Aussies stay Thailand for 6 months

[Youbloodybeauty]

Hi,

Back from a 6 week holiday in Phuket and now thinking of our next trip next year for around 6 months.

Wife and I are both over 50, Aussie passports and wondering the cheapest and/or easiest way to do this?

Not sure there if there is an alternative visa option but I've been looking at the retirement visa. Yes we would waste 6 months of it but seems the easiest.

Looking at the requirement I'm not 100% sure if applying for this visa in Australia I can show our bank account in Australia for the 800,000Baht X 2 with no need to open a bank account in Thailand?

Yes I understand there is also the health insurance requirement too but have a Commbank Visa card that has 6 months free insurance, maybe I can use this?

Thanks,

[ubonjoe]

Apparently you are asking about getting Non-OA visa at the embassy in Canberra or the consulate in Sydney.

It might be a good option but only one you would have to apply for it. The other one could get a non-o visa at the embassy and then apply for one extension equal to the others permit to stay from the Non-OA visa.

The insurance must meet the requirements shown on the embassy or consulate website.

Embassy website info: https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/non-immigrant-visa-category-o-a-for-retirement-long-stay-valid-for-1-year/

[Youbloodybeauty]

Yes that's it thanks.
 

Maybe a problem to get my insurance to fill out their form.

Possibly having to pay for 12 month Thai company insurance.

...and A$300 each for the visa.

 

Maybe not the cheapest option!

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

Maybe not the cheapest option

Think you need to clarify what your plan is over next few years.

If it's just 6 months for next year only then that's a big difference for ongoing 6 month gigs. 

[Youbloodybeauty]

Thanks Jack, I have no idea why that would make a difference but yes plan is 6 monthly stays ongoing.

[captnhoy]

Have you looked at Multiple Entry Tourist Visas? Every 60 days (or 90 days if buying extension) you must leave then stamp back in for 60 more. This is a good way to see surrounding countries. Insurance not required nor 90 day reports. The visa is valid for 6 months so it is possible to squeeze 9 months out of it.

[rwill]

Come visa exempt and pay on agent for an extension?  Maybe not the cheapest but avoids a lot of the hassle.

[Barney R]

Good morning, in a related matter , I’m Aussie and intend to split my time 50/50 between Oz and thailand , alternating every 2 months approx. , I arrive on a tourist visa and simple apply for an extension , please correct me if I’m wrong , I think I’m allowed to be in thailand for 6 months of the year , will there be a problem if I keep doing this year after year . Thank u in advance for any advice 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Barney R said:

Good morning, in a related matter , I’m Aussie and intend to split my time 50/50 between Oz and thailand , alternating every 2 months approx. , I arrive on a tourist visa and simple apply for an extension , please correct me if I’m wrong , I think I’m allowed to be in thailand for 6 months of the year , will there be a problem if I keep doing this year after year . Thank u in advance for any advice 

There is no written limit that restricts stays as a tourist per year.

You could enter visa exempt and stay about 2 months if you apply for a 30 day extension of it since you would be out of the country tor 2 months. Immigration only looks for people that appear to be using visa exempt entries to live in the country.

[Onerak]

I stay 6-month in a year now in Thailand. I get a TR visa from the USA and extend it in Thailand for 30-day. Then I do a visa run to  a neighboring  country and extend it again. Instead of a visa run, you can do two land border runs and extend them for a total of 7-month. No need for retirement visa if only staying for 6-month and no plan for extended stay in the future. 

[blazes]

Get a O-A (retirement) visa.

For example: apply for this Visa and enter Thailand on Jan 1.

Return to Oz on June 30, but get a re-entry permit as leaving the country.

Return to Thailand on (say) December 28, original visa still valid for 3 days..

Stamped into country for whole year till Dec 27, 2024.

You get two whole years for the price of one.

 

I wait to be corrected.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, blazes said:

Return to Oz on June 30, but get a re-entry permit as leaving the country.

A re-entry permit would not be needed if the OA visa was still valid when entering the country. It would allow a new one year stay in the country.

A re-entry permit is only needed for the 2nd year of of the visa to keep the last one year stay valid.

[blazes]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

A re-entry permit would not be needed if the OA visa was still valid when entering the country. It would allow a new one year stay in the country.

A re-entry permit is only needed for the 2nd year of of the visa to keep the last one year stay valid.

Not clear, Joe.

If you do not have a multi-entry visa (but simply a single-entry visa...different costs between the two types), then you would need a re-entry permit to use your still-valid visa before December 31 (in the example given).

