Canuck50

OK, thanks. Maybe I will just ignore it and see if they say anything when I go in to CW to submit my Extension of Stay.

How much is the fine usually and would it be the same fine if I pay in in 8 weeks (with Extension of Stay) or pay it now?

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The rules immigration act states the owner, housemaster or possessor must due the report. A tennent is a possessor.

Your girlfriend can do the report or you if your name is on the lease.
 

OK, thanks. What is the best way to do this registration and what documents do I need to provide to them to complete this?

Also, Since it has already been 10 days since my arrival, are they likely to fine me for being late and would this fine be the same if I just do it when I submit for my Extension of Stay in 8 weeks?

I arrived on a test-and-go on a new non-O visa (my previous re-entry expired during lockdown). I am staying in a condo in BKK that my g/f an I have leased for 5 years. The last time the TM30 question came up, the property agent for the owner completed my TM30 online but this time she says the online system is not in use and I must go myself into new immigration office close to Impact Muang Thoung Thani to register. She said she will provide the owner's details to allow me to do this.

1. Does any of what she said make sense, or is she just too lazy to do the TM30 registration for me? Since all the hotels use the online registration system, how could in not be in use now?

2. My recollection from the past is that the owner must do this registration not the tenant. Is it even possible for me to go into an immigration office to do this? If so, what documents do I need from the owner in order to accomplish this?

3. It has already been a week since my arrival, will they accept the late registration? What is the fine charged if the TM30 registration is not done?

4. I will be going in to get the one year extension of stay in about 8-10 weeks so I imagine that is when they will nail me on any fine. Is BKK enforcing this rule, as I seem to recall they were not a couple of years ago?

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Canuck = Canadian? Go flames.

Lucky you guys still have income letter.

No...Go Oilers!

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

None.

It's visa exempt and gives you 30 days.

All you need is 800k in your Thai bank on day you apply for your non O. That gives you 90 day stamp and you can obtain 12 month extension once the 800k has been in your account for 2 months. 

Note the visa exempt entry can be extended by 30 days if required

Thanks. Yes, I have been through the whole procedure a number of times but I was more worried about the handling of visa exempt entries during COVID, the re-opening, Thailand Pass, etc. And I don't worry about the 800K, I go with an income letter for financial proof.

10 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That is correct.

Thanks Ubonjoe. So my plan then is instead to come on a 30 day visa on arrival to minimize the cost of extra COVID insurance (if they don't accept my overseas coverage). Do you see any pitfall to doing visa on arrival rather than a non-O from my country?

So the insurance requirement is only for COVID and applies to ANY visa type on arrival, but not extensions? So that if I come in on a non-O (retirement), I must have COVID coverage for 90 days but then if I go to immi. and get the extension for 1 year, I do NOT need any insurance proof (including COVID)? I want to be clear on this because I had non-OA for many years and converted to non-O (just before COVID hit) because I did not want to buy Thai health insurance, as required by the new OA regulations. So I hope they are not changing this and requiring health insurance for non-O going forward!

49 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Worth a few thousand Baht IMO, unlikely to need it but for the price not worth the risk.

I just checked  link I got (from Thai Consulate I think), the General Insurance Association, BKK, and their price for 30 days is 2560 baht. It talks about coverage for hospital stays but no mention of cover for ASQ hotels, if one tests positive and is sent there. It gives very little detail and mentions full details will be provided after purchase! It would be nice to know what they cover before purchase!

16 minutes ago, Salerno said:

With the new ThailandPass not sure, with COE you had to upload it in the first stage so you wouldn't have got pre-approval if they didn't accept it. Assuming it would be similar but until 1 November who knows.

 

That for me could be a deal breaker. There are numerous policies out there that do such as AXA (https://www.axa.co.th/axa-sawasdee-thailand-travel-insurance?) and Tune (https://misterprakan.com/en/pass/company?c=655)

 

Thai insurers more likely to but some western do too, just have to shop around and get them to confirm. 

I am committed to my travel policy now but would go with a Thai COVID-only policy to satisfy their requirement. It might also be good to get for the asymptomatic coverage. In the West they don't hospitalize you unless your symptoms are severe enough to warrant it, that's why the travel insurance won't cover it.

28 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Correct.

 

Potentially airline could refuse you boarding, with the hassles nowadays not worth the risk. You can easily get a throwaway ticket for $10-15:

https://onward.flights/

https://bestonwardticket.com/

https://onwardticket.com/

https://onewayfly.com/

etc.

 

I'll look into those, thanks. Do you happen to know at which stage they would reject my COVID cover and at what point I would have to purchase the Thai COVID insurance? Also, Western policies do not cover hospitalization or ASQ stays for positive, asymptomatic cases. Do you know if the Thai insurance covers that?

