O-A Visa Pitfalls

[Thomas72]

I'm getting ready to return to Thailand and an O-A retirement visa is an option for me (US Citizen). I'm aware of everything I need to do to get it.

 

I have a few questions about potential pitfalls surrounding the O-A visa:

 

1. If I come in O-A and effectively stay 2 years (exit/reenter the last day the visa is valid for another year period of stay), can I then apply for a regular extension of stay based on retirement at the local immigration office (B800,000 in the bank, and all the other requirements having being met).

 

2. If #1 is true, is the health insurance requirement then dropped?

 

3. If #1 is not true, can I just hop to Laos/Vietnam and get an 90 day O visa based on retirement, enter Thailand without health insurance, and then get a 1 year of extension of stay.

 

4. Related to #3, are there any reports of people on O-A, who switched to O, who then ran into problems on entry regarding insurance?

 

I know the O-A isn't that popular nowadays. But as a returning expat, I like being able to keep my money in America for the first 2 years. I like being setup (visa-wise) for the first 2 years. I like entering Thailand on a visa that allows 5 year driver licenses and bank account opening right after I land. The health insurance requirement for me is about B5000 a year - so it's not onerous. I'll gladly pay that B10,000 for my first 2 years back in Thailand. But if I do it, at some point in the future I would like to convert to an O, drop the insurance, and not have any problems down the road.

 

Thanks,

 

Thomas

 

 

 

[JimTripper]

I'm on an OA. To my understanding you need the insurance ongoing no matter what you do unless you exit the country and come in on an entirely new visa (the border bounce for the second year is not a new visa).

 

I will probably just return to the Usa for another OA every 2 years and keep money in the Usa.

Edited December 13, 2023 by JimTripper

[Thomas72]

Yes. I meant at the end of year 2, go somewhere and get a 90 day O retirement visa and reenter.

 

I swear I read a post around the time they rolled out the O-A insurance requirement that O-A holders who switched to O were having problems. IOs wanted to see insurance, even though they switched to O.

 

I'm also considering going back every 2 years, just so I can keep my money at home. But as you know it takes a bit of effort to get that O-A (the health checkup, the police report, etc). No problem doing it the first time, just not sure I want to keep up with it every 2 years.

 

Also, insurance is cheap for my age group. But it will go up...

[Captain Monday]

I did get nearly 2 years out of my last O-A but there is one thing that is essential, when you enter near the end of your permitted to enter by date on the visa you must have an additional  overlapping full year valid insurance policy to show. Insurance agent said I could do this, other users said possible.  The timing of flight and new policy was a bit of a hassle and I was not confident about it as I never got a straight answer from immigration about it until I was standing if the lady at BKK with both policies in hand to show and explain to her.

 

All for the pleasure of using my own hard earned money to by near useless redundant insurance that is  and I did not want or need.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Captain Monday

[MPoll]

At the end of your 2nd year you can also leave and return on a visa exempt entry and then apply for the O visa inside Thailand. 90 days later you can then extend that for 1 year with no insurance requirement and with the 800,000k in the bank. Also, during that 2nd year you can leave at any time without an re-entry permit and that will finished your extra 1 yr permission to stay stamp. I only suggest this because you might want to time your future yearly extension date to a convenient time of the year.

 

Have you looked at the requirements for the 10-yr pensioner LTR (Long Term Residency) visa? It does not have banking requirements. You do need health insurance but the insurance I had for my previous OA qualified. You also need to have an $80,000/yr passive income. What qualifies as passive income is described on the LTR website. There is also a $40.000/yr + investment option. You can read about the LTR visa on the website for the Thailand Board of Investment.

[OJAS]

9 minutes ago, MPoll said:

At the end of your 2nd year you can also leave and return on a visa exempt entry and then apply for the O visa inside Thailand. 90 days later you can then extend that for 1 year with no insurance requirement and with the 800,000k in the bank.

 @Thomas72 - how you go about applying for a non-O visa for retirement within Thailand (at your local immigration office) is set out in the following link:

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9.FOR-RETIREMENT-PURPOSES-50-YEARS-OLD-NON-O.pdf

Edited December 13, 2023 by OJAS

[Liquorice]

Why not use the 65K THB monthly overseas transfer method to obtain 1-year extensions of stay.
You'll need a passive income to live in Thailand anyway, and you can keep your funds in a US bank.

