When will Non-immigrant- O visa holders be able to return Thailand

[diglat]

Does anybody have any information on when Non-immigrant - O visa holders will be able to return to Thailand. I have a Non-immigrant - O visa for retirement with a valid  re-entry permit and am currently in England. My visa will be due its next extension in March 2021. I am a condominium owner and Thailand has been my home for many years. I have emailed the RTE in London many times and although I always get a reply back they are not able to answer the question of when I will be able to return to Thailand. I have tried calling them many times but as yet have not been successful in getting through to them. I am getting anxious about the situation and am worried about getting back to Thailand in time to extend my Non - O visa. I see that Non - O-A and Non - O-X holders are able to return but not people with the Non - O visa as yet. Is there any news on this?  What is the best advice?

[FritsSikkink]

<deleted> situation, hope you get it sorted.

[jackdd]

It wouldn't surprise me much if they use this opportunity to scrap Non-O retirement visas, and holders of such visas are never allowed back in. Like this they can force everybody to OA or OX visas, which was probably their plan since they introduced the health insurance requirement for OA visas.

If you want to come back get an OA visa, nobody knows when or even if you will ever be allowed back in with your visa.

[EricTh]

1 hour ago, diglat said:

Does anybody have any information on when Non-immigrant - O visa holders will be able to return to Thailand. 

 

This is a serious problem for retirees. Maybe you can contact Richard Barrow for help. He's also a British.

 

He seems to be able to contact the authorities in Thailand.

 

https://www.richardbarrow.com/

 

[RichardColeman]

Mine expires the first week in January. Nothing I can do about it. It will be lost and i'll have to start all over again.

Stuck in the UK away from the family, and before anyone says you can get back through hoops, its little use as I have to return to the UK every 9 months for personal reasons and hoop jumping every 9 months is just financial madness. 

I've had to start visas twice from the beginning, once more next year will just have to be the third. 

As for your March date - that's gonna come and go mate I think and expire

[thaitero]

NON- O /retirement was for poorer retirees so most likely it will scrapped for ever, at least for as long we are living this covid time.

Look at other visa types and you see trend, They want richer foreigners only now.

 

My advice is to apply O-A visa if you can.

Edited October 26, 2020 by thaitero

[getithere328]

So Non-O-A is ok to return to Thailand now? I cant keep up!

[Piscis]

1 hour ago, thaitero said:

NON- O /retirement was for poorer retirees so most likely it will scrapped for ever, at least for as long we are living this covid time.

Look at other visa types and you see trend, They want richer foreigners only now.

 

My advice is to apply O-A visa if you can.

 

Why would you say that? I have to show proof of 800K same as a Non OA. 

 

I am paying the same amount for the Visa, extensions, re-entry permits, and have to show the money did not move from my Bangkok Bank Passbook...

[thaitero]

4 minutes ago, Piscis said:

 

Why would you say that? I have to show proof of 800K same as a Non OA. 

 

I am paying the same amount for the Visa, extensions, re-entry permits, and have to show the money did not move from my Bangkok Bank Passbook...

You did not have insurance requirement like OA has with extensions in thailand.

And with visas outside of thailand NON-O retirement was usually easier to get than NON-O-A

And some countries did not even issued those at all,,I remember some saying it was "loophole visa"  for poor retirees.????

[howerde]

8 minutes ago, Piscis said:

 

Why would you say that? I have to show proof of 800K same as a Non OA. 

 

I am paying the same amount for the Visa, extensions, re-entry permits, and have to show the money did not move from my Bangkok Bank Passbook...

But O-A and O-X require health insurance,  and that can be a money spinner as after a year or so it must be bought from a Thai company

 

[Piscis]

Well, i wouldnt say that buying a 6000THB/year policy would separate the poor from the wealthy retiries...

 

... compared to the other costs that comes with a long term stay in a foreign country, that seems like peanuts.

 

John

Edited October 26, 2020 by Piscis

[Matthew FRONCEK]

6000 for insurance ,where at ,what company im 79.

[quake]

O visa holders should have been allowed back before any tourists.

this is just disgraceful of you Thailand.

