My Trip to Vientiane to get an O Visa

[billsmart]

7 minutes ago, MeePeeMai said:

Where did you leave your car? 

How much did they charge you for parking and was it a safe area to leave your vehicle? 

 

Thanks in advance Bill.

I didn't have to worry about that since my wife was with me, and she has family in Udon Thani with whom she stayed.

I'd recommend you either drive up and stay the night in Nong Khai at a hotel, and then make arrangements with them to leave your car there and take a tuk-tuk to the border. Or, maybe you could make arrangements with a hotel there even if you didn't stay there.

 

I didn't see any places to leave your car at the border, but I didn't look for any.

Here is a website that has some information on that... 

 

https://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/parking-at-the-lao-border-t29317.html

 

Good luck!  ...Bill!

[billsmart]

7 hours ago, sfokevin said:

The OP got a Non O based on marriage.... What would be the needed paperwork for a Non O based on retirement?... If they are still offering that as an option?

The requirements for all the visas are on the Vientiane Thai Consulate website at: https://thaivisavientiane.com/

 

There are a few that are not mentioned there, but I listed them in my OP above, at least the ones that applied to me for a Non-Imm O based on Marriage.

 

[billsmart]

1 hour ago, moe666 said:

Bill thanks for the info could you give us a rundown on the remainder of requirements copies of marriage and other such info they wanted, thanks

Check out their website for their requirements and then add the few I mentioned above. https://thaivisavientiane.com/

[billsmart]

7 minutes ago, billsmart said:

Check out their website for their requirements and then add the few I mentioned above. https://thaivisavientiane.com/

They are listed on the website as:

 

NON-IMMIGRANT “O” VISA

Non-Immigrant “O” Visa may be granted to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for various purposes mainly:

1. To stay with the Thai family 2. To accompany spouse or family members working, studying or living in Thailand 3. To participate in voluntary services in Thailand 4. To have a long-stay retirement

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
1. A completed and signed Visa Application Form
2. 2 passport-sized photos taken within 6 months
3. A passport or travel documents (valid for no less than 6 months)
4. Additional requirements for specific purposes

4.1 To stay with the Thai family
• An original marriage certificate (for spouse) or birth certificate (for parents), a passport, and an Identity Card of the Thai spouse (copies of documents must be signed by the Thai spouse)
• An original letter from the applicant’s Thai spouse
• A bank statement (for Multiple-Entry visa, an applicant should show at least 6 months of bank statement with at least 100,000 baht or that equivalent in other currencies)

[billsmart]

1 minute ago, billsmart said:

They are listed on the website as:

 

NON-IMMIGRANT “O” VISA

Non-Immigrant “O” Visa may be granted to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for various purposes mainly:

1. To stay with the Thai family 2. To accompany spouse or family members working, studying or living in Thailand 3. To participate in voluntary services in Thailand 4. To have a long-stay retirement

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
1. A completed and signed Visa Application Form
2. 2 passport-sized photos taken within 6 months
3. A passport or travel documents (valid for no less than 6 months)
4. Additional requirements for specific purposes

4.1 To stay with the Thai family
• An original marriage certificate (for spouse) or birth certificate (for parents), a passport, and an Identity Card of the Thai spouse (copies of documents must be signed by the Thai spouse)
• An original letter from the applicant’s Thai spouse
• A bank statement (for Multiple-Entry visa, an applicant should show at least 6 months of bank statement with at least 100,000 baht or that equivalent in other currencies)

Here's the O-A Retirement requirements:

 

4.4 To have a long stay retirement “O-A” (up to one year) Eligibility

• An applicant must be aged 50 years old and over (on the application submission date)
• An applicant is not prohibited from entering the Kingdom as provided by the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979)
• No criminal record in Thailand and the country of applicant’s nationality or residence
• An applicant is the Lao national or has a permanent residence in Laos
• An application has no prohibitive diseases (Leprosy, Tuberculosis, drug addiction, Elephantiasis, third phase of Syphilis) as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 B.E. 2535.