[Crossy]

7 minutes ago, blazes said:

(but simply a single-entry visa...different costs between the two types)

 

Is anywhere issuing Non-OA single-entry visas?

 

[Lite Beer]

Non Imm O-A Visas are multi entry.

[ubonjoe]

43 minutes ago, blazes said:

If you do not have a multi-entry visa (but simply a single-entry visa...different costs between the two types), then you would need a re-entry permit to use your still-valid visa before December 31 (in the example given).

A Non-OA visa is only issued as a multiple entry visa and is valid for one year.

A single entry non-o visa only allows one 90 day stay. A multiple entry non-o allows unlimited 90 day entries for one year from the date it issued.

[LosLobo]

7 hours ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

Thanks Jack, I have no idea why that would make a difference but yes plan is 6 monthly stays ongoing.

I would suggest that if you are in receipt of the Old Age Pension or part of it, there may be issues with your Oz residency status for your pension and also for your taxation liability with a pension or not. If so, get some expert advice.

 

[Youbloodybeauty]

12 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

I would suggest that if you are in receipt of the Old Age Pension or part of it, there may be issues with your Oz residency status for your pension and also for your taxation liability. If so, get some expert advice.

Thanks, yes good point but we aren't pensioners (yet) ????
I know about the 186 day rule.

Edit: just want to stay Phuket for 6 months over the tourist season each year.

[LosLobo]

20 minutes ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

Thanks, yes good point but we aren't pensioners (yet) ????
I know about the 186 day rule.

Edit: just want to stay Phuket for 6 months over the tourist season each year.

There are eligibility rules for OAP like having two years continuous residency before or after application.

 

There is some provisos to that 186-day rule and new legislation from last year is still in the pipeline.

 

I suggest you read the OAP and OAP Portability forums there is info about all of this.

 

[Youbloodybeauty]

Appreciate replies plus different options!
Thanks.

https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/toursit-visa-category-tr/

This is the TR visa mentioned above from the embassy in Australia. I understand we could pay A$60 each for 3 x 60 day stays making up the 6 months. We would need to travel twice outside Thailand during the time.

...or from a post above stay 60 days, extend 30 days and do this twice. Not sure how much the extension is? Is it easy to extend?

I really like the idea of heading off to Saigon (or elsewhere) for a few days in the middle of the 6 months!

This sounds perfect without the bigger cost of a retirement visa ($300 visa plus the Thai insurance) or having to show money in the back (either Australia or Thailand).

 

[Youbloodybeauty]

3 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

There are eligibility rules for OAP like having two years continuous residency before or after application.

 

There is some provisos to that 186-day rule and new legislation from last year is still in the pipeline.

 

I suggest you read the OAP and OAP Portability forums there is info about all of this.

 

Will do thanks, although, we'll be self funded retirees for a while and the two years continuous residency is something to worry about in maybe 20 years. Dunno, things might be totally different by then.

[LosLobo]

6 minutes ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

Will do thanks, although, we'll be self funded retirees for a while and the two years continuous residency is something to worry about in maybe 20 years. Dunno, things might be totally different by then.

Lucky you are still young enough to enjoy Phuket to the max. I lived there for almost 10 years, its a great place!

[Onerak]

7 hours ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

This is the TR visa mentioned above from the embassy in Australia. I understand we could pay A$60 each for 3 x 60 day stays making up the 6 months. We would need to travel twice outside Thailand during the time.

...or from a post above stay 60 days, extend 30 days and do this twice. Not sure how much the extension is? Is it easy to extend?

A TR visa will allow you to stay in Thailand for 60-days. You can extend it once only for an additional 30-day. Extension is 1900 Baht. Extension is easy. 
If you travel twice outside Thailand, TR is the perfect. At the end of 90-day from your above stay, go out of Thailand and enter again with visa exempt. That will give you 30-day. You can again extend it once for another 30-day. That cover 150-days. Exit Thailand again at the end of 150-days and enter again with another visa exempt and that will give you another 30-day. You can extend it again for an additional 30-day. Total of 210 day. Each extension costs you 1900 baht. Exempt entries are free.

[Youbloodybeauty]

8 hours ago, Onerak said:

A TR visa will allow you to stay in Thailand for 60-days. You can extend it once only for an additional 30-day. Extension is 1900 Baht. Extension is easy. 
If you travel twice outside Thailand, TR is the perfect. At the end of 90-day from your above stay, go out of Thailand and enter again with visa exempt. That will give you 30-day. You can again extend it once for another 30-day. That cover 150-days. Exit Thailand again at the end of 150-days and enter again with another visa exempt and that will give you another 30-day. You can extend it again for an additional 30-day. Total of 210 day. Each extension costs you 1900 baht. Exempt entries are free.

