Questioner: Mark
Is it true that if I enter Thailand with a 30 day tourist visa I can have it converted upon emigration to an OA retirement visa multiple entry if I have 800.000 baht in my Bangkok bank?
Reaction RonnyLatYa
It's a question that has been asked and answered several times here on TB. First, to clarify a few things.
– You do not enter Thailand with a 30-day Tourist Visa, but with a visa exemption (Visa Exemption). This gives you a stay of 30 days without having to apply for a visa.
– A Non-immigrant OA Multiple entry is a visa that you can only apply for outside Thailand, ie at an embassy. For this you must meet certain conditions and you will have to submit specific evidence.
Upon entry you will then be granted a residence period of one year. You can currently request this online.
– In Thailand you end up with immigration, not emigration.
What you mean is: can I convert my Tourist status (which is a Visa Exemption) to a Non-immigrant status?
Yes, you can, but this will only change your status from tourist to non-immigrant. The status you will then obtain is comparable to a Non-immigrant O, but you will not obtain entry(s) like when you apply for a visa at an embassy.
So you enter on Visa Exemption and you will then receive 30 days of residence. You can also extend those 30 days by 30 days. Then costs 1900 Baht. You can then submit an application to immigration to convert your status from Tourist to Non-immigrant on the basis of Retirement. Please note that at the time of the application there must still be 15 days of stay left. You will not get that conversion immediately. That takes a while. Usually a week.
What you need for this can be found here and costs 2000 Baht. Your bank amount of 800 000 Baht will also be sufficient as financial proof.
https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/8-1.pdf
If allowed and that will depend on immigration, you will first get a residence period of 90 days. Just as if you would have entered with a Non-immigrant O visa.
You can then extend those 90 days for another year. Costs 1900 Baht. You will then have to meet the conditions again. Here too, your 800 Baht as financial proof will suffice.
If you don't extend those 90 days, you have to go outside.
If you have extended and you want to leave Thailand afterwards, you will first have to buy a Re-entry. If you don't, you will lose the annual extension when you leave Thailand. It now depends on how often you will leave Thailand during that year extension. A Single Re-entry costs 1000 Baht and a Multiple Re-entry 3800 Baht.
Success.
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