Confused About Type of Visa

[luther]

I came to Thailand over 20 years ago. I have my previous passport that I used when I stopped working and retired here. The transfer stamp in my previous passport states that I originally came in on a B visa (I was working) but nowhere does it state what kind of visa it was converted to when I retired and started applying for retirement extensions. A-O or O? The conversion and extension was done in Chiang Mai. Someone told me, you must be here on an O. An O-A cannot be issued inside Thailand. Is this correct?

[LivinLOS]

You didnt convert your visa.. you convert your reason of extension of permission of stay. 

 

Your initial visa class was, if what you have said is factual, still a non imm B. It is unusual to have an extension of permission of stay for the basis of retirement, granted to a non imm B class visa. 

 

It is possible to change a 30 day exempt or a tourist visa, to a non imm class incountry (sometimes) and if they do that fr the basis of retirement you get given a single non imm O and it is stamped used immediately, and a 12 month extension of permission of stay granted. 

 

They never 'convert' to an OA which is the crux of your question. 

[Matzzon]

Your extension of stay has been changed from Non-B to Non-O. As far as I know, there is no extension with the name OA. Even people that entered on a Non-OA visa and make an extension, will get a Non-O stamp.

[kilt]

Hmmm.... I came in 7 years ago on a non imm B visa and have been getting extensions on that visa since, for retirement. I just had my stamps transferred to a new passport yesterday and they transferred the original B visa, extension stamp and re-entry permit - so I obviously think it's possible to be granted an extension on a B for reasons of retirement.

On another note, once I had all the required photocopies and filled out the form to transfer the stamps, I was seen right away and the whole process took about 15 minutes at cnx immigration.

[luther]

The reason I started this thread is that I got the following message yesterday from Assist Thai Visa.

 

"The Health insurance will be mandatory, as you may already know, for all holders of Non Immigrant O-A visa's when doing their yearly extension.

 

Non immigrant O-A visa: Is a Visa obtained from a Thai embassy/consulate usually from your home country before entering Thailand. The visa is valid for a year. You are usually requested to present medical certificate, criminal record, and financial statement to apply for this visa.

Non immigrant O visa: This visa can also be obtained from a Thai embassy but it is only valid for 3 months. Requirement is usually limited to financial statement. This Visa can also be obtained from within Thailand at the local Thai immigration."

 

I realize this is slightly redundant of another thread, but I guess the answer to my question is that I am still here on non-immigrant B visa.

[LivinLOS]

7 minutes ago, luther said:

The reason I started this thread is that I got the following message yesterday from Assist Thai Visa.

 

"The Health insurance will be mandatory, as you may already know, for all holders of Non Immigrant O-A visa's when doing their yearly extension.

 

Non immigrant O-A visa: Is a Visa obtained from a Thai embassy/consulate usually from your home country before entering Thailand. The visa is valid for a year. You are usually requested to present medical certificate, criminal record, and financial statement to apply for this visa.

Non immigrant O visa: This visa can also be obtained from a Thai embassy but it is only valid for 3 months. Requirement is usually limited to financial statement. This Visa can also be obtained from within Thailand at the local Thai immigration."

 

I realize this is slightly redundant of another thread, but I guess the answer to my question is that I am still here on non-immigrant B visa.

As said.. this isnt applicable to you. 

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, Matzzon said:

Your extension of stay has been changed from Non-B to Non-O. As far as I know, there is no extension with the name OA. Even people that entered on a Non-OA visa and make an extension, will get a Non-O stamp.

In technical detail it remains on his non B but he gains a 12 month extension on the basis of retirement. It doesnt actually change his underlying initial visa. 

[canthai55]

4 hours ago, luther said:

Non immigrant O visa: This visa can also be obtained from a Thai embassy but it is only valid for 3 months. Requirement is usually limited to financial statement. This Visa can also be obtained from within Thailand at the local Thai immigration."

I am on a NON O issued in Vancouver

It is valid for one year

I must leave the country every 3 months

Perhaps that is what they meant when saying it is valid for 3 months

[EricTh]

9 hours ago, luther said:

 

I realize this is slightly redundant of another thread, but I guess the answer to my question is that I am still here on non-immigrant B visa.

This is getting a bit complicated. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought a non-imm B is actually a 'Business' or 'work permit' visa?

 

Your initial visa is a non-imm B but your extension is a retirement so how can it be based on a non-imm B?

 

I would have thought that immigration would have given you a new visa based on retirement once you changed over.

