MPoll

If you are leaving permanently then I would consider withdrawing all your Thai bank funds while you are in the country. Doing so from overseas may be more difficult.

When I opened my account at Kasikorn I paid some nominal fee for 5000 baht of accident insurance. A couple of months later, while staying in a hotel in Chiang Mai, I fell out of bed and hit the concrete floor head first and split my eyebrow open. (Bad dream?). It was pretty bloody and I was dizzy for a couple of hours. In the morning I went to the emergency room, got a scan of my head, and 5 stitches. The cost was 8000 baht. When I returned to BKK I filed a claim with Kasikorn and the 5000 baht was deposited into my account within the month. I was so pleased with the insurance that at bought 50,000 baht the next year. I never had to make another claim and unfortunately they don’t cover you after 65 years of age.

I've never experienced any nonsense. I extended my OA at CW 5x and provided a 1 year bank statement. Never a problem. Never a request to return. Now I've got a 10 year LTR so really no problem. I recently moved to Sisaket province. I visited the Immigration office to let them know I was here with a 10 yr LTR. They smiled and pretty much said welcome. Everyone I've met here raves about how friendly and easy the Sisaket Immigration office is for them.

If we are talking about 1 year extensions of the O and OA as a retiree there is no advantage to having an OA and arguably there is a disadvantage because of the insurance requirement. When I got my OA in 2017 there was no insurance requirement. If I were to come to day I would pursue a non-O visa. However, I just got a 10 year pensioner LTR which also requires insurance so I’m glad I got insurance years ago when I was younger. In general though I think insurance is a good thing but there is no need to tie it to your visa.

When you apply for a 1 year extension of an OA visa you will need approved health insurance. I have Thai health insurance. Prior to applying for my 1 year extension of my OA visa at Chaengwatana, Bangkok, I would renew my insurance. They would send me an insurance certificate. I would include both this year’s certificate and next year’s certificate as part of the documentation for the extension. You need to have insurance on the day you apply and they will only give you an extension until the end of your insurance is the reason for both insurance certificates. I applied as a retiree, not as married.

What is interesting and unfortunate about this is that in the old days you could get a residency affidavit from the US Embassy. I recently learned you can’t do this anymore. In my case, in 2017, I had my girlfriend come with me to Kasikorn bank to open an account. When they asked for residence she told them to use her address which, to my luck, they did use and opened my accounts which I have to this day. This was the first bank I went to and the usual story is that people search for days to find a bank to let you open an account. I had an OA for 6 years and now I have a pensioner LTR.

If you are under 50 years old it is a way to stay on 1 year extensions.

I always extended as a retiree with 800,000 baht in the bank, even after we got married. The idea of getting a home visit didn’t appeal to me. I got a 10 year LTR in January so now I don’t even have to have the money in the bank.

I just switched from an OA to a 10 year pensioner LTR so I'm going to be another vote for investigating that option.

I was previously here on an OA visa and extensions. I have Pacific Cross insurance. Before applying for the LTR I purchased my next year of insurance, got the insurance certificate, and submitted that insurance certificate as part of the LTR application. I did not get any additional questions about insurance. They accepted the certificate. The process to get the LTR though took several months and for a while there I was concerned I might have less than 10 months remaining on my policy.

I have the pensioner LTR and it is my impression is that you have to qualify again in 5 years but you wouldn’t pay a fee. I’m also not sure if they are going to check back on each of the first five years.

If you are looking for another name for the list, I got my pensioner LTR on January 5th. I applied around the first of October. My financials were very simple, a work pension, Social Security and I submitted my 2021 tax return. They did not ask anymore about my financials. I did have a couple of emails back & forth about photos of my passport but it really wasn't a problem. Everything went smoothly at the BOI. They were very friendly and helpful. I just moved to Sisaket province and I made a point of introducing myself to the immigration office there. They had never seen an LTR before (I think) but the officer had a long document describing it.

I extended an OA visa for 6 years at Chaengwattana in Bangkok. The financial requirements for a 1 year extension are the same for an O visa. The banked money requirement is 800,000 baht in your Thai bank account 2 months before you apply for a 1 year extension, 3 months after you apply and no less than 400,000 baht for the rest of the year. This was a change implemented 3-4 years ago. I needed the bank letter (good for 7 days at CW) affirming that I had a bank account and the balance, at the time of the letter, was recorded. I also needed a 1 year bank statement to show that I had met the yearlong requirements stated above, and I needed an updated bank book with a same day transaction.