O-A Long Stay Visa: start process in U.S. or Thailand?

[bttao]

On 11/6/2017 at 6:12 AM, bkk6060 said:

Do you have 600 bucks in your life?  I think you do since you have the 800k.

 

Simplify things.  I suggest you come here as you did in October and go to an agency.  They can get you the first year 3 months, then 12 month retirement visa in a couple hours.   No hassle with police or medical checks in Thailand.  

 

Well worth the investment.

Good luck.

 

Yes the more I read/ try to navigate the maze the more confused one gets...

 

Does the $600  thing include the $200 Visa/immigration  stamp/fee?

I don't see anything illegal for using them: They are Thai businesses (corrupt maybe), but they use their trade openly, helping confused foreigners to conform to "Thai Laws Maze" .. and it's for the local authorities to shut them down if they are "breaking" Thai laws.

Edited November 8, 2017 by bttao

[JackThompson]

32 minutes ago, bttao said:

Yes the more I read/ try to navigate the maze the more confused one gets...

 

Does the $600  thing include the $200 Visa/immigration  stamp/fee?

That is for the Non-O-A - a 1-year multiple-entry visa, which would not be part of the "Agent in Thailand" scheme. 

 

Quote

I don't see anything illegal for using them: They are Thai businesses (corrupt maybe), but they use their trade openly, helping confused foreigners to conform to "Thai Laws" .. and it's for the local authorities to shut them down if they are "breaking" Thai laws.

Be aware, if things go sideways, you will "on the hook" with Thai authorities, regardless of the fact you let a Thai lead you down the path.  Even if an Immigration Officer makes a mistake in your stamps, it is "your problem" including applicable fines, etc - and "Agents" are not even officials. 

 

Therefore, if you do the agent route, be sure to do it 100% legally - which means you need to know the rules, and not permit them to short-cut anything, as was suggested.  That would work like this (and I'll list the DIY fees, so you get an idea):

 

Step 1. Conversion to Non-O 90-days with money in a Thai bank, and proof you transferred the money from abroad and/or an income-letter from your embassy ($50 from USA Embassy for the income-letter, if using it). 

 - DIY = 2000 Baht (~$60), w/ 2 trips to immigration.

 

Step 2. 60+ days later (not before), but before the 90-days runs out, apply for a 1-year extension, with your funds "seasoned" in the Thai bank for 60-days before application. 

 - DIY 1900 Baht (~$58) w/ 1 (usually) trip to immigration (possibly 2).

 

If you do it this way, and assuming you get legit-stamps (not forgeries) from the agent (pick one that has been around a long time) you will be 100% legit.

 

If you can get a Single-Entry Non-O at a US Honorary Consulate before coming to Thailand (cheaper + doesn't require police-check or medical), that will save you the most difficult part (the conversion to Non-O - Step #1, above), and would also cut down significantly on the agent-fee, if you choose to use one once here, for the 1-year extension step.  It cannot hurt to try.

Edited November 8, 2017 by JackThompson

[Jingthing]

I strongly question the open talk about using agents recently. It's obvious that most people that use such agents are not paying only for hand holding (which isn't needed by most) but are paying to avoid actually following the rules. 

 

People come on here seeking legal and ethical advice, particularly this thread, and it gets steered into another discussion of corrupt methods.

 

It's one thing if a discussion of the corrupt agent methods is segregated on a separate thread. But now I'm seeing a disturbing trend where "use an agent" which is code for skirting the rules is coming up on standard topics. 

 

Edited November 8, 2017 by Jingthing

[bttao]

I found out that they assign each State to either Embassy in DC or NY Consulate or LA consulate or Chicago juridiction:

 

http://thaiembdc.org/visas/

Edited November 8, 2017 by bttao

[bttao]

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

That is for the Non-O-A - a 1-year multiple-entry visa, which would not be part of the "Agent in Thailand" scheme. 

 

Be aware, if things go sideways, you will "on the hook" with Thai authorities, regardless of the fact you let a Thai lead you down the path.  Even if an Immigration Officer makes a mistake in your stamps, it is "your problem" including applicable fines, etc - and "Agents" are not even officials. 

