Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O-X” (long stay) versus Thai Elite versus "O-A"

[DouglasTsui]

articulated smoothly as silken tofu.......Giving him false hope is also something you have to live with.My advise, stay clear of Thailand.

[ding]

18 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

 In several countries (e.g. US and Australia) the Thai Embassy/Consulate does not issue 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.  And it is thus the only Visa you can apply for for reason of retirement.

 

Peter, I'm not clear on this part. Could you help me out?

[Peter Denis]

3 hours ago, ding said:

Peter, I'm not clear on this part. Could you help me out?

When choosing the Visa to apply for in your home-country you can do this for various purposes/reasons.  And the requirements/conditions are different depending on the type Visa and the reason applying for it.

When you are over 50 years of age (and meet the financial and other requirements) you are eligible to apply at the Thai Embassy/Consulate of your home-country for

- a 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa

- a 5-year Non Imm O-X Visa

In some countries you can also apply for a 90-days Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, but that is not possible in e.g. USA or Australia (there you can only apply for such a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for Family reasons). 

So if you want a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, you need to enter Thailand first on a Visa Exempt or Tourist Visa.  And then with at least 15 days left on your permission to stay that entry provided you, you can apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement at your local IO.  Subsequently you can then in the last month of the 90-days permission to stay, apply for a 1-year extension of that Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.

 

When over 50 years of age and

- wanting to stay long-term in Thailand

- not being married to a Thai national

- not eligible or interested in Visa types for other reasons (e.g. Business, Education, etc.)

and depending on your circumstances the most popular Visa for those over 50 years of age are the 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa and the 1-year extension of the Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement. 

Note: The Non Imm O-X Visa is ridiculously expensive for the little benefits it provides.

 

It depends on your circumstances which of those 2 options Non Imm O-A or Non Imm-O is most beneficial in your situation.

For my specific situation (not married, visiting my home-country occasionally every 1-2 year) there is no doubt that the Non Imm O-A Visa is my choice of preference (not extending it after 2-years but simply re-applying for a new one when visiting my home-country).

 

If you are not clear about which Visa is best for you, do PM me with the following info as these are the factors of relevance to determine your choice:

- Age and nationality

- Married to a Thai national or father of a Thai childr

- Receiving monthly income (e.g. pension or rental income) in excess of +65.000 THB monthly

- Occasionally visiting your home-country (at least once every 2 years)

- Holder of foreign/international or Thai health-insurance with +400K/+40K coverage for in/out-patient care

- Equivalent of at least 800.000 THB on a foreign or Thai personal bank-account for at least 3 months

Edited October 12, 2020 by Peter Denis

[Andrew Dwyer]

16 hours ago, rickudon said:

One point not mentioned is that for the OA visa you require a police check and a number of medical tests. The cost may be modest but not insignificant. Also in these Covid times getting these tests (which are quite ridiculous, being for elephantiasis, leprosy and 3rd stage syphilis) may be hard to get. Some doctors will want a lab test, others will just give you a 2 second glance and sign you off!

I got an OA visa at the Thai Embassy in London Oct 2016, at that time the police check ( ACRO ) cost me £45 and done completely online ( 20 years previously I had walked into my local police station for the certificate, but not now ).

The medical certificate , downloaded from Embassy website, I had verified at a local hospital in Pathum Thani and cost me 360 baht.

[CANSIAM]

On 10/10/2020 at 6:53 PM, Peter Denis said:

You are mixing up the requirements for a Non Imm O-A and a Non Imm O-X Visa.

Below I have outlined the main differences.

 

When applying for a 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa at a Thai Embassy/Consulate in your home-country you need to meet the financial requirements, but there is NO need to have money on a Thai Bank-Account.  You just need to show that in the 3 months preceding your application you had a minimum of 25.000 Euro on a bank-account in your home-country (also 800K THB on a Thai bank-account is accepted.

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa you will be stamped in for a 1-year permission to stay during the Visa validity period (1-year).  So when exiting and re-entering Thailand just before the 1-year Visa validity expires, you will have effectively 2 years of IO-hassle free long-stay in Thailand.

With NO need to visit an IO to apply twice for a 1-year extension during that period, and NO need to park/transfer money to a personal Thai bank-account.