 

Obtain the Non O-A provisionally, permits a stay of 1 year.
Open a Thai bank account and immediately start transferring 65K per month.
On expiry of the O-A, apply for the single entry Non O from a nearby Thai Embassy, (no mandatory Health Insurance) which grants a stay of 90 days, by which time you'll then have at least 12 x 65K transfers which qualifies for the 1-year extension of stay, without mandatory Insurance.

[JimTripper]

32 minutes ago, Thomas72 said:

I swear I read a post around the time they rolled out the OA insurance requirement that OA holders who switched to O were having problems. IOs wanted to see insurance, even though they switched to O.

That's if you switch while in country without leaving.

[Thomas72]

Thanks MPoll.

 

I knew about the Wealthy Pensioner LTR visa, but didn't know about the lack of banking requirements. It's not something I qualify for right now. I'm only 51. I have additional pensions unlocking at 63 and I'll qualify for it then - so it's something to consider in the future.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Thomas72

[Thomas72]

Liquorice, I like your suggestion best :) Except I'll probably milk the full 2 years out of the O-A.

 

I live on B80k - B100k a month. Honestly I usually just do ATM withdraws because I have a killer account in the US that gives me spot exchange rate, no exchange fees, and refunds all my ATM fees.

 

But I could instead send the money over each month via Wise. Then I guess the only consideration is to to pick a Wise-friendly bank such as Bangkok Bank?

 

In the past I always thought the B65k a month method was for people who didn't have the B800,000. I never considered it for simply getting around that requirement.

 

Also, there's the upcoming issue of income taxation and how that all shakes out. As I use ATMs I thought none of that would matter to me. But if they start taxing Wise transfers then it would require additional consideration...

 

[Captain Monday]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

That's if you switch while in country without leaving.

Can you even do that? Without the nonsense “insurance”

Used up validity period of my multi renter permit and now outside of Thailand until my peak work period is over. See you in 2024

Edited December 13, 2023 by Captain Monday

[bigt3116]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

That's if you switch while in country without leaving.

 

You can not switch from a Non-OA visa to a Non-O visa inside Thailand

[oldcpu]

3 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

 

I have a few questions about potential pitfalls surrounding the O-A visa:

 

1. If I come in O-A and effectively stay 2 years (exit/reenter the last day the visa is valid for another year period of stay), can I then apply for a regular extension of stay based on retirement at the local immigration office (B800,000 in the bank, and all the other requirements having being met).

 

YES - be careful thou to ensure the 'other requirements are met'.  B800K has to be shown as having originated from outside of Thailand. And the Health Insurance requirement typically means Health Insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company.  Most often than not (IMHO) Health Insurance from the branch of a Health Insurance outside of Thailand will not be accepted for a one year extension of one's permission to stay on a Type-OA.

 

3 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

 

2. If #1 is true, is the health insurance requirement then dropped?

 

No. If I understand the question correctly.  When (in 2 years) you apply for your one year extension, for reason of retirement, on the permission to stay on your Type-OA visa (where this could give you your 3rd year if you time this right) then you will need to prove Health insurance meeting the Thai immigration health insurance requirements, where most likely this health insurance has to come from the Thai branch of a health insurance company.

 

3 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

3. If #1 is not true, can I just hop to Laos/Vietnam and get an 90 day O visa based on retirement, enter Thailand without health insurance, and then get a 1 year of extension of stay.

 

I don't know the details of Laos/Vietnam and 90-day type-O visas.  But note that if you wish to invalidate the permission to stay on a Type-OA visa) you will have to do so after the expiry date of the Type-OA visa and also be certain you do not have a re-entry permit associated with that permission to stay.  If you have a re-entry permit, the permission to stay on the Type-OA won't be invalidated and the purpose of the hop will fail.

 

 

3 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

 

4. Related to #3, are there any reports of people on O-A, who switched to O, who then ran into problems on entry regarding insurance?

 

In my case, I left Thailand when I was on a 1-year extension of my permission to stay (on a Type-OA visa) where I deliberately did NOT have a re-entry permit on that permission to stay. When I left Thailand, the Thai IO was kind enough to point out I did not have a re-entry permit. I politely told him I was leaving without the re-entry permit so I could invalidate my permission to stay.

