applying for a non imm O/A visa in london uk

[valkyrie]

Hi, I understand I can apply in uk for a non imm O/A visa before departing for Los. I have sufficient funds in my uk bank and am over 50, owing a house in pattaya for over 10 years via the company route.Has anyone  attempted this recently ? I read a police clearance cert is needed along with a doctors  letter. Thanks

[davidge]

You're probably best checking with the Embassy as things have been a little less clear recently.

AFAIK, consulates have been stopped from issuing the O-A and it's now only the Embassy.

As you say, you'll need a Police Clearance Certificate & a Medical Certificate showing you are clear of certain diseases.

The UK Embassy have confused things a bit recently by stating pension earners need to be at least 60??????

I think the visa is based on income not bank balance. The equivalent of 65000 baht a month or 800000 baht a year.

As I said, best bet is contacting the Embassy.

 

 

An alternative is to enter Thailand on a Tourist Visa. You can then change this to a non-O and then get the annual extension of stay based on retirement. You'll need 800000 baht in a Thai bank account for 3 months OR an affidavit from The British Embassy showing a monthly income of at least 65000 baht.

[Scuba+]

I've just read the requirements and they seem ok to me, worth a shot. Criminal record check £45, medical check (as a guess £20), equiv 800,000 baht in the bank (they say circ £18,000).

Guys get put off the requirements but they look easy to me, maybe they are tea leafs

[davidge]

8 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I've just read the requirements and they seem ok to me, worth a shot. Criminal record check £45, medical check (as a guess £20), equiv 800,000 baht in the bank (they say circ £18,000).

Guys get put off the requirements but they look easy to me, maybe they are tea leafs

Not too onerous, although you've probably underestimated the costs. You'll be lucky if a GP charges only £20 nowadays. Also, all copies of bank statements etc must be signed by Notary Public or Solicitor. £125 visa fee.

As I said, the London Embassy have confused things a little by mentioning 60 as the age for pension earners???

The OP should be fine & it does make things easier in Thailand. Just make sure it's a Multiple Entry.

The advantage of doing things in Thailand, apart from not needing Medical or Police Cert, is that you can always slip someone a few baht to help if there's a problem.

[Ludhamlad]

I'll be in the same position soon and think the best thing to do is to go on a Tourist Visa (double entry) and then get the retirement visa in Thailand as it's more straight forward with no CRB check and medical report.

[davidge]

Just now, Ludhamlad said:

I'll be in the same position soon and think the best thing to do is to go on a Tourist Visa (double entry) and then get the retirement Visa in Thailand as it's more straight forward with no CRB check and medical report.

No Double Entry anymore.

A Single Entry is fine. There is a Multiple Entry but you don't really need it as you'll be changing your visa in Thailand anyway.

[Scuba+]

Not too onerous, although you've probably underestimated the costs. You'll be lucky if a GP charges only £20 nowadays. Also, all copies of bank statements etc must be signed by Notary Public or Solicitor. £125 visa fee.
As I said, the London Embassy have confused things a little by mentioning 60 as the age for pension earners???
The OP should be fine & it does make things easier in Thailand. Just make sure it's a Multiple Entry.
The advantage of doing things in Thailand, apart from not needing Medical or Police Cert, is that you can always slip someone a few baht to help if there's a problem.

I'd be surprised if my GP would charge more than £30, virtually zero work, standard letter, £40 max I'd say. As for signing they provide a list of occupations, i didn't click it but usually someone has a friend who can sign. I sign other peoples sometimes. I think its worth a go, saves time and avoids the risk of something going wrong when applying in Thailand plus you won't need to convert to 800k baht until next due. If it gets declined for some reason just do it in Thailand.

[davidge]

BTW, as I understand it Jomtien Immigration can no longer change the visa to a non-O. You can still submit the paperwork there but it's sent to Bangkok.

[davidge]

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

8 minutes ago, davidge said:

Not too onerous, although you've probably underestimated the costs. You'll be lucky if a GP charges only £20 nowadays. Also, all copies of bank statements etc must be signed by Notary Public or Solicitor. £125 Visa fee.
As I said, the London Embassy have confused things a little by mentioning 60 as the age for pension earners???
The OP should be fine & it does make things easier in Thailand. Just make sure it's a Multiple Entry.
The advantage of doing things in Thailand, apart from not needing Medical or Police Cert, is that you can always slip someone a few baht to help if there's a problem.

I'd be surprised if my GP would charge more than £30, virtually zero work, standard letter, £40 max I'd say. As for signing they provide a list of occupations, i didn't click it but usually someone has a friend who can sign. I sign other peoples sometimes. I think its worth a go, saves time and avoids the risk of something going wrong when applying in Thailand plus you won't need to convert to 800k baht until next due. If it gets declined for some reason just do it in Thailand.

It's a perfectly reasonable option. Not saying not to do it just suggesting an alternative that may suit some people.

As you say, you'll need 800000 baht in your Thai bank account for 3 months if you do it in Thailand.

[Scuba+]

It's a perfectly reasonable option. Not saying not to do it just suggesting an alternative that may suit some people.
As you say, you'll need 800000 baht in your Thai bank account for 3 months if you do it in Thailand.

The medical cert is straight forward also, just about not having contagious diseases

[davidge]

9 minutes ago, Ludhamlad said:

I'll be in the same position soon and think the best thing to do is to go on a Tourist Visa (double entry) and then get the retirement Visa in Thailand as it's more straight forward with no CRB check and medical report.