When occasionally visiting your home-country every 2 years and then applying for a NEW Non Imm O-A Visa, you will effectively NEVER have to visit an IO for an extension application.

 

When applying for the 5+5 year Non Imm O-X Visa at a Thai Embassy/Consulate in your home-country you need to meet the financial requirements,

Contrary to the Non Imm O-A Visa, applicants for the Non Imm O-X Visa MUST have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 1.8 million Baht and have income with the amount of not less than 1.2 million Baht per year. Once the applicants enter Thailand, they must have accumulated money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand not less than 3 million Baht within 1 year.

The money in (a) and (b) must be kept in bank account at least 1 year before withdrawing and, within another next year, the money must be left in the account with the amount of not less than 1.5 million Baht and can only be spent in Thailand.

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-X Visa you will be stamped in for a 5-year permission to stay during the Visa validity period (5-year).  But contrary to the Non Imm O-A Visa you will not enjoy 2 or5 years of IO-hassle free long-stay in Thailand.

Because you must report, in person, to the immigration officer every year for the examination of the qualifications and supporting documents.

 

The requirements for 90-day reporting and the mandatory Thai IO-approved health-insurance are exactly the same for the Non Imm O-A and the Non Imm O-X Visa.

 

So the main 'benefit' from the Non Imm O-X Visa is that it provides you with a 5-year permission to stay stamped in your passport, but for that privilege you need to park between 1.2 and 3 million THB in a Thai bank-account and you need to visit your local IO every year to provide evidence that you still meet the requirements.

The additional benefits from the Non Imm O-X Visa are rather limited:

1. Can work as a volunteer (in accordance with the list of volunteer work as stipulated by the Department of Employment).
2. Can purchase vehicles (under the provision of laws on motor vehicles).
3. Can purchase condominiums (proceed in accordance with the Condominium Act).

 

The Non Imm O-A Visa on the other hand provides you with almost 2-years of permission to stay in Thailand WITHOUT having to park/transfer money to a personal Thai bank-account and no need to apply at your local IO for any extensions during those 2 years. 

And when applying for back-to-back NEW Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country you will NEVER have to visit a local Immigration Office. 

Question - the O-A, valid for 1 year upon entry. If you leave for 1 month on the last 2 months of visa validity, when you re enter Thailand on your last month of validity how do you get the extra year ? would you not be stamped in for only the last month that is remaining  ?   thanks a bit confused....  ok I see, leave back to your home country just before expiry and get another O-A

Edited October 12, 2020 by CANSIAM

[Peter Denis]

4 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Question - the O-A, valid for 1 year upon entry. If you leave for 1 month on the last 2 months of visa validity, when you re enter Thailand on your last month of validity how do you get the extra year ? would you not be stamped in for only the last month that is remaining  ?   thanks a bit confused.... 

No, every time you enter Thailand during the 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa validity you will be stamped in for a full 1-year permission to stay.  So when exiting and re-entering Thailand just before your Visa validity expires, you effectively will have 2 years of IO hassle-free stay in Thailand.  Be aware that that 2nd year is not MultipleEntry, so when wanting to keep the permission to stay alive when making a trip abroad during that 2nd year you would need to buy a Re-Entry Permit.

And don't buy such a Re-Entry Permit when visiting your home-country during that 2nd year, as that will prevent you from applying for a new Non Imm O-A Visa when over there.

[Andrew Dwyer]

3 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Question - the O-A, valid for 1 year upon entry. If you leave for 1 month on the last 2 months of visa validity, when you re enter Thailand on your last month of validity how do you get the extra year ? would you not be stamped in for only the last month that is remaining  ?   thanks a bit confused.... 

Every time you enter on an OA visa , during its 1 year validity , you get a “ admitted until “ stamp for 1 year .

So by exiting and entering just before the visa expires you gain a 1 year permission to stay .

 

Your ME OA visa lets you come and go at will during its 1 year validity, once passed this date you are now on permission to stay and need a re-entry permit ( available at immigration or the airport on exit, single entry 1000 baht, multi entry 3,800 baht ) to keep that permission alive.

 

Depending on the timing of your re-entry during the 1 year visa validity decides how long you get from the OA, i got 23 months from mine.

