Retirment extension NEW RULES

[oldcpu]

On 6/10/2020 at 10:59 AM, Lost in LOS said:

to anyone who needs the insurance, AA insurance can get you the required insurance up to 99 years old.  Max 0927276427 AA insurance.  Just a FYI post, ask them for details.   Mine adjusted policy will come Monday and i will do a do over, gotta hit the bank again unfortunately but all other info okayed already.  thanks for all your help.  i did try to search it but didn't get the results i was looking for.  

Best of luck in your efforts.

 

I did not see any mention on this thread (and I may have missed it) of going for a 1-year extension based on marriage - where health insurance is NOT required.

 

Hence one approach to adopt with an original Type-OA Visa (on which their extension to their permission to stay in Thailand is based) is instead of going for a 1-year extension based on retirement (which has an associated Health Insurance costs on a limited Thai approved list of companies) is instead to go for a 1-year extension based on marriage to a Thai wife.   One does not need to show Health Insurance if one is going for a 1-year extension based on marriage to a Thai wife.

 

Of course that assumes one is married to a Thai woman. 

 

My research tells me, and others have pointed out to me, that the paperwork requirements to obtain a 1-year extension based on marriage are significantly greater than the 1-year extension based on retirement - but if means not having to purchase possibly worthless Insurance from a limited # of companies on a Thai approved list, then I believe it to be a valid approach.

 

I happen to have excellent health Insurance (exceeds the Thai in-patient/out-patient requirements) but because my health insurance company is not on the Thai approved list, it cannot be used for a 1-year extension of the permission to stay (based on a type-OA).  My changing insurance companies would be a major financial mistake.

 

Hence my nominal plan here in Phuket in February-2021, when I need to apply for an extension, is to apply for a 1-year extension based on marriage - although I continue to monitor reports on this.  Some posts have suggested that for 1-year extension based on retirement (on a Type-OA) that Phuket immigration may not enforce the health insurance requirements - which is an exception to most (all ? ) other immigration offices in Thailand.

[Peter Denis]

25 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

...

One does not need to show Health Insurance if one is going for a 1-year extension based on marriage to a Thai wife.

Of course that assumes one is married to a Thai woman.

That's fully correct > A thai IO-approved health insurance from one of the TGIA associated insurers is ONLY mandatory when applying for an extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.  When applying for another reason (marriage, dependant child, etc.) such insurance is NOT required.

 

25 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

...

I happen to have excellent health Insurance (exceeds the Thai in-patient/out-patient requirements) but because my health insurance company is not on the Thai approved list, it cannot be used for a 1-year extension of the permission to stay (based on a type-OA).  My changing insurance companies would be a major financial mistake.

If your current health-insurance policy meets your health-insurance needs, it would be crazy to switch to a thai IO-approved policy just because it meets the IO requirements.

Most of those thai IO-approved policies are exorbitantly expensive for the ridiculous low coverage they provide, and should only be regarded as an 'entry ticket' to meet the IO requirement for your O-A retirement extension.  But of course you could subscribe to that 'paper' insurance on top of your other REAL insurance.

So when you go that road, you might as well opt for the dead-cheapest one, which is the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) with an annual premium of 6.000 THB to 11.400 THB in the age-bracket of 51 to 75 years.  An additional advantage being that the LMG policy does not require an (expensive) medical to subscribe to it.

 

25 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

...

Hence my nominal plan here in Phuket in February-2021, when I need to apply for an extension, is to apply for a 1-year extension based on marriage - although I continue to monitor reports on this.  Some posts have suggested that for 1-year extension based on retirement (on a Type-OA) that Phuket immigration may not enforce the health insurance requirements - which is an exception to most (all ? ) other immigration offices in Thailand.

Since a couple of months now the Phuket as well the Phang Nga IOs do not enforce the thai IO-approved health-insurance requirement anymore when applying for the 1-year extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement. Phuket IO has announced they will evaluate that non-enforcement practice in October, and hopefully they will continue doing so later on.  It is hoped that also other thai IOs will follow that example, and it seems that also the SiSaKet IO does not enforce it presently. 

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Peter Denis

[Shannoblic]

I understand that many of us farangs are on 'retirement' extensions but I would like to see more input on 'marriage' extensions if possible.

[Peter Denis]

8 minutes ago, Shannoblic said:

I understand that many of us farangs are on 'retirement' extensions but I would like to see more input on 'marriage' extensions if possible.

The present thread is about Retirement extensions (see title of the thread).

But you can do a google-search for threads and posts on marriage extensions.

When googling type "forum.thaivisa.com" followed by the search term.

The ThaiVisa search-function is worthless, but luckily google will take care of that.

[Bangkok Basha]

On 6/9/2020 at 3:23 PM, poohy said:

Use an Agent it will save all these pesky little problems!

Any recommendations for agents in Pattaya?

 

[Bangkok Basha]

On 6/9/2020 at 2:25 PM, ubonjoe said:

Apparently you used a Non-OA visa to get the entry you have been extending for one year for a long time. If not then the immigration officer is wrong.

What Immigration office did Lost in LOS go to?

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, Bangkok Basha said:

What Immigration office did Lost in LOS go to?

It think it was Jomtien.

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Basha said:

Any recommendations for agents in Pattaya?

Pattaya is served by the Jomtien office, and there is an agent in the same parking-lot as immigration.  When I lived in Jomtien, a couple years ago, the best priced agents were found on Soi Bukow Rd, just north of South Pattaya Rd.  Heading North, after you go around the bend, on the right-side, they had signs out with prices at that time.

Rates started at 12K, and included "fixing" the financials - which immigration doesn't really care about; only the agent's envelope, which the shifting-financials rules are designed to coerce you to provide.

 

That said, Jomtien is not one of the worst offices for retirement-based extensions, so might as well try it with your financial-docs first, if you are able.  But if a single bank-transfer was late, or your retirement-account dropped below the limit for a day or two (paying an emergency hospital bill, etc), then an agent is the only way.

[Bangkok Basha]

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It think it was Jomtien.

Thank you. My extension period will come up in mid-August, a month after I move there officially. I'm not sure the outpatient insurance requirement for coverage up to THB 100,000 is still in effect or not. A friend who renewed at Chiang Wattana (but using an agent) said it never came up and he was not asked.