There are other differences & I'm not convinced I understand all the nuances, but...

if you get an O-A Multiple Entry in the U.K. it's valid for 12 months and you get 12 months per entry. So, if you leave Thailand and re-enter just before the initial 12 months is up you can effectively stay for almost 2 years before getting an extension.

If you do it in Thailand then it's a max of 15 months before extension.

[Scuba+]

The other factor to consider is the exchange rate, you don't really want to buy 800k baht when the exchange rate is pants, delaying by a year could save £1-3k, which makes the UK costs immaterial

[davidge]

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

The other factor to consider is the exchange rate, you don't really want to buy 800k baht when the exchange rate is pants, delaying by a year could save £1-3k, which makes the UK costs immaterial

Sadly, I think for the next couple of years the £ is only going to go one way 

[Scuba+]

Sadly, I think for the next couple of years the £ is only going to go one way 

I don't think so, probably up and down for a while

[valkyrie]

I plan giving it a shot, like the idea of having my funds safe in a uk bank, rather than a thai one!

[Scuba+]

I plan giving it a shot, like the idea of having my funds safe in a uk bank, rather than a thai one!

Let us know how you get on

[facebookboy]

The medical side may not be a simple as you think.

A couple of years ago I intended going down the same route ,OA visa from London. So I dropped the medical paperwork off at my GP. The surgery very promptly phoned me back telling me that they could not possibly complete the paperwork as the NHS could not be expected to do all the blood work checks for free,as this would be required before the doctor could sign it off.

The surgery informed me that I would have get the blood work done privately,they did give me several points of contact where I could get this work done. After a few phone calls I got quotes back around the £300.00 mark.

Also do not forget that all the required documents have to notorisied by a solicitor. More expense.

[kansuwan]

Worth taking a peek at this:

http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/?gclid=CN6T6eKsv9YCFUKIjwodRKMMuw

[Scuba+]

The medical side may not be a simple as you think.
A couple of years ago I intended going down the same route ,OA visa from London. So I dropped the medical paperwork off at my GP. The surgery very promptly phoned me back telling me that they could not possibly complete the paperwork as the NHS could not be expected to do all the blood work checks for free,as this would be required before the doctor could sign it off.
The surgery informed me that I would have get the blood work done privately,they did give me several points of contact where I could get this work done. After a few phone calls I got quotes back around the £300.00 mark.
Also do not forget that all the required documents have to notorisied by a solicitor. More expense.

I've emailed them because I'm interested on the public notary officer requirement. If you apply for a passport in the UK there are various occupations that can sign the docs, crazy that a visa would require more than that but this is for Thailand so logic isn't always a factor.

[davidge]

4 hours ago, facebookboy said:

The medical side may not be a simple as you think.

A couple of years ago I intended going down the same route ,OA Visa from London. So I dropped the medical paperwork off at my GP. The surgery very promptly phoned me back telling me that they could not possibly complete the paperwork as the NHS could not be expected to do all the blood work checks for free,as this would be required before the doctor could sign it off.

The surgery informed me that I would have get the blood work done privately,they did give me several points of contact where I could get this work done. After a few phone calls I got quotes back around the £300.00 mark.

Also do not forget that all the required documents have to notorisied by a solicitor. More expense.

The last time I needed medical forms done for overseas employment I phoned a private hospital & they put me in touch with a doctor. He was quite happy to do all the forms without doing any tests. Can't remember the fee, but under £100 then.

I think it may depend on your GP how they deal with it. Things have changed considerably in the last few years and they're under a lot more pressure.

3 hours ago, kansuwan said:

Worth taking a peek at this:

http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/?gclid=CN6T6eKsv9YCFUKIjwodRKMMuw

Different information again. Not the same as on the London Embassy website - which I don't find particularly clear anyway & it seems to contradict itself.

This seems to be only in the U.K. as well? An American BM posting recently got a multiple entry O-A from the New York Consulate a few months ago with no problems.

 

Edit:

Statement on the Thai Consulate Cardiff Website:

They do give an 'O' visa for pensioners but it's only 90 days at a time.

[Scuba+]

This seems quite clear
http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/en/non-immigrant-visa

[davidge]

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

This seems quite clear
http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/en/non-immigrant-visa

Yes, but elsewhere it says something different - I think because of this 'O' visa for pensioners they've started talking about.

Anyway, hopefully the OP will find it straightforward & tell us.

[Ludhamlad]

10 hours ago, valkyrie said:

I plan giving it a shot, like the idea of having my funds safe in a uk bank, rather than a thai one!

You're going to need a Thai account at some point, what about when the visa needs renewing?  Single entry TV is what I'll do, will mean leaving Thailand to have the funds in for 3 months but that's no problem.

 

[Insomniac]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I've emailed them because I'm interested on the public notary officer requirement. If you apply for a passport in the UK there are various occupations that can sign the docs, crazy that a Visa would require more than that but this is for Thailand so logic isn't always a factor.

Particularly strange because Public Notary does not exist in Thailand, only a guarantee by Thai Law Society, literally a lawyer's union as in UK.

[Scuba+]

Particularly strange because Public Notary does not exist in Thailand, only a guarantee by Thai Law Society, literally a lawyer's union as in UK.

I contacted a public notary and they say they will sign the docs for £50 so i still think getting the visa through London is definitely do-able