[LivinLOS]

On 10/11/2020 at 2:53 AM, Peter Denis said:

You are mixing up the requirements for a Non Imm O-A and a Non Imm O-X Visa.

Below I have outlined the main differences.

I am not mixing them up.. I am fully aware of financials and that doesnt concern me. 

 

The issue is when you have the 5 year OX in your passport, what stamp do you get when you arrive into the kingdom each entry ? I was lead to understand that it is a 1 year permission of stay applied each and every time you enter for 5 years of travel, (much like the PE / Elite in that case) and that if you remain after 12 months you then go to the local immigration and obtain another 12 months with additional financial proofs and obtain an EXTENSION to that but you do not need a reentry as if you leave and re-enter you again get the 1 year entry.

Are you saying that is not correct and if so how do they apply that 5 year visa in real world use ??  

As I will never likely remain for 12 months the entire extension and financial proof step doesnt happen, you just keep coming and going obtaining 1 year entries up to the 5 year stage. 

[LivinLOS]

On 10/11/2020 at 7:09 AM, Peter Denis said:

Not sure why anybody would be interested in signing up for the Non Imm O-X Visa considering that the O-X requires you:

- to park between 1.8 and 3 million THB in a Thai bank-account (and can only spend it in Thailand);

- to subscribe to a mandatory Thai IO-approved health-insurance policy;

- to visit your local IO annually to provide evidence that you still meet the financial and insurance requirements.

Note:

In post #10 I made a comparison between the Non Imm O-A Visa and the Non Imm O-X Visa.

And for the guys like me who havent spent 12 unbroken months in Thailand in decades ?? 

 

You can come and go for 5 years.. Resetting the entry each travel. 

Not sure why you dont seem to understand this crucial difference. 

[Peter Denis]

2 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

And for the guys like me who havent spent 12 unbroken months in Thailand in decades ?? 

 

You can come and go for 5 years.. Resetting the entry each travel. 

Not sure why you dont seem to understand this crucial difference. 

I am sorry, you simply don't know what you are talking about.

But not my problem.

[LivinLOS]

4 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

I am sorry, you simply don't know what you are talking about.

But not my problem.

care to explain why ?? 

 

If you have a 5 year OX visa, and like me travel every few months.. At what point do I ever have to interact with a local immigration office ?? 
 

Quote

 

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-X Visa you will be stamped in for a 5-year permission to stay during the Visa validity period (5-year).  But contrary to the Non Imm O-A Visa you will not enjoy 2 or5 years of IO-hassle free long-stay in Thailand.

Because you must report, in person, to the immigration officer every year for the examination of the qualifications and supporting documents.

 

I do not believe that to be the case.. I was informed you would receive a 1 year permission of stay on the OX, and that after 1 year, you go to immigration to extend it annually and show your financials and health insurance. 

Leaving the kingdom, obviously resets that year. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by LivinLOS

[Peter Denis]

4 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

care to explain why ?? 

 

If you have a 5 year OX visa, and like me travel every few months.. At what point do I ever have to interact with a local immigration office ?? 

Every year, but you will find out later Mr Agresso.
I will not respond to any of your queries anymore.
Have a nice day.

[LivinLOS]

Your wrong.. 

 

You dont get a 5 year permission of stay from an OX visa entry. 

You get a 1 year, and the 'going to immigration' process happens at the end of that year, only if you remain in country for the entire year. 

Eg what would happen if on the 5 year OX, you remain outside of Thailand for a full year ? Or only come back some random weeks?? 

Each entry on the OX generates 1 year of stay, exactly like I am saying. 

[Peter Denis]

On 10/11/2020 at 3:53 AM, Peter Denis said:

...

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-X Visa you will be stamped in for a 5-year permission to stay during the Visa validity period (5-year).  But contrary to the Non Imm O-A Visa you will not enjoy 2 or 5 years of IO-hassle free long-stay in Thailand.

Because you must report, in person, to the immigration officer every year for the examination of the qualifications and supporting documents.

...

So the main 'benefit' from the Non Imm O-X Visa is that it provides you with a 5-year permission to stay stamped in your passport, but for that privilege you need to park between 1.2 and 3 million THB in a Thai bank-account and you need to visit your local IO every year to provide evidence that you still meet the requirements.

...