 

When I re-entered Thailand over a month later, I entered Visa-Exempt and I immediately, when inside Thailand, applied for a 90-day Type-O Visa.   I already had the 800K in a Thai bank (from my previous Type-OA) and I had kept my records of that 800K coming into Thailand from outside of Thailand (although it would have been a PIA to produce had I been asked). Thankfully I was not asked (at Phuket immigration) to prove that 800k, possibly because it was clear from my records at the Phuket IO office that I had proven such in the past.  But beware, that is a paperwork risk/complication.

 

Another consideration - if flying out/in of Thailand, to invalidate the permission to stay on the Type-OA, if you return to Thailand by air, with an intention to enter visa exempt, then the airline might (and it might not) ask for proof of your leaving Thailand at the end of the visa exempt that you plan to enter on.  Some of us, to meet that airline requirement (which may or may not happen) have purchased throw away tickets leaving Thailand. There are entire threads on this subject with massive differences in opinion.

 

In my case, once I was in Thailand, on a 90-day Type-O visa permission to stay, long before it expired I successfully applied for a 1-year extension (for reason of retirement) on my permission to stay in Thailand. 

 

Also, be aware, if you should get married to a Thai, and try to switch to an extension of stay in Thailand based on marriage, you may have until you apply for your 2nd (one year) permission to stay in Thailand on the underlying Type-OA.  I was initially on a Type-OA (based on retirement) and I tried (and failed in Phuket) to quickly switch a permission to stay based on marriage (on my 1st one year extension of my permission to stay in Thailand) and I was told I had to first do a 1-year extension on my permission to stay based on retirement, before I could do a 1 year extension of my permission to stay based on marriage.  I know you didn't ask that, but its something to keep in mind in case the right lady comes along and marriage changes your perspective.

 

3 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

 

I know the O-A isn't that popular nowadays. But as a returning expat, I like being able to keep my money in America for the first 2 years. I like being setup (visa-wise) for the first 2 years. I like entering Thailand on a visa that allows 5 year driver licenses and bank account opening right after I land. The health insurance requirement for me is about B5000 a year - so it's not onerous. I'll gladly pay that B10,000 for my first 2 years back in Thailand. But if I do it, at some point in the future I would like to convert to an O, drop the insurance, and not have any problems down the road.

 

It reads to be a doable plan - but "This is Thailand", so one never knows how things may change in the future.  Note that Health Insurance expenses start getting larger and larger as you grow older and older.  So 5k may be nothing now, but as you grow older health insurance costs could be larger (due to your age, or due to Thailand immigration increasing how much coverage they demand one be insured for). ....

 

So I think your consideration of changing from Type-OA to Type-O (by leaving the country) sometime in the future is a good idea, as long as things don't change.

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

Are you sure the health insurance premium is only 5000 baht ?

I paid more than that in 2020 ( with the largest deductible) and it would be 5 x that if i had not bailed to an O visa last year.

[JimTripper]

1 hour ago, bigt3116 said:

 

You can not switch from a Non-OA visa to a Non-O visa inside Thailand

Ok, it's just extending the OA each year over 2 years with additional requirements like the 800k, not technically getting the O.

Edited December 13, 2023 by JimTripper

[khunPer]

8 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

2. If #1 is true, is the health insurance requirement then dropped?

No, when you enters on a non-OA you'll need a 3 million baht health insurance for extension of stay.

 

Choose a normal non-O for retirement instead, and extend your stay for 1 year, if you alreadu know that you are going to stay for a longer period in Thailand. The only benefit with a non-OA is that you can keep your funds abroad, instead of in a Thai bank deposit; but when applying for extension of stay you still need the funds in a Thai bank deposit, so your benefit from OA-visa has gone.

 

Otherwise, as other posters recommend, leave Thailand and re-enter visa exempt and apply for a non-O domesticalley, or simple re-enter with a non-O visa; the latter you might still be able to get issued in a neighboring country like Malaysia.

[Wrwest]

7 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

Liquorice, I like your suggestion best :) Except I'll probably milk the full 2 years out of the O-A.

 

I live on B80k - B100k a month. Honestly I usually just do ATM withdraws because I have a killer account in the US that gives me spot exchange rate, no exchange fees, and refunds all my ATM fees.

 

But I could instead send the money over each month via Wise. Then I guess the only consideration is to to pick a Wise-friendly bank such as Bangkok Bank?