3 minutes ago, Salerno said:

1 No.

2 Insurance only has to cover the time you are initially stamped in for. It has to clearly and specifically state it covers Covid, whether or not they will accept the "small print" will come down to the person checking it on the day.

3 No.

 

Given the information provided, enter (visa exempt, TR or Non O) and convert to extension based on retirement or you could also go for STV which gives you 9 months (personally I think STV sucks but it fills a need for those under 50).

Agreed, I would not do an STV! So if I come in with Visa on Arrival, I would only have to show COVID insurance for 30 days, then when I go in to get the non-O extension I don't need to show insurance, correct? In that case, if they didn't accept the COVID cover in my overseas policy, I could buy the Thai COVID insurance for only the 30 days and not for the 60 or 90 days for the other visa types? But I am pretty sure that with Visa on Arrival I would need onward flight booking, right?

Hello, I plan to enter Thailand in mid November on the "test and go" and need a 6 month stay. Just not clear if I can make that work on a tourist visa with extensions, or do I need a non-O (retirement) with extension. I have had non-OA, and non-O in the past (before being locked out during COVID) and meet the financial and other requirements. I will have a 6-month travel health insurance policy for US$10 million that includes COVID, but I am concerned that the COVID coverage is in the fine print, not obvious in the insurance certificate, so I would like to avoid any such requirement if possible.

Questions:

1. Can I get extensions to a tourist visa covering 6 month stay without doing a visa run (likely impossible now)?

2. Do I need to show COVID insurance for both the tourist and non-O visa and extensions? If so, are they likely to accept a clip from the "fine print" of the policy that shows COVID cover along with the main certificate?

3. Do I need to show an onward flight for either the tourist visa or non-O visa types?

Any other concerns with the differences between the two visa types I have not thought of?

Thanks!

My Thai g/f wants to come to visit me in Canada for 3 weeks. We have a relationship over the past five years. We live together when I am in Thailand 7 months of the year and maintain a condo while I am in Canada for the other 5 months (for health insurance qualification reasons). She has a masters degree, works at her job at an International company for seven years, makes about 60 kBaht/month, has about 250 kBaht in long-term savings, has a letter from her company stating her employment record and granting her 3 weeks vacation for the stated purpose of travel to Canada. She has a title to some small land and no children. So I have two questions:

1. Can anyone tell me what her odds of approval are, based on personal experience/knowledge of Canadian tourist visas?

2. Should we be minimizing the details of our long-term relationship or emphasizing this? One thought I have is that if I explain the relationship and invite her by letter to visit my country and meet my family it might help the cause but someone suggested this would be a negative as they might believe it strengthens her potential ties to Canada and she may not return to Thailand after the three weeks. On the other hand, if I am portrayed as just a friend, they might think it unusual she would want to travel so far for a vacation.

What do you all think is the best approach? 

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can get a re-entry permit to keep the remainder of the 90 day entry valid if you want to travel.

There is no conversion to an extension of stay. You just apply for an extension of your 90 day entry.

OK, thanks ubonjoe, I do understand it is not a "conversion to 1 year E of S, it was poor terminology on my part.

13 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Do you have the 800k in a thai bank at the moment? If that's the method you're using, then you can as I wrote earlier come back on a 30 days Visa exempt. You can also extend your stay another 30 days at the local immigration office if needed. 

I have an income letter so that is not my concern. My concern was returning on a Visa Exempt entry on a date before my current Extension of Stay expired, even though having left the country without a reentry permit which "should" void the Extension of Stay. I believe Peter Denis answered that a couple of posts ago.

And now I am asking if I return Visa Exempt, convert that to a 90 day non-imm-O, can I buy a reentry permit for said "O" Visa if I need to leave the country for a short period between the time I get the "O" Visa and before it is converted to 1 year Extension of Stay. 

2 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Nothing to worry about for you.

There have been some reports from thai embassies/consulates abroad that seemingly did not understand that the permission to stay is voided when exiting without a re-entry permit, and therefore refused to issue a new Visa 'as the present permission to stay had not expired'.  But it's not your intent to apply abroad for the Non Imm O, so that's not applicable for you.

Your case is simple > You can exit Thailand anytime before Dec 24, and since you have no re-entry permit that will automatically void the remaining permission to stay.  After having exited, you can re-enter Thailand anytime on a Visa-exempt, which will give you 30 days in the Kingdom.  In the first week of your return, apply for a Non Imm O - retirement at your local IO (as this needs to be done 15 to 21 days before the permission to stay expires). 

Once you have your Non Imm O retirement Visa, which allows you 90 days in the Kingdom, apply in the last month for a 1 year extension of stay based on that Non Imm O retirement.

