Can I apply for a new OA visa while I'm in Thailand?

[miketu]

Hi all, can I apply for a new OA visa while I'm here in Thailand?  My current OA visa will expire in October. 

I don't have 800k baht here in a Thai bank account but I do have a monthly pension that meets the minimum 65K baht requirement on the Thai Embassy website.  Would that be considered acceptable??  Thanks!

 

[glegolo]

No you can NOT.. But you can apply for an extension of stay based on retirement 1 year, based on your present O-A VISA.

 

glegolo

[miketu]

1 minute ago, glegolo said:

No you can NOT.. But you can apply for an extension of staybased on retirement i year based on your present O-A VISA.

 

glegolo

Thanks, I can apply for an "extension of stay"?  How long would the extension of stay be for?

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, miketu said:

How long would the extension of stay be for?

One year from the day you current permit to stay from you visa ends. You will not be extending your visa.

[BritTim]

On the financial proof, it is a lot easier if you can get a letter from your embassy confirming your income. What is your nationality? Otherwise, you will need to prove that the money is transferred into your Thai bank account from abroad each and every month. Some immigration offices do not like this, and may claim a couple of months of transfers is insufficient.

 

Depending on the immigration office where you apply, they may insist on a health insurance policy from a Thai provider from a list they provide.

[miketu]

16 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

One year from the day you current permit to stay from you visa ends. You will not be extending your visa.

Thank you ubonjoe.  My original OA retirement visa was Valid From 18 Oct 2018 and Valid Until 17 Oct 2019.   I originally entered Thailand on this OA Visa in November 2018 and stayed for six months. 

 

I returned to Thailand on 17 Oct 2019 and was given a visa stamp valid until 15 Oct 2020.  

 

Can I be given another one year? permit/extension to stay beyond the 15 Oct 2020 stamp?

 

 

[glegolo]

I suggest you listen to UbonJoe in this...

 

glegolo

 

 

 

[miketu]

4 minutes ago, glegolo said:

If you qualify, 1 year at a time

 

glegolo

Thanks glegolo.  Based on my visa history below, would I qualify?:

My original OA retirement visa was Valid From 18 Oct 2018 and Valid Until 17 Oct 2019.   I originally entered Thailand on this OA Visa in November 2018 and stayed for six months. 

 

I returned to Thailand on 17 Oct 2019 and was given a visa stamp valid until 15 Oct 2020.  

 

Can I be given another one year? permit/extension to stay beyond the 15 Oct 2020 stamp?

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, miketu said:

Can I be given another one year? permit/extension to stay beyond the 15 Oct 2020 stamp?

Yes you can get a one year extension of stay.

[miketu]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes you can get a one year extension of stay.

Thanks for your knowledge! that would be fantastic.  With the visa stamp expiring 15 Oct 2020 how soon before the expiration date could I apply for a one year extension of stay?

 

 

[TheAppletons]

3 minutes ago, miketu said:

Thanks for your knowledge! that would be fantastic.  With the visa stamp expiring 15 Oct 2020 how soon before the expiration date could I apply for a one year extension of stay?

 

 

30-45 days prior.

[miketu]

3 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

30-45 days prior.

Ok good, thanks

[Andrew Dwyer]

Op , you will need Thai insurance for your extension on an OA .

[Andrew Dwyer]

OP

if you contact @Peter Denis by pm he can send you a document to cover all your questions regarding an OA extension and the Mandatory Insurance needed for said extension.

[miketu]

1 minute ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Op , you will need Thai insurance for your extension on an OA .

I have GEHA U.S. federal health insurance and have contacted them for a policy statement to meet the Thai Outpatient 40K baht and Inpatient 400K baht requirement.  Would this suffice? 

[miketu]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

OP

if you contact @Peter Denis by pm he can send you a document to cover all your questions regarding an OA extension and the Mandatory Insurance needed for said extension.

Thanks

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 minute ago, miketu said:

I have GEHA U.S. federal health insurance and have contacted them for a policy statement to meet the Thai Outpatient 40K baht and Inpatient 400K baht requirement.  Would this suffice? 

I don’t think it will.

There is a list of Thai insurance companies that have to be used for the mandatory insurance.

@ubonjoe or @Peter Denis will be along with the list.

[Andrew Dwyer]

In the meantime here is a document outlining the Thai insurance companies required.

 

https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel/health-insurance-thailand-new-requirement-for-retirees.php

[Andrew Dwyer]

OP , 

Your US insurance policy could have been used to apply for a new OA visa ( since Oct 2019 ) but is not applicable for an extension.

[Peter Denis]

1 hour ago, miketu said:

...

My original OA retirement visa was Valid From 18 Oct 2018 and Valid Until 17 Oct 2019.   I originally entered Thailand on this OA Visa in November 2018 and stayed for six months. 

I returned to Thailand on 17 Oct 2019 and was given a visa stamp valid until 15 Oct 2020.  

