Can an Agent get my O-A converted to an O without me leaving Thailand?

[Gsxrnz]

Have had type O-A for 12+ years and qualify through maintaining 400/800K bank balance. Current extension expires late August 2022.

 

I was wondering if it's possible for an Agent to get me converted to a type O without me leaving Thailand and re-entering on a tourist or stamp entry visa?

 

Happy to pay whatever it costs - I just can't be bothered with the drama of leaving and re-entering etc.

Edited June 19, 2022 by Gsxrnz

[DrJack54]

Not possible.

 

Border runs not that difficult now.

TP and insurance requirement about to end.

Exit and reenter at land border visa exempt.

Apply for non O at Thai immigration and subsequent 12 month extension. 

Edited June 19, 2022 by DrJack54

[ubonjoe]

A agent would not be able to change non immigrant visa categories since immigration does not do it in any case.

It is not that difficult now to do a border hop to get a visa exempt entry.  Just be sure you do not have a valid re-entry permit. On July 1st or later there will be no need to get a Thailand pass.

[thaitom]

Check your messages, I sent you a link for an agent that might be able to help you.

[BritTim]

There are a handful of agents who can do it by sending your passport out and back into Thailand without you accompanying it. Possibly there may be agents who get the immigration database doctored to make in seem as though a border bounce has taken place without physical movement of your passport. Either way, it is expensive, and I seriously advise you not to do this.

 

It is quite impossible without at least your passport doing a border bounce (or seeming to do it). No agent can get around that.

[doctormann]

If taking the option of returning to Thailand on a visa exempt entry it is then possible to convert this to a non-O at Immigration, or so I believe, and then to extend after 90 days.

 

However, it appears that Immigration insist on 'money in the bank' on the day of application and will not accept proof of income - from previous 12 months of international transfers.  Is it possible to use an agent to get round this restriction so that I don't need to transfer a large amount of cash to Thailand.  I'd much sooner leave it in UK.

 

The other option, I suppose, would be to get a 'proper' non-O from a consulate abroad as I believe that proof of income is acceptable in that case.

[thaitom]

1 hour ago, thaitom said:

Check your messages, I sent you a link for an agent that might be able to help you.

Well..... laugh if you want......someone here said changing a non immigrant visa in country can't be done.  I have changed from a visa exempt to maybe 10 covid extensions to a 3 month non-B to a Non-O retirement to a Non-O retirement 1 year extension. 

[Onerak]

The question is why do you want to change it? To avoid health insurance? 

[NanLaew]

12 minutes ago, thaitom said:

Well..... laugh if you want......someone here said changing a non immigrant visa in country can't be done.  I have changed from a visa exempt to maybe 10 covid extensions to a 3 month non-B to a Non-O retirement to a Non-O retirement 1 year extension. 

I have also changed from visa exempt entry to Covid Extension to 90-day Non-O (children) to 1-year Ret Ext without leaving the country.

 

What's your point?

 

A visa-exempt entry isn't any sort of visa. It's a time-limited permission to enter.

Edited June 19, 2022 by NanLaew

[thaitom]

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

I have also changed from visa exempt entry to Covid Extension to 90-day Non-O (children) to 1-year Ret Ext without leaving the country.

 

What's your point?

 

A visa-exempt entry isn't any sort of visa. It's a time-limited permission to enter.

Point is, that someone here wrote that it can't be done

[DrJack54]

27 minutes ago, thaitom said:

Well..... laugh if you want......someone here said changing a non immigrant visa in country can't be done.  I have changed from a visa exempt to maybe 10 covid extensions to a 3 month non-B to a Non-O retirement to a Non-O retirement 1 year extension. 

The OP asked about changing from a non O-A to a non O without exiting Thailand.

Can not be done. 

[DrJack54]

35 minutes ago, doctormann said:

The other option, I suppose, would be to get a 'proper' non-O from a consulate abroad as I believe that proof of income is acceptable in that case.

That's fine for obtaining the non O at consulate, which gives you a permission of stay of 90 days.

For the subsequent 12 month extension you will require the money in bank 

Edited June 19, 2022 by DrJack54

[problemfarang]

i know one agent in pattaya can do the trick, she will send your passport out of thailand and get back in here. Dont know how it works or whats the magic but she did 1 of my filipino friend. he was here 3 years over stay.

 

again i cannot remember but i believe it cost him around 45K

 

But, i would listen to @DrJack54 & @ubonjoe & others and do it by myself. cheaper, less riskier and also might be a fun trip. Its really easy to do visa run or to get a new visa from countries around thailand. If you can wait till july it seems everything will be as before covid.

Edited June 19, 2022 by problemfarang

[Soda Soda]

17 minutes ago, thaitom said:

Point is, that someone here wrote that it can't be done

That is because it cannot be done.

[ubonjoe]

31 minutes ago, thaitom said:

Well..... laugh if you want......someone here said changing a non immigrant visa in country can't be done.  I have changed from a visa exempt to maybe 10 covid extensions to a 3 month non-B to a Non-O retirement to a Non-O retirement 1 year extension.

