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What is the best visa option for Australians planning a 14-week stay in Thailand for volunteer teaching?
Thai visa rulesVolunteer visa ThailandTourist visa ThailandRetirement visa ThailandVisa extensionsExpat adviceImmigration Thailand
Feb 25, 2024
2 years ago
Lea ***************
ORIGINAL POSTERHi, new to group and really appreciate advice. We are Aussies. My husband and I (ages 64 and 53) visit Thailand annually on a tourist visa and do one extension (ie 30 plus 30 days at present). Next trip we plan to stay for 14 weeks and would like to do some volunteer English teaching. We speak Thai and attend a language school every visit. What is the best Visa for our situation in your opinion? Retirement, 3 month, work or study???
Kup kun na kaa 🙏♥️🙏🇹🇭
Kup kun na kaa 🙏♥️🙏🇹🇭
TLDR : Answer Summary
A couple from Australia is seeking advice on the best visa for a planned 14-week stay in Thailand for volunteer English teaching. They currently use a tourist visa with extensions but are considering options like a retirement visa, work visa, or a dedicated volunteer visa. Community responses clarify that volunteering would require a specific volunteer visa and a work permit. They also suggest that if avoiding bureaucracy is a priority, a tourist visa with visa runs may be more practical, especially given their travel history and familiarity with local regulations.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
- Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
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- Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
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Terary **********
Volunteer visa is probably the best suggestion. However, if you don't want to deal with the bureaucracy the tourist visa is right for you. You can do back-to-back or visa runs.
The retirement visa isn't a bad option but it requires more paperwork. Really, its the 14 week part, 90 days + 2 week part, that complicates your situation.
If you speak Thai and already volunteer teach than you are already familiar with how the rules are flexible. To that end, I would just do a visa run. Your travel history to Thailand would suggest your are frequent visitors and not permanent visitors. It's unlikely immigration or the police are going to have an issue with you being decent people.
The retirement visa isn't a bad option but it requires more paperwork. Really, its the 14 week part, 90 days + 2 week part, that complicates your situation.
If you speak Thai and already volunteer teach than you are already familiar with how the rules are flexible. To that end, I would just do a visa run. Your travel history to Thailand would suggest your are frequent visitors and not permanent visitors. It's unlikely immigration or the police are going to have an issue with you being decent people.
Ken ***********
@Terary *********
but if they are on a tourist visa, they cannot volunteer.Terary **********
@Ken ******
and I said: "f you speak Thai and already volunteer teach than you are already familiar with how the rules are flexible. "I have been on a volunteer visa without volunteering.. Most certainly people can volunteer without the visa. Besides, they said they've already been volunteering.
Ken ***********
@Terary *********
you can do what you like, but know you could be deported. Just to make people aware.Reply to
Ken ***********
Reply
Dirk **************
You will have to apply for a volunteer visa and that make take some time.
**********************************************************************************************
Lea ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Dirk *************
thanks so much! It’s interesting that it says no need for a visa if under 30 days. While we go for a few months we volunteer for under a month so makes me think we are ok.Brandon ************
@Dirk *************
Volunteer visas are pretty much impossible to get now since they were so abused in the past.Reply to
Brandon ************
Reply
Brandon ************
You cannot volunteer as that is considered work and you need both a work eligible visa as well as a work permit to do so.
If you're just coming to visit then you can apply for a tourist visa before you come. This will give you 60 days on arrival and you can apply for a 30 day extension.
That will be about 12 weeks and then you do a border bounce by leaving and returning to Thailand and get a 30 day visa exempt stamp for the rest of your time.
If you're just coming to visit then you can apply for a tourist visa before you come. This will give you 60 days on arrival and you can apply for a 30 day extension.
That will be about 12 weeks and then you do a border bounce by leaving and returning to Thailand and get a 30 day visa exempt stamp for the rest of your time.
Lea ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brandon ***********
thanks for replying but Australia is back to 30 plus 30 days as we just came back (last time it was 45 plus 45 but they reverted back now 🤷♀️).Jan ******************
@Brandon ***********
Since they both passed 50 years they could also apply for a Non O visa with multiple entries at home. This gives them 90 days directly without any extension and a boarder crossing gives another 90 days. Then they also don’t risk any questions at the border coming back on a visa exemption. @Lea ****
Brandon ************
@Jan *****************
I don't think many embassies offer a multiple entry retirement visa though.Jan ******************
@Brandon ***********
I don’t have an exact overview but we (Norway), US, UK and Australia seems to do.Brandon ************
@Jan *****************
just showing it on the website doesn't mean it's actually available though. I've never seen someone with a multiple entry non-O based on being over 50. I don't think most embassies sell it, despite it existingJan ******************
@Brandon ***********
And this guy on the site her is east EuropeanBrandon ************
@Jan *****************
that's not for being over 50, that's for marriage to Thai. That's what most people go to Savannakhet for. That embassy doesn't sell multiple entry non-O for being over 50.Jan ******************
@Brandon ***********
Ok, but others do and I don’t have a overview and I guess you don’t either.Brandon ************
@Jan *****************
it's so rare that it's not worth mentioning. That's why you won't find anyone talking or posting about itJan ******************
@Brandon ***********
Because most people applying for a Non O also wish to stay more than 90 days in Thailand, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an options and you for sure can’t tell which embassies provides this on their website but doesn’t give you the opportunity when you apply.Jan ******************
@Brandon ***********
Ok, but I have and I also read about some Us citizens using this method for several years going to Vietnam every third month because they didn’t want to put 800K in a thai bank and apply for extension.Reply to
Jan ******************
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