Non O VS Non OA

[JimGant]

On 4/27/2023 at 9:42 AM, Dazzler said:

Just wondered, as a ballpark for a 57 year old with no pre-existing conditions, what is the approximate cost for the health insurance for O-A?

14,500 baht from LMG, the cheapest of all the TGIA required insurance companies. One million baht deductible. Not a reasonable insurance policy, so hopefully you have a home country policy that realistically covers you. But, yes, it does meet the OA extension requirement for Thai issued health insurance policy.

https://www.lmginsurance.co.th/en/long-stay-visa-plus-premium-plan-100000-usd

[Panamera]

This is new information for me, thank you! I am from Aus, here on OA, expires early Dec. So if i go out of Thailand (anywhere?) & back BEFORE OA expires, it gets extended for 1 more year? If yes - do I then have to buy re-entry permit? And what about health insurance (my Thai insurance expires about the same time as Visa). Many thanks in advance.

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, Panamera said:

This is new information for me, thank you! I am from Aus, here on OA, expires early Dec. So if i go out of Thailand (anywhere?) & back BEFORE OA expires, it gets extended for 1 more year? If yes - do I then have to buy re-entry permit? And what about health insurance (my Thai insurance expires about the same time as Visa). Many thanks in advance.

Yes you will be stamped in for 12 months.

Yes you will need health insurance.

Yes you will need to buy a reentry permit if you wish to exit and reenter in "second year" 

 

Added note. If after the second year you have plan to switch to use of non O and subsequent extensions .....then to do that you would need to kill off the non O-A by exiting Thailand and reenter visa exempt (one option) to obtain non O retirement.

For that reason I suggest that single reentry permits good option. 

Edited April 28, 2023 by DrJack54

[Panamera]

Thanks for the info DrJack. May I just ask a few more things please? Will I need to buy health insurance locally, and have it on hand (carry it with me, in to Thailand) for my re-entry into Thailand, in order to get the second 12 months? And I forget - where do I purchase the re-entry permit(S)? Your added note is noted. I’ve yet to make up my mind about 3rd year, so I’ll keep your advice in mind. Thanks again.

[Red Phoenix]

8 hours ago, Panamera said:

Thanks for the info DrJack. May I just ask a few more things please? Will I need to buy health insurance locally, and have it on hand (carry it with me, in to Thailand) for my re-entry into Thailand, in order to get the second 12 months? And I forget - where do I purchase the re-entry permit(S)? Your added note is noted. I’ve yet to make up my mind about 3rd year, so I’ll keep your advice in mind. Thanks again.

When you exit Thailand and then re-enter with a still valid Non Imm O-A Visa you will get either

- a Permit to Stay stamped in your Passport for 12 months OR

- a Permit to Stay stamp till the expiry-date of your Non Imm O-A compliant Health-Insurance policy,

whichever of the two is shorter. 

Unless the Note with the Health-Insurance policy expiry-date, that the Thai Embassy put in your Passport when you received the Non Imm O-A Visa was for TWO years, you will almost certainly be stamped in only till the expiry-date of the Health-Insurance policy when you applied for the Non Imm O-A Visa.

And if it that one has expired already, you will only receive a Visa-Exempt entry stamp of 30 days.

So if you want to make full use of the 2nd year that the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you, you need to bring evidence with you that your current Non Imm O-A compliant Health-Insurance policy has been renewed and then you will be stamped in till the expiry-date of that policy. 

The snag is of course, that border-immigration will almost certainly require that your renewed Non Imm O-A compliant Health-Insurance policy has been issued by a Thai insurer. 

NOTE 1: The above is how Thai border-Immigration will handle your entry when they follow the Non Imm O-A procedure.  However, it is possible - but I wouldn't count on it and risk it - that a Thai border official will simply stamp you in for 12 months on your still valid Non Imm O-A Visa without looking at your Health-Insurance policy expiry date.

NOTE 2: Do send me a PM if you would like to receive the comprehensive Guideline I wrote on how to apply for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country and navigate the Health-Insurance requirements when doing that.

[Red Phoenix]

20 hours ago, Panamera said:

This is new information for me, thank you! I am from Aus, here on OA, expires early Dec. So if i go out of Thailand (anywhere?) & back BEFORE OA expires, it gets extended for 1 more year? If yes - do I then have to buy re-entry permit? And what about health insurance (my Thai insurance expires about the same time as Visa). Many thanks in advance.

As DrJack54 confirmed, you will only need a Re-Entry Permit when your original Non Imm O-A Visa has expired, and you want to protect the Permit to Stay that was provided when re-entering last time with that valid Visa.  

You can buy such a Re-Entry Permit at your local Immigration Office (costs 1.000,- THB) and you can also buy it in the departure halls of the main Thai international airports.

[DrJack54]

9 hours ago, Panamera said:

And I forget - where do I purchase the re-entry permit(S)?

Your question about insurance has been covered above.

You can purchase reentry permits at immigration anytime or at airport on day of departure.

1000b single reentry and 3800b for multiple.

You won't have any reason to deal with immigration so for you obtaining at airport good fit. 

Edited April 29, 2023 by DrJack54

[Panamera]

Thank you very much for all of the information that various posters have supplied above. (Dr Jack - I'll send you PM, thanks).