harpman88

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi harpman88,

As yours is a very specific case, and therefore of limited interest for TVF members, I have responded PM.

To access your PM-messages, just click the letter-icon next to your profile when logged in to the Forum.

Got it!!

21 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi Harpman88,

If you do not succeed with the OA - retirement extension because of trouble getting CM IO to accept the thai health-insurance policy you bought, there are of course other alternatives.

Since you will be leaving for the US on March 6, you could indeed just 'dump' your present OA, do a quick border-run to kill it and return VisaExempt which will provide you with 30 days stay, sufficient to bridge the period till you leave for the US.

If you decide on doing that, I would suggest you request Virayah to postpone the start date of the thai health-insurance policy you bought with them till your foreseen date of return to Thailand from the US.  That will allow you to use that policy to meet the health-insurance requirement for a fresh Non Imm OA Visa application in US.

A fresh Non Imm OA Visa is Multi-Entry and does not require any financials tied up in Thailand (but if you have them already, you can use these also to prove the financials when applying in US).

Obviously it is preferable for peace of mind to have your OA - retirement extension done before your leave, but if you encounter more trouble with having the insurance-policy at CM IO, the above might be a worthwhile alternative.

 

Yeah Peter,looking ahead,being fed up with all this OA insurance BS,(and since I do have Blue Cross HI already with my retiree/pension plan).what I planned on doing either this yr. or 2021 is dump the OA,return on a METV then convert to an O and then extend from that. In my case I could extend with retirement,father of Thai child,or potentially,marriage. Very interesting (and tempting) about being able to use Thai bank acct. for fresh OA in the US tho. It would just be a matter then of using Blue Cross to get over the HI hurdle. BTW for future ref.any ideas about the least hassle air (only) border-runs from CM? Always a pleasure,harp88

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi harpman88,

Sorry to hear, what a bummer for you!

Before you go back to CM immigration once the original policy certificate has arrived, better check with Virayah whether they have indeed uploaded your policy details on the IO Insurance Database.  If not, you might once again be turned down.

Also remember to re-update your bank-book and bank statement when going again.

Finally I do hope they have some common sense in CM and that you will not be confronted with the CW madness where a crazy officer insisted that the application had to be on an exactly the same time as the policy start date and HOUR (16h30, so closing time of the office ...). 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1144510-non-oa-health-insurance-chaeng-wattan-madness/?do=findComment&comment=15016868

Would appreciate if you post your experience, for the benefit of future CM OA - retirement extension applicants that will have to submit proof that they meet the thai-approved health-insurance requirement.

 

Hi Peter,I did check at Virayah about the policy upload to TI and was told yes it was,( I hope they understood me),but I think I was so fixated on that,I neglected to hammer home that I needed the original policy cert. as well. The thing in my case is that Iv'e got a 12 yr. old son in school here and can't just up and leave,saying good riddance! as I do. If push comes to shove,and I end up having to kill the OA here and now(instead of toward the end of this pending OA as I'd planned)I'm now looking into the best air options out of here from CM to do a quick same day turnaround for a 30 day entry as I'm leaving for the U.S. on March 6 anyway,returning in May either with the OA extension or a METV.

7 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

The info below is not specifically for CM, but might be of interest for you.

Once you bought the policy you need to remind the insurer to:

- Provide you with a copy of the original policy certificate (required by some IOs);

- File your policy details on the IO Health-Insurance database (IO will look for it, and if it is not there your application will be denied);

There are some horror-stories about the above on the TV Forum from members that bought the #$%^ thai insurance, and were harassed by IO because of the above (having to come back several times until it was settled, and obviously each time bank-books needed to be updated again as well).

I also provide you with a link to a particular and recent horror-story about the start-date of the HI-policy which has to be fully aligned up to the HOUR with your extension application (a non-sense interpretation at CW, who also - incorrectly - insist that you can only apply for the OA retirement extension on the day your policy starts, and not earlier because you 'are not insured before that date').

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1144510-non-oa-health-insurance-chaeng-wattan-madness/?do=findComment&comment=15016868

Having read that you wonder whether IO actually wants you to proceed with the OA - retirement extension!

