Tom SchererYes but the O-A is a much better way to come. Particularly for this OP who has been asking questions about this for months.

@Tom ********

That doesn’t sound like an O-A visa. An O-A is 1 year multiple entry. A friend of mine got a 2 or 3 month in the US and then had to convert to a yearly extension of stay based on being retired (i.e. over 50)

I think it is active as soon as you get so you would lose a month. The main thing is to give yourself 1 years time to get your financial requirements in order if you are planning to use the monthly income method when you apply for your year extension. Losing a month will hardly matter. If you are planning to use the 800,000 baht banked money method then it matters even less.

Don’t forget to keep or not lose the Departure card. Take a photo of it. I have mine stapled in my passport.

My original O-A has printed on it “employment prohibited”. My understanding is that also applies to my yearly extension .

Google criminal background check for your city. Some people in the US get the check from their local police department. I submitted my fingerprints and a form at a UPS office and got the results mailed to me a week later. You only need to do the criminal background check in the US for an O-A visa. Medical report in the US too. Just ask your doctor to sign the form. Your money to meet the financial requirements can be in a US bank. Pick a Consulate in the US and look at the requirements on their website. I used the LA Consulate.

Yeah. This year I'm going to bring a picture of me in front of my condo along with the map (CW in Bangkok) . . . just in case.

Another point about 90 days. If you leave before 90 days then when you re-enter the 90 day clock resets and you start again at day 1.

@Ray ********

Yes. The rig worker was a category of worker I thought of for whom the system doesn’t accommodate. Regarding monthly payments, individuals can wire transfer the appropriate amount at the appropriate time. It’s not a raffle. The rules are new but they are pretty clear. Some rules have always been there but are now being enforced. As I said, some are not accommodated and some people are just plain screwed.

We can speculate on a preferred different set of rules but that is for a different FB group.

It seems like these issues hinge on the question of whether you are a legitimate tourist or are you living here? The IO is going to make a discretionary decision based on the length and frequency of your tourist travel. It is not hard to see how you might not be considered a tourist if you spend more time here than you spend in your home country. No doubt there are some people who are legitimate tourists and want to travel here frequently year after year. The system just doesn’t work for them. It seems like the Elite visa is the most trouble free option. It is $260 USD/month for 5 years. Not too expensive on a monthly basis but it is a large expense up front. Complaining about the letter of the law is not going to help if you are trying to spend a lot of time here as a tourist.