Non O retirement re-entering Thailand

[mlkik]

I am one of those people who originaly had a Non O and have a current extension for retirement and multi re-entry permit but visited my elderly Mother in the UK at the beginning of March have not been able to return.

It was reported a couple of months ago that the CAAT were considering allowing people who have retired in Thailand to be able to re-enter. The Thai government have now allowed Non O O-A and Non O-X visa holder/extension holders entry,this includes people who apply for a new visa.However they are still not allowing people with a Non O extension for retirement purposes that is current re-entry.

I am not sure of the figures but think there is a large number of retirees on Non O extensions and indeed on this forum it has been widely suggested as the easiest route to go down for retirement in Thailand.

As someone who has put an acceptable health insurance in place and prepared to do the ASQ quarantene I am very dissapointed that I am as of yet and maybe never able to return to somewhere I used to think of as my home.

 

Edited October 4, 2020 by mlkik

[ubonjoe]

Some embassies are showing the non-o visa and extensions now.

It seems there may of been some confusion as to what the type of visa or extension of stay with re-entry permit is allowed.

The embassy the US appears to be only doing it for those with new OA and OX visas.

Maybe it will get sorted out soon.

 

[mlkik]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Some embassies are showing the non-o visa and extensions now.

It seems there may of been some confusion as to what the type of visa or extension of stay with re-entry permit is allowed.

The embassy the US appears to be only doing it for those with new OA and OX visas.

Maybe it will get sorted out soon.

 

I have just checked the London website and the O-A and O-X have been removed from the drop down menu which you access to apply for the COE.

Maybe it is being changed to allow Non O ,I hope so. But maybe I am mistaken as it is 05.30 in the morning here and my brain is not as yet functioning well 555

Edited October 4, 2020 by mlkik

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, mlkik said:

I have just checked the London website and the O-A and O-X have been removed from the drop down menu which you access to apply for the COE.

They are shown near the bottom of the this page. https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/119247-requirements-for-certificate-of-entry-during-travel-restriction?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

But the link at the top of the page does no work.

[mlkik]

7 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

They are shown near the bottom of the this page. https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/119247-requirements-for-certificate-of-entry-during-travel-restriction?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

But the link at the top of the page does no work.

https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ now has the O-A , O-X missing from the dropdown menu.

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, mlkik said:

https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ now has the O-A , O-X missing from the dropdown menu.

Did it have them on it before? They may of not updated the site yet.

[Peter Denis]

1 hour ago, mlkik said:

https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ now has the O-A , O-X missing from the dropdown menu.

When you click on the blue text  < for more information > next to the Permit category

it shows:

 

>> See before-last category.

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

When you click on the blue text  < for more information > next to the Permit category

it shows:

He was writing about the drop down menu. More information takes you the page I mentioned earlier.

And  the remainder of them.

            

[howerde]

2 hours ago, mlkik said:

I have just checked the London website and the O-A and O-X have been removed from the drop down menu which you access to apply for the COE.

Maybe it is being changed to allow Non O ,I hope so. But maybe I am mistaken as it is 05.30 in the morning here and my brain is not as yet functioning well 555

the O-A O-X, options were never there in the first place, a few people who applied used the special arrangement option, they were contacted and told they would be added in the next 5 days, i don't know if people who selected special arrangement were given COE or have to wait till it a appears

[mlkik]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Did it have them on it before? They may of not updated the site yet.

Yes I am pretty sure of it but could be wrong and often am 555.

[mlkik]

My Non O extension expires January 15th 2021 so ealistically need to be back in Thsiland by Christmas in order to do the quarantene.

So if it is not anounced by beginning of December then I will have no means in returning. So much for my relationship ,house, car,money in the bank and future !

[ubonjoe]

14 minutes ago, mlkik said:

My Non O extension expires January 15th 2021 so ealistically need to be back in Thsiland by Christmas in order to do the quarantene.

So if it is not anounced by beginning of December then I will have no means in returning. So much for my relationship ,house, car,money in the bank and future !

You might be able to apply for a new non-o visa and if you show them that you have an extension that is expiring and perhaps the financial proof to apply for it.

