O-A expiring – Need to Switch – Kindly advise

[aBigSmile]

 

I usually get my O-A overseas, but this year I’m not going away. My visa expires on November 3rd.

Can anyone walk me through the steps required to obtain a “Retirement Visa” inside Thailand?

 

If I understand correctly, I first have to apply for a one type of visa that gives me 90 days stay.

Once that is granted, I have to apply for a yearly “Retirement Visa”.

What are the official titles or the aforesaid visas? (I'd like to look up the forms).

What timetable do I need to adhere to?

 

Many thanks in advance!

[ubonjoe]

You would apply for a one year extension of stay (not a visa) based upon retirement at immigration near the end of the one year permit to stay from your OA visa.

You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months on the day you apply or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

You will also need proof of medical insurance from one of the companies listed here. https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

You will use a TM7 extension application form with a 4 X 6 photo attached.

[Matzzon]

As I believe answer your question, is that you will not be able to switch from O-A to O inside Thailand. That can only be obtained by crossing a border, but is not possible right now. In your case you will only have the option to a one year extension of your Non-O-A as described by ubonjoe above.

The only other option right now would be to leave thailand and obtain a new Non-O in the Thai Embassy in your home country. However, that will open a can of worms regarding other requirements at this pandemic times. It will also include a quarantine when you come back. Hope you can fix it with 800k in the bank. ???? 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Matzzon

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

In your case you will only have the option to a one year extension of your Non-O-A as described by ubonjoe above.

His current permit to stay would be extended. Visas are not extended.

[Matzzon]

32 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

His current permit to stay would be extended. Visas are not extended.

Ok, a 1 year extension based on Non O-A. I actually thought that was fully understood, due to the difference with the need for medical insurance or not. ???? 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Matzzon

[aBigSmile]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You would apply for a one year extension of stay (not a visa) based upon retirement at immigration near the end of the one year permit to stay from your OA visa.

You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months on the day you apply or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

You will also need proof of medical insurance from one of the companies listed here. https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

You will use a TM7 extension application form with a 4 X 6 photo attached.

 

Thanks for the clear and prompt reply. Truly appreciate it!

 

If I may, three follow-up questions:

 

1)

I left Thailand before my one-year anniversary and received a 5 months automatic extension upon re-entry. Does that make any difference, or should I still follow the same path you’ve recommended?

 

2)

Can I keep using that method going forward, or does it have a time or usage limit? 

 

3)

I was under the impression that officially-sanctioned medical coverage is only required for O-A applications overseas. Is my specific extension carries me into that category since it stems from an overseas O-A visa? 

[aBigSmile]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You would apply for a one year extension of stay (not a visa) based upon retirement at immigration near the end of the one year permit to stay from your OA visa.

You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months on the day you apply or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

You will also need proof of medical insurance from one of the companies listed here. https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

You will use a TM7 extension application form with a 4 X 6 photo attached.

 

Oh, I left that one out:

You write: “near the end of the one-year permit to stay”

How near? A few days, a week, longer?

[aBigSmile]

3 hours ago, Matzzon said:

As I believe answer your question, is that you will not be able to switch from O-A to O inside Thailand. That can only be obtained by crossing a border, but is not possible right now. In your case you will only have the option to a one year extension of your Non-O-A as described by ubonjoe above.

The only other option right now would be to leave thailand and obtain a new Non-O in the Thai Embassy in your home country. However, that will open a can of worms regarding other requirements at this pandemic times. It will also include a quarantine when you come back. Hope you can fix it with 800k in the bank. ???? 

 

Thanks for the further enlightenment. 

 

Luckily, presenting the necessary funds is not an issue. 

 

And yes, I have no plans of leaving Thailand before normalcy is resumed. When that finally happens, given that I want to steer away from the O-A route—due to the mandatory and sub-optimal insurance coverage requirement—what should I do? Apply for Non-O in a foreign embassy and convert it to “retirement visa” after 90 days in Thailand?

 

[Matzzon]

7 minutes ago, aBigSmile said:

what should I do? Apply for Non-O in a foreign embassy and convert it to “retirement visa” after 90 days in Thailand?

Yes, when all is open, you could just go over a land border to, for example, Laos and get a new fresh Non-O for 90 days, and then do your one year extension on that one.

Of course, if you have plans to go home, you can always do it at home to. 

As you have the funds, everything should go perfect.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Matzzon

[Peter Denis]

38 minutes ago, aBigSmile said:

...