Can I be given another one year? permit/extension to stay beyond the 15 Oct 2020 stamp?

Hi @miketu

Yes, as other posters already confirmed > You can apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa.

That application needs to be done ultimately on 15 Oct, when your current permission to stay expires.

At the moment of application you need to meet the financial requirements for such application and there are several methods for doing so:

1 - Unfortunately you are just too late to make use of the Funds-in-Bank method, as that requires that you transferred +800K with foreign origins proven to your personal thai bank account and that those funds were kept there for at least 2 months before your date of application (so not possible anymore before 15 Oct).

2 - But you can still make use of the Monthly Income Transfer method.  That method requires that you made at least TWO transfers of +65K in the two months preceding your application.

So if you transfer +65K this month and +65K in September, you would still be OK to apply for the 1-year extension of stay ultimately 15 October (you can apply from 30 days beforehand till expiry date of your permission to stay on 15 Oct).

Note: It is recommended that you enquire at your local IO whether they accept TWO of such transfers, as some IOs - incorrectly - still insist on 3 transfers.  But even if that would be the case you would still be able to do such a 3rd transfer of +65K early October.

Also please note that you would need to prove the foreign origins of those +65K transfers. 

>> I will PM you a document on how to ensure that you can provide that required evidence from your thai bank.

Furthermore your local IO might require that you also provide evidence of the SOURCE of those foreign income transfers. but you wrote that you do get monthly pension of +65K so a pension statement of your pension provider would be sufficient as evidence.

3 - When you are NOT a citizen of USA, UK or Australia, you could also make use of the Embassy income-statement method.  For that method you simply go to your Embassy in Bangkok and ask them provide you with such a foreign income-statement.  Unfortunately that method might not be available for you as I presume from what you wrote that you are a US citizen, and the US Embassy does not issue such income-statements anymore.

> So that leaves you with the Monthly Income Transfer method - addressed in [2] - for which you are still able to fully qualify.

 

When you apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement, you will also need to show that you subscribed to a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy issued by a thai TGIA associated insurer.

A foreign international insurance even when it meets the coverage criteria posed by IO will NOT be accepted.

>> In a separate PM I did sent you some information (including tips & caveats) on how to subscribe to the LGM Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) policy, which is the cheapest available option on the market, and on which you can subscribe for an annual premium between 6.000 THB and 11.400 THB in the age brackets between 51 and 75 years of age.  Additional advantage of that policy is that it does NOT require a mandatory medical to subscribe to it.

 

Note: In case you are officially married to a thai national or have thai dependant children, you could also apply for the 1-year extension of stay for reason of marriage (instead of for reason of retirement).

When doing so the thai IO-approved health-insurance is NOT required, and an additional benefit is that the financials to be proven are way lower (400K when using the Funds-in-Bank method OR +40K when using the Monthly income transfer method).  However, you would then also need to prove that you are still married to your thai wife.

Should that be the case > Let me know and I will provide you with the applicable requirements for such application.

 

>> To access your PM messages just click the letter-icon next to your Profile when logged in to the Forum

Cheers and success with your upcoming application.

[miketu]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

On the financial proof, it is a lot easier if you can get a letter from your embassy confirming your income. What is your nationality? Otherwise, you will need to prove that the money is transferred into your Thai bank account from abroad each and every month. Some immigration offices do not like this, and may claim a couple of months of transfers is insufficient.

 

Depending on the immigration office where you apply, they may insist on a health insurance policy from a Thai provider from a list they provide.

Thanks, I'm american, do you know if the u.s. embassy in bkk would issue a letter?

[zzzzz]

6 minutes ago, miketu said:

Thanks, I'm american, do you know if the u.s. embassy in bkk would issue a letter?

NO:
stopped issuing income letters Dec 31st 2018

[miketu]

17 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi @miketu

Yes, as other posters already confirmed > You can apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa.

That application needs to be done ultimately on 15 Oct, when your current permission to stay expires.

At the moment of application you need to meet the financial requirements for such application and there are several methods for doing so:

1 - Unfortunately you are just too late to make use of the Funds-in-Bank method, as that requires that you transferred +800K with foreign origins proven to your personal thai bank account and that those funds were kept there for at least 2 months before your date of application (so not possible anymore before 15 Oct).

2 - But you can still make use of the Monthly Income Transfer method.  That method requires that you made at least TWO transfers of +65K in the two months preceding your application.

So if you transfer +65K this month and +65K in September, you would still be OK to apply for the 1-year extension of stay ultimately 15 October (you can apply from 30 days beforehand till expiry date of your permission to stay on 15 Oct).

Note: It is recommended that you enquire at your local IO whether they accept TWO of such transfers, as some IOs - incorrectly - still insist on 3 transfers.  But even if that would be the case you would still be able to do such a 3rd transfer of +65K early October.