Hi Peter.Virayah had the policy (or so I thought) ready to go at 2pm today,picked it up and went to CM Imm. to have them check everything.  The officer told me I needed the original policy certificate. Wouldn't you know it, had only given me a certified photocopy.(even tho all the other pages were originals.) Now BKK has to send the original here via EMS.( the Virayah office here has already notified BKK to send the original ASAP.)OA expires on the 11th. When the original copy arrives and,if I end up having to go back to CM Imm. anytime after the 11th, I wonder if I still get the extension and just pay the 500Bt. per day overstay fine.

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Yes, a number of them. But this is accepted only for issuance of the initial visa. Cannot be used for extension.

 

OP  there was a post recently regarding OA extension with health insurance and I think (not 100% sure) it was Chiang Mai. The poster had problem over dates. Policy was effective from date current extension ended and IO would not extend because it was not already in effect or something like that (wrong on IO part IMO). Maybe others can give you link to this. I don't temember if in visa oe CM forum.

Hi Sheryl,I think the post you're referring to is the one above posted by Peter D. ,this mess occurring at CW.

2 hours ago, Tracyb said:

I extended my OA retirement in October.  The bank letter was a day old and was accepted.  I updated the bank book immediately before I went to CM IMM.  Hope this helps the OP with the banking aspect of his post.

Hi Tracy,thanks much for your post. The deal here is that the new health insurance requirement didn't take effect till Oct. 31 2019.

14 minutes ago, rwill said:

You can only use the insurance companies listed here for an extension:  https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

 

Only when you apply for the original visa in your home country can you use your foriegn insurance.  If your insurance company there will complete the required certificate for you that is.

 

And when you go in for your extension you don't need your insurance policy but the insurance certificate they should give you too.  It looks very similar to the certificate you can download from the above link.

You're right, to avoid confusion,I should've just said "insurance certificate", since,in this case, it's a Thai company providing the policy for an alien extending the OA. This certificate must be uploaded (by the Thai insurance co.)into the Thai Imm. database before it will be accepted when applying for the extension.

Hi all, has anyone extended their OA retirement visas in Chiang Mai recently ,having to present a Thai health insurance policy from one of the approved companies? Would be very interested if any problems/issues arose with the required paperwork details (effective date of policy, foreign health insurance certificate,etc.) I'm waiting for my (already approved) policy to be reissued,as my OA expiry date is Feb. 11. .however, the insurance co.(Virayah) mistakenly put the effective date as the same day I applied in January instead of the required Feb 11 date,which covers me for the entire period of the extension. Also,Id also like an update as to how long the bank letter documents needed will be valid before going for the extension. (Assuming ,of course ,that both the balances on the letter and in the bankbook still are an exact match) Big thanks to all in advance,harp88

On 1/30/2020 at 12:56 PM, ubonjoe said:

If  you have the 800k baht in the bank you can apply for a change of visa status to get a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) at immigration. The 800k baht only has to be in the bank on the day you apply.

Requirements are here: https://division1.immigration.go.th/download/1551323081128.pdf  But you will need at least 21 day remaining of the 60 day entry from your visa at Chiang Mai immigration instead of the 15 days shown.

You could also show transfers of at least 65k baht from abroad (not shown on the list). How many transfers have you done and are they shown as international transfers in your bank book.

 

Hi Joe,This is just for future ref.,as I'm considering "killing" my current OA (retirement,expires Feb.11,which I've been extending from since 2007) and reentering on a tv at some point, then doing the conversion to/extension from the Non Imm. O. It looks like this can be done from either a single entry tv OR the last month of a multi tv?? (the latter would be my preferred option). As for my current OA,Ive already paid for/had approved a Thai health policy (effective Feb 11),as I really didn't have time to do anything else.and am now waiting for them (Viriyah) to complete processing. Under any circumstances,this will be the 1st and only time I'm going to bother with this,(the Thai HI,that is...what a sham!!) To boot, Ive also noticed the thread about CW (I'm in CMai) requiring OA extenders to already have HI even tho the previous extensions were granted before Oct.31 2019 when the law was passed!! Unbelievable..Anyway.my main question here is about the O conversion from the multi entry tv at some point.  Big thanks in advance,and tip of the hat to both you and Peter Denis .. harp88

On 1/28/2020 at 9:50 PM, Peter Denis said:

Hi harpmann88,

As far as I know only IO and the insurance companies have access to the IO Health-Insurance Certificate database.  When you are not sure that Virayah has actually uploaded the Policy Certificate, you should contact them and simply ask them if they did so (indeed, to avoid your OA extension application being denied because your policy Certificate is not in the database).

