First year on O-A visa ending soon

[el jefe]

I rec'd an O-A visa in USA on 16 Sept 2019 valid until 15 Sept 2020. I made a quick trip out of the country and returned on 3 March 2020 so I have a Permission to Stay until 2 March 2021.
Obviously if borders were open, I'd make a quick trip out and back and extend my permission to stay by 6 months. Equally important, that would also extend the time I have to think about what I want to do when my permission to stay expires. If there is no way to extend this, then I need to have plans in place before the end of the year.
I'm sure I know the answer, but is there any way I can get stamped out and in in the next 12 days which would extend my permission to stay until Sept 2021?

[lopburi3]

No.

[Max69xl]

The answer is no. You can leave but at the moment not re-enter as a retiree. Why do you have to do a border run within 12 days when your extension expires in March 2021? 

 

[DrJack54]

OP, you have correct answer post #1.

You actually lucky. Permission of stay till early March. Very lucky

[DrJack54]

Just now, Max69xl said:

The answer is no. You can leave but at the moment not re-enter as a retiree. Why do you have to do a border run within 12 days when your extension expires in March 2021? 

 

His O-A expires 15 Sept 2020.

Best he could of done normal times is exit and return before that date. He without covid could of obtained POS till mid Sept 2021

[sscc]

I am confused and hope someone will educate me. 

 

If the OP have had the 800K B in a Thai bank account before July 15, 2020  and also now go for and secure the health insurance policy,  say LMG  200K deductible one,  can he go to IO on Sept 15, 2020 to apply for a one-year extension to stay till Sept 2021   ?

 

My situation is very similar.    

Got my O-A Visa in late Oct 2019.   Landed on BKK Airport in late Dec 2019.  ( Not left Thailand since arrival,   continuously staying in the Kingdom till now  ).   Have had the 800K B deposit in the K-bank since early Aug 2020.  I am thinking to subscribe to the LMG health insurance plan next month.  Then I will head to IO in late Oct 2020  for one-year extension of my O-A Visa.   

 

Is this all doable ?   Or is there regulation rejecting the extension in my case ?   

  

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, sscc said:

I am confused and hope someone will educate me. 

 

If the OP have had the 800K B in a Thai bank account before July 15, 2020  and also now go for and secure the health insurance policy,  say LMG  200K deductible one,  can he go to IO on Sept 15, 2020 to apply for a one-year extension to stay till Sept 2021   ?

 

My situation is very similar.    

Got my O-A Visa in late Oct 2019.   Landed on BKK Airport in late Dec 2019.  ( Not left Thailand since arrival,   continuously staying in the Kingdom till now  ).   Have had the 800K B deposit in the K-bank since early Aug 2020.  I am thinking to subscribe to the LMG health insurance plan next month.  Then I will head to IO in late Oct 2020  for one-year extension of my O-A Visa.   

 

Is this all doable ?   Or is there regulation rejecting the extension in my case ?   

  

Yes.

One thing you need to have detail on is your insurance policy start date. I would recommend that you commence your policy day or 2 prior to attending immigration. They will issue your 12 month extension to match your insurance policy.

Also double check with your insurance company that they have put you on IMM data base.

[kingofthemountain]

13 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Yes.

One thing you need to have detail on is your insurance policy start date. I would recommend that you commence your policy day or 2 prior to attending immigration. They will issue your 12 month extension to match your insurance policy.

Also double check with your insurance company that they have put you on IMM data base.

Do you know by any chance how many time it takes from the moment you contact LMG to sign a contract with them and the moment they put you in the immigration database?

 

I should be also interested if someone in Pattaya has contracted with LMG (On the 

200 000 deductible option) to know where and how to do it. An insurance broker? 

 

I have to renew my 1 year extension mi october and i don't want to be in late for the insurance.

 

Thank you in advance and sorry to the OP for using his topic for this question.

Edited September 3, 2020 by kingofthemountain

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, kingofthemountain said:

 

I have to renew my 1 year extension mi october and i don't want to be in late for the insurance.

This guy @Peter Denis

Has advised many guys needing insurance.

