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Can an Australian passport holder over 50 apply for a non-immigrant O-A visa for Thailand and return after travel to Europe?

Non-Immigrant Visa O-A Thailand Visa Regulations Re-Entry Visa Dual Citizenship Thai Immigration Long Stay Visa O-A Visa Application Process 90-Day Non-O Visa

December 14, 2022

2 years ago

Patrick *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

I am over 50, travel on an Oz passport and would like to stay in Thailand next year from 15 July - 30 October 2023 ( then spend 2-3 months in Europe ) and then come back to Thailand from 10 January to 30 May 2024.

I assume that applying for a non-immigrant visa type O-A valid for one year at the OZ consulate in Sydney is the easiest way to stay for the periods mentioned above.

Question 1 : Does such a visa allow you to leave Thailand ( in this case for thereabout 2-3 months) and come back in ? Do you need to apply for some kind of re-entry visa when you leave ?

Question 2a: Could I apply again for the same type of visa (non-immigrant O-A valid for 1 year) in September 2024 ? 

Question 2b: Given that I have dual citizenship ( OZ & French) and will apply for this visa to the Thai embassy in Paris , should I use my OZ passport or would it be better to use my French passport for this visa ?

I don’t want to get into trouble with the Thai immigration for using two passports.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The post discusses the visa options for an Australian passport holder over 50 who plans to stay in Thailand for several months in 2023 and 2024. Key questions raised include the ability to leave and return with a non-immigrant O-A visa, the potential to reapply for the same visa in the following year, and considerations regarding which passport to use for the application due to dual citizenship (Australian and French). Responses highlight the flexibility of the O-A visa for multiple entries and alternatives like the 90-Day Non-O visa, and advice on the use of dual citizenship in the application process.

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Bobby ********

Totally agree with

answer. If you have any longer term plans for visiting Thailand also look at the OX visa from the Sydney consulate, NOT the Canberra Embassy. This visa gives you five years unlimited entries, and can be extended a further five years, and also does not require funds to be transferred into a Thai bank account

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Robert ************

Alternatively, since you are over age 50, you could arrive and enter Thailand "Visa Exempt", immediately apply for Change to 90-Day Non-O, and then 60 days later, apply for 1-yr Extension of Stay, along with Re-Entry Stamp. Cost of all above almost identical to cost of O-A, but no requirement for Insurance, or any of the other requirements for O-A. Though, you would have to either Deposit 800K Bath in a Thai Bank, or qualify based on Monthly Income of 65,000 Baht deposited into Thai Bank.

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James ********

@Robert ***********

you cannot get the Non O Visa using the 65,000 Thai baht method when first applying unless you have made 12 months of 65,000 Thai baht international transfers prior to your applying for the Non O Visa.

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Tod *********

@Robert ***********

can't get the initial 90 day Non-O visa OR the first year extension based on monthly income of 65K baht a month (not unless you're embassy here issues the affidavit of income from abroad notary letter) <- which the US, the UK and Australia no longer do.

That means the initial Non-O and the first year extension need to be gotten with banked money method which necessitates transferring in to a thai bank account in your name only the 800K baht, having it in the account 2 months before you apply for the year extension, keeping it in your account for 3 months after that extension is granted and then never letting the balance go below 400K baht the rest of the year.

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Vladimír *****

Please If I already have an account with BKK bank, I would regularly send from now on over

*****

THB as an international transfer of course, even that would not be enough to get a Non-O visa? I think in December 2023-January 2024. TY

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Tod *********

@Vladimír **************

nope, you can't get the Non-O visa issued inside the country with monthly international transfers 😕 (even if you have 12 months of them previously) you have to use banked money

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Vladimír *****

TY very much for the reply. :-)

These rules are "strange". :-/ I ll check another country.

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Tod *********

@Vladimír **************

never the less they are indeed the rules. The only people who can use "monthly income" to get the initial 90 day Non-O visa or the first year extension issued inside the country are people whose embassies here still issue the affidavit of income from abroad (the US, the UK and Australia don't do it anymore) otherwise if you can't get that letter you bank the money

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Tod *********

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Dominic ****

could you please clarify this "the initial Non-O and the first year extension need to be gotten with banked money method which necessitates transferring in to a thai bank account in your name only the 800K baht, having it in the account 2 months before you apply for the year extension". How does banked money affect applying for the initial non-O? It's not explained. Thanks

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Tod *********

you cannot use monthly income to get the initial 90 day non-o visa from the immigration office inside the country OR the yearly extension you get after that unless you come from a country whose embassy here issues the affidavit of income from abroad notary.

IF you are from a country whose embassy doesn't issue that notary letter your ONLY option for the 90 day Non-O and the year extension (for the first year) is banked money

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Dominic ****

thanks but I still don't understand. You say that you need 800,000 baht in the bank two months before applying for the one year extension. But what do you need in the bank when applying for the initial three month non-o? And when? And can you take it out again for one month before needing it back in there two months before applying for the extension?

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Tod *********

you need to have the 800K baht in a thai bank account in your name only when you apply

works like this

you put the 800K baht in a thai bank account in your name only

you apply for the Non-O 90 day visa

you get that and wait until the 800K baht has been in the account for 2 months and then you apply for the year extension

ONCE you get the year extension you need to keep the 800K baht in the thai account for THREE months after that and then the balance can't go below 400K baht the rest of the year

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Tod *********

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Robert ************

Yes, I know. Just wanted to let Patrick know there was another alternative. Apparently, I see from his recent reply he prefers not to deposit the money in Thai Bank.

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Patrick *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

thank you Tod. That’s what I’m trying to avoid for now (ie. having to transfer 800K to a Thai bank account ) until I decide where I am going to be based.

For the next 2-3 years, it looks like I will be spending my time between OZ, Thailand, and France. So I’m after a path of « less hassles » when it comes to choosing a Thai visa.

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Tod *********

In that case,

@Patrick ******

get the OA in your country, keep the mandatory insurance current and you can get almost 2 years of stay out of it without banking a baht inside thailand 🙂

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Patrick *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

great. Many thanks for all Todd.

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Patrick *******

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Tod *********

1 - The year-long, multi-entry OA visa is good for unlimited entries during it's validity (a year from the date of issue). As long as you re-entry during the validity of the VISA itself and have a year's worth of the mandatory health insurance you will be stamped in for a new year.

2 - you can get almost 2 years of stay out of an OA visa if you exit/re-enter just before the visa itself expires and have a new year of the health insurance you'll get stamped in for a whole new year.

2a - PICK what passport you want that OA visa in because you ain't gonna switch passports once you got it issued. It won't matter at all if you use the french or the Australian one, they both are treated the same for OA visas. Obviously you get the OA visa from a thai consulate in the country your passport is from SO if you're in Oz you can't use the French passport to get the OA and conversely if you're in France you can't use the Ozzie passport to get it

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Seni *********

is it possible in the second year to go out of the country? Do you could get a Re Entry permit for that case?

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Tod *********

if you get an OA visa and exit/re-enter to get that 'free second year' entry stamp you DO need to buy a re-entry permit if you're going to leave come back during that time.

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Tod *********

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Patrick *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

many thanks Todd for your prompt reply and invaluable info.

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Wim ********

@Patrick ******

thanks, now I learned that Oz is Australia 😃

Silly, I always thought it was a magical land with a Wizard🎶

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Wim ********

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