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1 minute ago, Jeff Olssson said:

Thanks. I called the embassy yesterday and they referred me to the same form which you have linked to in your reply.

 

I think if the embassy does not accept the form (foreign insurance certificate) one can always apply for another type of visa but do you know of any case where the visa based on a foreign insurer was approved in the embassy but the IO officer at the airport has required a Thai insurance certificate?

I have never heard/read of an IO refusing a foreign insurance certificate, make sure you have the original forms or at least copies of all forms

1 hour ago, Jeff Olssson said:

Thanks for your reply and sorry to be pedantic but as I understand your post, the insurance for that period in each reentry during validity of visa can be from a foreign insurance company in my home country and it does not need to be from a TGIA-associated Thai insurer. Is that correct?

The O-A insurance must either be from the TGIA list, if you use a company from outside Thailand then you need to down load a form(foreign insurance certificate)  and have it signed by a director of the company, be aware i have seen people reporting back that the embassy/consul simply does not accept the form, probably going to depends where you apply from.   This is from the Thai embassy London website

https://longstay.tgia.org/companiesoa         The pdf form is in red at the top

I went this week to get the next 5 year extension to my O-X visa at CW, if anyone is still thinking of this 10 year visa, note the changes,  for the second 5 year stamp, you now need a new criminal reference check from your home country, new medical showing no diseases, cost 10 000 baht, and health insurance, according to them you still need  3 million in the bank despite the website saying it can be reduced after 1 year as long as the money is spent in Thailand, i had a young IO who spoke perfect english and without prompting said she knew i could not get one from my home country,  she said i had the option of just leaving Thailand before the stamp expires and return getting a visa exempt entry and apply the non o retirement She also said without me asking that the new simpler retirement visa would be launched early next year and to keep a look out on the Thai embassy website in your home country for the new rules.  

IF you son is a British citizen, then just apply for his passport, application is done online though you have to take everything to VFS

check he is a British citizen  https://www.gov.uk/check-british-citizenship   you might have to put the link in your browser

To apply just apply here  it walks you through the application, guidence notes are at the end

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

It was part of the proposals mentioned earlier in the year, though i thought they were talking about it being introduced sometime  from September - December

I just reentered the country recently and my 90 day report still isn't due for a while. Not sure I can file one so early, can I?

I am not sure if they will accept a 90 day report done before you left the country or expect a new one

Do you mean that the 90 day report simply needs to be up to date or do you need to do an extra one just to apply for a resident certificate? 

You need to take your last 90 day receipt  they do check it

Amended my original post

You seem to be right  i did last year and had a booked appointment, unless age is catching up with me, hopefully someone else will confirm, either way there were not a lot of people getting a resident certificate

It has moved back to CW, you need to have done a 90 day report to get a resident certificate, you can book online, it gets posted to you usually you get it in 7-10 days, there is no option to get it on the day, cost 200 baht

11 hours ago, shdmn said:

Most of the time it's not worth it, until it is.  That is just how insurance works.

 

There is a fairly well known travelling vlogger that just got diagnosed with a brain tumor. It caused him to suddenly lose the use of one side of his body.  Also seems to be having some mental problems.  He just got medevac'd back to the UK after weeks in a Sriracha Hospital in ICU, including a brain operation to take a sample.  If he didn't have good travel medical insurance paying for it all it probably would have wiped him out financially.

Yes i was following that story, i remember the intensive  care was 80 000 baht a day who knows what the total cost was including all the tests etc, he was flown back to the  UK earlier this week

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What "transfer the stamp" are you referring.

The io should not have required a TM30 or TM47

Transfer stamp to new passport, i know they were not required but she insisted(you are not in any position to argue) . after lunch when i went back she was slowly going through my documents again, this time 2 supervisors came across and told her firmly to do it, the supervisors told my friend in Thai that it would be easier to do at the airport when coming back to Thailand even though i had no plans to leave

I did mine at CW last Aug, it was a 5 hour ordeal, they also wanted the last 90 day report (tm47), she then kept telling me i could do it at the airport for some reason, eventually a supervisor came to see what was going on, and told her i had all the documents so transfer the stamp. but when the supervisor went back to her desk, she then said i needed a copy of my TM30.  so had to do down stairs to print it off, by which time it was lunch time, when it was my turn she went through everything again lol. i had hoped this was just a bad day for her, be prepared for anything at immigration

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

There is no merger with the O and O-A visa.

Both are separately listed as still being available.

The changes to the non o do not change until September, the only thing that changes on 1st June are visa exempt and visa on arrival, non of the embassy websites show the changes yet the London website was last updates in 2022

How are they going to pay for national conscription

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/26/rishi-sunaks-national-service-pledge-is-bonkers-says-ex-military-chief

It does not matter who wins, there is no money, defence spending is being raised to 2.5%of gdp from the current 2% no answer where they are going to find the billions for that, the NHS is a bottomless pit, only 2 options raise taxes or cut public spending.