 

Therefore, if you do the agent route, be sure to do it 100% legally - which means you need to know the rules, and not permit them to short-cut anything, as was suggested.  That would work like this (and I'll list the DIY fees, so you get an idea):

 

Step 1. Conversion to Non-O 90-days with money in a Thai bank, and proof you transferred the money from abroad and/or an income-letter from your embassy ($50 from USA Embassy for the income-letter, if using it). 

 - DIY = 2000 Baht (~$60), w/ 2 trips to immigration.

 

Step 2. 60+ days later (not before), but before the 90-days runs out, apply for a 1-year extension, with your funds "seasoned" in the Thai bank for 60-days before application. 

 - DIY 1900 Baht (~$58) w/ 1 (usually) trip to immigration (possibly 2).

 

If you do it this way, and assuming you get legit-stamps (not forgeries) from the agent (pick one that has been around a long time) you will be 100% legit.

 

If you can get a Single-Entry Non-O at a US Honorary Consulate before coming to Thailand (cheaper + doesn't require police-check or medical), that will save you the most difficult part (the conversion to Non-O - Step #1, above), and would also cut down significantly on the agent-fee, if you choose to use one once here, for the 1-year extension step.  It cannot hurt to try.

.

.

 

 

Thanks Jack for the advice :

 

The Single-Entry Non-O at a US Honorary Consulate is appealing: It is for 60 days max and stamp fee of $40... it's the only one they provide I think.

Please clarify if this the one you are referring to?

Is this the one that can be converted?

 

I found one such Honorary Consulate  near Miami at 330 miles from me (Tampa Bay).. it beats dealing with Embassy over 900 miles away.

For $40  I might try it.

http://www.thaiconsulatemiami.com/tourist_visa.html

 

.

Edited November 8, 2017 by bttao

[ubonjoe]

5 hours ago, bttao said:

The Single-Entry Non-O at a US Honorary Consulate is appealing: It is for 60 days max and stamp fee of $40... it's the only one they provide I think.

A single entry non-o visa allows a 90 day entry and the fee is $80 for it.

A single entry tourist visa allows a 60 day entry and the fee is $40.

[Langsuan Man]

One thing everyone is forgetting about the O-A is that you start out  your life here in Thailand with a non immigrant long stay visa which shows that you are not just a tourist or vacationer

 

Makes it a lot easier to open a bank account or obtain a certificate of residence if you want to get a drivers license for instance 

[JackThompson]

7 hours ago, bttao said:

I found out that they assign each State to either Embassy in DC or NY Consulate or LA consulate or Chicago jurisdiction:

 

http://thaiembdc.org/visas/

Yes - You would need to use one of those if applying for the Non-OA Long-Stay Visa (or any other multiple-entry type visa).

[bttao]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

A single entry non-o visa allows a 90 day entry and the fee is $80 for it.

A single entry tourist visa allows a 60 day entry and the fee is $40.

sorry... I have no idea how i got mixed up again .

[bkk6060]

3 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

One thing everyone is forgetting about the O-A is that you start out  your life here in Thailand with a non immigrant long stay visa which shows that you are not just a tourist or vacationer

 

Makes it a lot easier to open a bank account or obtain a certificate of residence if you want to get a drivers license for instance 

You are right. Seems like common sense and simplicity.

[bttao]

Goofed here: It's not NON-O it should read Tourist TR Single Visa (1 entry) $40

[fellig]

The L.A. Thai Consulate says that the police clearance letter, medical clearance letter, and proof of funds in the bank must be notarized. I went to a notary who said that since I haven't signed any of those docs, I must write a statement on each one stating that they are true, and then sign them...which seems kind of nonsensical; in the case of the medical form, it's the Dr. who signed and is saying I'm healthy, and the police dept. that is proving that my record is clear (not to mention that each doc costs $15 to notarize). 

 

Anyone have any thoughts on getting these notarized...is it really necessary, and if so, does that make sense that I should write a statement on each doc stating that it's true and sign it?

Edited November 15, 2017 by fellig

[sqwakvfr]

Go to a different notary and ask for a "Jurat".  Jurat in short is an attachment to the three documents required for the O-A.  It is like a sworn affidavit.  The LA Consulate accepted this for the O-A earlier this year.  

[SpokaneAl]

The L.A. Thai Consulate says that the police clearance letter, medical clearance letter, and proof of funds in the bank must be notarized. I went to a notary who said that since I haven't signed any of those docs, I must write a statement on each one stating that they are true, and then sign them...which seems kind of nonsensical; in the case of the medical form, it's the Dr. who signed and is saying I'm healthy, and the police dept. that is proving that my record is clear (not to mention that each doc costs $15 to notarize). 
 
