Thank you for all of the information!

Hmm.. And why is that a better way? Just curious. Cheaper? Less hassle?

But extensions can be applied for in Thailand, i assume.

So, the money can be in a US bank, and doesn't have to be in a Thai bank? There is a spot on the form where it asks monthly income also.

For proof of monthly income we need to get an affidavit from our US Embassy?

Chicago is 3 hours away.

I went to the Thai Consulate and opened up the OA visa application.Some of the information they are asking is: Dates of arrival in Thailand, Flight number, Proposed address in Thailand, Reference person in Thailand. I would think all of that information would be dependent on if and when I would receive my visa, especially my residence. Does everybody applying for these visas have a residence bought or rented prior to the application? I would think that would be risky. Who would you typically list as a reference in Thailand?

I remember being a little confused with the OA application a couple of years ago when I looked into it. I thought we needed to list where would be living in Thailand. But how could we have a residence lined up before we applied for the visa?

So we don't need the O visa first?