CanadaJoe

Thanks. We already contacted the Embassy in her home country, and they confirmed they would not process/issue a DTV if she's still holding another valid visa. They also confirmed they can't cancel her current visa. As Immigration here in Phuket can't cancel it either, our only choice seems to be letting it die a natural death and waiting until December. I supposed we could risk the 10,000 baht on the off-chance that it goes through, but we don't want to risk getting into a pickle with Thai Immigration. We'd rather play it by the book and ensure that we're doing everything properly and legally. Thanks.

I'm not sure I'm following you, as I believe we are on the right track. My understanding is that the Visa and permission to stay are two separate entities and that the dates do not need to correspond to each other. For example, if my visa was issued on January 1, 2024 and expired at the end of December 2024, I could technically enter Thailand anytime during that 12-month period. If I arrive in Thailand in late December, just a couple of days before the visa expires, I could still potentially be stamped in for 12 months. If I leave the country after the visa expires, it then becomes null and void, and if I want to re-enter Thailand, I would need either a new visa or enter using the visa-exempt program. In my partner's case, she wants to apply for a DTV, but can't do so on her upcoming trip home as her OA Visa will still be valid, thus making her ineligible to apply for another visa. Since it looks like we can't cancel her visa, she will travel to her home country in May and return in June on her existing OA visa/stamp, which both expire in August. While she's away, she will purchase another 12 months of Thai insurance so that when she returns in June, she can hopefully receive another 12 months' permission to stay. Technically, she only needs a few months as she will be leaving Thailand again in December. When she leaves in December, she will no longer have a valid visa, so she can then apply for a DTV in her home country. That's our understanding, so if we are wrong, please help us to understand why. Thanks.

Great thanks I'll check it out.

great thanks 😀

Just to make sure I understand everything correctly — she could be granted an additional 12 months’ permission to stay in Thailand under the following conditions: She leaves Thailand in May. While overseas, she obtains a new Thai health insurance policy valid for one year, starting in August. She returns to Thailand before her current OA visa and permission to stay expire in August. Upon re-entry, she is granted a further 12 months’ stay (or until the new insurance expires). Before that new permission expires, she departs Thailand again. If she does not obtain a re-entry permit, her permission to stay becomes void. Since her original OA visa would have expired by then, she would be eligible to apply for a DTV visa from her home country. Have I got all of that right? thanks -

Yeah that would be nice, but I understand that the Thai's won't issue her a DTV while she still has a valid OA. 🙁

Thanks. Yeah I suppose she could fly somewhere for a week or two. It's really just an added expense and inconvenience she didn't want to deal with, especially as she'll be in her home country for 6 weeks in May/June. That would have given her plenty of time without having to rush or incur any additional travel expenses.

Thanks Dr Jack. She's secured a gig doing freelance work for a foreign company. She was hoping she could cancel her current OA visa and apply for the DTV while away in May/June rather than having to go to the expense and inconvenience of making another trip abroad in August. She understands that she could return in August before her current permission of stay expires and receive another year's stay, but that would mean buying another throw-away Thai insurance policy and having to cancel her freelance gig. The DTV seems like a better fit for her circumstances. So if we can't cancel her current visa, she may have to take another trip back home which sucks.

Thanks for the reply Sheryl. Her permission to stay expires in August, and that was based on the date her mandated "Thai" insurance expires. She goes back to her home country every 5 or 6 months to visit family, usually for 4-6 weeks each time. It ooked like the DTV visa with it's 5-year validity and multiple entries, would be a better option than renewing an OA each year, or transitioning to an O visa.

Does anyone know if you can cancel an OA Visa? If so, can you please chare details of how to do it? For reference, both my partner and I are here in Thailand on OA retirment visas. Her visa expeires in August and she wants to tranistion to a DTV. She already has a trip booked back to her home country for 5 weeks in May/June and was hoping to appply for the DTV while she was there. However, the consulate in her home country says that she can't apply for the DTV if she's still holding a current OA visa. She asked if they could cancel her OA visa and they said no. They suggested she go to the local immigration office (Phuket) which we did, and they also told us that they are unable to cancel the visa. I believe that exiting Thailand wityout a re-entry permit would automatically cancel her visa and solve the problem. However, her OA visa came bundled with unlimited re-entry permits and the Immigration officer we spoke to yesterday told us there was no way to cancel those either. She does not want to go through the time, expense and inconvenience of making another trip back to her home country in August when her current visa expires. So we'd really like to figure out a way to cancel her current OA visa when she leaves Thailand. Any advice on how to do this would be much appreciated. Or, has anyone been able to successfully tranistion over to a DTV while still holding a current long-stay visa? Thanks

Thanks again to all who replied and shared their knowledge and experiences. It's been very beneficial and I am now fully aware of what I need to do next year to cancel my OA and apply for the O. Thank you all.

Yeah, I'm not eligible for the LTR.

Thanks. Yeah, I now have the extension on my OA and will leave the country next year to kill it off. Yep, the bureaucracy is a bit frustrating, especially when you have to fork out hard-earned money for nothing. But as you say, it's just part of living in Thailand. I experienced the same thing in Mexico when I lived there for a couple of years. Lots of stuff that didn't make any sense at all, but just the way things were done there. I believe that initially I got poor advice from the consulate in Vancouver, but that's water under the bridge now. I'm looking forward to another year in the Land of Smiles.

Thanks for the tip. Yep, that's an option, but the cost of the agent significantly exceeds the price of the throwaway policy. Wherever possible I like to do the paperwork myself so I know exactly what's going on and can repeat the process in subsequent years.

I would say all or most of the companies on the list. I'm sure they are laughing all the way to the bank.

Cheers 👍🏻

I got the list from the Thai consulate website in Vancouver. longstay.tgia.org

Sweet! Glad it all worked out 👍🏻

To get my original OA visa and to get my extension, I needed a health insurance policy of at lease 4,000,000 TBaht. My previous policy covered me for $10,000,000 USD so exponentially more than required. However, the Thai government requires holders of any non-Thai policies to have a letter signed by the insurance company stating that they sold you the policy. Sounds straightforward and simple enough, but every company I contacted for insurance would not sign such a letter. So, despite being covered by my existing policy for $10,000,000 USD, I had to fork out (throw away) $350 on one of the “approved” Thai insurance policies. These Thai policies do not require a signed letter. The Thai policy covers me for the minimum 4,000,000 baht required for the visa, but has a 300,000 Baht deductible, making it virtually useless for anything but the most serious cases. So basically, insurance companies sell them to people like me, who are forced to buy them in order to get a visa. When I transition to a regular O visa, there is no such requirement from the Thai government.

Great 👍🏻 Looking forward to ditching the OA

Sweet thanks. Appreciate all the info. 👍🏻

Great thanks 🙏🏻

Great thanks. I got my original OA in Canada last January and bought the throw away Thai insurance (needed for the visa) with a march start date, which was my intended arrival date. My trip was delayed so didn’t arrive in Thailand until July. Was only granted a stay until March of this year because that was when my insurance expired. Took a short trip to Singapore in August and then returned to Thailand. Got an extension this morning of my OA until March 2026, but needed to purchase another throw away Thai insurance policy. Not sure of my travel plans for next year, but sounds like I will need to plan a trip to coincide with the expiration of my OA so I can then transition to the O.

Thanks for the info. Would probably exit to another nearby country rather than returning to Canada.

Got it, thanks for the info. When I leave Thailand, is it best to do so just before my current OA visa expires, so that it's already expired when I return? If I leave while my OA visa is still valid and try to re-enter on a visa exemption or a 90-day O visa, could that cause any issues?