 

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by quake

[Mops59]

2 hours ago, thaitero said:

You did not have insurance requirement like OA has with extensions in thailand.

And with visas outside of thailand NON-O retirement was usually easier to get than NON-O-A

And some countries did not even issued those at all,,I remember some saying it was "loophole visa"  for poor retirees.????

The loophole are the visa agents putting 800.000 in a bank account for.1 day. Ask and pay bank for letter and go for visa. Agents paid a very high fee and poor retiree happy . And Thailand office the visa fee. Three people happy. Except the persons who are outside Thailand now and see their visa validation run out. FRAUDE? MISLEADING?

[thaitero]

4 minutes ago, Mops59 said:

The loophole are the visa agents putting 800.000 in a bank account for.1 day. Ask and pay bank for letter and go for visa. Agents paid a very high fee and poor retiree happy . And Thailand office the visa fee. Three people happy. Except the persons who are outside Thailand now and see their visa validation run out. FRAUDE? MISLEADING?

 Yes, These retirees also..

Most common reason to use agent is that they are poor and do not have 800 K or 65K income so they pay about 15 k annually to get extension. Now some of these retirees who only officially has met financial requirements ( but not really ) are stranded outside.

 

One reason more why only o-a and o-x retirees are allowed. Thais do have some logic here if you think not only me, me and my situation,,

 

 

[spetersen]

10 hours ago, Matthew FRONCEK said:

6000 for insurance ,where at ,what company im 79.

I don't think you will find that at all, at the age of 79 , everyone over 75 and up would probably have a problem to get an Insurance. I'm my sixties and I pay 55K THB at that's in low cost insurance.You also need  covid insurance coverage $100.000 and that is mandatory if you fly in to Thailand, the price is depending on the length of stay. 

[natway09]

Do not pay too much attention to these moaners re "O &  AO" some of them get out the wrong side of the bed every morning.

The answer to your question at this time is unknown which is why the Embassy cannot help you.

Not married to a Thai by any chance ? If you are there are some guys being allowed back in 

Otherwise if your Visa expires before getting a chance to come back you will need to start again by the look of it 

[treetops]

7 hours ago, thaitero said:

Yes, These retirees also..

Most common reason to use agent is that they are poor and do not have 800 K or 65K income so they pay about 15 k annually to get extension.

It's always seemed  to me that those using agents while keeping the money invested outside Thailand and earning easily achievable returns were the financially more astute.  Seems odd you think most are the poorer ones.

[Peter Denis]

17 hours ago, diglat said:

Does anybody have any information on when Non-immigrant - O visa holders will be able to return to Thailand. I have a Non-immigrant - O visa for retirement with a valid  re-entry permit and am currently in England.

...

When you are married to a Thai national or have Thai dependent children, you ARE able to return on your still valid Non Imm O Visa (even when it was provided for reason of retirement, because you meet the Family criterion).

What is less clear is whether the Embassy would consider a valid permission to stay (protected by a Re-Entry Permit) based on your original Non Imm O Visa, as equal to a 'valid Visa'.  Normally they should but technically your Visa has expired and you are now on a permission to stay based on an extension of such Visa, so Embassy staff taking 'a valid Visa' literally might reject it.

When not married or with Thai dependent children, I would recommend you to apply for the Non Imm O-A Visa.  The money you have in your Thai bank-account can be used for providing evidence of meeting the financial conditions (and can be combined with any funds you have on your UK bank-accounts if not sufficient). 

The only issue being the mandatory IO-approved Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance policy.  

The LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy is the cheapest 'throw-away' insurance that meets the requirements and the annual premium is 6.000 THB to 11.400 THB in the age categories of 51 to 75 years of age.  That policy also has the advantage that it does not require a medical exam to subscribe to it, so you can subscribe to it from abroad.

>> PM me if you need info on how to meet that health-insurance requirement when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country (it is easy and not costly if you know how).