Very helpful.

[kingofthemountain]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

This guy @Peter Denis

Has advised many guys needing insurance.

Very helpful.

Thank you

i will contact him then

[DrJack54]

Just now, kingofthemountain said:

Thank you

i will contact him then

He is pro active. Will see this tomorrow.

The strange thing with the insurance policy is it starts 4pm on the date you request commencement. 

Crazy yes! So few folk caught out attending IMM morning to obtain extension and being knocked back.

You only lose out on day or 2 if you start policy prior to going to imm.

There was a report where insurance company did not put policy on IMM data base. Make sure you check with company that your details are on data base. 

 

[Sheryl]

35 minutes ago, sscc said:

I am confused and hope someone will educate me. 

 

If the OP have had the 800K B in a Thai bank account before July 15, 2020  and also now go for and secure the health insurance policy,  say LMG  200K deductible one,  can he go to IO on Sept 15, 2020 to apply for a one-year extension to stay till Sept 2021   ?

 

My situation is very similar.    

Got my O-A Visa in late Oct 2019.   Landed on BKK Airport in late Dec 2019.  ( Not left Thailand since arrival,   continuously staying in the Kingdom till now  ).   Have had the 800K B deposit in the K-bank since early Aug 2020.  I am thinking to subscribe to the LMG health insurance plan next month.  Then I will head to IO in late Oct 2020  for one-year extension of my O-A Visa.   

 

Is this all doable ?   Or is there regulation rejecting the extension in my case ?   

  

 

The OP can do an extension but not in September since his current permission to stay does not end until March. He can do the extension then, subject to the financial and insurance requirement.

 

Same goes for you - if you arrived in December 2019 your permission to stay must end in December 2020. Then (or up to 30-45 days before) is when to do an extension, not the date of the visa expiration.

[el jefe]

9 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, you have correct answer post #1.

You actually lucky. Permission of stay till early March. Very lucky

I'm lucky for many reasons but actually not so lucky in this case. I've been in Thailand for over 15 years and make an average of 6 international trips a year. I had one in late March and another in April canceled. This is now the longest I've ever been here without leaving.
But otherwise I agree with your theoretical luckiness. ????

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

Thank you

i will contact him then

> As requested I PM-ed you the LMG Insurance information, outlining how to apply and with tips & caveats to make it a smooth and easy process.

[UncleMhee]

@el jefe @kingofthemountain @sscc As others have said, providing your financials and insurance are in order, you should not have any problems extending your stay on your O-A in country, even though you are on your first year.

What hasn't been mentioned that I can find is also having your 90 day reports up to date. 

[lopburi3]

49 minutes ago, UncleMhee said:

@el jefe @kingofthemountain @sscc As others have said, providing your financials and insurance are in order, you should not have any problems extending your stay on your O-A in country, even though you are on your first year.

What hasn't been mentioned that I can find is also having your 90 day reports up to date. 

Posters question was specific to out and in for new stay within the next 12 days. 

He indeed has plenty of time to get things in order for a normal one year extension of stay from immigration if he can meet the financials. 

[Max69xl]

20 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

His O-A expires 15 Sept 2020.

Best he could of done normal times is exit and return before that date. He without covid could of obtained POS till mid Sept 2021

This is the OP:

"I made a quick trip out of the country and returned on 3 March 2020 so I have a Permission to Stay until 2 March 2021."

[DrJack54]

36 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

This is the OP:

"I made a quick trip out of the country and returned on 3 March 2020 so I have a Permission to Stay until 2 March 2021."

You have missed the point. He is asking is there anyway he can obtain a new permission of stay prior to Sept. Without borders closed he would border bounce now and get new POS till bit before 15/Sept 2021. Of course he cannot.

What he can do is get his financials etc in order and obtain 12 month extension prior to his current POS expires March 3. 

He should make those plans to keep his options open.

Edited September 4, 2020 by DrJack54

[el jefe]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

You have missed the point. He is asking is there anyway he can obtain a new permission of stay prior to Sept. Without borders closed he would border bounce now and get new POS till bit before 15/Sept 2021. Of course he cannot.

