start date for O-A 1 year visa

[HKexpat]

Hi, I am applying for an O-A visa from my local consulate in Hong Kong.  Once this is issued I understand it is valid for 1 year but is this validity period from the date it is issued to me in Hong Kong or the date I enter Thailand with it?  Thanks. 

[DrJack54]

When you enter Thailand your will be stamped in for 12 months.

Your non O-A will have an expiry date. It's a multi entry visa.

Every time you enter Thailand prior to the non O-A expiry you will be stamped in for 12 months.

Clearly you can obtain up to 2 years stay in Thailand with this visa.

The non O-A validity period starts from date of issue

Edited January 21, 2022 by DrJack54

[alextrat1966]

是从签发日期一年。不是从你入境泰国日期一年。

 

(It is one year from the date of issue of the visa. Not one year from the date you enter Thailand)

 

https://thaiconsulatela.org/en/visa/visa-type/non-immigration-category-o-a/

Edited January 21, 2022 by alextrat1966

[alextrat1966]

13 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

When you enter Thailand your will be stamped in for 12 months.

Your non O-A will have an expiry date. It's a multi entry visa.

Every time you enter Thailand prior to the non O-A expiry you will be stamped in for 12 months

That's not correct information 

https://thaiconsulatela.org/en/visa/visa-type/non-immigration-category-o-a/

 

Your visa doesn't get extended every time you enter Thailand. You have to extend it (not the visa, but rather your permission to stay based on your visa) yourself by going to immigration.

Edited January 21, 2022 by alextrat1966

[CANSIAM]

O-A visa when you arrive, immigration will be looking at your health insurance validity date and you'll be stamped in according to health insurance validity. Ensure your insurance validity start date is very near your entry date.....

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, alextrat1966 said:

That's not correct information 

https://thaiconsulatela.org/en/visa/visa-type/non-immigration-category-o-a/

 

Your visa doesn't get extended every time you enter Thailand. You have to extend it yourself by going to immigration.

I never said your visa is extended.

Every time you enter Thailand during the visa validity you will be stamped in for 12 months permission of stay. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by DrJack54

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, alextrat1966 said:

Your visa doesn't get extended every time you enter Thailand. You have to extend it yourself by going to immigration

Your visa is never extended.

What your trying to say is that your permission of stay can be extended by attending immigration and applying for 12 month extension. 

That has financial requirements and health insurance requirement. 

[skatewash]

To answer the simple question posed by the OP:  The Non-OA Visa has a validity from the day it is issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate up until one year from that date. 

A Non-OA Visa can be used to enter Thailand at any time during that period of validity.  A Non-OA Visa is a multi-entry visa, when you enter Thailand you will be granted a permission to stay equal to the lesser of one year or the expiration date of your health insurance (400k inpatient/40k outpatient coverage in US dollars).  If you were to enter Thailand shortly before your Non-OA Visa expires you would get the same permission to stay equal to the lesser of one year or the expiration date of your health insurance.  In this way you can get almost two years permission to stay from a single Non-OA visa. 

30-45 days prior to the expiration of your permission to stay received by entering Thailand on a Non-OA Visa, you can apply at your local Immigration Office for an extension of stay.  If you satisfy all the requirements, you will receive a new permission to stay equal to the lesser of one year or until the expiration of your health insurance policy.

If you instead had a Non-O Visa (not a Non-OA) you would not have to meet the health insurance requirement as specified above for the Non-OA Visa (and extensions derived therefrom).

Note that there is at the moment a requirement to have medical insurance (coverage of at least 50k US dollars) to enter Thailand regardless of what visa or re-entry permit you use to enter Thailand.  The duration of this medical coverage must be equal to the permission of stay which you will be given depending on the visa or re-entry permit.

Edited January 21, 2022 by skatewash

[HKexpat]

Thank you all for your comments.  With regard to immigration checking my insurance documents both on arrival and as part of the visa application process.   I currently already have medical insurance that I renew each year via AXA in the UK that has unlimited cover although the policy does have a GBP10,000 excess I would have to pay before any claim is covered.   My intention is to give this to the local thai consulate to process my visa application and once it is approved to then also apply for the local 1 year long stay insurance policy that would not have any excess.  My question is whether the UK policy with a GBP10,000 policy excess is sufficient at least for the visa application part or if I should pay for the 1 year long stay insurance and submit this with the application. The issue with this though as o see it is that the visa application process itself could take up to 2 months so it’s likely I could be paying for.a 1 year long stay insurance whilst my visa application is still being processed.   Does anyone know the best way to approach this?  Thanks. 

[HKexpat]

Skate wash thank you for the additional clarification.  Assuming I will want to extend my stay for another 12 months using the same O-A visa.  Am I correct in understanding I would just purchase another 1 year long stay insurance prior to going to do my extension of stay request?  

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, HKexpat said:

Skate wash thank you for the additional clarification.  Assuming I will want to extend my stay for another 12 months using the same O-A visa.  Am I correct in understanding I would just purchase another 1 year long stay insurance prior to going to do my extension of stay request?  

Correct.

Be aware that the extension granted will match your insurance expiry date. 

[HKexpat]

Thank you for the added clarification.  

[CANSIAM]

2 hours ago, HKexpat said:

Skate wash thank you for the additional clarification.  Assuming I will want to extend my stay for another 12 months using the same O-A visa.  Am I correct in understanding I would just purchase another 1 year long stay insurance prior to going to do my extension of stay request?  

Yes correct, I was at CW November 25, 2021 for my first OA extension 800k method. My Health Insurance expiry date was June 23, 2022 and this date is the permission to stay stamp now in my passport, NOT the full year. I'm leaving the country in March so not an issue... ( will be returning with a 90 day Non O or visa exempt ). 

Edited January 21, 2022 by CANSIAM

[HKexpat]

Thank you for clarifying.

[soisanuk]

 

20 hours ago, HKexpat said:

Skate wash thank you for the additional clarification.  Assuming I will want to extend my stay for another 12 months using the same O-A visa.  Am I correct in understanding I would just purchase another 1 year long stay insurance prior to going to do my extension of stay request?  

 

20 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Correct.

Be aware that the extension granted will match your insurance expiry date. 

If you are extending your stay based on your underlying visa being category "O-A", you are correct that you will need to have health insurance the same as was required for getting the Visa - BUT, you must have the health insurance from a Thai company as Thai Immigration will not accept a foreign policy. The Thai companies are listed on the tgia website - https://longstay.tgia.org/

[HKexpat]

Thank you for clarifying. 

[Speedhump]

3 hours ago, soisanuk said:

 

 

If you are extending your stay based on your underlying visa being category "O-A", you are correct that you will need to have health insurance the same as was required for getting the Visa - BUT, you must have the health insurance from a Thai company as Thai Immigration will not accept a foreign policy. The Thai companies are listed on the tgia website - https://longstay.tgia.org/

There are international companies (for example April Insurance) who work with a local insurer. That way you can have the security of a company who is bound by international standard, say for the amount they are allowed to increase your premium each year, but also are accepted for visa purposes. A good broker will guide you. I used AA Insurance to get a range of quotes my first year here. . 

[HKexpat]

Thank you.