 

OK thanks, that is what I will do. By the way, it seems that the 90 day non-imm O based on retirement does not give me the ability to leave Thailand and return during that 90 days. If a travel requirement comes up, can I buy a reentry permit for that 90 day visa, or must I wait until after I get the one year extension?

15 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi Canuck50,

In your original post you asked in 3. about options when traveling from Bangkok that might also offer some vacation attraction.

The answer is simple > ANY country or destination outside Thailand will do.  Go enjoy a holiday-trip to another country and come back Visa-Exempt (of course your original OA Visa validity should have expired before returning).

Once back in Thailand, apply for a Non Imm O Visa - retirement at your local IO (this must be done 15 to 21 days before your 30-day Visa exempt permission to stay expires, which means in 1st week after your return).

So there is actually no need to go to Savannakhet, Penang, Vientiane or any other thai embassy/consulate destination that provides Non Imm O - retirement Visas.

 

Yes, that is probably what I will end up doing. Getting the "O" Visa outside seems to be hit and miss with different requirements in different consulates with no guarantee the current won't change before I get there. One concern about your statement above "(of course your original OA Visa validity should have expired before returning)". My extension of stay expires on Dec 24 and I have no reentry permit. My understanding that when I leave Thailand my current Extension of Stay would be cancelled without the reentry permit but there have been some suggestions that not all locations would agree with that. As I would not want to travel on Dec 24 (during the holidays) and would rather get it done by say Dec 15, should I be concerned that I might be refused a Visa Exempt entry when returning before Dec 24, ie. within the window of my current Extension of Stay? 

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That is the appointment website and it does not have the correct info for visas.

See this page for accurate info. http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/consular/visa.php

After changing the page from Thai to English (Google Translate)

 

For nationals of Laos Or those aged 50 years or older Who wish to live later or after retirement in Thailand

Documents to submit for visa application include

1. resume
2. A certificate of income not less than 65,000 baht per month from the embassy / consulate of the country of residence or a certificate from a bank in Thailand showing financial status of not less than 800,000 baht and already in the bank account Over 3 months
3. Evidence showing criminal background checks from country of residence
4. Medical certificate

The require the same documents for a OA or a single entry non-o visa.

Shown in English here. http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/upload/pdf/Visa/Non- ED & O.pdf

Ubonjoe, Item 3 says I must get a criminal background check from "country of residence" but a few posts earlier you said I can do that here. How do I do that when officially I am a resident of Canada?

13 hours ago, Max69xl said:

You can get a 90 days Non-Immigrant O Visa based on retirement in Savannakhet in Laos or in Penang in Malaysia. Same requirements. No medical check or police record. That's for the O-A only. Here's a link:

http://www.thaiembassy.org/savannakhet/th/services/104407-Applying-for-Visa.html

OK, thanks. What about Vientiane, is the "O" based on retirement available there? The reason I ask is that I don't have a car, prefer to avoid vans/buses, and there is train service from Bangkok to Nong Khai. g/f and I could make a several day vacation out of it affordably whereas both of us flying to other locations would get more pricey.

I have a O-A extension based on retirement coming due soon and was refused a new extension without Thai health insurance. So I plan to switch to "O" either by a border run coming back Visa Exempt and converting at CW or just getting the "O" based on retirement either in Vientiane or Savannakhet. Questions are:

1. Do both these locations offer Non-Imm O based on retirement? I seem to recall reading that Vientiane will not anymore based on retirement.

2. Do I have to show police records check and/or medical certificate to qualify at these locations. I'm sure I could get a medical done locally but the records check from home country would be impossible remotely. 

3. Any other adjacent country Thai consulates recommended (to get the non-imm O) when travelling from Bangkok that might also offer some vacation attraction.

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Thanks much for confirming the bad news re O-A based retirement extensions of stay at BKK CW...  We pretty much knew that was coming...but your post certainly confirms it for anyone who had any lingering doubts/hopes...

 

The one ray of good news in all that was the supervisor's willingness to have your retirement extension changed to a marriage extension, and APPARENTLY thus avoid the insurance requirement by doing so.

 

Yes, I did ask her twice if insurance would be required if convert to marriage and both times she said NO. She didn't actually offer to convert herself but said I could do it at desk C, and motioned there as if I could do it immediately. Still confused about that though. I thought marriage extensions could be either based on a non-OA or a non-O. Am I wrong about that? I was trying to determine if one went that route, would they still end up with an OA that might be targeted next or would it be a conversion to an O-based on marriage, which might be targeted later ????.

23 minutes ago, moontang said:

for a Canadian snowbird, spending half the year in Canada, wouldn't a yearly METV, be the easiest solution?

Possibly, but aren't they only good for 60 days? To get 7 months here I would need to make 3 visa runs with the associated costs I would think the O extension would be cheaper. Don't they also restrict the number of repeated entries on tourist visa?