What he can do is get his financials etc in order and obtain 12 month extension prior to his current POS expires March 3. 

He should make those plans to keep his options open.

Exactly.
With my current POS I have a little over 3 months to make a decision as to how I want to proceed. With things changing quickly (or not at all, depending on your point of view) that's not enough time. I was hoping to border bounce (or find a way around that through this post) to get an additional 6 months which would give me til mid-June before I need to finalize a decision.
Thanks.

[DrJack54]

54 minutes ago, el jefe said:

Exactly.
With my current POS I have a little over 3 months to make a decision as to how I want to proceed. With things changing quickly (or not at all, depending on your point of view) that's not enough time. I was hoping to border bounce (or find a way around that through this post) to get an additional 6 months which would give me til mid-June before I need to finalize a decision.
Thanks.

Good plan.

Just to add..if borders open in March next year without quarantine etc, you could take opportunity to exit Thailand and kill off your O-A. Reenter on visa exempt (if available in future) and then obtain non O retirement inside Thailand.

That would avoid insurance requirement going forward from then.

[macster44]

 

Peter,

Would you please send me some information regarding the LMG insurance information. 

I am curious about the: "how to apply and with tips & caveats"

thanks very much

 

mac

[Andrew Dwyer]

Anyone looking to buy LMG please note:

You can now request any date and time you like, for example my policy starts 25/09/2020 @ 00.01 am and expires 25/09/2021 @ 16.30 pm. ( contact your IO to ensure that the policy start date and extension renewal date can be aligned )

They will also upload  your information to the TGIA data base.

From sending an email inquiring about insurance to receiving the certificate allow approximately 7 days , policy received by email takes an additional 3 - 5 days ( 7 - 15 days by post ).

I have been informed that only the certificate is required for extension renewal.

 

Use the info provided from Peter Denis to complete the process easily.

[Peter Denis]

6 hours ago, macster44 said:

Peter,

Would you please send me some information regarding the LMG insurance information. 

I am curious about the: "how to apply and with tips & caveats"

thanks very much

mac

Hi Mac, did sent you the requested info PM.  And you're welcome.

[StevoLe]

I purchased the health insurance for the extension to stay based on my 0-A visa in July.  I used AA insurance broker in Pattaya, but the process is very simple.  All communication was done via email.

 

1. Applied for LMG Plan 1 with a 200,000 baht deductible on July 1.  The application was completed and emailed to my broker along with a copy of my passport data page and entry/visa page.
2. Application was accepted and paid for via bank transfer from my Thai bank on July 15 for 7,700 baht.  I am 64 years old.  There were 2 days of holidays during that time period, so about 2 weeks to complete.  The insurance letter including a copy of the letter for immigration was emailed back to me and received the hard copies in the mail at my home a few days later.   I used the originals for my extension.
3. The insurance is valid from just after midnight not 4 pm mentioned earlier, so I applied for my extension on August 10 and was granted a full year extension from my permission of stay thru August 27, 2021, so more than the expiration of my insurance.  This was in Udon Thani.
4. I did not get a re-entry permit because I still want to break the 0-A chain.

[mrwebb8825]

The correct answer to the OPs question is Yes. They CAN stamp you out and in w/o leaving the country. Unless there has been some law written or changed, in times of emergency the immigration department can stamp you out and in w/o ever having to leave the chair in front of his/her desk. The question is; Why aren't they doing that now?

Now, before the masses flame me, this what happened to me my 2nd year in Thailand in 2002. I was working in Hua Hin and we made border runs to the south across into Myranmar but Thailand was in some sort of military dispute with them at that time and had closed the border so the IO stamped me out and right back in while sitting at his desk. This was in a very small, remote spot on one of the mountain borders. (somewhere near Phetchup Kirikhan) Not sure if it's open now or not. I still have my old passport and will try and find the page for posting.

