There is a lot of not quite right information posted above. But what ceejay and BonTong posted is correct. Get a 60 day tourist visa from the USA and you can extend that by 30 days in Thailand at Immigration. And you may be asked to show 20,000 Baht or equivalent in US Dollars upon arrival so be prepared for that and there are no ATMs prior to Immigration. So bring the cash with you.
Sorry I don’t get this.
Why get a 60 day visa and then go to the trouble (and it is trouble if you are at Pattaya Immigration) when you can simply get a 90 visa before you leave home?
You have the option of buying either, a 60 or 90 day visa in the UK, so the US is probably the same.
It is what I am on now, a 90 day visa bought in London and stamped up,on arrival at Swampy.
In your case doing anything else would be like practising bleeding.
You stated earlier you have an "O" Visa. Fine if you can get it but, my understanding is, it only applies to certain groups of people. From Thai UK embassy website:Originally Posted by gerefan2
"O" To visit Thai spouse, children, parents, voluntary job, retirement (with State Pension)
If you are not in the above groups but over 50 you can apply for "O-A" but I believe the requirements are much more stringent (e.g. 800K in a Thai bank). Whereas the 60 day tourist visa is pretty much no questions asked. Also, "retirement (with State Pension)" references UK in this case, US requirements may be different.
Which option works best depends on personal circumstances and is not a one size fits all solution.
Chiang Mai Connoisseur - [url=http://www.gayinchiangmai.com/News/]www.gayinchiangmai.com[/url] and [url=http://www.bontong.com/]www.bontong.com[/url]
christianpfc (February 19th, 2019)
The USA only issues O-A Visas which require more info including police check, medical check and income requirements.
Tourist Visa is $40; O-A Visa is $80.
Much easier to apply for a Tourist Visa and then extend it at Immigration (Easy to do)
Well I have said all along ...assuming...the US is the same as the UK.Lord knows why it should be different. TiT again!
Anyway, I have looked at my Visa and to be precise it is a “Non Immigrant O Visa”, valid 90 days and based on retirement with State pension (actually Employers pension).
Thanks. During the last 30 years I have made over 30 trip to the LOS but again mostly 20-30 day trips or shorter 5-6 day trips (when I was living in China).
My thinking is to spend 90-120 days in the LOS to escape the winter months.
As Francois stated - it appears that Thailand offers "O" non immigrant visas for "Those who wish to stay with family in Thailand (Thai Family) or wish to do volunteering work with the state enterprises or social welfare organizations in Thailand (Volunteering)" which is apparently different than "O" non immigrant visas for citizens of other countries?
Hmm..very confusing. The "TR" multiple entry tourist visa is a possibility - 60 days - but requires proof of flight and proof of money in the bank..etc. + 200 USD processing fee. I will probably follow Francois' advice and come on a 30 day visa waiver on arrival..get a 30 day extension then take a short trip out of the country.
My expected retirement is in 2-3 years.
Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, and they all stink.
Thanks gerefan2 for posting what I found very useful information in the above post referring to the availability of a visa allowing for a 90 day visit to Thailand by UK nationals.
For many years I used the providing proof of income to the British Embassy method as part of the process of obtaining a 12 month ‘retirement’ visa, although I spent only three to six months in Thailand.
But with recent changes regarding the certifying of income by embassies, I thought I had no alternative but to revert back to keeping 800,000 Baht in my Thai bank account and was about to transfer the required sum back in December 2018. Then I discovered a medical issue which necessitated being put on a waiting list to see my new ophthalmologist, whom I guessed correctly would want to recommend further surgery. I am now on a waiting list for surgery. It was therefore with a heavy heart that I had to cancel my three month trip to Thailand. I shall therefore miss out on renewing my 12 month ‘retirement’ visa next month.
On one previous occasion, also for medical reasons, I missed my renewal date, but several months later, I was able to renew my visa without too much trouble by simply paying a reasonable sum in a late renewal fine.
Over the last two months I have been trying to decide if I really wanted to endure the bureaucratic nightmare of obtaining a new 'retirement' visa at the inconveniently located Bangkok Immigration Office and sending what, for me at least, is a considerable amount of money, to sit for many months in a Thai bank account before and after I renewed my visa. I started looking for an alternative. When I first checked the Royal Thai Embassy website in London all I saw was the 60 day Tourist Visa, with the option to apply to extend it by a further 30 days once in Thailand. It wasn’t until gerefan2 said he obtained a 90 day visa, which would suit me perfectly, from the Embassy in London, that I took a fresh look and saw, what I had previously missed.
When I decide to return to Thailand I shall apply for the 90 day Non-Immigrant Type O Visa. I have quoted the relevant extracts from the Royal Thai Embassy website in London for any other British member/reader considering applying for a 90 day visa:
Please note that I included just one bullet point, which I thought would be relevant to our membership under the last heading - Non-Immigrant Type O. For full details see the Royal Thai Embassy website in London: http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en...ant-visas.htmlNon-Immigrant Visa
"O" To visit Thai spouse, children, parents, voluntary job, retirement (with State Pension)
Visa applicants are required to read carefully the details and requirements of each type of Non-Immigrant visas
Please note :
- The document to be submitted for non-immigrant visa application is contingent upon necessities and appropriateness of purposes stated in the application form.
- Consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary.
- Copies of company documents must be signed by Board of Directors and affixed the seal of the company.
- In the absence of a required document, a letter indicating the unavailability of such document must be provided.
- The applicant must sign on each page of the copy.
**Documents in foreign languages must be translated into English and the translation must be certified by the relevant embassy in London.**
Validity of visa and permitted length of stay
- Single Entry Visa will be valid for 3 months from the date of issue. You must enter Thailand within the validity of visa. However, the permitted length of stay is up to 90 days from the date of your arrival in Thailand. Please carefully note the immigration stamp in your passport to make sure that you do not overstay your visa.
- Multiple Entries Visa will be valid for 1 year from the date of issue. You must enter Thailand within the validity of visa. However, the permitted length of stay is up to 1 year from the date of your arrival in Thailand. Please carefully note the immigration stamp in your passport to make sure that you do not overstay your visa.
Required Documents
The applicants must submit the following relevant documents depending on the purpose of their visit.
Basic Documents Required for ALL Types of Non-Immigrant Visa
- Visa application form completely filled out
- Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months and at least 2 blank pages, as well as the photocopy of passport. The actual passport must be submitted with visa application form.
- Two (2) recent photos (taken within the past 6 months)
- Supporting documents for the purpose of visit to Thailand. (Please see details for each type.)
The Royal Thai Embassy reserves the rights to request for other additional documents, depending on the type of Non-Immigrant Visa.
Non-Immigrant Type O
- For pensioner (aged 50 or over) : A copy of pension statement if the applicant is a pensioner, or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least £10,000
Just grab a double entry tourist VISA before you go to Thailand. That gives you 6 months, and requires one border run after 90 days.
You get two entries. Each entry you will get stamped in for 60 days, which can be extended by 30 days at a local immigration office for 1900 baht. After your initial 90 days, you have to hit the border again, and you will get stamped in for an additional 60 days.
To be fair Matt surely you're probably the very LAST person we should be taking advice from re visas, residency time limits and how and when to do border crossings from - don't you think !!? :-)
christianpfc (February 19th, 2019), Smiles (February 15th, 2019)
So many bad advice and incorrect info in this subject obviously has confused you. The advice you are referring to was mine. Francois suggested you get a tourist visa first. Which makes no sense if you want to stay 4 months but is better if you only want to stay 90 days.
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