Hello. I am in Malaysia, have been since Feb 2020, US citizen. We came in by train from Thailand and got stuck here. In April, most of us here on an expired 90 day social visit pass were told to leave the country, no more amnesty. We were fortunate enough to get a visa to stay longer. That's a bit of our story. Changing gears now.
I've attached the visa application for Thailand used in Malaysia. We were familiar with the TM forms in Thailand and were surprised to see that in Malaysia they use the same form for all visa types. I also attached the checklists for two visa types. It seems that we would not be able to apply for the O-A, not that we would want to, as we are not permanent residents. We are interested in retirement visas, but the checklist looks suspiciously like an O-A visa with the insurance requirements. Thoughts on that? The criminal background check seems a bit of a hassle considering the mail is not in the least reliable from other countries at this time. The problem we have with the regular tourist visa is first that we would have to have an exit ticket, even though we want to retire there, but this seems unavoidable anyway, and second that we have to have our full stay accommodations paid for, and who travels like that? So, we are leaning towards using a visa exempt entry. This does give us 15 days less than a tourist visa to get things done. And while people have said a Thai bank account can be obtained without a visa, it seems some in here are having problems getting one opened. All the times we've been in Thailand over the past 3 years have been using a visa exempt entry. And every time to my frustration now we were told by people that we can't get a bank account without a visa, so that was always our mindset on the issue. From what I've read in here, that seems to be wrong. Sorry for being long winded on this. Thank you for any advise you have to offer.
TLDR : Answer Summary
The user, a US citizen currently in Malaysia, discusses challenges faced regarding visa applications for Thailand, especially for a retirement visa. They mention issues with visa requirements, such as insurance and criminal background checks, express concerns about obtaining a bank account without a long-term visa, and share experiences of previously traveling on visa-exempt entries. The comments provide various suggestions, including the benefits of obtaining a tourist visa, extending it for a retirement extension, and the potential difficulties of opening a bank account as an expatriate without a long-term visa.
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.