[steve187]

12 hours ago, canthai55 said:

I am on a NON O issued in Vancouver

It is valid for one year

I must leave the country every 3 months

Perhaps that is what they meant when saying it is valid for 3 months

no they mean the visa is issued on 1st jan and the visa expires on the 31st march, valid for 3 months

[canthai55]

Funny. I have got them for years. Always one year

 

[luther]

8 hours ago, EricTh said:

This is getting a bit complicated. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought a non-imm B is actually a 'Business' or 'work permit' visa?

 

Your initial visa is a non-imm B but your extension is a retirement so how can it be based on a non-imm B?

 

I would have thought that immigration would have given you a new visa based on retirement once you changed over.

I came in on a business/work permit visa (B) so I was thinking exactly what you are saying, but there is no mention of any other type of visa in either passport, at least that I can tell.   Maybe there is a cryptic O or O-A that I am missing, but I don't think so.

[cnxnicho]

9 minutes ago, luther said:

I came in on a business/work permit visa (B) so I was thinking exactly what you are saying, but there is no mention of any other type of visa in either passport, at least that I can tell.   Maybe there is a cryptic O or O-A that I am missing, but I don't think so.

I came here on a Non-Imm B 14 years ago and after a few months used it to apply for a retirement extension, now still on an annual extension based on the original Non-Imm B, it has never been changed or converted to an O or O-A

[MrBrad]

As I understand it, The Non-Immigrant O-A is issued only from Thai embassies in foreign countries.  I think of the "A" as meaning "abroad."  Maybe that is, in fact, what it means.

[Sheryl]

I think it means Annual as it is valid for a year and allows 1 year stay on each entry.

 

And yes it is only issued abroad and with submission of financial abd other documentation to an Embassy or Consulate so clearly OP does not have one.

[NancyL]

There is an easy way to check what your underlying visa is if you've received a new passport and transferred your visa into that new passport.  Simply look at the transfer stamp that your local immigration office placed on the first left hand page of your passport and you'll see the visa written on the third line.

 

And yes it's possible to obtain a retirement extension from a B visa without first converting it to another visa type.

[chesterubi1]

Well, I'm glad that cleared everything up!!!

[EricTh]

1 hour ago, NancyL said:

 

And yes it's possible to obtain a retirement extension from a B visa without first converting it to another visa type.

 

So now there are three types of visas based on retirement i.e. O, OA, B which confuses more people.

 

[Dante99]

7 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

So now there are three types of visas based on retirement i.e. O, OA, B which confuses more people.

 

No they are not always based on retirement.  I got an O several times with nothing to do with retirement and certainly many Bs are issues with nothing to do with retirement.  You just continue to make things up.

[luther]

3 hours ago, NancyL said:

There is an easy way to check what your underlying visa is if you've received a new passport and transferred your visa into that new passport.  Simply look at the transfer stamp that your local immigration office placed on the first left hand page of your passport and you'll see the visa written on the third line.

 

And yes it's possible to obtain a retirement extension from a B visa without first converting it to another visa type.

Thanks, The transfer stamp says B.  I guess I was under the false impression the visa type changed after I stopped working and retired.  I guess what really changed is my type of extension.

[canthai55]

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

So now there are three types of visas based on retirement i.e. O, OA, B which confuses more people.

Retirement is an extension of stay, not a visa. Same with marriage, etc

The original visa remains in force, even if it is 10 years old and you renew extension each year. You will not get another visa, just another extension on the original

[Roy Baht]

On 11/13/2019 at 7:00 PM, canthai55 said:

I am on a NON O issued in Vancouver

It is valid for one year

I must leave the country every 3 months

Perhaps that is what they meant when saying it is valid for 3 months

No you are on a Multiple Entry Non O, which is not offered at many places now. The "3 month" visa is the Single Entry Non O

[canthai55]

On my passport ...

type  NON IMM

Category O

No. of Entry - multiple

Issue date 30 Aug 2019 valid until 29 Aug 2020

What part of this do you not understand ?

[EricTh]

17 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Retirement is an extension of stay, not a visa. Same with marriage, etc

The original visa remains in force, even if it is 10 years old and you renew extension each year. You will not get another visa, just another extension on the original

Whenever I say retirement visa to banks and immigration officers, they all understand what I said.

 

I am not going to say long sentence such as "XX visa on retirement yearly extension" which confused even more people.

 

It's a concise way of saying things just like the word American . Of course, if you want to be more specific, you would ask is he Afro-American, White-American, Asian-American etc.