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

[worldpunter]

30 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

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

 But that's 50 too much for me . I had this visa before , but now go for the non imm 0 visa multiple entry . Just means you have to exit the country every 90 and thats ok for a break 

[roy111]

The process for getting the O/A in London is pretty easy but the website is confusing. I got one last October - My GP was happy to complete the medical form (download it) for £25. Police Report was £45 that you apply for online. The solicitor / notary bit is confusing on the website - the requirement is just to get a solicitor to sign your 3 copy documents (Medical form, Police report, financial proof) to certify that it is a true copy - so take the originals as well. If you follow the link on the Thai Embassy website it takes you to a solicitor in London Covent Garden who do this all the time and charge £5 per document so £15 total. They are a 15 min tube ride from the Thai Embassy. So total cost for me was £45 + £25 + £15 + £125 for the visa = £210 + your travel expenses for 2 trips to London. Visa is multiple entry in 1st year so if used correctly is good for 2 years and you can get a re-entry permit in the 2nd year if required.

[Scuba+]

From what I've been reading the snag can be getting the medical cert in the UK from your GP/private Dr without spending £100s. The solution is to get the certificate in Thailand, the UK consulate accepts this. So £100s vs 100-300 baht

[hardblogger]

I think the doctor certificate issue is made a bit more inconsistent  because each GP surgery probably have slightly different policies, so what happens in one place could be quite different 1/2 mile down the road. 

I am escaping soon,  my house is almost sold here in UK, and have Forces pension of 50k a month. My combined fortune (lol) will be easily over the criteria for a retirement visa. I am 59, almost 60 next month omg.

My question is, I was intending on doing some travelling on route to Pattaya, so could I for instance get a tourist visa or  90 day 0 Visa in Phonm Penh?  or the most simple route would seem to me 

1. Get a tourist visa for Thailand in PP 

2. Go to Jomtien office and get a upgrade to 90 day 0 

3. Go back to Jomtien office and get a retirement visa once thai bank account open. 

Could I do that alright?  Sounds like they can fix anything, by hook or by crook lol  

Just want to try and get everything right and keep it simple. Anyone see any problems, appreciate your views and this thread (and others) has been very helpful.  Will skip travelling first if it's not. Very flexible but aim is to get retirement visa sorted. Intend on renting a nice villa for a year, and see how we go. Been to Pattaya for a few months a few years ago, can't bloody wait! 

 

[davidge]

2 hours ago, hardblogger said:

I think the doctor certificate issue is made a bit more inconsistent  because each GP surgery probably have slightly different policies, so what happens in one place could be quite different 1/2 mile down the road. 

I am escaping soon,  my house is almost sold here in UK, and have Forces pension of 50k a month. My combined fortune (lol) will be easily over the criteria for a retirement Visa. I am 59, almost 60 next month omg.

My question is, I was intending on doing some travelling on route to Pattaya, so could I for instance get a tourist Visa or  90 day 0 Visa in Phonm Penh?  or the most simple route would seem to me 

1. Get a tourist Visa for Thailand in PP 

2. Go to Jomtien office and get a upgrade to 90 day 0 

3. Go back to Jomtien office and get a retirement Visa once thai bank account open. 

Could I do that alright?  Sounds like they can fix anything, by hook or by crook lol  

Just want to try and get everything right and keep it simple. Anyone see any problems, appreciate your views and this thread (and others) has been very helpful.  Will skip travelling first if it's not. Very flexible but aim is to get retirement Visa sorted. Intend on renting a nice villa for a year, and see how we go. Been to Pattaya for a few months a few years ago, can't bloody wait! 

 

Last I heard, the upgrade to ‘O’ can only be done in Bangkok but you can submit the papers in Jomtien and they are sent off. I’m not aware of any issues getting a Tourist Visa in PP.

You’ll need the cash in the Thai bank for 2 months before applying for ‘Retirement’ visa if doing it that way but, given your income, you can get the Proof of Income from the UK Embassy anyway so don’t actually need the bank account.

As you say, there are agents who can help. As you easily meet the income requirements, I wouldn’t get the entire visa ‘through the back door’ just use one of the agents who help with paperwork etc if you feel you need to.

Shouldn’t be any problem doing it yourself anyway. Plenty on here who can guide step by step. Couple of recent threads.

[davidge]

Just to give you an idea of costs etc, I found this advert for an agent:

So, they charge 7999 baht to do the paperwork for you to get your first Retirement Visa. I’m not recommending them as I don’t know anything about them, just shows what’s available. As I said, lots of people manage it themselves & plenty on here will guide you through it.

[hardblogger]

Thanks Davidge very helpful and thanks for taking the time to reply.  That's helped for sure. Yes the 8k baht fee is quite steep, but then again  as I have moving budget which is healthy enough, and includes travel to a few countries and places on route so in the grand scheme of things £180 isn't really something I would get worried about. But yes once settled in and on a monthly budget it probably might be. I will see how it goes and appreciate at least knowing the costs. 

Yes opening a bank account pretty sharpish is something I intend to do.