Tourist visa to Non-Imm O visa

[kate271]

Hello, I'm hoping someone can help clarify the process for changing from a Tourist Visa to a Non-Immigrant Type O Visa (Retirement) from Thailand. My Dad (an American) is currently living in Phuket. He did a visa run to Kuala Lumpur this month to obtain a Tourist Visa (he had entered just on his passport) and now is trying to get everything together for his Non-Imm Type O Visa. Problem is, he can't seem to get straight information on the requirements for this. The first question is, does he need to do this outside of Thailand (such as go back to KL or another consulate/embassy if easier)? Next, he cannot open a Thai bank account with his Tourist Visa, but has a letter from the US embassy in Thailand declaring a satisfactory income. Is this sufficient for the Type O visa? Finally, the consulate website in KL states that you need the following:

1. Medical Certificate issued from the country where the application is submitted showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the ministerial Regulation No. 14 B.E.2535 and shall be valid not more than 3 months
2. Criminal Report verifying that the applicant has no criminal record, issued by competent Authority valid for not more than 3 months and notarized by notary organs or application’s diplomatic/consular mission

Is this really needed (I have seen posts online stating otherwise) and if so, how do you get these? With regard to the criminal report. Is that a report from a police station in Thailand or does he need to get something from the US?

Any help would be much appreciated as this process is quite confusing!!!! Thanks so much in advance!

[Mario2008]

What he can do is:

- during the last 30 days of his current permission to stay for 60 days go to immigration with his passport, copies of passport and passphoto, arrival card and copy and income letter from immigration. Also handy will be some proof of address, such as a rental contract or phone bill.

With these documents he applies for a conversion from a tourist visa to a non-immigrant visa, that will give him a stay of 90 days and costs 2,000 baht.

During the last 30 days of those 90 days he applies for a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement, with all the same documents mentioned before. He will need a new income letter from the embassy.

You can open a bank account on a tourist visa, just need to try different banks and branches.

[wayned]

If he does as Mario stated above he does not need the medical certificate or criminal background check. If he applies for an O/A long stay visa in the US they are required.

[ubonjoe]

He could of gotten a single entry non-o in KL instead of tourist visa.

Just ignore all that info on KL website that is for a OA visa issued by them.

He can do it at immigration. He will apply for a change of visa status from his tourist visa to a non immigrant visa entry. His income at most immigration offices but possibly not Phuket. He may need to show some type of back up proof along with his affidavit. He will need copies of his passport photo page, visa, entry/permit to stay stamp and TM6 departure card. He may also need proof of residence.

After getting the visa entry he would then go back and apply for his extension of stay after 60 days. He would a new income affidavit for this 2nd step also. All the other documents would be the same as the first step.

[kate271]

Wow thank you everyone for the quick replies!!! You guys are great So he can do this all through the Immigration office in Phuket and does not need to leave the country again and go to a Thai embassy/consulate?? That's fantastic! He definitely won't be going back to the US to get anything done and would prefer to not have to do another visa run if it isn't necessary. He thought he needed the criminal background check, etc for the type O, which is why he didn't apply for that in KL. What a shame.

So he can then even apply for the one-year extension at the immigration office as well? With these visas and extensions, is it necessary to leave the country and re-enter every so often? Or I read something about checking in with immigration or the police station every 90 days? There is such contradictory information online...

[Mario2008]

He first get 90 days stay and then can extend for 1 year every year again without the need to leave the country.

He will need to report his address every 90 days, often that can be done by mail.

[ubonjoe]

He will get a one year extension of stay and does not have to leave. If he does want to leave the country he will need to get a re-entry permit at immigration to keep his extension valid. If there is a chance he will travel he could get one when he applies for his extension. Cost is 1000 baht for a single and 3800 baht both are valid for the length of his extension.

He will need to do 90 day reports to immigration.

[kate271]

This is all wonderful news! He will be very relieved. Thank you all so much for the advice!!!

[tomdfc]

Kate - My wife and I are in a similar situation (in Chiang Mai), though we are Brits and will use the bank balance as opposed to the income option to substantiate financial wherewithal. We will be following the same advice soon at Immigration (though we are on Triple Entry Tourist visas and the second 60 day departure date is still a couple of weeks away, so time is not yet critcal for us). It would be helpful to share experiences after the visits. Good luck to your dad ...