Thank you Peter,That's pretty much what I figured. What I get out of all this is that when this HI law was passed,the Thai govt.bureaucrats never briefed the authorized insurers as to all the fine details that had to be followed when issuing the health policies.,Otherwise,Virayah at least should've known exactly what to do and exactly what paperwork TI would need to grant the OA. (This certainly does'nt surprise me). In any event,another thing in my case.. I did my last OA in Jan. 2019 and was still was able to use the old "combo" method,having about 500K in the bank and the pension/income letter from the Consulate,(which I had been doing for the past 12 years). At the end of Feb. last year I sold my condo and have had well over 3 mil baht in the bank since,realizing,of course,that I now needed at least 800K baht in the bank "seasoned" for at least 3 months, after the demise of the income letter/combo method to do this next OA due Feb. 11. Ive only made one xfer from my U.S. bank for the past year,.is there any issue with that,considering the fact that the money from the condo sale (Chinese buyer) was not a xfer direct from a foreign bank ,but rather came from a Chinese bank,deposited 1st into a Thai bank,from which certified bank checks were issued to pay for the condo? I'm just trying to make sure Ive got all my bases covered..Again, Big Thanks in advance,harp88

On 12/27/2019 at 7:43 AM, Peter Denis said:

Now that you have subscribed to the health-insurance policy from PC, you will go again to CW to apply for an extension of stay of your original OA Visa for reason of retirement.  And this time your application will  - normally - not be denied as you now meet the health-insurance requirement.

Still it would be useful when you reported back on the Forum the details of how the application at CW went, and especially if you got any issues with your new health-insurance policy.

E.g. there have been reports of IOs where applicants did not only have to show the Certificate they received from the insurance-company, but that it had to be the ORIGINAL certificate.  Also some idiot IOs require that you can prove that you paid the premium for the insurance.  And of course, your policy has to be filed in the IO Certificate register by your insurance company (to avoid Certificate fraud), and failure of your insurance-company to have done so will lead to refusal of the application, even when having the Certificate with you.

So your experience at CW might be useful for other TVF members going that road.

Hi Peter,and thanks much for the very incisive and informative posts. I'm also one whose been recently "blindsided" by this silly regulation, (My OA retirement renewal ,(number 13 for me) is due Feb. 11, and it wasn't until 2 weeks ago that I found out about the new Thai HI requirement. Im also one whose got a HI policy (of course,useless for the OA extension),otherwise good worldwide,thru my retiree/pension plan. Anyway,Ive decided to go with the Virayah Co. policy because they have offices here in CMai, and was able to get a policy in a short amount of time. (we also have our vehicle insured there,so was familiar with their locations) So last Friday,Jan. 24 they called and said the policy was good to go...alas,when we (our son's Mom and I,) took the paperwork to C.Mai Imm we discovered that the policy was dated the day I applied,Jan.21 ,

not Feb.11 .even tho I told them at their office it must be postdated to start on Feb 11. The officer at CM Imm,of course, sent us back,highlighting on the form the fact that the start date must be changed to Feb.11.  So the agent at Virayah now knows that,and has resubmitted the info with the new start date and as of today,Jan. 28,we're waiting to hear back from them. So now,assuming all else is OK,is there any way I'll be able to find out at Virayah that they've indeed filed in the IO Certificate register,so that I won't be sent back there yet again? Big thanks in advance,Harp88.

1 hour ago, NancyL said:

I was talking with a consular officer at U.S. Consulate-Chiang Mai today and she says they've received verbal OK from Bangkok Immigration that Income letters will be honored for six months. And yes she knows that sometimes Chiang Mai immigration makes their own rules concerning validity, so they are trying to receive written verification about this point from Bangkok.

Thanks Nancy, at least that's an encouraging sign. Of course, assuming that the letters will honored into January and beyond, that will still leave us with what will be accepted as evidence to support the income stated. One will only know when they actually go in for the extension and find out what the deal will be for their particular case.

24 minutes ago, davehowden said:

So CM IO have arbitrarily decided not to honour the normal 6 month validity of income letters, OR maybe OS Visa are pulling your plonker and trying to drum up trade cos I bet income letters being used via them WILL be good for 6 months!

