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About the Non-Immigrant O Visa in Thailand,
Extensions and Requirements
Of all the long-term visas available, the Non O Visa for Thailand, often referred to as the Thailand Non-Immigrant O Visa, is probably the most frequently applied. Non Immigrant O Visa can be applied under various reasons. It can be obtained at the Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate before traveling to Thailand or it can be obtained at a local Immigration office inside Thailand depending on what reasons you are applying Non Immigrant O Visa for. If you are a passport holder of one of the 63 countries that can enter Thailand with Exempt Visa Stamp, Applying for a Non Immigrant O Visa inside Thailand is relatively straightforward as long as you meet the requirements of Non Immigrant O Visa. As the process can take up to 3 to 4 weeks to be completed, you will need to apply almost immediately if you have entered the country using Exempt Visa stamp. The application would need to be submitted to your nearest Thai Immigration Department. However, if you are in Bangkok and don’t know where to start, you can get in touch with our team, we will process the application on your behalf via fast track, but you must be present at the Immigration. One of our Thai Visa Experts will make sure you have all the required documents to ensure the smooth proceedings. Please be aware entering Thailand on Exempt Visa stamp or Visa on Arrival are two different things. Only 63 countries can enter Thailand on an Exempt Visa Stamp can apply for a Non Immigrant O Visa inside Thailand. If you have overstayed since your arrival even for a single day, you are not allowed to submit an application for this type of Visa at Thai Immigration department.
General rules regarding the Non Immigrant O Visa Thailand
Non Immigrant O Visa is designed to allow the holder to stay in Thailand for an extended period. This type of visa can be obtained at the Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate in your home country, a country neighboring Thailand or inside Thailand at a local Immigration department. The validity of a Non Immigrant O Single Entry Visa is for 90 days which is extendable yearly at the local Immigration department Non Immigrant O Visa with various reasons will require slightly different documentation. For example, if your reason to apply for a Non Immigrant O Visa is based on having a Thai Spouse, you will require to submit the proof of relationship, bank requirements, documents from your Thai Spouse and etc. if the reason is based on Retirement, you have to be minimum 50 years of age and need to provide evidence of funds. It should be noted that you must go through the list of requirements before applying for a Non Immigrant O Visa. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure that each page is signed.
Is a 12 month Multiple Entry Non Immigrant O Visa available from outside the Kingdom?
The Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate can issue you a Non Immigrant O Multiple Entry Visa for 12 months, although their issuance is becoming less frequent. If you are granted a Non Immigrant O Multiple Entry Visa for 12 months, it will commence as soon as you enter Thailand. The holder will be permitted to stay in Thailand up to 3 months and holder need to do a border run in order to utilize another entry. Non Immigrant O Multiple Entry Visa holders don’t need to do reporting every 90 days as you are not in kingdom for exceeding 90 days.
If you don’t wish to leave the country, you can extend your stay for up to 1 year but you will also have to make sure you obtain a Multiple Re-entry permit which will allow you to fly in and out of Thailand without getting your stay VOID. If you don’t fly out of Thailand, you don’t need a re-entry permit but you will have to notify your address at the Immigration every 90 days.
It is advised frequent flyers check new stamp carefully to ensure you have received the correct stamp, as errors can’t be rectified after the event and will effectively invalidate your visa going forward.
What general documents are required for a Visa Non Immigrant O Thailand?
First of all, it depends on the reason you apply for a Non Immigrant O Visa,
Most of the documents required for this type of visa are the same and include:
- A completed application form can be submitted online or in-person at the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate. It should be noted that different consulates and embassies may have different application forms, so it is essential that you complete the correct version. All documents should include your name as it appears in your passport
- A valid passport that has a minimum of six months remaining and two blank pages
- All the supporting documents required for your type of Thai Non Immigrant O Visa (see below)
NB: The Royal Thai Embassy can reserve the right to request any other documentation that they may feel relevant to your application for a Thailand Non Immigrant O Visa.
The different types of Non O Visa for Thailand
There are several types of Visa Non Immigrant O Thailand, but at Thai Visa Expert, we predominantly focus on three types, the standard “O” visa, which, for example, is designed for visiting Thai Family, Retirement, visiting relatives. Thai Family for those who are married to a Thai or have a Thai Child but not married, Retirement for those who are 50 years of age or above, visiting relative for those who are working in Thailand with a Work Visa along with the Work Permit. Their family can visit the holder as dependents. The “O-A” Thai Retirement Visa for those aged 50 years or over or the “O-X” 10 Year Thai Retirement Visa which is available to nationals of specific countries and has stricter requirements to the “O-A” Visa.
Non Immigrant O Visa (Thai Spouse or Thai Child)
For this type of visa you can obtain it at the Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate before traveling to Thailand but if you have entered Thailand on a Tourist Visa or at least with Exempt Visa stamp, you can apply at the local Thai Immigration department inside Thailand. You will have to show proof of relationship along with evidence of sufficient funds in Thai Bank account but if you find yourself unable to set up a Thai Bank account, you can get in touch with us and we can assist you in setting up a Thai Bank account. We can also assist you to make sure you have all the required documents in order to ensure the smooth proceedings. Non Immigrant O (Thai Spouse) Visa can be extended yearly a month before its expiry.