 

In the past I always thought the B65k a month method was for people who didn't have the B800,000. I never considered it for simply getting around that requirement.

 

Also, there's the upcoming issue of income taxation and how that all shakes out. As I use ATMs I thought none of that would matter to me. But if they start taxing Wise transfers then it would require additional consideration...

 

I have used the 65K baht a month income from abroad since retiring in Thailand. I was on an O-A Visa issued through the Royal Thai Consulate in Chicago. As you say, they changed the requirements and so I had to purchase the annual health insurance (pre-existing conditions exclusion meant they would not pay). Took out a 11,000 baht policy with a 200K deductible and looked at it as a tax. This past year, switched to an "O" Visa saving the insurance premium. I continue to bring in the 65K a month as that is what we spend. My retirement funds are invested and earning me retirement income ... "park" 800K in a Thai bank? I do not see that as a good financial move.

[flexomike]

9 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

Yes. I meant at the end of year 2, go somewhere and get a 90 day O retirement visa and reenter.

 

I swear I read a post around the time they rolled out the O-A insurance requirement that O-A holders who switched to O were having problems. IOs wanted to see insurance, even though they switched to O.

 

I'm also considering going back every 2 years, just so I can keep my money at home. But as you know it takes a bit of effort to get that O-A (the health checkup, the police report, etc). No problem doing it the first time, just not sure I want to keep up with it every 2 years.

 

Also, insurance is cheap for my age group. But it will go up...

I switched from an OA to an was on the OA for five years. You have to have insurance the entire time you are on an OA including extensions. I left the country in late 2021 without a re entry permit, went to Cambodia in and out same day. Came on a visa exempt, went to Immigration the following day and appied for a non O, this is for ninty days. in the last 30 days applied for a one year extension. No insurance is required when you are on an O vis or extension of one. If coming in visa exempt you need at least 15 days left on your entry. The 800.000 baht has to be in the bank on day of application for the visa, two months in the bank on date of application for the extension, Also bank account has to show that it came from a foreign source.

[flexomike]

8 hours ago, JimTripper said:

That's if you switch while in country without leaving.

I don't think it is possible to switch from an OA to an O without leaving the country

[Pattaya57]

The main issue raised against the O-A visa always seems to be the insurance. I don't see it as a problem as AXA offers an O-A approved 4 million baht policy for 13,290 baht (with 100k deductable). This is a third of the price I pay in Australia for my current health insurance

 

As for the deductable, I'm happy to self insure the first 100k baht knowing the insurance covers the next 3.9 million for a serious issue.

 

Check your cost here:

https://direct.axa.co.th/HealthOnline/EasyCare/CoverageOptionPlan/Agent/967C4F6A7E

 

[JimTripper]

39 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

The main issue raised against the OA visa always seems to be the insurance. I don't see it as a problem as AXA offers an OA approved 4 million baht policy for 13,290 baht (with 100k deductable). This is a third of the price I pay in Australia for my current health insurance

 

As for the deductable, I'm happy to self insure the first 100k baht knowing the insurance covers the next 3.9 million for a serious issue.

 

Check your cost here:

https://direct.axa.co.th/HealthOnline/EasyCare/CoverageOptionPlan/Agent/967C4F6A7E

 

I think a lot of people here are a lot older where the premiums spike way up.

Edited December 13, 2023 by JimTripper

[Pattaya57]

36 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

I think a lot of people here are a lot older where the premiums spike way up.

You are right. It's the same 13,290 cost for me up to 60 but at 61-65 it jumps to 31,425 and 66-70 is 40,995 while 71 is 53,375

 

I need to get in quick 😀

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Pattaya57

[biervoormij]

11 hours ago, Thomas72 said:

I know the O-A isn't that popular nowadays. But as a returning expat, I like being able to keep my money in America for the first 2 years. I like being setup (visa-wise) for the first 2 years. I like entering Thailand on a visa that allows 5 year driver licenses and bank account opening right after I land. The health insurance requirement for me is about B5000 a year - so it's not onerous. I'll gladly pay that B10,000 for my first 2 years back in Thailand. But if I do it, at some point in the future I would like to convert to an O, drop the insurance, and not have any problems down the road.

 

Thanks,

 

Thomas

 

 

 

You talk about getting a 5 year driver licenses with the O-A. This is not the case unless you already have a Thai licenses.  Your first Thai licenses will only be for 2 years and then when you renew you go to the 5 year unless you are on a tourist visa.