Edited September 9, 2020 by mrwebb8825

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Now, before the masses flame me, this what happened to me my 2nd year in Thailand in 2002. I was working in Hua Hin and we made border runs to the south across into Myranmar but Thailand was in some sort of military dispute with them at that time and had closed the border so the IO stamped me out and right back in while sitting at his desk. This was in a very small, remote spot on one of the mountain borders. (somewhere near Phetchup Kirikhan) Not sure if it's open now or not. I still have my old passport and will try and find the page for posting.

That certainly doesn't apply now. You were probably just lucky they were willing to do it then.

[Sheryl]

I have also known it to be done but only in extremely rare and compelling circumstances such as complete disruption of border posts such that someone entering could not get a stamp.  Happened in one case I know of during the July 1997 fighting in Cambodia. The person had crossed the border with a valid visa but not been given  an entry stamp. Had to go to Bangkok to resolve it and see a fairly high level person, he was then given an entry stamp corresponding to his actual date of entry

 

But this is quite different than what OP is asking for, which is to be stamped out and back in without actually leaving and re-entering. Never heard of that and doubt it would be legal. There is a big difference between providing a stamp for an actual entry that somehow did not receive one and making exit and entry stamps that are fictitious.

[JimGant]

On 9/5/2020 at 6:44 AM, Andrew Dwyer said:

my policy starts 25/09/2020 @ 00.01 am and expires 25/09/2021 @ 16.30 pm.

Same formula for me: starts 12/09/[email protected] and expires 12/09/2021@16:30.

 

LMG was informed my current extension of stay is "up to 12/09/2020" so I guess they knew their date setting would synch with CM Immigration. And, yes, Immigration renewed my extension to "up to 12/09/2021."

 

But the "up to 12/09/2021" is inclusive of the whole day, meaning my insurance, by expiring at 16:30 on 12/09/2021, leaves me uninsured for (gasp!) 7 and a half hours.... Not that I care -- I'll never use that silly insurance. But you'd think Immigration, in its bureaucratic fashion, might be a stickler for a 7.5 hour gap in coverage....(?). Slip everything one day to the right, until the 13th, then everything is kosher for an extension of stay "up to" 12/09/2021.

 

But, who cares, as long as I got another year to observe from inside its borders the fire drill that will become Thailand. Then, a year from now, if the borders are still shut (thus no killing the OA visa) or they add the insurance requirement to all long stayers -- I can look forward to paying LMG 16,800 baht for being aged 76. 

 

 

[el jefe]

1 hour ago, mrwebb8825 said:

The correct answer to the OPs question is Yes. They CAN stamp you out and in w/o leaving the country. Unless there has been some law written or changed, in times of emergency the immigration department can stamp you out and in w/o ever having to leave the chair in front of his/her desk. The question is; Why aren't they doing that now?

Now, before the masses flame me, this what happened to me my 2nd year in Thailand in 2002. I was working in Hua Hin and we made border runs to the south across into Myranmar but Thailand was in some sort of military dispute with them at that time and had closed the border so the IO stamped me out and right back in while sitting at his desk. This was in a very small, remote spot on one of the mountain borders. (somewhere near Phetchup Kirikhan) Not sure if it's open now or not. I still have my old passport and will try and find the page for posting.

Back then you could often do visa runs by sending your passport across the border. You never had to leave home.
I agree with you that they can, and there were reports of several people having that done in connection with employment in one specific school in Bangkok. That's why I asked. But I haven't heard of anyone else getting stamped out without leaving the country.

[lopburi3]

10 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

But this is quite different than what OP is asking for, which is to be stamped out and back in without actually leaving and re-entering. Never heard of that and doubt it would be legal.

Actually it used to be done big time at airports and even border crossings (where a foreign country stamp is normally required).  At borders people checked out and immediately tried to check back in.  Most times told to get other country stamp first but when busy sometimes succeeded.  At Don Muang Airport they had to redesign terminal several times as people would check in for flight and then make way to arrivals.  Even after changes there were cases of helpful people making it possible.  

 

As mentioned above passports also often traveled without holder.  Was on many taxi trips to Penang where driver had a handful he would get stamped on exit/entry and do the same on return.

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by lopburi3