Required Documents

• A Passport or travel documents (valid for no less than 18 months)
• 3 copies of completed and signed Visa Application Forms
• 3 passport-sized photos taken within 6 months
• 3 copies of Curriculum Vitae
• 3 copies of Bank Statement showing a deposit of not less than 800,000 Baht or an original of Income Certificate with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a bank account together with a monthly income of not less than 800,000 Baht
• 3 copies of a letter of guarantee from the bank (if submitting a bank statement)
• 3 copies of a letter of criminal record clearance issued from the country of applicant’s nationality or residence (valid for not more than three months and should be notarized by notary organs or a diplomatic or consular mission)
• 3 copies of a medical certificate issued from the medical institutes where the application is submitted, showing no prohibitive diseases (leprosy, tuberculosis, drug addiction, elephantiasis and third step of syphilis) as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535) (valid for not more than three months and should be notarized by notary organs or a diplomatic or consular mission)
• In case of an accompanied spouse is not eligible to apply for the “O-A” (Long Stay) visa, the spouse will be considered for a temporary stay under “Non-O” visa. A marriage certificate must be provided as an evidence and should be notarized by notary organs or a diplomatic or consular mission.

[billsmart]

2 hours ago, religious monga said:

no cant walk over the bridge but have walked into nong khai and to train station a number of times in my previous life. I HATE TUKTUKS, but my fitness in my twilight years aint what it used to be
walking into vientien! far too far. no better to fork out the 1 usd for the bus.

dealing with immigration in that crossing is a breeze, not like some other thai crossings at all

you got too much money! try elite visa instead or fork out for the health insurance,

actually i just think you are trolling or some sort of online ad for the over priced service you are pushing

Money is not my problem. I have plenty of money. I am 74, so getting a health insurance policy is my problem. And, an elite visa (O-X?) requires health insurance also.

[MeePeeMai]

30 minutes ago, billsmart said:

I didn't have to worry about that since my wife was with me, and she has family in Udon Thani with whom she stayed.

I'd recommend you either drive up and stay the night in Nong Khai at a hotel, and then make arrangements with them to leave your car there and take a tuk-tuk to the border. Or, maybe you could make arrangements with a hotel there even if you didn't stay there.

 

I didn't see any places to leave your car at the border, but I didn't look for any.

Here is a website that has some information on that... 

 

https://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/parking-at-the-lao-border-t29317.html

 

Good luck!  ...Bill!

 

Thanks Bill, that was my plan (hotel in Nong Khai).

 

Do you know if the wife must be there with a foreign husband applying for a Non-O based on marriage?  My wife cannot get off from work so I must do it solo (if allowed).

 

Thank for all the info!!

[billsmart]

Just now, MeePeeMai said:

 

Thanks Bill, that was my plan (hotel in Nong Khai).

 

Do you know if the wife must be there with a foreign husband applying for a Non-O based on marriage?  My wife cannot get off from work so I must do it solo (if allowed).

 

Thank for all the info!!

No, the wife does NOT have to be with you. In fact, even if she was, she couldn't go into the consulate with you. She does have to write a letter inviting you to stay with her. That's in the requirements. And, I had my wife sign all copies of everything that had anything to do with her, like the copies of her IDs. That's stated in the general requirements also.

Good luck! ...Bill!

[MeePeeMai]

Thanks again Bill.

[The Man Who Sold the World]

Bill, thanks for taking the time to provide a concise and detailed report. Greatly appreciated by many.

[MeePeeMai]

5 hours ago, billsmart said:

They did for me. I marked "Single Entry" on my application form, and when they asked me for my bank statements, I pointed out that I just wanted a single-entry, not multiple-entry, and they said they need them for either. Luckily, I had them because I wasn't sure because of the way the requirements were worded on their website, so I got them before I left.

This is the kind of valuable information that we can get from those with recent, 1st hand experience. 

 

There always seems to be something that they ask for (which isn't listed on their website under documents needed) and I would hate to show up there for my Non-O without a bank statement (for a single entry), and then be denied just because I was missing something as simple as that.

 

Thanks again for the detailed report Bill.

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, billsmart said:

Money is not my problem. I have plenty of money. I am 74, so getting a health insurance policy is my problem. And, an elite visa (O-X?) requires health insurance also.

The O-X visa is just an extended version of the O-A visa, with higher financial requirements but giving a much longer stay. The Thailand Elite visa is something completely different. It does not require insurance, and likely never will. You do not apply for it at a Thai embassy. See https://www.thailandelite.com/?locate=en. Most likely, the Easy Access membership will be the one of most interest to you.