Anyone have any thoughts on getting these notarized...is it really necessary, and if so, does that make sense that I should write a statement on each doc stating that it's true and sign it?

I create a single cover letter stating that all information is correct and current and sign that in front of a notary to get that notarized and have had no problems in using it with the Thai Consulate in LA.

The only purpose of a notary is to do their best to verify the identification of the person signing the document.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[fellig]

Thanks sqwakvfr and SpokaneAl; that helps! 

[SpokaneAl]

Thanks sqwakvfr and SpokaneAl; that helps! 

Make sure you add the standard notary language to your letter before visiting the notary.

http://www.ispgroupinc.com/contracts/notary_form.html


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[imjmn]

On 11/5/2017 at 12:45 PM, fellig said:

Thanks JingThing and sqwakvfr. 

 

sqwakvfr, glad to hear it went smoothly in your experience. 

 

1. Did you have a letter from the bank as specified on the L.A. consulate site, or just a bank statement?
2.  Where do you get police background check?

 

I did find the requirements at the consulate:
http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

I got a letter from Bank of America. I told them what the letter was being used for and they provided a letter showing current and average account balance. I forget over what period of time. I also went to the local cop shop - in my case Fountain Valley - and asked for a letter and told them what it was for - paid my $$ and came back the next day to pick it up. I then bundled up all the doc's and sent them to the Honorary Thai Consulate in Houston. I did not use the LA Consulate.

 

[fellig]

2 hours ago, SpokaneAl said:

 

Make sure you add the standard notary language to your letter before visiting the notary.

http://www.ispgroupinc.com/contracts/notary_form.html


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

Thanks...also just found this:

 

http://notary.cdn.sos.ca.gov/forms/notary-jurat.pdf

 

and this:

 

http://www.totallynotary.net/images/2015_jurat.pdf

Edited November 16, 2017 by fellig

[fellig]

Thanks for your help folks, I did get the visa last November (from the L.A. Thai Consulate). I was going to move to Chiang Mai last December, but due to family emergency I'm still in the U.S. 

 

New question: I'm planning to move next December, but the visa says "enter before Nov 15 2018." So I'm planning a visit to CM in September. Other than that "enter before" deadline, just want to make sure there are no other complications I'm unaware of, especially related to having stayed in the U.S. for months after getting the visa. Anything to look out for? 

[ubonjoe]

19 minutes ago, fellig said:

Thanks for your help folks, I did get the visa last November (from the L.A. Thai Consulate). I was going to move to Chiang Mai last December, but due to family emergency I'm still in the U.S. 

New question: I'm planning to move next December, but the visa says "enter before Nov 15 2018." So I'm planning a visit to CM in September. Other than that "enter before" deadline, just want to make sure there are no other complications I'm unaware of, especially related to having stayed in the U.S. for months after getting the visa. Anything to look out for? 

As long as you do an entry before the enter before date you will get a one year entry without a problem.

After the enter before date you will need a re-entry permit to keep that one year entry valid if you want to travel. Without a re-entry permit you would only get a visa exempt entry.

[McKong]

I am in California.
I got my OA visa very easily.
I don’t trust anything in California.
So I did the entire OA Thing thru Washington DC.
Really quick and easy.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[fellig]

Thanks ubonjoe. Was just doing a bit more reading, about single vs multi entry; my visa says "M" for "no. of entry", so I assume that's multiple. From another thread someone said, "So even if you have only one day left in that visa before it expires, when you re-enter with just one day left on your visa you still get a 90 day stay permission stamp." 

 

Does that sound right, I'll get a 90 day stamp next time I enter Thailand?

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

As long as you do an entry before the enter before date you will get a one year entry without a problem.

After the enter before date you will need a re-entry permit to keep that one year entry valid if you want to travel. Without a re-entry permit you would only get a visa exempt entry.

 

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, fellig said:

Does that sound right, I'll get a 90 day stamp next time I enter Thailand?

You will get a one year entry since you have a NON-OA visa. The 90 days is for a standard NON-O visa.