I sure hope you're right,but then again,hope in one hand..

On 10/31/2018 at 9:07 AM, Dante99 said:

The translation I read does not say that, it says "should not exceed six months" which seems to mean that it could be less perhaps at the discression of the officer?  Perhaps the problem is with the translation?  

That's exactly right,"should not exceed 6 months" doesn't necessarily mean it can't be,at the discretion of the officer,much less than that. Given this current situation with the U.S.(and UK,and now Oz) not issuing income letters after the end of the year, the big question as of Jan. 1 will be if, or for how long,the income letters obtained in Nov, or Dec. will be accepted. Indeed,when I inquired about this yesterday at OS Visa (who is in continual contact with C.Mai Imm.) while dropping of my passport for my 90 day report,they told me that the latest info they have is that the income letters will only be accepted till Dec. 31 (essentially Fri. Dec.28.) Ive got my appt. at the US Consul for the letter on Dec. 20,while my current extension good till Feb.11,2019. Of course,only time will tell. Hope something definitive on this issue of income letter validity will be issued by C.Mai Imm. before (in my case) Dec.20. Of course,sometimes it's "hope in one hand.spit in the other....

14 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

Chang Mai is a well know problem place for visas...I would avoid myself...

Ive been dealing with them,as Ive said,for 12 years now. Ive never had any problems whatsoever. Besides,that sheds no light at all on the matter at hand..ie.the income letter situation going forward.

Hi all,I just came back from giving my passport to my agent here (OS Visa) in C.Mai to do my 90 day report due Nov. 4 .Ive got my appt. at the US Consulate for my income letter on Dec. 20.Ive been using the "combo method",both bank acct.and income, for the past 12 years, and Ive seen here that the law has not (yet) been changed as to using this method. (My annual extension good till Feb.11 2019,) The good folks at OS told me that C.Mai Imm. has told them nothing,in spite of the "prevailing wisdom" here, about any income letters being valid after Dec.31,let alone 6 months thereafter. Is there anything IN WRITING officially stating that this 6 month validity period actually exists? I'd be very happy hear from any other "C.Mai extenders" going forward as to how C.Mai Imm. is handling income letters issued before Dec.31. BTW Thanks to Ubon Joe and Jingthing for their many incisive posts directly pertaining to the matter at hand.

Are retirement extensions really seasonal?

Do they really think retired people only need extensions in high season?

BS or stupidity?

. The fact is it really boils down to a daily crapshoot.,regardless of "season". Some days there just happen to be a lot more people/demand than other days. My outlook is to always be mentally prepared for any situation I find on that particular day. One thing for sure,you can NEVER give much credence to these posts of what happened to so and so on any given day,as your experience,even for the same service,could very well be radically different the next day,or whenever.My experiences with the many retire exts.,90 day reports etc. Ive done run the gamut from seamless to downright horrible.Again,be ready for anything.

Hi all,This is somewhat of a long shot,but here goes. In the former Rimping,(now Tops) supermarket ,Chang Puak ,there was a table just inside the side doors that sold shirts,etc. under the brand "Show Star". These guys never did return there after the store reopened as Tops. Would anyone out there happen to know if perhaps they've set up shop at another location? A good buddy of mine is returning to C.Mai for a visit and is very interested in making a good sized purchase. Their items are indeed well made and sold at a very reasonable price. As usual.thanx much to all in advance,the Harpman.

You cannot renew a Non O Visa.

You can apply for a 12 month extension of stay within the last 30 days of your current stay. Some Offices will let you do it even earlier.

You have an Extension of Stay not a Visa.

The OP said he was renewing his extension(of the O visa),not the visa itself.

It does not hurt to do it, but hardly anyone does.

You mean that most people who change addresses during the 90 day period simply wait for the end of the 90 day period and the normal reporting date? This was my original intention - before the 24 hr rule was brought to my notice.

It would be great if someone with Chiangmai experience came in on the thread with recent experience.