[JimTripper]

15 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

You are right. It's the same 13,290 cost for me up to 60 but at 61 it jumps to 31,425 (still cheaper than Aussie policy though). I need to get in quick 😀

Still cheaper at 61 then I just paid for my tooth.

 

I think dental work is much more expensive then health insurance. I started noticing a lot of blokes in Pattaya missing teeth when I had some dental issues. Decided to goto a top dentist in Bangkok to get it taken care of. You needed to know that right? Brush your teeth. You don't want to end up an old guy in Pattaya with missing teeth and going to one of those cheap implant places and having it get infected because they don't know wtf they are doing.

Edited December 13, 2023 by JimTripper

[oldcpu]

1 hour ago, Pattaya57 said:

The main issue raised against the O-A visa always seems to be the insurance. I don't see it as a problem as AXA offers an O-A approved 4 million baht policy for 13,290 baht (with 100k deductable). This is a third of the price I pay in Australia for my current health insurance

 

Good to read it makes sense for you. 

 

In my case my European global health insurance from Cigna is subsidized as part of my pension.  My European health insurance provides superior coverage to the Thai immigration requirements, and after the subsidy I get with my pension my European health insurance, my European insurance is cheaper (than the lower coverage insurance from Thailand).  But my European health insurance is NOT accepted by Thai immigration.

 

Further the Thailand Cigna branch would not (even for a nominal fee) provide Thai immigration assurances that this European Cigna coverage exceeded the Thai requirements. Instead Thai Cigna branch wanted me to buy (more expensive and NOT as good) health insurance from their branch. i.e. buy double health insurance, or dump my superior European health insurance and go only with the Thai branch of Cigna's insurance.

 

There was no way I was going to dump my superior (and less expensive due to being subsidized) European health insurance.

 

Hence my deciding the underlying Type-OA visa (if I wanted to go for extensions on my permission to stay based on 'retirement') did not make sense for me from a Health Insurance perspective.  So after one year with double health insurance (on an extension to my permission to stay based on retirement),   followed by one year with an extension based on marriage to a Thai (which requires no health insurance, but has massive paperwork), ...  I eventually switched to the 90-day Type-O visa (followed by a 1-year extension on the permission to stay based on retirement with that underlying Type-O visa) ... and now finally I am on an LTR-WP visa. 

 

Its been a long haul for me getting what I believe is best for me.  I suspect others would see this differently.

 

Likely everyone is different, and we all need to decide what is best for ourselves.

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by oldcpu

[deptrai]

11 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Why not use the 65K THB monthly overseas transfer method to obtain 1-year extensions of stay.
You'll need a passive income to live in Thailand anyway, and you can keep your funds in a US bank.

 

 

Please clarify this for me.  Like the OP, I do not have 65K THB passive income.  I do have enough savings to transfer 130K THB/month (me & the wife) for 10+ years before our pensions and social security starts.  Can we transfer in 65K THB each per month from our savings to avoid the 800K THB each in a Thai bank?  I didn't think this was possible.

[Liquorice]

1 hour ago, deptrai said:

Please clarify this for me.  Like the OP, I do not have 65K THB passive income.  I do have enough savings to transfer 130K THB/month (me & the wife) for 10+ years before our pensions and social security starts.  Can we transfer in 65K THB each per month from our savings to avoid the 800K THB each in a Thai bank?  I didn't think this was possible.

Unfortunately no.
Immigration only accepts passive incomes, such as from Pensions, Investments or Dividends.

 

If your spouse is non-Thai, obtain the Non O visa for both parties.
You would have to deposit 800K THB in a Thai bank account, but only for yourself for 1 year extension of stay.

Your foreign spouse can 'piggyback' your 1-year extensions based on your 800K THB deposited funds.

 

[Thomas72]

Thank you for all the replies. First let me say I lived in Thailand for 7 years on various visas. I returned to the US and have been living here for the past 2 years. I'm returning to Thailand sometime in the next 3-6 months. I didn't pay much attention to the ins and outs of retirement visas before, as I was under 50. I am now 51.

