Need 6 Months Stay - Tourist or Non-O Visa?

[Canuck50]

Hello, I plan to enter Thailand in mid November on the "test and go" and need a 6 month stay. Just not clear if I can make that work on a tourist visa with extensions, or do I need a non-O (retirement) with extension. I have had non-OA, and non-O in the past (before being locked out during COVID) and meet the financial and other requirements. I will have a 6-month travel health insurance policy for US$10 million that includes COVID, but I am concerned that the COVID coverage is in the fine print, not obvious in the insurance certificate, so I would like to avoid any such requirement if possible.

Questions:

1. Can I get extensions to a tourist visa covering 6 month stay without doing a visa run (likely impossible now)?

2. Do I need to show COVID insurance for both the tourist and non-O visa and extensions? If so, are they likely to accept a clip from the "fine print" of the policy that shows COVID cover along with the main certificate?

3. Do I need to show an onward flight for either the tourist visa or non-O visa types?

Any other concerns with the differences between the two visa types I have not thought of?

 

Thanks!

[Salerno]

1 No.

2 Insurance only has to cover the time you are initially stamped in for. It has to clearly and specifically state it covers Covid, whether or not they will accept the "small print" will come down to the person checking it on the day.

3 No.

 

Given the information provided, enter (visa exempt, TR or Non O) and convert to extension based on retirement (bit of hassle and maybe overkill,  but covers the eventuality border hops don't open up) or you could also go for STV which gives you 9 months (personally I think STV sucks but it fills a need for those under 50).

 

Or, you could just grab a Non O-A again good for basically 2 years depending on your travel plans.

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Salerno

[Canuck50]

3 minutes ago, Salerno said:

1 No.

2 Insurance only has to cover the time you are initially stamped in for. It has to clearly and specifically state it covers Covid, whether or not they will accept the "small print" will come down to the person checking it on the day.

3 No.

 

Given the information provided, enter (visa exempt, TR or Non O) and convert to extension based on retirement or you could also go for STV which gives you 9 months (personally I think STV sucks but it fills a need for those under 50).

Agreed, I would not do an STV! So if I come in with Visa on Arrival, I would only have to show COVID insurance for 30 days, then when I go in to get the non-O extension I don't need to show insurance, correct? In that case, if they didn't accept the COVID cover in my overseas policy, I could buy the Thai COVID insurance for only the 30 days and not for the 60 or 90 days for the other visa types? But I am pretty sure that with Visa on Arrival I would need onward flight booking, right?

[Salerno]

4 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

So if I come in with Visa on Arrival, I would only have to show COVID insurance for 30 days, then when I go in to get the non-O extension I don't need to show insurance, correct?

Correct.

 

4 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

But I am pretty sure that with Visa on Arrival I would need onward flight booking, right?

Potentially airline could refuse you boarding, with the hassles nowadays not worth the risk. You can easily get a throwaway ticket for $10-15:

https://onward.flights/

https://bestonwardticket.com/

https://onwardticket.com/

https://onewayfly.com/

etc.

 

[Canuck50]

28 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Correct.

 

Potentially airline could refuse you boarding, with the hassles nowadays not worth the risk. You can easily get a throwaway ticket for $10-15:

https://onward.flights/

https://bestonwardticket.com/

https://onwardticket.com/

https://onewayfly.com/

etc.

 

I'll look into those, thanks. Do you happen to know at which stage they would reject my COVID cover and at what point I would have to purchase the Thai COVID insurance? Also, Western policies do not cover hospitalization or ASQ stays for positive, asymptomatic cases. Do you know if the Thai insurance covers that?

[Salerno]

2 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

Do you happen to know at which stage they would reject my COVID cover and at what point I would have to purchase the Thai COVID insurance?

With the new ThailandPass not sure, with COE you had to upload it in the first stage so you wouldn't have got pre-approval if they didn't accept it. Assuming it would be similar but until 1 November who knows.

 

3 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

Also, Western policies do not cover hospitalization or ASQ stays for positive, asymptomatic cases. Do you know if the Thai insurance covers that?

That for me could be a deal breaker. There are numerous policies out there that do such as AXA (https://www.axa.co.th/axa-sawasdee-thailand-travel-insurance?) and Tune (https://misterprakan.com/en/pass/company?c=655)

 

Thai insurers more likely to but some western do too, just have to shop around and get them to confirm. 

[Canuck50]

16 minutes ago, Salerno said:

With the new ThailandPass not sure, with COE you had to upload it in the first stage so you wouldn't have got pre-approval if they didn't accept it. Assuming it would be similar but until 1 November who knows.

