If an O-A Visa expires during the quarantine

[getithere328]

Hello, 

 

My O-A multi-entry visa expires on December the 1st. I'm currently in the UK for family reasons  and I'd now like to return to Thailand.

 

I'm not sure if they would issue me with a COE based on the time I have left on my visa, however, if they did, its likely that I'd be in quarantine when my visa expires. Does anyone happen to know what would happen if this were the case?

 

Its been left late I know, but that was out of my control unfortunately.   

 

Thanks in advance.

[getithere328]

I have just read this on another part of the forum: - every time you enter Thailand during the Non Imm O-A Visa 1-year validity, you will be stamped in with a 1-year permission to stay.

 

Does anyone know if this is still the case with the current restrictions in place?  Thanks.

[EVENKEEL]

1 hour ago, getithere328 said:

I have just read this on another part of the forum: - every time you enter Thailand during the Non Imm O-A Visa 1-year validity, you will be stamped in with a 1-year permission to stay.

 

Does anyone know if this is still the case with the current restrictions in place?  Thanks.

Yes, you'll be extended for 12 months.

[tonray]

1 hour ago, getithere328 said:

I have just read this on another part of the forum: - every time you enter Thailand during the Non Imm O-A Visa 1-year validity, you will be stamped in with a 1-year permission to stay.

 

Does anyone know if this is still the case with the current restrictions in place?  Thanks.

Yes...you get a 1 year permission to stay when entering on a valid OA Visa. 

[jacko45k]

Once you have entered Thailand the Visa is not the important thing, You would usually be stamped in for 1 year Permission of Stay with an O-A Visa... or possibly less if your 400/40k baht insurance had a lesser validity. 

[tonray]

7 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Once you have entered Thailand the Visa is not the important thing, You would usually be stamped in for 1 year Permission of Stay with an O-A Visa... or possibly less if your 400/40k baht insurance had a lesser validity. 

Should I explain to the IO at the aiport that my insurance won't actually cover anything since my pre-existing conditions preclude anything being paid for should I need care ? (laughing loudly)

[jacko45k]

7 minutes ago, tonray said:

Should I explain to the IO at the aiport that my insurance won't actually cover anything since my pre-existing conditions preclude anything being paid for should I need care ? (laughing loudly)

I presume if the insurance got you the Visa in the first place it would appease an IO, not sure how strictly they are checking this at the moment. 

[sometimewoodworker]

22 minutes ago, tonray said:

Should I explain to the IO at the aiport that my insurance won't actually cover anything since my pre-existing conditions preclude anything being paid for should I need care ? (laughing loudly)

If you want to be refused entry, yes ???? 

[Bogbrush]

15 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Yes, you'll be extended for 12 months.

Peter Denis seems to agree so it must be right as he is the expert on OAs but I didn’t think that ‘every time an OA holder enters Thailand he gets a 12 month extension’; my impression was that you could enter until the expiry of your latest extension, at which time you went through the usual extension procedure for a further year. If you were a first time entrant then yes you could get a year/part of a year extension, but not every time you return...

[Upnotover]

7 minutes ago, Bogbrush said:

Peter Denis seems to agree so it must be right as he is the expert on OAs but I didn’t think that ‘every time an OA holder enters Thailand he gets a 12 month extension’; my impression was that you could enter until the expiry of your latest extension, at which time you went through the usual extension procedure for a further year. If you were a first time entrant then yes you could get a year/part of a year extension, but not every time you return...

 

An O-A is valid for 12 months.  You can enter and leave as often as you like during these 12 months.  Each time you re-enter before the expiry sate of the VISA (not the most recent ENTRY) you will get another 12 months permission to stay, don't call it an extension as that just confuses things.  If you leave after the expiry of the visa you will need a re-entry permit to maintain the last admitted until date otherwise it is lost.

[Peter Denis]

13 hours ago, Bogbrush said:

Peter Denis seems to agree so it must be right as he is the expert on OAs but I didn’t think that ‘every time an OA holder enters Thailand he gets a 12 month extension’; my impression was that you could enter until the expiry of your latest extension, at which time you went through the usual extension procedure for a further year. If you were a first time entrant then yes you could get a year/part of a year extension, but not every time you return...

@Upnotover's post is fully correct.

Every time you enter Thailand during the 1-year validity period of your Non Imm O-A Visa, border-immigration will stamp you in for a 1-year permission to stay. 

So by exiting and re-entering Thailand just before that 1-year Validity period of your Non Imm O-A Visa expires, you will be able to squeeze almost 2 years of IO-hassle free stay out of that Visa.

With NO need to visit an IO to apply for extensions during that 2-year period nor to park/transfer funds to a Thai bank-account.

Please note that the Non Imm O-A Visa is MultiEntry only during its first year validity.  After Visa validity expiry you would need a Re-Entry Permit to keep the 1-year permission to stay stamp 'alive' when exiting Thailand during that 2nd year.

At the end of the 2nd year you have two options:

1 - When occasionally visiting your home-country, you could opt to apply for a new Non Imm O-A Visa while over there.  When doing back-to-back Non Imm O-A Visa applications every 2 years, you would never have to visit an Imm office for 1-year extensions, and no need to park/transfer funds to a Thai bank-account.

2 - When deciding to stay in Thailand (no home-country visit planned) you can apply at your local IO for a 1-year extension of that Non Imm O-A Visa.  All requirements are exactly same as when you would apply for a Non Imm O Visa extension, except that a 1-year extension of stay for reason of retirement based on your Non Imm O-A Visa requires a mandatory THAI IO-approved health-insurance policy.  

