Visa Thailand: Visa Non Immigrant OA and conditions

Dear editors,

In the last message to the question about visa information, RonnyLatPhrao “in my opinion” gave incorrect advice. It concerns his explanation about the Non Immigrant Cat: OA visa.

I hold this visa and would like to inform you that your explanation is only valid for one one-year extension. For the second extension (ie after two years), as with the non-immigrant visa, cat: O, one must meet all the conditions below. Specifically: I obtained my OA visa at the Thai embassy in Brussels on May 25, 2014. I paid 140€ for it and had to be able to present a whole series of documents (bank certificate, doctor's certificate, good behavior and decency certificate, etc…etc…).

On May 19, 2015, I simply had to cross the border (in my case Nongkai) into Laos and on May 19, I obtained an automatic renewal. This year I do have to apply for a visa extension and submit the following supporting documents:

1. Application form TM.7
2. 1 passport photo, 4 x 6 cm
3. 1900 baht
4. You must be at least 50 years old
5. Copies of passport, visa, extension and stamps placed by the migration police (same as with the quarterly confirmation of residence at your specified address). In my case, they asked me to bring my yellow book as well.
6. Proof that I have 800.000 baht in a Thai account for three full months (or a combination of income and bank account for 800.000 baht together).
7. A statement from the bank confirming the specified amount dated the same day.

I wish to pass on this information because your explanation of OA gives the impression that the extensions are endless.

I hope that this writing has been of service to you and the readers of the blog.

In the meantime, best regards,

Jan

Dear Jan,

What I mean by proving nothing in Thailand is that with this visa on arrival you will have a residence period of one year, and you will not have to prove anything in Thailand. You have already done that with the application. The “A” stands for “Approved” by the way
Of course this is not infinite, and this only applies to the period(s) of stay that you can obtain with that visa. No visa is infinite. Well, maybe that wasn't clear and it led to confusion.

If you want to stay longer, you will extension have to ask at immigration. If you request an extension of a period of residence obtained with a Non-immigrant OA, you must of course also meet the same financial conditions. Whether you request an extension of a period of residence obtained with a Non-immigrant O, or an extension of a period of residence obtained with a Non-immigrant OA does not make any difference. The conditions for obtaining an extension are the same, at least when it comes to “Retirement”.

Yet this one. You must distinguish between a period of stay that you obtain with a visa and an extension. When you leave the country during the validity period of your visa and you come back in, you will receive a new period of stay. That is not an extension. An extension is obtained in an immigration office, not at the border, and is what it says, extending a period of stay.

The Non-immigrant OA has Multiple entry and is valid for one year. Upon arrival, you will therefore have a residence period of one year.
Every time you leave Thailand and re-enter, within the validity period, you will receive a new STAY PERIOD. That is not an extension.
In that way, you can, in theory, stay in Thailand with that visa for almost two years (border runs included).

In your case. You made a border run on 19 May and as a result received a new residence period of one year upon entry, not an extension.
By the way, you want to leave Thailand during the stay period, but after the validity period of the visa, you will need a re-entry. (Just like with an extension).

You can of course also apply for an extension of a period of residence with a Non-immigrant OA. No different from applying for an extension from a Non-Immigrant “O”.
This is only possible after the validity period of the visa has expired (so it should no longer be possible to obtain a new period of stay with that visa).
In theory, this can be done after a year, and not after two years as you write.
E.g. Suppose a Non-immigrant OA Multiple entry visa has a validity period from February 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016.
Suppose you enter Thailand on February 10, 2015. You will then have a residence period until February 9, 2016.
Since the validity period expires on January 31, 2016, you can already apply for an extension from February 1, 2016, which will follow on February 9, 2016, the end of your period of stay.
So you don't have to get the most out of your Non-immigrant “OA”. If an extension is cheaper than a “border run”, it is best to request an extension as soon as possible.
In theory already after a year.

What the supporting documents for an extension must be are clearly stated in the file: www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/uploads/TB-Dossier-Visa-2016-Definatief-11-januari-2016.pdf

I would therefore like to supplement your points as follows.

6) Proof that I have 800.000 baht in a Thai account for three full months (or a combination of income and bank account for 800.000 baht in total).
Two months is sufficient for the first application for an extension. Follow-up applications is three months. An income of 65 Baht is of course also sufficient, but then you must have an ''”income statement”. Or the combination as you already wrote.
7) A statement from the bank confirming the stated amount dated the same day.
Not all immigration offices require this to be of the same day. It is best to apply to the immigration office itself.
For Pattaya, among other things, it says on their form (as far as finances are concerned). (Each immigration office has its own regulations, so inform yourself in time.)
Income ('Fund book' not allowed):
a. EITHER: Letter from a Thai bank, not more than one week old, certifying a balance of at least 800,000 Baht, together with a copy of your bank book showing the name page and transactions for the past three months. In the first year of the Retirement Visa, the 800,000 Baht must have been in the bank for at least 2 months prior to application, but in subsequent years the requirement is at least three months prior.
b. OR: Letter from your embassy showing pension or other income in your home country of at least 65,000 Baht equivalent on a monthly basis.
c. OR a combination of (a) and (b) above: Income of less than 65,000 Baht equivalent plus a complimentary cash sum in the Thai bank. The total from both sources combined must be at least 800,000 Baht. You will need a letter from both your bank and your embassy (plus the bank book pages that are specified under a).

Regards,

Ronny