Ohh I thought the TR was a mult-entry visa. Actually, thought there was a multi-entry tourist visa but can’t see it on the Australian Thai Embassy site.

 

Anyway, thanks for this, understand the TR to get the 6 months now but I read in the link above:

 

“3.5 Confirmed accommodation in Thailand under the applicant’s name.

 

This accommodation would need to be in both mine and wife’s name to get the TR but we stay at our relatives home. Would this be an issue please?

[thaibeachlovers]

I stayed 6 months a year on a non O with retirement ( over 50 ) extensions, and bought travel insurance each time. I left the 800,000 permanently in a Thai bank account.

Seemed to be the simplest option.

[DrJack54]

On 11/19/2022 at 7:47 AM, Youbloodybeauty said:

Thanks Jack, I have no idea why that would make a difference but yes plan is 6 monthly stays ongoing.

Perhaps you can now see that there are many ways to stay for 6 months.

Everyone is different.

Some folk want to have nothing to do with traveling out of Thailand.

Also dealing with immigration office for extensions.

Others above have mentioned.

(won't list the pros and cons.

 

1. Non O plus annual extensions.

2. Non O-A (you can actually obtain almost 2 years out of that visa)

 

3. Tourist visa with extension and visa runs.

 

4. METV requires you to exit every 2 months (or 3 if you obtain a 30 day extension)

 

There are other options. 

 

Personally I would go for METV with trips to Ho Chi Minh. However I'm biased on that.

Being Oz you would need eVisa to travel to Vietnam.

The exit/reenter for the METV can just be a border bounce 

 

Be aware that border bounce is not currently available with Myanmar not possible so from Phuket so not easy via land. 

 

The non O with extensions based on retirement requires money in the bank all year.

However no exits required.

Your wife could piggyback on your non O. 

 

 

[Onerak]

3 hours ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

3.5 Confirmed accommodation in Thailand under the applicant’s name.

I book one/two days hotel in Bangkok for the day of arrival and upload it. Never had any problem.

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

Ohh I thought the TR was a mult-entry visa. Actually, thought there was a multi-entry tourist visa but can’t see it on the Australian Thai Embassy site.

It does appear on the Sydney consulate website. https://sydney.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/tourist-visa-multiple-entries Appartely the embassy failed to put it on their site.

No mention of accommodations on that page.

 

4 hours ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

This accommodation would need to be in both mine and wife’s name to get the TR but we stay at our relatives home. Would this be an issue please?

 You could ask your relatives to write a letter stating you are staying with them.

 

[Youbloodybeauty]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Perhaps you can now see that there are many ways to stay for 6 months.

Everyone is different.

Thanks DrJack, yes, definitely!

 

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

The non O with extensions based on retirement requires money in the bank all year.

However no exits required.

Your wife could piggyback on your non O.

So confused about the non O-A and O. Been looking up a comparisons of them.

About my "wife can piggyback" on my non O, so no need for the 800,000 x 2?
Wife is Australian citizen too.

Could the non O last two years too if we exit after 6 months and return before the 12 months is up?

Also, weird here: https://sydney.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/non-immigrant-visa-type-o-retirement
 

5. Proof of adequate finance

- A bank statement in the past six months showing a deposit account with the minimum fund of AUD 2,000

I'm probably missing something but that's well short of 800,000 baht and doesn't mention it's to be in a Thai bank.
 

[ubonjoe]

26 minutes ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

About my "wife can piggyback" on my non O, so no need for the 800,000 x 2?
Wife is Australian citizen too.

There is no financial requirement for your wife to apply for a extension based upon being a member your family.

 

26 minutes ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

Could the non O last two years too if we exit after 6 months and return before the 12 months is up?

The non-o would only be valid for 3 months and allows a 90 day stay. You would then apply for a one year extension of stay that will be valid for one year. The near the end of one year extension you could apply for another extension.

 

26 minutes ago, Youbloodybeauty said:

I'm probably missing something but that's well short of 800,000 baht and doesn't mention it's to be in a Thai bank.

The 2000 AUD is all that is required for the non-o visa. They are not asking for the amount needed for a extension of stay.

At other embassies or consulates they only ask for the equivalent of 20k baht required for most visa applications.