[Max69xl]

37 minutes ago, howerde said:

the O-A O-X, options were never there in the first place, a few people who applied used the special arrangement option, they were contacted and told they would be added in the next 5 days, i don't know if people who selected special arrangement were given COE or have to wait till it a appears

I think O-A and O-X has been on the list since July. That's quite a while ago. 

[Max69xl]

23 minutes ago, mlkik said:

My Non O extension expires January 15th 2021 so ealistically need to be back in Thsiland by Christmas in order to do the quarantene.

So if it is not anounced by beginning of December then I will have no means in returning. So much for my relationship ,house, car,money in the bank and future !

If your 1 year extension expires while you're out of ThaiIand, and they don't add Non-O to the list, it's a peace of cake to start all over again. The restrictions incl quarantine will hopefully change in the near future. Maybe you can enter as a tourist if they will allow short term tourists to stay 60 days if showing ฿500k in a bank account. They have been talking about it, but who knows? It was just a suggestion. 

[mosan]

Thailand is going to start letting the Chinese and other low contagious countries citizens back in starting this week. I wonder if you can fly to China, New Zealand or Taiwan and then continue on to Thailand with lower requirements (regardless of your passport)?  And no, I don't know the answer - just thinking out loud... Being former military, I've spent a year and more at times away from my home and family, yet we survived.

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

I think O-A and O-X has been on the list since July. That's quite a while ago. 

They were just added to the list a week or so ago. They were certainly not on the list in July.

[howerde]

27 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

I think O-A and O-X has been on the list since July. That's quite a while ago. 

thought we were talking about the COE application online application that only started last monday, this one https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/

but i might have got things the wrong way round

[jacko45k]

5 hours ago, mlkik said:

As someone who has put an acceptable health insurance in place and prepared to do the ASQ quarantene I am very dissapointed that I am as of yet and maybe never able to return to somewhere I used to think of as my home.

Probably a lot of 800,000+ baht bank accounts sitting idle. 

Some confusion at the moment, maybe caused by the common affliction of calling retirement extensions 'Visas'. I have hopes retirement extensions with valid re-entry permits may be the next group clearly permitted to qualify for a COE. Sadly many may well have expired already.

[mlkik]

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You might be able to apply for a new non-o visa and if you show them that you have an extension that is expiring and perhaps the financial proof to apply for it.

Yes but to apply I would need to be in Thailand and there is no chance of that at the moment or anytime soon.

[CRUNCHER]

I am "trapped" in Thailand and although a little frustrating it is no big deal. I do feel very sorry for those that are trapped outside Thailand, especially those whose extensions have, or will soon, expire.

 

It would really be a small thing for the Thai Government to do to offer an amnesty so that when retirees can return, they can have, say three months, to re-instate their extensions.  If they could announce it now it would put a lot of minds at ease.

 

It would not get retirees back any sooner, but it would remove one problem.

[mlkik]

55 minutes ago, CRUNCHER said:

I am "trapped" in Thailand and although a little frustrating it is no big deal. I do feel very sorry for those that are trapped outside Thailand, especially those whose extensions have, or will soon, expire.

 

It would really be a small thing for the Thai Government to do to offer an amnesty so that when retirees can return, they can have, say three months, to re-instate their extensions.  If they could announce it now it would put a lot of minds at ease.

 

It would not get retirees back any sooner, but it would remove one problem.

There are six airlines flying from London to Bangkok and we could follow all their rules regarding insurance ,ASQ, covid test etc and be allowed to return home.

Thailand wants to control the opening up of the country and to me it is logical that people with existing visas or extensions with re- entry permits should be able to return.

 

[TheFreqFlyer]

7 hours ago, mosan said:

Thailand is going to start letting the Chinese and other low contagious countries citizens back in starting this week. I wonder if you can fly to China, New Zealand or Taiwan and then continue on to Thailand with lower requirements (regardless of your passport)?  And no, I don't know the answer - just thinking out loud... Being former military, I've spent a year and more at times away from my home and family, yet we survived.