If you have a Thai Child but not married to your child’s mother, you can obtain a Non Immigrant O Visa based on having a Thai Child. You must be stated as a father on your child’s birth certificate and you need evidence of sufficient funds in Thai bank account and the requirements are almost similar to a Non Immigrant O based on Thai Spouse, it is just child’s birth certificate replaces Thai Marriage Registration. You can add a Multiple Re-entry Permit to your Non Immigrant O (Thai Spouse/Thai Child) Visa which will allow you to fly in and out of Thailand as many times as you want.
To apply for this visa, you will need to following documentation:
- Proof of the relationship such as a marriage certificate, birth certificate
- A Copy of Thai ID Card and House Registration (Tabian Baan)
- Notification of your address in Thailand such as Receipt of TM 30
- Proof that you have the financial means to support yourself and your Thai family
Non Immigrant O Visa (Retirement)
Many retirees wish to stay in Thailand for long term without having to do border runs and visa runs, in which case they can apply for a Non Immigrant O (Retirement) Single Entry Visa before arriving in Thailand or inside Thailand even if you have entered Thailand on a Tourist Visa or at least with Exempt Visa stamp. The visa holder will often apply for Visa extension based on Retirement when in the Kingdom, which will enable them to stay for longer (see below). However, for this initial application, you will need the following documents:
- Proof that you are 50 years or older (your passport will suffice)
- Sufficient funds in your Thai Bank account not less than 800,000 THB.
- Notification of Residence in Thailand (TM 30 Receipt)
Thai Visa Expert is specialized in obtain Non Immigrant O Retirement Visa inside Thailand at Bangkok Immigration (Chaengwattana). Non Immigrant O (Retirement) Visa is valid for 3 months and Extension of stay is valid for another 12 months. The total duration of stay you will get is for 15 months. If you are a frequent flyer, you can add a Multiple Re-entry Permit to your stay which will allow you to fly in and out of Thailand as many times as you want. If you don’t travel at all, you can stay in Thailand straight for a year but you will have to notify your address at a local Immigration for every 90 days.
Thailand Non Immigrant O Visa (Voluntary Work)
Many people wish to work voluntarily in Thailand, However, you still require to obtain correct paperwork to supply at the time of the application, including:
- A signed Letter of Invitation from an “authorized person” along with a copy of their passport or Thai ID card
- A copy of the Charity, Association or NGO’s registration
- Proof that you have the financial means to support yourself for the duration of the visa WITHOUT doing paid work in Thailand
- Notification of residence TM 30 reciept
Non Immigrant O-A Visa Retirement
Non Immigrant O-A Retirement Visa is not the same as Non Immigrant O Retirement Visa. Some may think Non Immigrant O-A Retirement Visa is better than Non Immigrant O Retirement Visa but that is not how it looks. We highly recommend to get a Non Immigrant O (Retirement) Visa as it is one of the suitable visa for Retirees. First of all, it doesn’t require you have a Health Insurance,
If you have a Single Entry Non Immigrant Visa Thailand (Retirement) this can be extended in Thailand without having to do border runs or visa runs. Non Immigrant O (Retirement) Visa can be obtained both at the Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate prior to traveling to Thailand or at the Thai Immigration department even if you have entered Thailand on a Tourist visa or Exempt Visa stamp.
To apply for a Thai Non Immigrant O Visa Extension, you will need the following:
- Your original passport with at least 1 full blank page along with copies which must be signed
- Notification of Residency like TM 30 along with financial requirements must be satisfied, which include meeting one of the following:
- Have at least THB800, 000 held in a Thai saving or fixed deposit account for a designated period of time, which is currently three months before the application. For a Thailand Retirement Visa Renewal, this is again three months before the application, but also it must be held for three months after. A letter and copies of your bank book will be required to confirm that this is the case
- Alternatively, if you have a monthly income of not less than THB65,000 per month, this would be acceptable. Please note, most embassies are now unwilling to issue letters guaranteeing that you receive this level of income in your “home” country, so you may wish to look at alternative methods of proving this to be the case. A copy of an entire year’s bank statement showing the monies going into your account regularly should suffice. It is also essential to point out that a holder of a Thai Retirement Visa is NOT permitted to work in the country. It is also possible to have a combination of savings held in a Thai bank account and an incoming with the total being not less than THB800,000 per annum with again proof being required
- Health insurance valid for the duration of the visa with a minimum of THB40,000 inpatient cover and THB400,000 inpatient cover. This requirements doesn’t apply for Non Immigrant O (Retirement) Visa or the Extension on Non Immigrant O (Retirement) Visa.
Non Immigrant O-X – 10 Year Retirement Visa
The Non Immigrant Visa – Retirement (O-X) is suitable for those aged 50 or over who wish to stay in Thailand (without working) long-term. The visa is effectively two five year visas and is only available to passport holders from the following countries: Japan, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. All of the above documentation is required, although the financial requirements are:
- The applicant must have a minimum of THB3 million in a Thai savings or fixed deposit account OR at least THB1.8 million in a Thai savings or fixed deposit account and an income of THB1.2 million or more per annum
- The holder must retain a balance of THB1.5 million for the duration of the visa
- For this Thai Non Immigrant O Visa extension, all requirements remain the same.
Why use a professional visa company?
Applying for a visa in any country can be stressful, and with a Non O Visa Thailand, there is the potential for individuals to be denied an extended stay in Thailand. At Thai Visa Expert, we will ensure that you have all the correct paperwork and can liaise with immigration officials on your behalf. We have an established and trusted professional relationship with Thai Immigration and know what is currently required, thus increasing your chances of your visa being accepted the first time.
Who We Are
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