not like the Medical Certificate that I had just got from the Bangkok Hospital in Thailand, the week before, at a cost of TB 200.

After having explained that previously, several months earlier they (The Thai Embassy) had suggested to my colleague that he do this, because a Medical Certificate from a Thailand Hospital was preferred over that from local Hospital (here), she simply said "Sorry, this what he (The Consulate) want. He now want you to get the local (Qatar) Hospital Medical Certificate, but also get it attested to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

So away I went and now I have a Qatar Hospital Medical Certificate, attested to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a total Hospital and Attestation cost of, USD 191.

This week I am back down to the Thai Embassy, will all in hand, hoping that there are no more last minute requests, from Mr C.............

pipoz4444

Pipoz4444, I am curious to know if you downloaded and used the Medical Certificate that I uploaded for you from the Thai Consulate in Washington, DC. If so, I don't understand why it wasn't acceptable to the Thai Consulate where you applied for your visa.

Hi Semperfiguy

No I went into the Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani and the Admin person showed me a recent Form for an Expat, prepared supposedly for his Visa renewal of some sorts. Then I spoke with the Doctor and the Form they use was the same, called "Medical Certificate for Certifying Health"

In the Form in the First section it records
My address in Udon Thani
My Passport Number
Yes or No to Current Medical Condition is I have one (Doctor asks the question and I said no)
Yes or No Accident or Surgery History (Doctor asks the question and I said no)

He then does a quick medical poke/check, listens to you breath in and out, ask you to cough etc. Looks at you Leg for Elephantiasis and has a quick look for sign of Leprosy (with his gloves on)

In the Form under the second section it states/records
The Date of the Check
My Height and Weight
My Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate
States Overall Impression as "Normal"
Records that "This person is physically and mentally free from Defect (now I can tell the TG) and that i do not appear to have, Leprosy, Tuberculosis or Elephantiasis"

He then stamped and signed by the Doctor & Hospital

In and out in 30 minutes, then Pay at the front Desk, where they put the bigger Stamp on it

Regards

pipoz4444

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 9, 2019, 5:50 pm

Hi Semperfiguy

No I went into the Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani and the Admin person showed me a recent Form for an Expat, prepared supposedly for his Visa renewal of some sorts. The then spoke with the Doctor and the Form they use was the same, called "Medical Certificate for Certifying Health"

In the Form in the First section it records
My address in Udon Thani
My Passport Number
Yes or No to Current Medical Condition is I have one (Doctor asks the question and I said no)
Yes or No Accident or Surgery History (Doctor asks the question and I said no)

He then does a quick medical poke/check, listens to you breath in and out, ask you to cough etc. Looks at you Leg for Elephantiasis and has a quick look for sign of Leprosy (with his gloves on)

In the Form under the second section it states/records
The Date of the Check
My Height and Weight
My Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate
States Overall Impression as "Normal"
Records that "This person is physically and mentally free from Defect (now I can tell the TG) and that i do not appear to have, Leprosy, Tuberculosis or Elephantiasis"

He then stamped and signed by the Doctor & Hospital

In and out in 30 minutes, then Pay at the front Desk, where they put the bigger Stamp on it

Regards

pipoz4444

I suppose there's really no good reason why the new guy at the Thai Consulate in Qatar wouldn't accept your Medical Certificate from BKH, Udon except that perhaps that was his way of creating a hurdle for you so he could extract some money from your back pocket, and you didn't buy into it. I find it impossible to figure out what these bandits have on their minds.Happy that you did get a proper certificate from the local hospital, but man did they ever rip you off on the price and cause you a lot of extra leg work by having to go to the Minisry of Foreign Affairs. I got my Non-Immigrant O-A in the US, and from the time I mailed in all my documents to the time I received my passport back with the visa, it was a total of only 3 days. I couldn't believe the turnaround was so quick, and not a single hitch!

Hi

And we will see what he does this time round. See if he has any more excuses up his sleeve

pipoz4444

I now have my,

1.Local (Qatar) Hospital Medical Certificate, also attested to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2.My second letter from my Employer stating that I will be retiring before May 2019

So all is complete, according to that requested by the Thai Consulate from my last visit.