Also please note that you would need to prove the foreign origins of those +65K transfers. 

>> I will PM you a document on how to ensure that you can provide that required evidence from your thai bank.

Furthermore your local IO might require that you also provide evidence of the SOURCE of those foreign income transfers. but you wrote that you do get monthly pension of +65K so a pension statement of your pension provider would be sufficient as evidence.

3 - When you are NOT a citizen of USA, UK or Australia, you could also make use of the Embassy income-statement method.  For that method you simply go to your Embassy in Bangkok and ask them provide you with such a foreign income-statement.  Unfortunately that method might not be available for you as I presume from what you wrote that you are a US citizen, and the US Embassy does not issue such income-statements anymore.

> So that leaves you with the Monthly Income Transfer method - addressed in [2] - for which you are still able to fully qualify.

 

When you apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement, you will also need to show that you subscribed to a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy issued by a thai TGIA associated insurer.

A foreign international insurance even when it meets the coverage criteria posed by IO will NOT be accepted.

>> In a separate PM I did sent you some information (including tips & caveats) on how to subscribe to the LGM Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) policy, which is the cheapest available option on the market, and on which you can subscribe for an annual premium between 6.000 THB and 11.400 THB in the age brackets between 51 and 75 years of age.  Additional advantage of that policy is that it does NOT require a mandatory medical to subscribe to it.

 

Note: In case you are officially married to a thai national or have thai dependant children, you could also apply for the 1-year extension of stay for reason of marriage (instead of for reason of retirement).

When doing so the thai IO-approved health-insurance is NOT required, and an additional benefit is that the financials to be proven are way lower (400K when using the Funds-in-Bank method OR +40K when using the Monthly income transfer method).  However, you would then also need to prove that you are still married to your thai wife.

Should that be the case > Let me know and I will provide you with the applicable requirements for such application.

 

>> To access your PM messages just click the letter-icon next to your Profile when logged in to the Forum

Cheers and success with your upcoming application.

Thank you very much Peter for the detailed information

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, miketu said:

Thanks, I'm american, do you know if the u.s. embassy in bkk would issue a letter?

The US embassy will not issue you an income letter any more. You should make a point of going to your local immigration office at least 30 days before the expiry of your permission to stay, and see what they require for income proof. At a minimum, it will be two monthly transfers of 65,000+ baht into your Thai bank account with proof that the transfers came from abroad. It is quite likely they may need more than this, such as proof of the source of the funds, or more monthly transfers. If you are unable to satisfy the local requirements, you will probably be forced to use the services of an agent to get your retirement extension.

[miketu]

3 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

OP

if you contact @Peter Denis by pm he can send you a document to cover all your questions regarding an OA extension and the Mandatory Insurance needed for said extension.

Thanks

[Maestro]

Removed two off-topic posts (inapplicable information; 30-day extension)

[miketu]

I just read the following on the website www.thaiembassy.com (below) which says I can't get an extension of stay??

"2. Currently Holding Non-immigrant O-A Visa or O-A Visa Extension

·    If you already in Thailand and you are currently staying under a non-immigrant O-A visa or extension of stay, you only have one option. You have to cancel the visa or let it expire and leave Thailand to avoid overstay. "

 

https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel/health-insurance-thailand-new-requirement-for-retirees.php

 

Is this correct??? ????

 

[tonray]

2 minutes ago, miketu said:

I just read the following on the website www.thaiembassy.com (below) which says I can't get an extension of stay??

"2. Currently Holding Non-immigrant O-A Visa or O-A Visa Extension

·    If you already in Thailand and you are currently staying under a non-immigrant O-A visa or extension of stay, you only have one option. You have to cancel the visa or let it expire and leave Thailand to avoid overstay. "

 

https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel/health-insurance-thailand-new-requirement-for-retirees.php

 

Is this correct??? ????

 

No it certainly is not 

 

Just buy the required insurance 

[miketu]

1 minute ago, tonray said:

No it certainly is not 

 

Just buy the required insurance 

Thank you!, who the #@@%^$!$ would say this, shame on them!

[Andrew Dwyer]

12 minutes ago, miketu said:

I just read the following on the website www.thaiembassy.com (below) which says I can't get an extension of stay??

"2. Currently Holding Non-immigrant O-A Visa or O-A Visa Extension

·    If you already in Thailand and you are currently staying under a non-immigrant O-A visa or extension of stay, you only have one option. You have to cancel the visa or let it expire and leave Thailand to avoid overstay. "

 

https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel/health-insurance-thailand-new-requirement-for-retirees.php

 

Is this correct??? ????

 

That comes from the above question in the article:

 

” 

What are my options if I am not qualified to get health insurance?

There are foreign retirees who are not eligible to have health insurance due to old age or due to pre-existing medical conditions. Here are the options that you can do to avoid the health insurance requirement and still obtain the 1-year visa extension: “

 

If this is not your situation then you have nothing to worry about .