Minor correction to part marked in red in the Non Imm O-X Visa info I posted two days ago.

>> When entering on a valid O-X Visa (Visa validity is 5 years) you will be stamped in for a full 1-year permission to stay on each entry.

When staying longer than 12 months without exiting Thailand, you need to visit your local IO to extend the permission to stay.

Even if your permission to stay has not expired, when on an O-X Visa you need to visit your local IO every year, and provide local IO with evidence that you still meet the financial and insurance requirements.

[LivinLOS]

15 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Minor correction to part marked in red in the Non Imm O-X Visa info I posted two days ago.

>> When entering on a valid O-X Visa (Visa validity is 5 years) you will be stamped in for a full 1-year permission to stay on each entry.

When staying longer than 12 months without exiting Thailand, you need to visit your local IO to extend the permission to stay.

 

So in fact your now reversing and agreeing with exactly what I have said.. 
 

Quote

Even if your permission to stay has not expired, when on an O-X Visa you need to visit your local IO every year, and provide local IO with evidence that you still meet the financial and insurance requirements.

How do you propose that happens when you are eg not in the country, and how is that controlled and policed in the real world of frequent travel ?? 

Because the way it is policed is AT THE END of the 1 year permission of stay granted each time you arrive, not at an annual check each year at some undetermined date. 

[Peter Denis]

48 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

....

How do you propose that happens when you are eg not in the country, and how is that controlled and policed in the real world of frequent travel ?? 

Because the way it is policed is AT THE END of the 1 year permission of stay granted each time you arrive, not at an annual check each year at some undetermined date. 

I suggest you enlighten us on that issue once you have the Non Imm O-X Visa.

But it cannot work the way you describe it, as your local IO would then not be able to check whether you are still meeting the financial and insurance requirements when you are not staying 12 consecutive months.

[LivinLOS]

6 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

I suggest you enlighten us on that issue once you have the Non Imm O-X Visa.

But it cannot work the way you describe it, as your local IO would then not be able to check whether you are still meeting the financial and insurance requirements when you are not staying 12 consecutive months.

Neither can they demand you go to immigration on a date if your not in the country.. Plus you would already have the 5 years in your passport so again they have no way to enforce it. 

My suggestion has a system attached to it, one that also in many ways mirrors the OA system, we will see which is how it operates. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by LivinLOS

[Inala]

16 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

I suggest you enlighten us on that issue once you have the Non Imm O-X Visa.

But it cannot work the way you describe it, as your local IO would then not be able to check whether you are still meeting the financial and insurance requirements when you are not staying 12 consecutive months.

If this is correct, then that is a real problem for me with this O-X visa. If I am out of the country, say back in Oz for a few months on a short term consultancy work assignment, the nature of my work is that I can't just drop it and go back to Thailand to present to immigration to prove that I'm still meeting the financial and insurance requirements. When I commit to an assignment I have to complete it otherwise I would suffer reputational damage.   

[Peter Denis]

25 minutes ago, Inala said:

If this is correct, then that is a real problem for me with this O-X visa. If I am out of the country, say back in Oz for a few months on a short term consultancy work assignment, the nature of my work is that I can't just drop it and go back to Thailand to present to immigration to prove that I'm still meeting the financial and insurance requirements. When I commit to an assignment I have to complete it otherwise I would suffer reputational damage.   

It is indeed unclear how Thai Immigration would be able to check whether you still meet the financial and insurance requirements for the Non Imm O-X Visa, when you are not in-country at the moment the annual check should take place.  Maybe you could do it before exiting the country or immediately after your return, but imo it is wishful thinking that your local IO would wave the annual check requirement or only do it when you have been 12 months consecutively in the country (which might never happen if you are a frequent traveller).

 

It should also be noted that you won't have such potential issues when applying every 2 years for the Non Imm O-A Visa when visiting your home-country. 

That is because the Non Imm O-A Visa does NOT require that you keep funds in a Thai bank-account when staying in Thailand.  You only need to show that you had the equivalent of 800K on your foreign or thai bank-account in the 3 months preceding your application for the Visa.  

And the Non Imm O-A Visa does NOT require you to subscribe to a THAI health-insurance policy when applying for it, you just need to show that your foreign/international insurance meets the ridiculously low 400K/40K in/out-patient coverage when applying for the Visa (alternatively you could indeed subscribe to a thai Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance policy).