[EricTh]

On 12/14/2019 at 6:54 PM, billsmart said:

It was my understanding that a one-year extension of an OA visa based on retirement would require health insurance, but NOT an extension based on marriage...but my local Immigration Office (Phetchabun) insisted that the healthcare insurance requirement applied to all OA visas. I 

 

Many people including me also thought that only OA visa based on retirement would need health insurance and not based on marriage.

 

This is quite a shock ... but thanks for reporting your case in this forum.

 

[billsmart]

8 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

Many people including me also thought that only OA visa based on retirement would need health insurance and not based on marriage.

 

This is quite a shock ... but thanks for reporting your case in this forum.

 

EricTH, This is only what my local immigration office (Phetchabun) is enforcing. I've seen reports that this is not the case everywhere, and in fact and in many people's opinion on this forum, this should definitely NOT be the case. It's best to check with your local immigration to see how they are enforcing this healthcare insurance requirement on O-A visas. Different offices seem to handle this differently.

 

Good luck!

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, billsmart said:

And, an elite visa (O-X?) requires health insurance also.

An Elite Visa and an O-X Visa are different entities. 

[Pib]

Bill,

Great trip report...thanks. 

 

Three questions:

1) Aprrox. how many days were left on your old extension when leaving Thailand?

 

2) Did the Vientiane embassy give any resistance to issuing the new visa since the old extension of stay had not reached its stated/stamped expiration?

 

I ask above questions since I heard the embassy may not issue a new visa unless the old one has expired naturally even though exiting Thailand without  a reentry permit kills off the extension of stay.

 

3) When reentering Thailand did Thai immigration ask for any outward travel ticket or proof of income like 10K baht?

 

PIb

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

What about the "letter frpm embassy"? the laos web site says there is a need for "letter from embassy" in case of applying for the retirement visa based on 800K baht in the bank.

what does it mean, this "letter from embassy" and is there a way to skip it?

[ubonjoe]

35 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

What about the "letter frpm embassy"? the laos web site says there is a need for "letter from embassy" in case of applying for the retirement visa based on 800K baht in the bank.

what does it mean, this "letter from embassy" and is there a way to skip it?

You post is a bit off topic and you are asking about a different  location.

The info on the Savannakhet consulate website means proof of retirement and has been discussed many times in other topics.

 

[notrub]

Here in Buriram it is both bank book and 'visa' bank letter.  The balance in the book must be exactly the same as in the letter, which is valid for a very short time.  In Surattanni I had to make a new application a week after the first due to a fault of the immigration dept.. 

 

All was fine (as it could be following a forced trip to Kuala Lumpur), until the officer noticed that my bank letter had expired.  Never mind that this letter was only a few days old and that it matched my bank book exactly.  Mad dash across town and BKK bank did me a 'favour'  (100 baht) to produce a new letter in an hour. 

 

Back to immigration handed over the letter and the sum was not identical, 1,400,000.24 THB in the letter, 1,400.000.42 in the book.  No matter that the original error had been their fault and that I had just flown to Malaysia for a new stamp, and that the sum in the bank exceeded the amount required by quite a lot. 

 

It was back into downtown traffic and a very snooty young woman did another letter (for free!).  Finally got all the ducks lined up in a row and I got my new O visa.  We just managed to get the last ferry back to Koh Phangan and home...

[mcmco]

Does anyone have any experience recently applying for the O visa based on thai child? Were you also asked for a bank statement? 

[billsmart]

11 hours ago, Pib said:

Bill,

Great trip report...thanks. 

 

Three questions:

1) Aprrox. how many days were left on your old extension when leaving Thailand?

 

2) Did the Vientiane embassy give any resistance to issuing the new visa since the old extension of stay had not reached its stated/stamped expiration?

 

I ask above questions since I heard the embassy may not issue a new visa unless the old one has expired naturally even though exiting Thailand without  a reentry permit kills off the extension of stay.

 

3) When reentering Thailand did Thai immigration ask for any outward travel ticket or proof of income like 10K baht?

 

PIb

Pib,

 

1 ) My last One-year Extention of Stay was to expire on 14 Dec. I applied for the O visa at Vientiane on 12 Dec and received it on 13 Dec. Since I didn't have a re-entry permit, my rights to re-enter Thailand were terminated when I left.

2) No, they did not for, I think, the reason stated above.
3) No, I was not asked for an onward ticket or any proof of income when I re-entered Thailand.

 

Edited December 16, 2019 by billsmart

[Pib]

Bill,

  Thanks and Happy Holidays.

Pib