[ubonjoe]

Kate - My wife and I are in a similar situation (in Chiang Mai), though we are Brits and will use the bank balance as opposed to the income option to substantiate financial wherewithal. We will be following the same advice soon at Immigration (though we are on Triple Entry Tourist visas and the second 60 day departure date is still a couple of weeks away, so time is not yet critcal for us). It would be helpful to share experiences after the visits. Good luck to your dad ...

You don't have to wait for your visa to expire. You can do it at any time during your 60 day entry or the 30 day extension period up to the point where you have 15 days left which is the minimum time you must have to do the change of visa status.

Unless you both are going to get extensions based upon retirement doing the change may not be the best option. The one that is going to get a dependent extension will not be able to do the change of visa status and will have to go out for a non-o visa. In this case it would be best for both of you to go out for a single entry non-o from a nearby embassy or consulate.

[expat888]

What he can do is:

- during the last 30 days of his current permission to stay for 60 days go to immigration with his passport, copies of passport and passphoto, arrival card and copy and income letter from immigration. Also handy will be some proof of address, such as a rental contract or phone bill.

With these documents he applies for a conversion from a tourist visa to a non-immigrant visa, that will give him a stay of 90 days and costs 2,000 baht.

During the last 30 days of those 90 days he applies for a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement, with all the same documents mentioned before. He will need a new income letter from the embassy.

You can open a bank account on a tourist visa, just need to try different banks and branches.

I have found if you are having problems opening an account without a work permit you can go outside the larger cities and it's much easier. Just need a passport.

[JimGant]

During the last 30 days of those 90 days he applies for a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement, with all the same documents mentioned before. He will need a new income letter from the embassy.

In the back of my mind I seem to recall several 'seaside' immigration offices will do same day conversion and retirement extensions. Hopefully, Phuket is one of them......

[olddoc]

During the last 30 days of those 90 days he applies for a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement, with all the same documents mentioned before. He will need a new income letter from the embassy.

In the back of my mind I seem to recall several 'seaside' immigration offices will do same day conversion and retirement extensions. Hopefully, Phuket is one of them......

Having had to leave the country urgently, without a re-entry permit, my extension of stay was cancelled.

Returning I got a 30 day visa exempt entry which was converted/extended on the same day at Phuket immigration. Total cost 3900 Baht + a re-entry permit 1000 baht !

[JimGant]

Returning I got a 30 day visa exempt entry which was converted/extended on the same day at Phuket immigration. Total cost 3900 Baht + a re-entry permit 1000 baht !

Ah, hopefully good news for the OP, as he'll save a trip back to Immigration, plus a trip to Bangkok for a second income statement.

Presumably you also paid 2000 baht for the conversion?

[olddoc]

Returning I got a 30 day visa exempt entry which was converted/extended on the same day at Phuket immigration. Total cost 3900 Baht + a re-entry permit 1000 baht !

Ah, hopefully good news for the OP, as he'll save a trip back to Immigration, plus a trip to Bangkok for a second income statement.

Presumably you also paid 2000 baht for the conversion?

2000 Baht for visa "conversion"

1900 Baht for extension of stay

1000 Baht for re-entry permit

Total cost 4900 Baht.

[kate271]

Kate - My wife and I are in a similar situation (in Chiang Mai), though we are Brits and will use the bank balance as opposed to the income option to substantiate financial wherewithal. We will be following the same advice soon at Immigration (though we are on Triple Entry Tourist visas and the second 60 day departure date is still a couple of weeks away, so time is not yet critcal for us). It would be helpful to share experiences after the visits. Good luck to your dad ...

Thank you everyone!!! You have been immensely helpful! I wish I had found this forum earlier.

tomdfc - My Dad should be heading to the immigration office soon, so I will let you know what happens

[tomdfc]

Ubonjoe – reference your reply on 18^th Feb in this thread -

“Unless you both are going to get extensions based upon retirement doing the change may not be the best option. The one that is going to get a dependent extension will not be able to do the change of visa status and will have to go out for a non-o visa. In this case it would be best for both of you to go out for a single entry non-o from a nearby embassy or consulate.”

Thanks as ever, Joe, for the advice. In this case however there’s something I’m missing and I’d be grateful if you can spell it out for me. Sorry.

