BaanOz

One thing I remember was negotiating the ruts in the dirt road between Patong and Karon Beach. Think "tarmac" was put down in the late 80's.

Just had a look and a number of embassy sites plus the official e-visa site. Although, ignore "notarised" as that was on embassy sites and afaik no longer used and not mentioned on the e-visa site. "it needs to be done in your home country", I read directly from the e-visa site about OA non-immigrant visa: Required Documents 5. A medical certificate issued in the country where the application is submitted... etc etc.

There is one other "gotcha" with this visa I can't see is mentioned above that I haven't been able to solve. The O-A requirement of the medical certificate. My long term doctor refused to sign it without ALL tests ticked off and if any are inconclusive made a point of also not signing. Try getting a couple of those tests done in Sydney. Also, tried other doctors and travel medical centres but no luck. In a post I made about this previously, people mentioned I could get it in Thailand online but apparently it needs to be done in your home country and notarised. I have seen online doctors in England can do it for you so maybe that's an option for you. I'm applying for the 90 day non-O this month. Have given up the thought of the O-A and might be for the best anyway.

Cheers khunPer, can you get multiple "one-time" if 3x re-entries 3000 baht and more than that, better get the unlimited?

Hi, if I arrive on a 90 day O-visa and I get a bank account opened and transfer the money the first week of arrival, leave it there for 2 months, that would mean 3 weeks before it expires to apply for the extension. Is 3 weeks enough to apply for the 1 year extension? I'll be applying in Phuket, can see the minimum time to apply here: https://piv-phuket.com/retirement/ Thanks.

Thanks khinPer, I just double checked and "Maximum cover duration: 12 months per journey (no extension possible)". Can't get this insurance now but (for now) I'm "grandfathered" on a commbank travel insurance. Thought I'd need a re-entry permit no matter how many times I exited Thailand during the extension period? This has morphed into a different topic O-A vs O and my doctor may have done me a favour. I didn't want to get the O for reasons above but it looks like a better choice especially long term and as Dr Jack mentioned, if I change to the income method, no cash sitting idle in a Thai bank.

Thanks Dr Jack, how does this work? Firstly the 90 days, extend 12 months giving total 15 months. Get a re-entry permit, exit after 10 months and return at 12 months and extend my 2nd year at the 15 months. From then on I just have to make sure I leave and return before expiry to renew for another year otherwise the extension expires and would have to start again by getting the 90 day in Sydney? Same, used for years but is there any issue transferring the 800K in one hit? Guess for a new account at least a tiny amount to check first! I'll check around with the suggestions above but might bite the bullet and go for the O-visa if any further trouble with the O-A. Thanks.

Thanks. This is exactly why I wanted to go for the O-A but for the next few years, planning only 10-12 months max in Thailand, then 2 months back in Sydney. Is it worth getting the O-visa for my situation? Last couple of years used the METV for 6 months. Anyway, thought O-A was more appropriate than getting the O-Visa. Especially if I exited and returned before the 12 months finished and get another year. If I got the O-Visa, stayed 10-12 months, then after a couple of months in Sydney would the process be to get another 90 day Non O-Visa and start again? Was planning to use the cheap Falcon Insurance for about 7000 baht. I have other travel insurance that covers me up to 12 months.

Thanks for the replies. Was thinking I could just ask the doctor for blood tests but believe the ELEPHANTIASIS test might be difficult to get in Sydney. Not to mention the LEPROSY (skin biopsy). Not sure. Saying that, I suspect he won't sign the standard form anyway due to this part: "in good physical health and mental health, free from any defect". He listed a couple of past issues on his letter and a medication. That suggests I'm not free of defects and he can't write these on the standard form. To get a Medical Certificate in Thailand for the O-A would mean a trip there and back so thinking I'll just have to go the Non 0-Visa route. Planning to spend maybe 10 months a year in Phuket and a couple back in Sydney each year.

Thanks, that's the one he wouldn't sign. Except the version I had might have been old and didn't have ALCOHOLISM or CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19).

