Answered14 days ago
What are the best options for obtaining a Non-O visa in Thailand with limited time and banking restrictions?
Hi all. I need advice from some experienced peeps for these very detailed questions. Here is my situation. I need to be in Thailand in 4 weeks, no later, and this part is not optional, which is limiting here (ie non-OA & all its hoops not an option). I have 800K, not the income part, for the non-O. The money has NOT been in a chequing/savings account for the last 3 months, it was invested. So it seems I can not apply from my home Country Canada where I am right now. This seems to leave 2 available options each with potential problems, hence advice needed.
1. A) If I go on a tourist visa for 3 months, then leave to go to Laos to apply for the non-O, are they going to accept bank statements from Canada proving I have the 800K?
1. B) Also VERY important, apparently even in Laos I will apply online at Evisa site, does this mean I have to show 3 months of bank statements with that 800K in the savings account for the 3 months (not investment account that they might not consider?) ?
1. C) If I put 800K in savings account now and go on SETV for 2 months, can that be extended 1 month to 3 months? If not, I guess I might need the METV depending on 1. B) above to make sure when I apply in Laos that the 800K was sitting in a savings account doing nothing for 3 months instead of earning money somewhere.....sigh
Finally option 2. Applying for non-O in Thailand. I am not going to fork over 50K to Agency to get the whole job done, but am considering getting them to get the bank account for me ONLY. I can get the TM30 showing I have residence right now as I have rented a condo already, and of course a SIM card on passport when I get there. So what I wont have is the 90 day non-O visa to go to Immigration with to get the residence certificate, if they need it.
2. A) Does anyone know how much an Agency would charge JUST TO ONLY open a bank account for me?
2..B) Will the Agency be able to open the account without a 90 day non-O and residence certificate, so just the TM30 and SIM card? Or can they get the residence certificate from Immigration with just the TM30 if it is needed without the non-O?
2..C) Will Immigration require a non-O already in hand from me if I go myself, in order to give me the residence certificate needed for the bank? It would seem they would, because why would they give you one if you are there just on a tourist visa. Yet so many people say you can do the non-O in Thailand you just need a bank account.... its a chicken egg scenario....
1. A) If I go on a tourist visa for 3 months, then leave to go to Laos to apply for the non-O, are they going to accept bank statements from Canada proving I have the 800K?
1. B) Also VERY important, apparently even in Laos I will apply online at Evisa site, does this mean I have to show 3 months of bank statements with that 800K in the savings account for the 3 months (not investment account that they might not consider?) ?
1. C) If I put 800K in savings account now and go on SETV for 2 months, can that be extended 1 month to 3 months? If not, I guess I might need the METV depending on 1. B) above to make sure when I apply in Laos that the 800K was sitting in a savings account doing nothing for 3 months instead of earning money somewhere.....sigh
Finally option 2. Applying for non-O in Thailand. I am not going to fork over 50K to Agency to get the whole job done, but am considering getting them to get the bank account for me ONLY. I can get the TM30 showing I have residence right now as I have rented a condo already, and of course a SIM card on passport when I get there. So what I wont have is the 90 day non-O visa to go to Immigration with to get the residence certificate, if they need it.
2. A) Does anyone know how much an Agency would charge JUST TO ONLY open a bank account for me?
2..B) Will the Agency be able to open the account without a 90 day non-O and residence certificate, so just the TM30 and SIM card? Or can they get the residence certificate from Immigration with just the TM30 if it is needed without the non-O?
2..C) Will Immigration require a non-O already in hand from me if I go myself, in order to give me the residence certificate needed for the bank? It would seem they would, because why would they give you one if you are there just on a tourist visa. Yet so many people say you can do the non-O in Thailand you just need a bank account.... its a chicken egg scenario....
Answer summary
The user is exploring options to obtain a Non-O visa for Thailand within a tight timeframe of 4 weeks, while facing banking limitations due to their funds being in investments rather than a liquid savings account. They express interest in two options: applying for a tourist visa to later convert to a Non-O visa in Laos or applying for the Non-O directly within Thailand with the assistance of an agency. Key concerns include the acceptability of Canadian bank statements, requirements for 3 months of proof of funds, the process of extending a tourist visa, and the feasibility of opening a bank account without a Non-O visa.
12 repliesnewest first
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SunnyChe*********
Sometimes it’s worth paying for the path of least resistance 🤷♂️
John **********
OPSunnyChestnut4369 Yes if I had $2500 CAD money to throw away, I would
Kool *******
An agent will charge you the same amount to simply get your bank account as they would for the whole package.