Realistically not possible for most foreigners to enter any of these 3 countries. 

[Chris.B]

Just copied off the Thai Embassy website....

 

For long-stay visa holder (Non-Immigrant O-A/O-X)

While Thailand still puts in place travel restriction, foreign nationals who are holder of Non-Immigrant O-A and O-X can apply for the Certificate of Entry to go to Thailand.  If your spouse wishes to go to Thailand with you, both of you must apply for O-A/O-X visa (non-O retirement visa is not permitted).

 

The question is why not?

 

[toolpush]

15 hours ago, mosan said:

Thailand is going to start letting the Chinese and other low contagious countries citizens back in starting this week. I wonder if you can fly to China, New Zealand or Taiwan and then continue on to Thailand with lower requirements (regardless of your passport)?  And no, I don't know the answer - just thinking out loud... Being former military, I've spent a year and more at times away from my home and family, yet we survived.

As far as I can tell, you have to be a resident of the country that you would be flying from to enter Thailand. For example, if you flew to China and then attempted to get a visa at at the Thai Embassy they would require a Chinese Residence Visa.

[Peter Denis]

8 hours ago, Chris.B said:

Just copied off the Thai Embassy website....

 

For long-stay visa holder (Non-Immigrant O-A/O-X)

While Thailand still puts in place travel restriction, foreign nationals who are holder of Non-Immigrant O-A and O-X can apply for the Certificate of Entry to go to Thailand.  If your spouse wishes to go to Thailand with you, both of you must apply for O-A/O-X visa (non-O retirement visa is not permitted).

 

The question is why not?

There is no reason, it is like this simply 'because they say so'.

Some have suggested that it is because of the health-insurance policy which is mandatory for a Non Imm O-A / O-X, but not required when applying for a Non Imm O Visa. But obviously it would be very easy to - temporarily - add that insurance requirement for those on a still valid Re-Entry permit based on their Non Imm O Visa.

My guess is that they simply forgot that there are people in that situation...

 

[murraynz]

17 hours ago, mlkik said:

My Non O extension expires January 15th 2021 so ealistically need to be back in Thsiland by Christmas in order to do the quarantene.

So if it is not anounced by beginning of December then I will have no means in returning. So much for my relationship ,house, car,money in the bank and future !

Very unlucky,unfortunate timing.

I returned to thailand on 13 march,just days before lockdown.

Like you,i would be soooo upset about being locked out ,from what i consider home,for many months..

I feel so lucky,but realy sympathise with guys like you..

Its just a waiting game now..

 

[ubonjoe]

35 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

There is no reason, it is like this simply 'because they say so'.

I think the are referring to a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over that the London embassy will issue.

It only requires a small amount of financial proof and no insurance. 

[Estrada]

Many of those people married to Thai and retired, cannot not get the $100,000 COVID-19 insurance because they have pre-existing conditions such as overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes etc. What with the standard insurance cover plus COVID-19, various certificates, airfares and state quarantine hotel for days, it now costs around B200,000 to get back to Thailand. Most of my friends here 65 to 75 years old cannot get covered for insurance.

 

[Peter Denis]

3 minutes ago, Estrada said:

Many of those people married to Thai and retired, cannot not get the $100,000 COVID-19 insurance because they have pre-existing conditions such as overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes etc. What with the standard insurance cover plus COVID-19, various certificates, airfares and state quarantine hotel for days, it now costs around B200,000 to get back to Thailand. Most of my friends here 65 to 75 years old cannot get covered for insurance.

See my post #8 in a similar thread on 'Re-Entering Thailand' for possible options.

 

[ubonjoe]

24 minutes ago, Estrada said:

Many of those people married to Thai and retired, cannot not get the $100,000 COVID-19 insurance because they have pre-existing conditions such as overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes etc.

You can find policies for Covid 19 insurance that has no age limit (99 is it) or pre existing conditions restrictions. You do not have to have the health insurance required for a OA visa if married to a Thai and entering on a non-o visa.

For example here is one that is offered that meets the certificate of entry requirements. https://covid19.tgia.org/