Can I apply for a Type O-A visa by mail from Thailand to a Thai embassy in the US?

Feb 20, 2019
6 years ago
Mookie ****
ORIGINAL POSTER
Anyone has experience in applying for a Type O-A visa by mail, while living in Thailand, to the Thai Embassy/Consulate in US, either DC or NYC? Or the only option is to be physically in US for submitting O-A visa application?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
It is not permitted to apply for a Non-O-A visa or any other visa from within Thailand, except for the Thai Elite visa. While you can apply for a 90-day Non-O visa inside Thailand or from a nearby country, obtaining a year extension requires a prescribed process. Some individuals have managed to circumvent this rule by temporarily leaving Thailand, mailing their application to a US address, and then sending it to the consulate. However, if additional documentation is needed, being outside the US may complicate the situation.
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Tod *********
There IS a way it can be done (although I am NOT advocating it only explaining it).

The rule is you CANNOT apply for a visa to thailand from a thai consulate in another country while you're IN thailand.

I know people who get Non-O-A visas from the US every other year by:

flying to cambodia or the philippines, sending their passport (and the application, copies etc) to someone in the USA, having them post it to the consulate with a return addressed envelope to their house. Once they get the passport back with the visa in it they DHL or FedEx the passport to the person in what ever country they are in and THEN you can enter thailand on that new visa.

There is NO rule that says you have to be IN the country where you get the visa for thailand, ONLY that you can't be IN thailand and get a visa from a consulate in another country.
Tod *********
@Ron ******
I know but I probably know 3 or 4 people who do this over and over visas from the US. Most do it for a 6 month METV.
Tod *********
The down side of this process is IF the documentation isn't correct OR you need to provide more information you aren't IN the US to easily get additional documentation.
Marty *********
My US address is my sister’s house. She has forwarded documents sent to me at that address. If you have a similar arrangement in the US then you could try mailing “from within the US” that way. It will cost a bit more and everything will take longer in the mail.
Tod *********
I thought we had covered how you get a year extension by getting a 90 day single entry Non-O visa <- (note there is NO A after the O) either inside the country at the thai immigration office OR from a thai consulate in a nearby country. THEN when you have 30 days or less left on that visa you apply for a yearly extension of stay at your immigration office by meeting the financial requirements.

I thought you were going to check with your immigration office in Udon as far as if you could get the 90 day Non-O visa from them. What did they say?
Dana *******
@Mookie ***
I did it in Jomtien/Pattaya. I needed to have at least 15 days left on my "exempt visa entry" to apply for a "90 day Non O visa". With all the requirements : 50 years, 800k on Thai Bank account for at least 2 months before application and proof of residency. In case you don't have enough days left on your "exempt visa entry", you can first make one extension of 30 days (1'900.B), giving you the time you need.
Tod *********
Mookie ****
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
. I plan to go to UT immigration office tomorrow. I will let you know what they say about conversion from exempt visa entry to 90 day Non O visa.
Tod *********
You CANNOT apply for a Non-O-A visa OR ANY visa (other than the thai elite visa) from INSIDE of thailand.
Tod *********
You need to use a US mailing address as a return address when applying for visas by post from a thai consulate in the USA.
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