GracefulP*********
The 800,000 does not need to be there for three months. But it must come from outside Thailand.
John **********
You'd need to check with the consulate but they don't usually have a requirement that the 800k is in your account for the entirety of the 3 months of statements you need to supply.
While you can get a residence certificate on a tourist visa there's no bank in Thailand that will allow you to open an account on one so that won't help you.
If you come on a tourist visa you only have 2 options, leave Thailand to apply for a Non-O visa in a nearby country or pay an agent. Much more sensible if you get the Non-O before you travel
While you can get a residence certificate on a tourist visa there's no bank in Thailand that will allow you to open an account on one so that won't help you.
If you come on a tourist visa you only have 2 options, leave Thailand to apply for a Non-O visa in a nearby country or pay an agent. Much more sensible if you get the Non-O before you travel
John **********
OP@John *********
Yes, what I wanted to do was get the TM30, Sim card, and the residence certificate all on my own, then hand that to the Agency who then only needs to open a bank account for me, then I can do the rest. If they dont want my money for only opening the bank account, so be it, I cant afford the 50K for the whle shabang. At this point I am out of time, and getting answers from the Embassy is slow and possibly not dependable. What I REALLY want to avoid is applying from Canada only for them to say sorry, your money was not seasoned for 3 months, or for them to ask for more documents wasting more time. By them not being specific in the first place about this seasoning, and about WHERE the money should be parked, they already wasted 3 weeks of my time. Their rules are as clear as mud, keep changing, and differ depending on which Thai officials you talk too!
Matt *********
John Erickson But can't you apply for the 60-day tourit visa from home country, the seasoned money they want so see is just 20,000bt?
Must have been at least 2 months on a savings account, or as in my case in a fixed rate account was ok too.
Then later on in thailand extend for 30 more days, and after that fly to a neighboring country and get 30 more days.
If you have all ducks in a row when submitting it should not take long?
But who knows the workload on the embassies world around😓
Must have been at least 2 months on a savings account, or as in my case in a fixed rate account was ok too.
Then later on in thailand extend for 30 more days, and after that fly to a neighboring country and get 30 more days.
If you have all ducks in a row when submitting it should not take long?
But who knows the workload on the embassies world around😓
Brandon ************
1) Embassies accept bank statements from any bank. And yes, they will require 3 months of bank statements. You can check the embassy website yourself.
A tourist visa grants 60 days, not 3 months. You can apply for a 30-day extension, bringing it to 90 days. There is no extension available after that.
2) You'll be lucky if you can find an agent that will only open a bank account and nothing else. Most agents only offer that service as part of the whole package to convert from tourist to non-O visa, and the first extension.
There is no chicken or egg scenario. Visas are for entering a country. You are not supposed to get a non-O inside of Thailand. The fact that you need a bank account attests to that. It's supposed to come from an embassy.
Immigration will grants a residence certificate to a tourist, but each immigration office has their own requirements.
A tourist visa grants 60 days, not 3 months. You can apply for a 30-day extension, bringing it to 90 days. There is no extension available after that.
2) You'll be lucky if you can find an agent that will only open a bank account and nothing else. Most agents only offer that service as part of the whole package to convert from tourist to non-O visa, and the first extension.
There is no chicken or egg scenario. Visas are for entering a country. You are not supposed to get a non-O inside of Thailand. The fact that you need a bank account attests to that. It's supposed to come from an embassy.
Immigration will grants a residence certificate to a tourist, but each immigration office has their own requirements.
John **********
OP@Brandon ***********
Unfortunately the Laos Thai Embassy website is even more useless than the Canadian one which is truly horrible. This is just another reason why this forum is so busy. With what you said in your last reply I now think Laos is my best option then, but they list nothing at all on their website about types of visas or requirements for them, only it should take 5 to 10 working days for any visa. So I'm shooting in the dark and relying on facebook and Thailand's incomplete thai evisa website which at least has information but lacks a great amount of detailBrandon ************
@John *********
you have to pay in person if you apply in Laos. Submit application online then print a QR code and go in the morning to pay. After payment it's usually only a few days until the visa is issued. 2-3John **********
OP@Brandon ***********
I understand, but people keep getting told they can convert their visa to a non-O as long as you have a bank account, but, you generally need the non-O, to get the bank account, hence my analogy.Brandon ************
@John *********
Because that's the reality. IF they already have a bank account, they might be able to do the conversion. But you're not supposed to do the conversion, you're supposed to get the visa from the embassy. And many immigration offices are no longer allowing the conversions even if you already have the bank account.Activity
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