 

Consequently. when applying every 2 years at the Thai Embassy/Consulate for the Non Imm O-A Visa when visiting your home-country, you will never have to visit any Immigration Office in Thailand for extensions of stay or compliance checks.  And not having to park/transfer funds to a thai bank-account is of course also a nice bonus when doing the above.

 

[LivinLOS]

I simply dont have time in my life to be dealing with embassy's while travelling for work. I travel constantly (and the UK is recently being difficult about issuing multiple passports like I used to have) and need my passport in my possession not posted away without clarity on how long they hold it. I am not someone whose sitting in one country twiddling my thumbs for much duration (other than occasional months in Thailand) and often dont return to the country that issues my passport anyway.. Last week I was in Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and UK.. Similar again next week.. I need to get to Ireland, and multiple Baltic states over the next few weeks. All before my return to Thailand in Nov for a break until the new year. I am frequently working and travelling 7 days a week while I am outside Thailand. 

The whole issue for me is I dont have time or patience for repeated red tape, but am more than happy to balance that with complying with the highest of financial requirements once (or twice).. Its even possible I would obtain the OX obey the stipulated rules (money in bank and insurance, they dont cause any concern) but simply ignore what they demand as far as annual immigration visits.. If I already have the 5 year visa, how do they control that ?? I get at least 5 years arrivals without effective control and if any one asks, the money and insurance will turn out to be in place.. This lack of an annual enforcement system is exactly why I dont think that will be the actual implementation. 

If someone has one of these, but doesnt even go to Thailand for a year or two, the visa is still there in the passport. The expectation you must report when your not incountry is plainly ridiculous. 

[Peter Denis]

22 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

I simply dont have time in my life to be dealing with embassy's while travelling for work. I travel constantly (and the UK is recently being difficult about issuing multiple passports like I used to have) and need my passport in my possession not posted away without clarity on how long they hold it. I am not someone whose sitting in one country twiddling my thumbs for much duration (other than occasional months in Thailand) and often dont return to the country that issues my passport anyway.. Last week I was in Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and UK.. Similar again next week.. I need to get to Ireland, and multiple Baltic states over the next few weeks. All before my return to Thailand in Nov for a break until the new year. I am frequently working and travelling 7 days a week while I am outside Thailand.

....

In your case - with such frequent travels - I wouldn't even bother about applying for a Visa.

When entering Thailand Visa Exempt you will be stamped in for 30 days, which can be extended with another 30 days at your local IO (or for 60 days when married to a Thai national). 

Yes, when not leaving again after 60-90 days you would need to do a border-run to repeat the cycle but probably never necessary with your travelling schedule.

Note: Alternatively the 1-year Multiple-Entry Non Imm O Visa (for reason of marriage or retirement) which allows entries of 90 days, sounds like an ideal solution (but you can only get it in Savannakhet).

 

[LivinLOS]

I can get multiple entry non imm O annuals in Holland as I keep a residence there also, thats what I have been doing for the last few years due to marriage, until this year when covid trapped me in Thailand long enough to extend.. Its just another thing to have to do, in a schedule of 100 hour weeks anyway.. 

30 days is a non starter.. some border IO telling me I have come and gone too often this year, more hassle with banking or driving licenses, etc etc. Plus Its usually longer than 30 days per trip home and a day to the border and back, on a set schedule is just more annoyance I wont do. I qualify for better options than that which are less work. 

For me (in a couple more years) the OX is near perfect.. Makes near zero difference to me if funds are in this bank or that bank, and insurance is just a minor bill to pay.. We will see what happens when I travel or possibly fail to comply with proving things I can later show, I would think I get at least the initial 5 years out of it. Its still 2 plus years out anyway, lots can change, in the 97 crisis the were offering instant pr for investor amounts and things and the world is looking like it is potentially shaky again. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by LivinLOS

[CANSIAM]

On 10/12/2020 at 7:39 PM, Peter Denis said:

It is indeed unclear how Thai Immigration would be able to check whether you still meet the financial and insurance requirements for the Non Imm O-X Visa, when you are not in-country at the moment the annual check should take place.  Maybe you could do it before exiting the country or immediately after your return, but imo it is wishful thinking that your local IO would wave the annual check requirement or only do it when you have been 12 months consecutively in the country (which might never happen if you are a frequent traveller).