Edited October 27, 2020 by Peter Denis

[howerde]

There is a report on another site that quotes a message from The London embassy(yesterday pm), that EXISTING non o retirement visa holders can apply for a COE. hopefully it's true 

[Pedrogaz]

Reading this, I need a plan to move somewhere else. I have had a non O retirement extension for about 10 years. I am not married to my Thai partner as I am married already to someone else , and she doesn't want to marry either for financial reasons. 

I decided to stay here through the Covid panic and so won't need to do anything until general of extension (next March). I have no insurance either (I have the funds to self insure).

Might I expect some serious problems at renewal????

[thaitero]

7 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

Reading this, I need a plan to move somewhere else. I have had a non O retirement extension for about 10 years. I am not married to my Thai partner as I am married already to someone else , and she doesn't want to marry either for financial reasons. 

I decided to stay here through the Covid panic and so won't need to do anything until general of extension (next March). I have no insurance either (I have the funds to self insure).

Might I expect some serious problems at renewal????

No problems to renew if you want to stay.

but if you want to visit some another country and come back you should check closely what is the situation then.

[Peter Denis]

8 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

Reading this, I need a plan to move somewhere else. I have had a non O retirement extension for about 10 years. I am not married to my Thai partner as I am married already to someone else , and she doesn't want to marry either for financial reasons. 

I decided to stay here through the Covid panic and so won't need to do anything until general of extension (next March). I have no insurance either (I have the funds to self insure).

Might I expect some serious problems at renewal????

You are living in Thailand on your 10th 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, with next extension coming up March 2021.

Requirements for 1-year extensions of stay based on Non Imm O Visa have not changed, so no  problems foreseen for your next extension...

[Bigz]

It is a sad and unfair situation. But when I look at the recent news regarding covid in Europe I have a feeling that Thailand will not open the borders for Europeans not for non O not for tourists for the foreseeable future. Probably in '22.

[fak119]

13 hours ago, Matthew FRONCEK said:

6000 for insurance ,where at ,what company im 79.

Try Cygna

[Peter Denis]

2 hours ago, howerde said:

There is a report on another site that quotes a message from The London embassy(yesterday pm), that EXISTING non o retirement visa holders can apply for a COE. hopefully it's true 

Thanks for mentioning it.  And I do hope for all those stranded retirees on a Non Imm O Visa that it is indeed true

But the problem is that Forum posts often do not mention essential background details.

E.g. if the applicant was married to a Thai national (or had Thai dependent children) his CoE would be approved because of those family reasons and he could then come back on his still valid Non Imm O Visa (even when it was issued for reason of retirement).  If he then writes on the Forum that he got the CoE on a Non Imm O retirement Visa, that is correct but not the whole story...

 

[fakser]

My O type (retirement) visa expired last July. 

Tried many times to extend it before expiration and after. Thai Consul in Israel had no idea what to do.

No consul worldwide can give an answer because the Immigration HQ in Bangkok, have no idea what to do.

The whole system is confused.

Gradually they start to release assorted groups to return.I will use the special B visa for 90 days because I am going to buy a condo in Bangkok. 

[Sheryl]

2 minutes ago, fakser said:

My O type (retirement) visa expired last July. 

Tried many times to extend it before expiration and after. Thai Consul in Israel had no idea what to do.

No consul worldwide can give an answer because the Immigration HQ in Bangkok, have no idea what to do.

The whole system is confused.

Gradually they start to release assorted groups to return.I will use the special B visa for 90 days because I am going to buy a condo in Bangkok. 

 

Immigration has little or nothing to do with it.

 

It is a multi-Ministerial Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are the main actors.

 

MoFA quite likely has no idea that there is such a thing as an extension of stay for retirement based n other than a O-A/O-X visa, much less that some holders of same are stranded abroad.

 

From their point of view "retirement visa" means O-A/O-X.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Bigz said:

It is a sad and unfair situation. But when I look at the recent news regarding covid in Europe I have a feeling that Thailand will not open the borders for Europeans not for non O not for tourists for the foreseeable future.

People are already entering with non-o visas issued for family members of those that qualify to enter the country and those married to or the parent of a Thai.

[Knocker33]

Probably when they run out of Chinese business people who want come