You did not change from a non-b visa to a non-o visa. You only changed the reason for your extension from working to retirement.

[NancyL]

Check about any "unique" rules in your province.  If the OP is doing this to avoid the health insurance requirement, we're told by immigration in Chiang Mai that they will still require proof of health insurance from an acceptable source, even with an O visa that has been "converted" from an O visa with the border bounce procedure.

 

Hubby has a wonderful international health insurance plan that is unacceptable to Chiang Mai immigration for extending his 15 year old OA visa.  Instead, he purchases the cheapest acceptable policy he can get, about 15,000 baht I believe, with no intention of ever using it as health insurance, simply as a "tax" to extend his permission to stay from year-to-year.  At age 74, the inconvenience and cost of a border bounce to convert to an O visa helps to justify that 15,000 baht worthless Thai "health insurance".

[ubonjoe]

45 minutes ago, doctormann said:

However, it appears that Immigration insist on 'money in the bank' on the day of application and will not accept proof of income - from previous 12 months of international transfers.  Is it possible to use an agent to get round this restriction so that I don't need to transfer a large amount of cash to Thailand.  I'd much sooner leave it in UK.

Immigration for some unknown reason does not want to accept transfers of  your income to apply for a non-o visa.

You now have then option of applying for a non-o visa at the Thai consulate in Savannakhet Laos. The will accept proof of your income by way of transfers or a pension statement. It may also be possible to do it at the embassy in Vientiane.

 

[bbko]

Many years back when I used to do the one day van visa runs to nearby Cambodian boarders, I used to see the driver's helper carrying small stacks of passports, yet those people weren't in the van.

 

So you might be able to stay "home", but your passport will have to leave the country and re-enter.

[BritTim]

45 minutes ago, thaitom said:

Point is, that someone here wrote that it can't be done

Someone on here wrote that you cannot go from a Non Immigrant permission to stay to a Non Immigrant visa in country (specifically from an entry on a Non O-A visa to a 90-day Non O visa at immigration). This is simply not allowed. Converting from a tourist entry (including a visa exempt entry) is allowed in many cases, and intervening Covid extensions does not affect such a right. You can also change the reason for your permission to stay on a Non Immigrant entry. For instance, those on an entry from a Non O-A visa can change the reason for their permission to stay from retirement to staying with Thai spouse (in which case, the insurance problem goes away).

[thaitom]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You did not change from a non-b visa to a non-o visa. You only changed the reason for your extension from working to retirement.

My non-B was a 3 month visa ,not an extension

[ThailandRyan]

3 hours ago, thaitom said:

Point is, that someone here wrote that it can't be done

What is being stated that can not be done is killing off an existing O-A extension of stay and obtaining a new O visa and extension of stay, completely different critters than what you have Sir.  To kill off an existing Visa, Extension of stay (1 year) you need to leave the country and then return without a visa and obtain a 30 day exempt entry if your from one of the countries that can obtain this.  Then you can apply for an O visa in country.  Do some research.

[ubonjoe]

30 minutes ago, thaitom said:

My non-B was a 3 month visa ,not an extension

No difference if you had a non-b visa entry. Any non immigrant visa entry can be used to apply for a extension of stay based upon retirement.

[lamyai3]

Couple of questions regarding the O-A to O switch. 

 

1) What's the absolute minimum amount of time between killing off the old O-A with a border run (say 1st July), and completing the process of getting onto a Non O extension? Is the whole thing possible to complete in 2 months?

Money already in bank, immigration office is Chaengwattana.

 

2) On a land border run returning on a 30 day visa exempt entry, will an ongoing flight out within 30 days be needed as it would with an airline? 

 

[digbeth]

aren't the camera at IO desk in every borders and airports supposed to record your face with every coming in and out, if the passport were to do a border bounce without your person present, or a stamp were to appear in your passport without having the entry in their system throw a red flag?

 

or does certain border computer system routinely 'goes down'

 

but then the IOs in the know would know that certain stamp are known dodgy and should you stray, they could make further problem down the road if the ones facilitating the current arrangement is not around or you were foolish enough to visit other immigration office that's not in on the deal

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

Couple of questions regarding the O-A to O switch. 

 

1) What's the absolute minimum amount of time between killing off the old O-A with a border run (say 1st July), and completing the process of getting onto a Non O extension? Is the whole thing possible to complete in 2 months?

Money already in bank, immigration office is Chaengwattana.

 

2) On a land border run returning on a 30 day visa exempt entry, will an ongoing flight out within 30 days be needed as it would with an airline? 

 

You would not require flight out for your border run.

Timeframe 2 months would be too tight imo.

If you obtained your non O asap upon reenter you still will use up few weeks. 

With the 90 day non O permit the usual process is to wait till last 30/45 days to apply for extension.

Some immigration offices may allow an earlier extension.

Certainly an agent could obtain it in shorter timeframe.