[Tanoshi]

58 minutes ago, fellig said:

New question: I'm planning to move next December, but the visa says "enter before Nov 15 2018." So I'm planning a visit to CM in September. Other than that "enter before" deadline, just want to make sure there are no other complications I'm unaware of, especially related to having stayed in the U.S. for months after getting the visa. Anything to look out for? 

If you visit CM in September you'll receive a stamp entitling you to stay for 1 year until Sept 2019.

 

However when your visa expires on Nov 5th 2018, you also lose any entitlement to the ME facility.

To keep your 'permission to stay' valid until Sept 2019, you need to purchase a re-entry permit (1,000 baht) which will allow you to re-enter Thailand after expiry of the Visa but keep your current 'permission to stay' valid until Sept 2019.

 

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15405-General-information.html

7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay.  Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand.  In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years.  The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker. 

8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa.  For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date.  The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp.

You'll be granted 1 year on arrival with an O-A Visa type.

If your going to stay in the Country for more than 90 consecutive days then you must report to local Immigration.

This is commonly known as making a 90 day report.

 

[fellig]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You will get a one year entry since you have a NON-OA visa. The 90 days is for a standard NON-O visa.

Great, thanks again.

 

 

 

And thanks Tanoshi.

 

1 hour ago, Tanoshi said:

If you visit CM in September you'll receive a stamp entitling you to stay for 1 year until Sept 2019.

 

However when your visa expires on Nov 5th 2018, you also lose any entitlement to the ME facility.

To keep your 'permission to stay' valid until Sept 2019, you need to purchase a re-entry permit (1,000 baht) which will allow you to re-enter Thailand after expiry of the Visa but keep your current 'permission to stay' valid until Sept 2019.

 

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15405-General-information.html

7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay.  Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand.  In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years.  The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker. 

8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa.  For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date.  The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp.

You'll be granted 1 year on arrival with an O-A Visa type.

If your going to stay in the Country for more than 90 consecutive days then you must report to local Immigration.

This is commonly known as making a 90 day report.

 

 

[Tanoshi]

@4evermaat

 

What do you find confusing?

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

The L.A. Thai Consulate says that the police clearance letter, medical clearance letter, and proof of funds in the bank must be notarized. I went to a notary who said that since I haven't signed any of those docs, I must write a statement on each one stating that they are true, and then sign them...which seems kind of nonsensical; in the case of the medical form, it's the Dr. who signed and is saying I'm healthy, and the police dept. that is proving that my record is clear (not to mention that each doc costs $15 to notarize). 
 
Anyone have any thoughts on getting these notarized...is it really necessary, and if so, does that make sense that I should write a statement on each doc stating that it's true and sign it?

The LA counsulate site says they need “four originals and three sets of copies” of each document. That really means one original and three copies of each correct?

The way it is written, maybe bad English suggests a total of 7 printouts of each.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

That really means one original and three copies of each correct?

Yes it does.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

Joe do you know if the LA consul will accept a medical certificate from a Hospital in Thailand? (Asking for a friend who will apply for 0-A there soon).

[4evermaat]

1 hour ago, Tanoshi said:

If you visit CM in September you'll receive a stamp entitling you to stay for 1 year until Sept 2019.

 

However when your visa expires on Nov 5th 2018, you also lose any entitlement to the ME facility.

To keep your 'permission to stay' valid until Sept 2019, you need to purchase a re-entry permit (1,000 baht) which will allow you to re-enter Thailand after expiry of the Visa but keep your current 'permission to stay' valid until Sept 2019.

..... 

 

41 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

@4evermaat

 

What do you find confusing?

 

This is misleading.  The O/A holder only needs to obtain a re-entry permit if he intends to leave thailand after the Visa expires (enter on/before date).  If he stays in Thailand, no re-entry permit is needed. 

 

If O/A holder wanted the maximum benefit from o/A visa, he would do a border run right before the o/a visa Expires (Nov, 2018 in this example). Then he would have gotten "up to 2 years stay" off of one visa.  In this case it would only be 14 months because he used it late. 

 

Now after a multiple entry visa expires (enter on/before date) has passed, if you wish to exit Thailand and re-enter without losing the latest permission to stay, then you must obtain re-entry permit before leaving.  

 

In this example, Nov 2018 - Sept 2018 = 2 months. The key to getting the maximum use out of o/a visa (or any multiple entry visa) is to use it shortly after it is issued.