Note: By doing a quick border-run at the end of the 2nd year your Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you, and returning Visa Exempt you could then apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa at your local IO subsequently followed by a 1-year extension based on that Non Imm O Visa.  When doing so you would have effectively 'dumped' the insurance requirement.

[Captain Monday]

Would the OP require a new O-A compliant policy valid for one year from day of entry?

For the COE one year of Covid-19 coverage $100,000  USD minimum would be necessary.

[Bogbrush]

6 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

@Upnotover's post is fully correct.

Every time you enter Thailand during the 1-year validity period of your Non Imm O-A Visa, border-immigration will stamp you in for a 1-year permission to stay. 

So by exiting and re-entering Thailand just before that 1-year Validity period of your Non Imm O-A Visa expires, you will be able to squeeze almost 2 years of IO-hassle free stay out of that Visa.

With NO need to visit an IO to apply for extensions during that 2-year period nor to park/transfer funds to a Thai bank-account.

Please note that the Non Imm O-A Visa is MultiEntry only during its first year validity.  After Visa validity expiry you would need a Re-Entry Permit to keep the 1-year permission to stay stamp 'alive' when exiting Thailand during that 2nd year.

At the end of the 2nd year you have two options:

1 - When occasionally visiting your home-country, you could opt to apply for a new Non Imm O-A Visa while over there.  When doing back-to-back Non Imm O-A Visa applications every 2 years, you would never have to visit an Imm office for 1-year extensions, and no need to park/transfer funds to a Thai bank-account.

2 - When deciding to stay in Thailand (no home-country visit planned) you can apply at your local IO for a 1-year extension of that Non Imm O-A Visa.  All requirements are exactly same as when you would apply for a Non Imm O Visa extension, except that a 1-year extension of stay for reason of retirement based on your Non Imm O-A Visa requires a mandatory THAI IO-approved health-insurance policy.  

Note: By doing a quick border-run at the end of the 2nd year your Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you, and returning Visa Exempt you could then apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa at your local IO subsequently followed by a 1-year extension based on that Non Imm O Visa.  When doing so you would have effectively 'dumped' the insurance requirement.

 

 

Thanks Peter; so if the OA visa is issued in Jan 2021 and valid until Dec 2021, if I enter in Jan and leave in Feb to re-enter in March, I get validity extended to March 2022. Likewise, if I leave again in Nov 2021 and re-enter early Dec 2021 it’s extended until Dec 2022. That’s now clear.

[Peter Denis]

31 minutes ago, Bogbrush said:

Thanks Peter; so if the OA visa is issued in Jan 2021 and valid until Dec 2021, if I enter in Jan and leave in Feb to re-enter in March, I get validity extended to March 2022. Likewise, if I leave again in Nov 2021 and re-enter early Dec 2021 it’s extended until Dec 2022. That’s now clear.

Hi Bogbrush, yes datewise that is correct, but the terminology you used is not fully correct.

When you re-enter in March 2021 on your still valid Non Imm O-A Visa, it is NOT the Visa validity that is extended till March 2022.  That Non Imm O-A Visa validity was fixed when the Embassy issued you the Visa in January 2021 (with December 2021 Visa validity, in that example). 

But it is the permission to stay you received on entry that will remain valid till March 2022. And when you leave Thailand and re-enter again early December 2021 (when your Visa validity has not expired yet), you will once again be stamped in by border-immigration with a permission to stay for 12 months till December 2022.

Also please note that this 12-month permission to stay will be CAPPED by the health-insurance validity period written on the Visa sticker.  Border immigration has been instructed to check that note on the Visa sticker, and stamp you in for - a 12 months permission to stay based on the Visa validity date OR

- the expiry date of the health-insurance policy as mentioned on that Visa sticker

>>> whichever is SHORTER.

[Bogbrush]

9 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi Bogbrush, yes datewise that is correct, but the terminology you used is not fully correct.

When you re-enter in March 2021 on your still valid Non Imm O-A Visa, it is NOT the Visa validity that is extended till March 2022.  That Non Imm O-A Visa validity was fixed when the Embassy issued you the Visa in January 2021 (with December 2021 Visa validity, in that example). 

But it is the permission to stay you received on entry that will remain valid till March 2022. And when you leave Thailand and re-enter again early December 2021 (when your Visa validity has not expired yet), you will once again be stamped in by border-immigration with a permission to stay for 12 months till December 2022.

Also please note that this 12-month permission to stay will be CAPPED by the health-insurance validity period written on the Visa sticker.  Border immigration has been instructed to check that note on the Visa sticker, and stamp you in for a 12 months permission to stay based on

- the Visa validity date OR

- the expiry date of the health-insurance policy as mentioned on that Visa sticker

>>> whichever is SHORTER.

excellent - fully understood!

[Peter Denis]

17 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Also please note that this 12-month permission to stay will be CAPPED by the health-insurance validity period written on the Visa sticker.  Border immigration has been instructed to check that note on the Visa sticker, and stamp you in for - a 12 months permission to stay based on the Visa validity date OR

- the expiry date of the health-insurance policy as mentioned on that Visa sticker

>>> whichever is SHORTER.

@Bogbrush> To expand on that last issue.

That's why it is recommended that when your insurer fills in the date till which the policy is valid, that it coincides with a 2-year period starting from the issue-date of the O-A Visa.

If you were only able to get a 1-year policy when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa (and this was taken over by the Thai Embassy on the Visa sticker), you would need to renew that insurance policy while in Thailand in order to make use of that 2nd year the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you.  Otherwise you would be only stamped in till the insurance policy expiry date as mentioned in your passport.  So that means you would have to show a copy of that new policy (and corresponding Non Imm O-A compliant policy certificate) with one year later expiry date when re-entering Thailand.