 

12 hours ago, oldcpu said:

When I re-entered Thailand over a month later, I entered Visa-Exempt and I immediately, when inside Thailand, applied for a 90-day Type-O Visa.   I already had the 800K in a Thai bank (from my previous Type-OA) 

 

oldcpu - Thank you. You hit all of my questions, especially #2. Year 3, if still on an O-A, would require health insurance. Also, in my many travels around SE Asia in the past I have never been asked for an onward ticket from any airline (from say Phnom Penh to Bangkok, for example). It's only when I depart the US that I am asked for it. If I ever was asked in Asia, I would just immediately book an Expedia flight on my phone, at the counter. As I walked away from the counter I would cancel the flight. Expedia has free 24 hour cancellation.

 

11 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Are you sure the health insurance premium is only 5000 baht ?

I paid more than that in 2020 ( with the largest deductible) and it would be 5 x that if i had not bailed to an O visa last year.

 

Andrew Dwyer - Yes. The cheapest health insurance for my age bracket is B5,080. Here's the source:

 

https://checkdi.com/th/health/plans?gender=Male&age=51&ipd=1&opdf=1&leadid=502755&p=healthenvisa&lg=en&affid=AG1928

 

I won't comment on how "good" the insurance is, but the cost is $B5,080 per year.

 

6 hours ago, flexomike said:

I switched from an OA to an was on the OA for five years. You have to have insurance the entire time you are on an OA including extensions. I left the country in late 2021 without a re entry permit, went to Cambodia in and out same day. Came on a visa exempt, went to Immigration the following day and appied for a non O, this is for ninty days. in the last 30 days applied for a one year extension. No insurance is required when you are on an O vis or extension of one. If coming in visa exempt you need at least 15 days left on your entry. The 800.000 baht has to be in the bank on day of application for the visa, two months in the bank on date of application for the extension, Also bank account has to show that it came from a foreign source.

 

flexomike - Thank you for detailing your experience. That's exactly what I was looking for. I remember back when this insurance rolled out reading a lot of grief from O-A holders, which is why I started this thread. I have no problem doing an O-A to enter Thailand for the first 2 years. I just want to make sure I'm not causing myself any problems down the road.

 

4 hours ago, biervoormij said:

You talk about getting a 5 year driver licenses with the O-A. This is not the case unless you already have a Thai licenses.  Your first Thai licenses will only be for 2 years and then when you renew you go to the 5 year unless you are on a tourist visa.

 

biervoormij - I currently have 5 year driving licenses (car and motorcycle). They expire in about a year. My plan is to enter on an O-A so I can easily renew them for another 5 years. I also have a yellow book and a pink card.

 

3 hours ago, oldcpu said:

... and now finally I am on an LTR-WP visa. 

 

Its been a long haul for me getting what I believe is best for me.  I suspect others would see this differently.

 

Likely everyone is different, and we all need to decide what is best for ourselves.

 

 

oldcpu - I thought health insurance was required for the LTR-WP visa? Do they accept your European insurance instead?

 

3 hours ago, deptrai said:

Please clarify this for me.  Like the OP, I do not have 65K THB passive income.  I do have enough savings to transfer 130K THB/month (me & the wife) for 10+ years before our pensions and social security starts.  Can we transfer in 65K THB each per month from our savings to avoid the 800K THB each in a Thai bank?  I didn't think this was possible.

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

Unfortunately no.
Immigration only accepts passive incomes, such as from Pensions, Investments or Dividends.

 

Thank you for clarifying this. I have savings and property rentals. This combination of financing would not qualify for the B65k method then. Another reason I'd like to keep money in the US is the huge interest rate I am earning right now. I'm getting 5.25% on my cash. Rates will of course change in the future, but for now - I want to keep as much money as I can in the US.

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Thomas72

[deptrai]

3 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Unfortunately no.
Immigration only accepts passive incomes, such as from Pensions, Investments or Dividends.

 

If your spouse is non-Thai, obtain the Non O visa for both parties.
You would have to deposit 800K THB in a Thai bank account, but only for yourself for 1 year extension of stay.

Your foreign spouse can 'piggyback' your 1-year extensions based on your 800K THB deposited funds.

 

Yes, this is how I understood the case to be today.  My wife and I (both USA citizens) would both be required to have separate 800K THB minimum bank accounts the first year.  Not really a problem other than the loss of interest we can receive at "home".

[judokrab]

Yes

 

No

 

I don't think that visa is available nearby. But you can re-enter and get an O visa here.  

 

No