In our situation we (Brit wife and I) want to get from triple-entry tourist visa status to the most cost-effective (and overall sensible) long-stay situation. That means a two-step process –

1. get a single entry non-Imm O visa and, before the cut-off date in the 90 day period is reached, then
2. get an annual extension which would be annually renewable, with any exits from LOS being catered for by getting re-entry permits as and when necessary

The extension(s) will be done locally, at Chiang Mai Immigration.

It seems that the first step – the non-Imm O – can be done either locally at Immigration (using a TM86), or outside of Thailand.

You have suggested that the second (Vientiane) option would be better for us and I think – but am not sure – that the basis for that advice is that somehow it’s linked to the funding requirement. In other words, that one of us (probably my wife) could apply to be a “dependent”, and that we would therefore need to show only 800k ongoing instead of 1.6m. This would be helpful looking ahead.

1. But when is the application as a “dependent” made? Is it made at step 1 (non-Imm O) or step 2 (the annual extension)?
2. And how is it made, meaning on what form? I’ve trawled the Thai Immigration website and can’t see any form that looks relevant.

In all of this we are both facing upcoming 5-year driving licence renewals, which may complicate matters. (Meaning we can’t renew on the back of Tourist visas without backtracking to annual licences which we don’t want to do.).

So in summary the key dates are –

• 9^th March – exit date for our 2^nd 60 day triple tourist visa slot for both of us
• 10^th March – my own 5-year driving licence renewal date
• 24^th May - my wife’s 5-year driving licence renewal date, with
• One (or two?) non-Imm O visas superimposed on these dates, current estimated start date 8^th March

Thanks in advance.

[ubonjoe]

Ubonjoe – reference your reply on 18^th Feb in this thread -

“Unless you both are going to get extensions based upon retirement doing the change may not be the best option. The one that is going to get a dependent extension will not be able to do the change of visa status and will have to go out for a non-o visa. In this case it would be best for both of you to go out for a single entry non-o from a nearby embassy or consulate.”

Thanks as ever, Joe, for the advice. In this case however there’s something I’m missing and I’d be grateful if you can spell it out for me. Sorry.

In our situation we (Brit wife and I) want to get from triple-entry tourist visa status to the most cost-effective (and overall sensible) long-stay situation. That means a two-step process –

1. get a single entry non-Imm O visa and, before the cut-off date in the 90 day period is reached, then
2. get an annual extension which would be annually renewable, with any exits from LOS being catered for by getting re-entry permits as and when necessary

The extension(s) will be done locally, at Chiang Mai Immigration.

It seems that the first step – the non-Imm O – can be done either locally at Immigration (using a TM86), or outside of Thailand.

You have suggested that the second (Vientiane) option would be better for us and I think – but am not sure – that the basis for that advice is that somehow it’s linked to the funding requirement. In other words, that one of us (probably my wife) could apply to be a “dependent”, and that we would therefore need to show only 800k ongoing instead of 1.6m. This would be helpful looking ahead.

1. But when is the application as a “dependent” made? Is it made at step 1 (non-Imm O) or step 2 (the annual extension)?
2. And how is it made, meaning on what form? I’ve trawled the Thai Immigration website and can’t see any form that looks relevant.

In all of this we are both facing upcoming 5-year driving licence renewals, which may complicate matters. (Meaning we can’t renew on the back of Tourist visas without backtracking to annual licences which we don’t want to do.).

So in summary the key dates are –

• 9^th March – exit date for our 2^nd 60 day triple tourist visa slot for both of us
• 10^th March – my own 5-year driving licence renewal date
• 24^th May - my wife’s 5-year driving licence renewal date, with
• One (or two?) non-Imm O visas superimposed on these dates, current estimated start date 8^th March

Thanks in advance.

If only one of you are getting the extension of stay based upon retirement by showing the money in the bank. The only one that could apply for the non immigrant visa conversion at immigration is the one that is getting the retirement extension. The one getting the dependent extension would have to get the non-o from an embassy or consulate.

The dependent extension is done at step 2 if doing the conversion from a tourist visa.

If both of you go out for non-o visas then during the last 45 days of your 90 day entry the one getting the retirement extension and the one doing the dependent extension can do it on the same day.

If you go both make a trip to Vientiane and get non-o visas you both could renew your drivers licenses on the same date.