I am an US citizen who wanted to retire in Phuket. I got a non- immigrant multi entry O visa from the Thai Embassy in NYC. Expires feb 2020.
I have been inPhuket 3 months now and am struggling with immigration. If you can help me understand the below I would greatly appreciate it.
1. From what I have read on these forums and web -I should have gotten an O-A visa. Not O. Is that correct? ( O is for spouses or volunteers?- not retirement?)
2. I cannot find a bank that is willing to open an account for me because of point 1 above. Has anyone ever opened a bank account with O visa? If so which bank? I have tried 3 so far- Bangkok, kasikorn and Siam all said I need O-A.
3. My understanding is I need a bank account here to place 800k bht in order to extend my visa once it expires. Is that only true for O-A?
Thanks for advise.
TLDR : Answer Summary
The user, a US citizen, is seeking clarification on visa types for retirement in Phuket, specifically whether a Non-Immigrant O visa suffices for retirement or if an O-A visa is necessary. They also inquire about the challenges of opening a bank account with an O visa and requirements for maintaining their visa status, such as the need to deposit 800,000 THB.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
- Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
- For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
- Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
- Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.