Hi Lotus, You're in luck! I just went to C.Mai Imm. today. I moved from my old apt. into my condo here yesterday. (I did my last 90 day report Dec.30) Thinking I needed to report my new condo addie within 24 hrs,I went to the 90 day window to inquire. I handed my pport and the card with my new condo addie on it to the officer while explaining to her that I was there to report the addie change,having moved just yesterday. With a somewhat puzzled look on her face,she handed the pport and card with new addie to a uniformed senior officer who just happened to be sitting next to her. He then asked me if I had moved "from here,(the addie on my last 90 day stub)to there", ( the new addie on the card). I said yes, he then shook his head ,handed the pport/condo card back to the lady I 1st spoke with, at which time I was told to come back when my next 90 day report is due (late March) and then put the new addie on that report. It didnt even seem like they had any idea about any 24 hour moving rule,or at least they certainly were'nt at all concerned about it, Hope this helps! Harp. 88

I suspect we'll get lots of rain but the mountains should slow the wind speeds right down by the time it gets here...could trigger local t-storms with very localized heavy winds for a short time tho...

Have a look at this tracking chart:

http://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/warnings/io0108.gif

The tracking point at 03/18Z is just about over Mae Sariang and the winds are predicted to be at 100 kph, and still at a sustained 50 kph all the way up at Mae Sai.

Cloudhopper is correct when he says the mountainous terrain will have a weakening effect on the storm.Also,tropical cyclones get all their energy being over warm water and once they're over land the storm's "fuel" source is shut off. The max 'sustained" winds will be very close to the center of circulation so this area will not be very wide. heavy rains will most surely be the biggest concern for North Thailand especially if the storm ends up being a "slow mover"I took it upon myself to learn a little about these things while living in the New Orleans area for 24 years.

Hi all,I just found out that the shop which had been copying my recorded music from cassette to CD is no more. I was totally satisfied with the great,highly professional work this guy did(anybody remember the Butterfly Shop?) ,so now I need a replacement. Any suggestions from the C.Mai residents out there? Thanx much in advance,the Harpman

I've been using a shop in Computer Plaza. 2nd floor, third shop in the left from the front steps. He's done quite a few VHS to DVD for me as well as cassettes to CD. Only drawback is that he doesn't quite follow a regular pattern of being open. He's supposed to open at 11:30. That's rare. He's supposed to be finished in a week. That's even more rare. But if you are flexible and patient, he does produce a good finished result. Usually. (Say... I dropped off some tapes last week... I wonder if he's still open...)

Hi F.G.,I had used that shop in Computer Plaza once before I found the Butterfly Shop,with the same hassles with them not being open or the guy doing the work not there. I got a PM with some info on a place I didnt know existed and have decided to go with them. Thanx for the reply anyway,the Harpman

Hi all,I just found out that the shop which had been copying my recorded music from cassette to CD is no more. I was totally satisfied with the great,highly professional work this guy did(anybody remember the Butterfly Shop?) ,so now I need a replacement. Any suggestions from the C.Mai residents out there? Thanx much in advance,the Harpman

The incident, which is now a murder investigation, occurred only meters away from the Tourist Police Unit.

So the guys didn't want to go in the bar, the Thais got hostile, the guys make a complaint and are told to take it to the police station.

Basically a big FO.

The guys get angry and return to sort it out themselves as they see that the authorities aren't interested.

They are outnumbered 5 to 1, viciously beaten and one murdered within metres of the Tourist police point and no one is held responsible.

What a f@cking sick country Thailand has turned into.

You can try and rationalise it or compare it with other countries problems, but this is an all time low.

Give me a break Bud,Incidents like this,almost always fueled by alcohol,happen all over the world.You see them all the time on "reality" TV ,videotaped by onlookers. Thailand is no "sicker" of a country than anyplace else.

1. There is no requirement to have your income statement stamped by the MFA.

2. There is no requirement for the ATM/Credit Card from my reading - paper says it is required to grab your attention - immigration says it may be asked for as part of "additional" paperwork to determine source of funds. Believe those without these items but having other items (such as proof of funds transfer/atm receipts,passbook showing normal activity, etc.) will not have a problem in Jomtien.

Thanx much for the MFA info,Lop. Im doing by retirement extension in C Mai come mid January,and was wondering what the latest was on that MFA 'notarization" thing that was once discussed as going into effect Oct.1,if memory serves. Also agree that this ATM/credit card thing are examples of "further documentation" they MAY ask for if they feel other submitted info is either inadequate and/or suspect.