 

That for me could be a deal breaker. There are numerous policies out there that do such as AXA (https://www.axa.co.th/axa-sawasdee-thailand-travel-insurance?) and Tune (https://misterprakan.com/en/pass/company?c=655)

 

Thai insurers more likely to but some western do too, just have to shop around and get them to confirm. 

I am committed to my travel policy now but would go with a Thai COVID-only policy to satisfy their requirement. It might also be good to get for the asymptomatic coverage. In the West they don't hospitalize you unless your symptoms are severe enough to warrant it, that's why the travel insurance won't cover it.

[Salerno]

1 minute ago, Canuck50 said:

It might also be good to get for the asymptomatic coverage.

Worth a few thousand Baht IMO, unlikely to need it but for the price not worth the risk.

[Canuck50]

49 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Worth a few thousand Baht IMO, unlikely to need it but for the price not worth the risk.

I just checked  link I got (from Thai Consulate I think), the General Insurance Association, BKK, and their price for 30 days is 2560 baht. It talks about coverage for hospital stays but no mention of cover for ASQ hotels, if one tests positive and is sent there. It gives very little detail and mentions full details will be provided after purchase! It would be nice to know what they cover before purchase!

[Salerno]

2 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

It gives very little detail and mentions full details will be provided after purchase!

Tell them where they can stick it.

[Canuck50]

So the insurance requirement is only for COVID and applies to ANY visa type on arrival, but not extensions? So that if I come in on a non-O (retirement), I must have COVID coverage for 90 days but then if I go to immi. and get the extension for 1 year, I do NOT need any insurance proof (including COVID)? I want to be clear on this because I had non-OA for many years and converted to non-O (just before COVID hit) because I did not want to buy Thai health insurance, as required by the new OA regulations. So I hope they are not changing this and requiring health insurance for non-O going forward!

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

So the insurance requirement is only for COVID and applies to ANY visa type on arrival, but not extensions? So that if I come in on a non-O (retirement), I must have COVID coverage for 90 days but then if I go to immi. and get the extension for 1 year, I do NOT need any insurance proof (including COVID)? I want to be clear on this because I had non-OA for many years and converted to non-O (just before COVID hit) because I did not want to buy Thai health insurance, as required by the new OA regulations. So I hope they are not changing this and requiring health insurance for non-O going forward!

That is correct.

[Canuck50]

10 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That is correct.

Thanks Ubonjoe. So my plan then is instead to come on a 30 day visa on arrival to minimize the cost of extra COVID insurance (if they don't accept my overseas coverage). Do you see any pitfall to doing visa on arrival rather than a non-O from my country?

[DrJack54]

15 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

Thanks Ubonjoe. So my plan then is instead to come on a 30 day visa on arrival to minimize the cost of extra COVID insurance (if they don't accept my overseas coverage). Do you see any pitfall to doing visa on arrival rather than a non-O from my country?

None.

It's visa exempt and gives you 30 days.

All you need is 800k in your Thai bank on day you apply for your non O. That gives you 90 day stamp and you can obtain 12 month extension once the 800k has been in your account for 2 months. 

Note the visa exempt entry can be extended by 30 days if required.

The onward flight ticket required for airline has been covered earlier in this thread.

Edited October 30, 2021 by DrJack54

[Canuck50]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

None.

It's visa exempt and gives you 30 days.

All you need is 800k in your Thai bank on day you apply for your non O. That gives you 90 day stamp and you can obtain 12 month extension once the 800k has been in your account for 2 months. 

Note the visa exempt entry can be extended by 30 days if required

Thanks. Yes, I have been through the whole procedure a number of times but I was more worried about the handling of visa exempt entries during COVID, the re-opening, Thailand Pass, etc. And I don't worry about the 800K, I go with an income letter for financial proof.

[DrJack54]

24 minutes ago, Canuck50 said:

I go with an income letter for financial proof.

Canuck = Canadian? Go flames.

Lucky you guys still have income letter.

[Canuck50]

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Canuck = Canadian? Go flames.

Lucky you guys still have income letter.

No...Go Oilers!

[AlbionBob]

A word of warning  !  An article on Pattaya Mail has just been published suggesting that the insurance requirement is now for full medical cover, not just covid.  I don't know how true that is, but hopefully my flight with Emirates free insurance will still be sufficient for me.  Not sure about others.  Await developments on this, as a full cover requirement will surely dissuade many from coming.