I was always concerned that the state pension would somehow be linked to a sliding scale, the higher your private pension less state pension

I use Nord VPN and have had issues for the last week, not streaming. but usual websites BBC banking etc, and it slows right down, i have to disconnect and reconnect, which lasts about 5 min then starts again, if i do not use the vpn then the websites work fine

No personal experience, but not easy to get, you might get more information on

www.immigrationboards.com  (free to join) lots of very useful information look at section immigration for family members

or www.freemovement.org.uk they have sections on this topic, though you might have to pay

3 minutes ago, Ian Roberts said:

My licence definitely says ‘Provisional’. It expires in October, and I assume I’ll then get a 5 year replacement.

Yes when you renew your 2 year license, you get a 5 year license, assuming you are not on a tourist visa or visa exempt entry if so then you get another 2 year

As i understand it the initial 2 year license is a provisional license, the 5 year license is a full license, would the UK know that?  I can not remember the wording on the 2 year license'

https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence

Using the link above it says you can drive on a full license, does not mention provisional as an option

3 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Russia has killed 400,000 to 500,000 Ukainian troops has it? Another propaganda wizard

Nope it is obvious, Ukraine has no functioning air force it has no integrated air defense system,  Russia strikes where it wants, how can you win a war if you do not control the air?

A medical certificate from Thailand is accepted, 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/retirement-visa

A medical certificate issued from the country where the application is submitted, showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535) (certificate shall be valid for not more than three months)
 - Applicant must provide a medical certificate issued in the UK or Ireland or Thailand, showing that applicant has no prohibitive diseases (Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Elephantiasis, drug addiction, or third stage of Syphilis) with less than 3 months from the date of issue with official GP stamp and address. The medication certificate form can be downloaded below.

I did mine in Thailand the hospital did do the blood tests, i have read others just pay a few hundred baht and get the form signed, The NHS will not sign the form, there are private doctors who might sign the form put may want to carry out tests

12 minutes ago, oldscool said:

Ireland can't issue a Schengen visa, as it's not in Schengen.

 

Strictly speaking there is no such thing as a "Schengen visa" as such - there is a visa to a specific country which, if in Schengen, permits travel throughout the Schengen zone. You need to apply to the consulate of the Schengen country you intend to visit first of spend most time in.

 

Try the Spanish embassy/consulate in Bangkok.

yes correct no point asking Irish embassy, needs to be the first country you plan to enter or the one where you are going to spend the most time

I do not believe this will work, as your other half holds a visit visa, she is not resident in the UK, she can travel to Ireland as it is in the CTA, no issues, just passport showing her UK visa, the rest of Europe requires a schengen visa it can only be done from a country where she has residence,

edited i have taken out the bit about Irish embassy as the info was wrong

6 hours ago, crowned said:

Australian passport holder with O-X visa. 

My O-X is 10 years. 5 plus 5. The first 5 years finishes October 2025. 

The O-X has been difficult because Immigration officers don't understand it's details....they don't encounter it in everyday dealings. Also the financial requirement means too much cash tied up in bank. 

As I have a Thai wife, I want to change to a Marriage Visa. 

The I/O we've asked thinks I cannot change to a Marriage Visa unless my first 5 year extension comes around {in 18 months}, or they suggested going back to Australia and try to cancel my existing visa there, then apply for a 3 month visa and re-enter Thailand and apply to convert to Marriage Visa.

 

As I'm skeptical of the advice by I/O, I'm reaching out to other expats that may have an easy answer for me.

Thanks if others can assist.

I know the feeling i have an O-X visa and am trying to convert, the MFA website says you can convert to another type, however immigration here are separate to the MFA, and i was told by Chang Wattana immigration, that MFA rules are not their rules so that ended that attempt, The embassy in your home country will not be able to cancel it, only the MFA can. As you point out nobody in Thailand knows about the O-X,  from getting a driving license (told a O-X visa was not an immigration visa so they could not issue a 5 year license) was sorted after a lot of visiting different offices, last year at CW trying to transfer the stamp to a new passport was nightmare took 5 hours.

 I tried a few agents all said could not be done with one saying they might do it but would be a problem best stick with the O-X. So last November when i returned  from overseas,  i was going to tell immigration that i did not have health insurance hoping the would cancel it and give me a 30 visa exempt entry, he saw the o-x stared at it and said he had never seen one and called a supervisor  who told him to stamp to the 5 year point for me (March 2025) It was busy so had no chance to say i have no health insurance, they have never asked to see the insurance or bank book, and i have been in and out of Thailand a few times.

My next attempt will come later this year when i need to go to immigration for the yearly check of documents, i am intending to tell them i have no health insurance, and this is where it could go wrong, but i am counting on them, giving me 7 days to leave the country, which i will already have a ticket for, an then re enter and get a 30 day visa exempt and use non o retirement route, i never thought it could be so hard  to get rid of it.