Planned to get an O-A Visa, put the A$40K in an account in my name last year and went to my doctors today sign the medical certificate. Showed him the O-A requirements and the Thai medical certificate. Long story short he refused to fill it out saying that some things can be underlying for years without symptoms (like TB). The actual form says I am "FREE" of those conditions which he wouldn't sign. He went ahead and wrote his own letter saying "as far as I know BaanOz has never presented or complained of symptoms of the 4 conditions". Also, as the form also mentions good mental and health, he also wrote a couple of things including a "mental" issue from 20 years ago on my file. If I submit the letter he wrote, any idea if it would immediately be rejected not being the official Thai form for their medical certificate? I suspect the answer is yes and lose the application $'s I could not just show up at another doctors and expect them to sign it, so I think the only option would be to get tested for these: 1. LEPROSY 2. TUBERCULOSIS (T.B.) 3. ELEPHANTIASIS 4. DRUG ADDICTION 5. THIRD STEP OF SYPHILIS Has anyone else had to get tests for these in Australia? I read that rare diseases like leprosy or elephantiasis require referral to an infectious diseases specialist or public hospital clinic.

This is exactly what I’ll do. Maybe clearer by mid next year with the proposed changes or at least people may have real experience after lodgement of this year tax. I think the school of thought may have arisen with people writing retirement, investments, bank savings under a general word as “savings”. Note one of the tax “experts” has written here: https://www.expattaxthailand.com/taxation-overseas-pensions-thailand/ Pre-2024 Income: If you accumulated pension income in a foreign account before 2024 and choose to remit it to Thailand after January 1, 2024, this income is not taxable. This offers expats flexibility in managing their pension income, allowing them to bring in older savings without facing tax penalties.

Thought that might be the case so 1x 30 extension only per year. Yep wait until the dust settles

Well it sounds like this exact method I used is finished with the new 2x yearly extensions only. 1 x 30 day plus 1 x 7 day extension. ie: the second one is cut short. Don't know why you'd bother with the 2nd 7 day extension. To spend 6 months using this visa would need to exit Thailand twice (rather then exit once plus 2x 30 day extensions).

Drjack, to complete this I did my final and stress free extension today. Went to an immigration office closer to home than the main Phuket office previously and it was a totally different experience. Great! Anyway 2 years and 2 METV down with zero issues. I’ll be leaving at 179 days 😜

I thought if you left and returned prior to the OA expiring you could get another year out of it? About the insurance expense, if you're keen on having insurance in Thailand, wouldn't that cost be the same either way? ie on OA or O. Also, with the O I believe it needs an extra passport thingy to come and go as you please, unlike the OA?

Gifts are not taxable? Sounds interesting

Well it's been a while since asking about insurance and I looked back at this post today before we headed to Thalang hospital. Wanted to see if she needed to register at Thalang or could go directly to Vachira hospital. The reason is she needs expensive Creon medication (in Thailand) and this is to find out if we can get it cheaper via a hospital. Went to the pharmacy at Thalang hospital and they said "when you are feeling sick (or run out of Creon), go to Vachira and you will be looked after". Thalang hospital doesn't stock it so I assume this gives her a free pass to Vachira as our relatives here have said a referral is normally required to transfer to Vachira. The pharmacist at Thalang hospital also mentioned Creon is expensive so not sure if we'll have any luck at Vachira. Maybe there is an alternative there. Will find out. In relation to the insurance chat above, wife has come this trip for the first time (in decades) on a Thai passport and our travel insurance would not cover her in Thailand due to her Thai citizenship. That's fine but it still covers her when she accompanies me on my visa run to Malaysia.

Well the scary thing you say didn't eventuate and as I stood there trembling, he handed back my passport and said thank you.

Ahh well hopefully going in the Thai line with my wife and her 2 sisters also reduces the risk. Is there's some post/info about bribery via an agent? Thinking to go the O visa route next year.

Next step today I extended my visa for 30 days at the Phuket Immigration office. There's a new building to enter compared to last year. Lined up to get my paperwork checked and had a few things wrong like missing google coordinate of the house I'm staying etc. I returned after fixing things and the guy shook his head and went and got another 2 forms I had to fill in - STM.2 & STM.9. Didn't have to fill those in last year but an interesting thing he said... He flicked through my passport and he also saw last years full page METV and said "why did you pay for a visa?" He said "there was no need, you can come 2 or 3 times a year". Meaning on visa exempt. Said I read online people having troubles and he said "well it's your choice but there is really no need". I saw this guy last year too and really helpful.

Cheers Will, advice taken. Been ages since looking here. A strange situation and a shame. Guessing it’s put off regulars posting. Something I’ve never seen on a forum before.

I don’t understand the goal here when you intentionally quote what it reports but left out what is “non-reported”. Just looking at other threads here and seems this is a common theme.

I think you should DYOR as whatever I say will be shot down with zero fact checking on your part. Just search... CRS Non-Reporting Financial Institutions

With respect, best to do your due diligence on previously provided* before asking more. *Not tax advice.