 

It should also be noted that you won't have such potential issues when applying every 2 years for the Non Imm O-A Visa when visiting your home-country. 

That is because the Non Imm O-A Visa does NOT require that you keep funds in a Thai bank-account when staying in Thailand.  You only need to show that you had the equivalent of 800K on your foreign or thai bank-account in the 3 months preceding your application for the Visa.  

And the Non Imm O-A Visa does NOT require you to subscribe to a THAI health-insurance policy when applying for it, you just need to show that your foreign/international insurance meets the ridiculously low 400K/40K in/out-patient coverage when applying for the Visa (alternatively you could indeed subscribe to a thai Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance policy).

 

Consequently. when applying every 2 years at the Thai Embassy/Consulate for the Non Imm O-A Visa when visiting your home-country, you will never have to visit any Immigration Office in Thailand for extensions of stay or compliance checks.  And not having to park/transfer funds to a thai bank-account is of course also a nice bonus when doing the above.

 

Question - If I get the O-A here in Canada soon, will I have to renew the O-A here in 22-23 months time ( given I got the extension of stay permission after 1st year in Thailand ) is that correct ? Currently I have a valid Non O retirement expiring Jan. 31, 2021, I don't know what to do if I have 2 valid long stay visas, planning to return next month or December. I'll call the embassy and see if they will keep my Non O Retirement valid when obtaining an O-A ? Thanks 

[ubonjoe]

14 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Question - If I get the O-A here in Canada soon, will I have to renew the O-A here in 22-23 months time ( given I got the extension of stay permission after 1st year in Thailand ) is that correct ?

You will get another one year entry from a OA visa up to the day it expires. It is only a new permit to stay not an extension you apply for at immigration.

At the end of the 2nd year you can apply for a one year extension of stay at immigration or you can return to your home country and apply for a new OA visa.

The embassy should issue a OA visa when you still have a valid extension and re-entry permit for it. When entering the country you have to be sure immigration do not use the re-entry permit. 

[Peter Denis]

3 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Question - If I get the O-A here in Canada soon, will I have to renew the O-A here in 22-23 months time ( given I got the extension of stay permission after 1st year in Thailand ) is that correct ? Currently I have a valid Non O retirement expiring Jan. 31, 2021, I don't know what to do if I have 2 valid long stay visas, planning to return next month or December. I'll call the embassy and see if they will keep my Non O Retirement valid when obtaining an O-A ? Thanks 

Your understanding is not fully correct on a couple of points:

0 - You can ONLY apply for the Non Imm O-A Visa in a Thai Embassy/Consulate in your home-country (Canada).

1 - The Non Imm O-A Visa is multiple-entry during its 1-year validity.  Every time you exit and re-enter Thailand during that 1-year validity period you will be stamped in by border-immigration for a full year permission to stay.  Hence by exiting and re-entering Thailand just before the 1-year validity period expires, you will have almost 2 years of IO hassle-free stay in Thailand.

2 - You cannot have 2 valid long-stay visas.  When your Visa validity has not expired yet, you cannot apply for a new Visa.  Also when the permission to stay as stamped in your passport has not expired you are not able to apply for a new Visa.  But when you exit Thailand without a re-entry permit (which protects the validity of your permission to stay), the permission to stay will be voided and then you will be able to apply for a new Visa.

3 - I understand that you currently have a 1-year extension of stay based on an original Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.  The permission to stay of that 1-year Non Imm O extension expires January 31, 2021.  When wanting to stay in Thailand you can not switch to a different Visa type/category, you can only EXTEND that current Non Imm O permission to stay.

When applying for the 1-year extension of stay, you can do this during the last month of your current permission to stay up till last day (31 January 2021).  And you would need to meet the financial requirements when applying for the 1-year extension of stay. 

When applying for reason of RETIREMENT and using the funds-in-bank method, you would need to provide evidence of 800K being seasoned for at least 2 months on a personal Thai bank-account at the moment of application.

So you would need to have those 800K there in course of coming 2 weeks otherwise you would not be able to meet the 2-month seasoning requirement of the funds.

