Hello All,
Just found out that Thai Consulates here in the US are no longer allowed to issue Thai Retirement Visas. I was informed of this by the Miami Thai Consulate and all applications must go through an Embassy. I didn't ask when this was effective , so it might be old news here on this forum. Anyway it's just FYI.
I have a current Retirement (O-A ) Visa, but am not able to return to Thailand for another year extension before it expires, so I have to apply for a new Retirement (O-A) Visa through the Thai Embassy in Washington. I hope it goes as smoothly as it did with the Miami Consulate.
Retirement (O-A) Visa
Re: Retirement (O-A) Visa
The OA visas are only obtainable from Thai Embassies in your home country, as you've said. Consulates can't issue them.
I can't work out whether you live here or not. If you do, you can extend annually at your local Imm office here in Thailand from a Non Immigrant O visa. There's actually no need for the OA when you arrive. The "O" can be got from consulates, either single entry or multi which is valid for a year. You will have to do border runs every 90 days on the later though.
If your finances are in order over here or back home and you're over 50 (which you must be already to have had an OA), a single entry O will suffice to get the annual extension and you should get the visa easily from Miami. NOTE, however, that if extending for a year on the basis of retirement and using the savings method your funds must have been a Thai bank account for either 2 or 3 months before application (2 for first application. 3 subsequently), so if you're going down that route rather than income and you don't have the money here already, you'll need to get a move on when you arrive. The single entry O will only give you 90 days here.
I can't work out whether you live here or not. If you do, you can extend annually at your local Imm office here in Thailand from a Non Immigrant O visa. There's actually no need for the OA when you arrive. The "O" can be got from consulates, either single entry or multi which is valid for a year. You will have to do border runs every 90 days on the later though.
If your finances are in order over here or back home and you're over 50 (which you must be already to have had an OA), a single entry O will suffice to get the annual extension and you should get the visa easily from Miami. NOTE, however, that if extending for a year on the basis of retirement and using the savings method your funds must have been a Thai bank account for either 2 or 3 months before application (2 for first application. 3 subsequently), so if you're going down that route rather than income and you don't have the money here already, you'll need to get a move on when you arrive. The single entry O will only give you 90 days here.
Re: Retirement (O-A) Visa
I got mine at the very consulate the poster mentioned in Miami. It was just a window in a law office with a single worker taking paperwork and having it validated and visa prepared by the lawyer inside who was an honorary consulate. Done and dusted in around 4 weeks (if I remember correctly) ... but that was seven years ago.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Re: Retirement (O-A) Visa
I honestly cannot see the advantage with the 0-A visa, apart from giving you 1 year on arrival.
If you are going to live here, and you are over 50 years of age, a multiple entry non immigrant 0 visa is the way to go. If it is going to take you some time to arrange the money requirement here, then just do a simple border run, one run will give you a total of 6 months to arrange the local requirement. (and if you are a US citizen I believe it is very easy to get the required income statement from your Embassy here, which means that you do not have to show funds in a Thai Bank).
If you are still working and need to travel in and out of Thailand, or for whatever reason, the multiple entry is still better, as you save on a re-entry permit required with the 0-A visa.
Just my take on it, but I would not bother with the 0-A visa, and its associated run around.
If you are going to live here, and you are over 50 years of age, a multiple entry non immigrant 0 visa is the way to go. If it is going to take you some time to arrange the money requirement here, then just do a simple border run, one run will give you a total of 6 months to arrange the local requirement. (and if you are a US citizen I believe it is very easy to get the required income statement from your Embassy here, which means that you do not have to show funds in a Thai Bank).
If you are still working and need to travel in and out of Thailand, or for whatever reason, the multiple entry is still better, as you save on a re-entry permit required with the 0-A visa.
Just my take on it, but I would not bother with the 0-A visa, and its associated run around.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Retirement (O-A) Visa
hhfarang, The Miami Thai Consulate is still the way you described it was for you 7 years ago.
When I went there last year with all the paperwork for my Retirement Visa I thought it would take a few hours at least so I brought along a book to read. After submitting my paperwork to the young lady I ran down to but some more coins in the parking meter and when I returned she handed me my Retirement Visa. That was service!! Back when I was working, it took all day to renew my US Passport at the Phila.Passport Bureau and that was with a letter from my employer!!
When I went there last year with all the paperwork for my Retirement Visa I thought it would take a few hours at least so I brought along a book to read. After submitting my paperwork to the young lady I ran down to but some more coins in the parking meter and when I returned she handed me my Retirement Visa. That was service!! Back when I was working, it took all day to renew my US Passport at the Phila.Passport Bureau and that was with a letter from my employer!!
Re: Retirement (O-A) Visa
Thai Consulates in the USA *can* still issue O-A Retirement Visas. The only true Thai Consulates are: New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The other consulates are "Honorary Consulates," and yes, they can no longer issue the O-A Retirement Visa. This changed within the past year, if I recall correctly.
The other consulates are "Honorary Consulates," and yes, they can no longer issue the O-A Retirement Visa. This changed within the past year, if I recall correctly.
Re: Retirement (O-A) Visa
One advantage of a *multiple-entry* O-A Visa is that you can make it last (almost) two years before you need to get a new visa/extension.Nereus wrote:I honestly cannot see the advantage with the 0-A visa, apart from giving you 1 year on arrival.
Every time you re-enter Thailand on the O-A Visa, you receive a permission to stay for 12-months from that date. If you re-enter Thailand just before the expiration of the O-A Visa, you get another full year. To keep that second full year if you depart Thailand in that year, however, you do need to get a re-entry permit.
Example:
Issued a multiple-entry Non-Immigrant O-A visa on 01-Jun-2010. It expires 31-May-2011, i.e. valid for multiple entries to Thailand up to 31-May-2011.
Enter Thailand 05-Jun-2010, receive permission to stay until 04-Jun-2011.
Leave and re-enter Thailand on 01-Sept-2010, receive permission to stay until 31-Aug-2011.
etc, etc. Then, since your O-A visa expires ("not valid after") 31-May-2011, on 31-May-2011 re-enter Thailand and receive a permission to stay until 30-May-2012.
After 31-May-2011, you can no longer enter Thailand on your O-A visa, since the visa expires on 31-May-2011. However, you now have a permission to stay of 30-May-2012, effectively two years since the visa was issued.
If you depart Thailand and attempt to re-enter WITHOUT a re-entry permit after 31-May-2011, you start from scratch again. WITH a re-entry permit you can continue to re-enter Thailand until 30-May-2012.
Of course, I personally recommend not waiting until that very last date, 31-May-2011, to do it. Murphy's law and all. I would probably do it sometime during the previous week.
Avoids having to apply for extension, no need to prove income/savings, etc, for an additional year.
Confusing, I know, and I hope I got the dates right (I kept typing the wrong year...), but the principle should be understandable, I hope. I have two friends who did it, so yes, I know it works.