I left Thailand before my one-year anniversary and received a 5 months automatic extension upon re-entry. Does that make any difference, or should I still follow the same path you’ve recommended?

Hi aBigSmile,

You wrote > I usually get my O-A overseas, but this year I’m not going away. My visa expires on November 3rd.

It is not clear from what you wrote whether it is the 1-year Visa Validity of your Non Imm O-A Visa that will expire on November 3rd or whether it is the permission to stay you received on entry with that Visa that will expired on that date.

So far sake of clarity:

- What was the Visa validity date of the Non Imm O-A Visa as printed on the sticker in your passport?

- What was the permission to stay date as stamped in your passport by border-immigration when you used that Non Imm O-A Visa last time to enter Thailand>

> The above is all-important in your case, as it will determine whether you need to take action asap or whether you are still good for many more months...

[ubonjoe]

48 minutes ago, aBigSmile said:

1)

I left Thailand before my one-year anniversary and received a 5 months automatic extension upon re-entry. Does that make any difference, or should I still follow the same path you’ve recommended?

 

2)

Can I keep using that method going forward, or does it have a time or usage limit? 

 

3)

I was under the impression that officially-sanctioned medical coverage is only required for O-A applications overseas. Is my specific extension carries me into that category since it stems from an overseas O-A visa? 

1. You will apply to extend the 5 months you got the last time you entered the country.

2. You can apply for a new extension year after year. There is no limit on how many times you can do it.

3. Immigration wants the insurance for a one year extension of stay if a person used a OA visa to get the permit to stay they are extending.

 

44 minutes ago, aBigSmile said:

You write: “near the end of the one-year permit to stay”

How near? A few days, a week, longer?

You can apply up to 30 day or 45 days at some offices before the day your permit to stay ends to the last day if you want to.

[aBigSmile]

47 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi aBigSmile,

You wrote > I usually get my O-A overseas, but this year I’m not going away. My visa expires on November 3rd.

It is not clear from what you wrote whether it is the 1-year Visa Validity of your Non Imm O-A Visa that will expire on November 3rd or whether it is the permission to stay you received on entry with that Visa that will expired on that date.

So far sake of clarity:

- What was the Visa validity date of the Non Imm O-A Visa as printed on the sticker in your passport?

- What was the permission to stay date as stamped in your passport by border-immigration when you used that Non Imm O-A Visa last time to enter Thailand>

> The above is all-important in your case, as it will determine whether you need to take action asap or whether you are still good for many more months...

 

My O-A is from April 17^th 2019 through April 16^th 2020

I first entered Thailand May 9^th 2019 with validity through May 7^th 2020

I left Thailand October 22^nd 2019 and reentered November 4^th 

My current Validity date is November 2^nd 2020

 

Going by ubonjoe, I should simply extend before November 2^nd and hopefully receive a fresh stamp from that date a year forward. 

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, aBigSmile said:

Going by ubonjoe, I should simply extend before November 2^nd and hopefully receive a fresh stamp from that date a year forward. 

That is correct.

[Peter Denis]

40 minutes ago, aBigSmile said:

 

My O-A is from April 17^th 2019 through April 16^th 2020

I first entered Thailand May 9^th 2019 with validity through May 7^th 2020

I left Thailand October 22^nd 2019 and reentered November 4^th 

My current Validity date is November 2^nd 2020

 

Going by ubonjoe, I should simply extend before November 2^nd and hopefully receive a fresh stamp from that date a year forward. 

Thanks for clarification.

So your current permission to stay date is Nov 2nd 2020.

And you would need to apply for the 1-year extension based on that Non Imm O-A Visa before expiry of that permission to stay on Nov 2nd 2020.

At the moment of application you would need to meet the financial and other requirements for your application.

Questions >

1 - Do you already have the 800K (application for reason of retirement) or 400K (application for reason of marriage) transferred to your personal thai bank-account?  If not, you are unfortunately just too late to use that funds-in-bank method to prove your financials as the funds need to be seasoned for at least 2 months at the moment of application.

2 - If your IO would be OK with 2 months of +65K or +40K monthly income transfers in the two months preceding your application, you would still be able to use that method.  But you would need to enquire at your local IO whether they would accept such transfers in months of September and October, because there are some IOs that now require 12 months of such transfers instead of two.

3 - If you are from a different nationality than US, UK or Australian you could make use of an Embassy issued income letter, when you can prove that your foreign monthly income is +65K (retirement) or +40K (marriage), e.g. by providing a pension statement.

4 - If none of the above is possible, you would need to engage an Agent to help with your application when you cannot meet the requirements in due time.