Note: When applying for reason of MARRIAGE or THAI DEPENDENT CHILDREN, the financial requirements are lower (400K and when applying for reason of Thai dependent children there is no 2 month seasoning requiremeents).

Also as Canadian citizen, you might make use of the Embassy issued income-letter to meet the financial requirements, when you can prove that you have foreign income (e.g. from pension or rental income) in excess of +65K monthly.   

[Kiujunn]

On 10/13/2020 at 10:39 AM, Peter Denis said:

It is indeed unclear how Thai Immigration would be able to check whether you still meet the financial and insurance requirements for the Non Imm O-X Visa, when you are not in-country at the moment the annual check should take place.  Maybe you could do it before exiting the country or immediately after your return, but imo it is wishful thinking that your local IO would wave the annual check requirement or only do it when you have been 12 months consecutively in the country (which might never happen if you are a frequent traveller).

 

So it may turn out that a Non Imm O-X visa forces you to be present in the country at roughly the same time every year,  to show up at IO?

Inconvenient for people with an "irregular" life style. 

 

Just as Non Imm O visa with yearly retirement extensions forces you to be present in the country at roughly the same time every year,  to show up at IO for yearly extension. 

 

BTW you wrote in your last post

"You cannot have 2 valid long-stay visas.  When your Visa validity has not expired yet, you cannot apply for a new Visa."

I know one consulate that says you can do it,  you will just lose the original visa (I didn't try it).

The same consulate refuses to give any Non Imm O visa for retirement or  any Non Imm O-A if you don't receive a social security pension as a retired employee. Self-employed or rich non-working people cannot apply "because you are not retired".

 

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by Kiujunn

[Peter Denis]

24 minutes ago, Kiujunn said:

So it may turn out that a Non Imm O-X visa forces you to be present in the country at roughly the same time every year,  to show up at IO?

Inconvenient for people with an "irregular" life style. 

 

Just as Non Imm O visa with yearly retirement extensions forces you to be present in the country at roughly the same time every year,  to show up at IO for yearly extension.

Yes, that's how it read the Non Imm O-X requirement re the 'annual compliance check' at your local IO.

But poster @LivinLOS has a different perception on it, and thinks the annual O-X compliance checks won't take place, as IO cannot enforce them when you are not in the country.

Would be interesting to hear from an O-X holder how it actually works in practice...

[Peter Denis]

29 minutes ago, Kiujunn said:

...

BTW you wrote in your last post

"You cannot have 2 valid long-stay visas.  When your Visa validity has not expired yet, you cannot apply for a new Visa."

I know one consulate that says you can do it,  you will just lose the original visa (I didn't try it).

...

Yes, thanks for bringing it up.

I do need to apologize because my statement #2 in red is indeed not correct.

As UJ wrote it is indeed possible to apply for a NEW Visa, when your current Visa validity has not expired yet.  And likewise it is possible to apply for a NEW Visa, when your current permission to stay (protected by a Re-Entry Permit) has not expired yet.

[Peter Denis]

37 minutes ago, Kiujunn said:

...

The same consulate refuses to give any Non Imm O visa for retirement or  any Non Imm O-A if you don't receive a social security pension as a retired employee. Self-employed or rich non-working people cannot apply "because you are not retired".

Which consulate interprets it this way?

And does the Thai Embassy of that country applies the same incorrect interpretation?

[LivinLOS]

2 hours ago, CANSIAM said:

Currently I have a valid Non O retirement expiring Jan. 31, 2021, I don't know what to do if I have 2 valid long stay visas, planning to return next month or December. I'll call the embassy and see if they will keep my Non O Retirement valid when obtaining an O-A ? Thanks 

In normal times embassys will not issue you a new visa while you have an existing valid visa, even if the visa only has days on it when you apply and you dont intend to come to Thailand until after it expires. 

As these are not normal times, you may get an embassy that will cancel your current visa which doesnt allow you to enter via ASQ and issue you a new one that does allow you to come via ASQ, but thats not clear and you would need to ask the embassy. Its possible they may simply clear you for a COE to enter, under the OA 'rules' with your O visa similar how they are currently clearing married folks in on presentation of the marriage cert even if they have a retirement non imm O. You would nee the embassy to clarify what they want to do.