So now back to the Thai Embassy /Consulate this coming Sunday, to see if they will accept the Application for my Long Stay Non Immigrant O A multiple entry Visa [-o< [-o<

Regards

pipo4444

Better luck this time

sometimewoodworker wrote: ↑

February 16, 2019, 11:38 am

Better luck this time

Thanks and will see this time

pipoz4444

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 16, 2019, 3:31 pm

sometimewoodworker wrote: ↑

February 16, 2019, 11:38 am

Better luck this time

Thanks and will see this time

pipoz4444

A minor hick-up this morning, but overcome at the Counter with the AD Girl, so they accepted my Application, took my money and told me to come back on Wednesday to collect the Visa. So far it seems to be heading in the right direction. [-o<

pipoz4444

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 17, 2019, 4:20 pm

pipoz4444 wrote: ↑

February 16, 2019, 3:31 pm

sometimewoodworker wrote: ↑

February 16, 2019, 11:38 am

Better luck this time

Thanks and will see this time

pipoz4444

A minor hick-up this morning, but overcome at the Counter with the AD Girl, so they accepted my Application, took my money and told me to come back on Wednesday to collect the Visa. So far it seems to be heading in the right direction. [-o<

pipoz4444

Congrats!

I always expect a hiccup. 555

Lone Star,

It’s not in my hand (Passport) yet, so I will hold off the celebration [-o<

pipoz4444

Hi glalt

Actually today, they (the Thai Embassy) were not too interested in how much I currently have in my Thai Bank, even though I did include a copy of updated Thai Bank book, with my Application.

They were more interested in my last six months of Bank Statements from my local Bank over here, the regular monthly deposit amount (my Salary) and what the Balance is now and if these Statements were Stamped & Signed by the Bank

The hick-up today was that

She said: "Your local Medical Certificate does not talk about your Diseases"

My Reply: I don't have any Diseases

Her Reply: Why not it speak about your Leprosy and Elephantiasis

My Reply: Look at my fingers, I don't have Leprosy and look at my Leg, I don't have Elephantiasis

Her Reply: OK, you come here many times already, give me back your Thai Hospital Medical Certificate (the one they rejected last time)

Then she stapled it to the back of my local Medical Certificate and said "OK now give me QAR 750 (USD 205) please. Thank you and you come Wednesday to collect Visa" =D> =D> =D> Game Over, I think

I quickly paid and almost ran out the door, before she could think of anything else

pipoz4444

That took some doing Pipoz. My initial marriage visa took some doing, but has been pretty straight forward for the last five years - until now. AUD falling all the time, 40K THB pm now borderline, add the problem of 'no embassy letter' available now, and pension into a Thai bank account only for a couple of months, the situation looks grim. May have to delay construction on the house to use funds for a deposit in a Thai bank temporarily.

ajarnudon wrote: ↑

February 19, 2019, 6:50 pm

That took some doing Pipoz. My initial marriage visa took some doing, but has been pretty straight forward for the last five years - until now. AUD falling all the time, 40K THB pm now borderline, add the problem of 'no embassy letter' available now, and pension into a Thai bank account only for a couple of months, the situation looks grim. May have to delay construction on the house to use funds for a deposit in a Thai bank temporarily.

Hi John,

Yes it took time with the Thai Embassy over here to accept my Application and tomorrow afternoon 3.00 to 4.00 pm is my D Day. That's when I have been told by them to come back and collect the Visa, so my Fingers are crossed, as are my Legs [-o< [-o<

Unfortunately the Australian Dollar has gone downhill at only TB 22.18. I was lucky and cut my ties with the Australian Dollar, back in December 2016 (at 26.30) and then again in January 2018 (at 24.50), and I am so glad I did. I had no confidence in the AUD and just didn't see it heading back up to its Pre 2015 days. Unfortunately for those who are still dependent on the exchange rate of the Australian Dollar, its painful and I can only sympathize. I just can't see it recovering anytime soon.

I thought that once I got my Long Stay Non Immigrant O A Visa, I would immediately start packing up my belongings and very soon after, make the final move to Thailand. I had envisaged this would be some time in May 2019. But now I am having second thoughts, as the project over here will run for another 2 + 1/2 years, which means cash.

So I now find myself questioning, when is it an appropriate time to Resign. They will never sack me, that much I am sure of, but I do desperately want to get out of here after 15 years and put my feet up.

Think it was Led Zeppelin who sang "Dazed and Confused"

pipoz444