Switching from Non-Immigrant OA to Non-Immigrant O on basis of Retirement

[skorts]

After 9 annual extensions from my original Non-Immigrant OA Visa I have decided to switch to a Non-Immigrant O Visa. Just wanted to check my understanding is correct. The ฿800,000 is already seasoned. 

 

1. Leave Thailand without a re-entry permit so my Non-Immigrant O-A is cancelled. 
2. With my U.K. passport re-enter Thailand visa exempt and get stamped in for 60 days. 
3. Over the next few days after re-entry into Thailand go to Immigration (Hua Hin) main office and apply for a Non-Immigrant O Visa valid for 90 days. Fee ฿2,000. 
4. 30 to 45 Days before expiration of that Visa go to Immigration (Hua Hin) main office and apply for my annual extension Fee ฿1,900. 

 

The thing I am not sure about is 3. above, and whether I can go to Immigration and apply for a Non-Immigrant O Visa almost immediately after entering Thailand on 60 days Visa exempt or I have to wait until later during my 60 day Visa exempt period?

 

I know I can apply for my Non-Immigrant O Visa much later during my 60 day Visa exempt period but for various reasons want to apply as soon after re-entering Thailand as possible. 

Does the annual extension start from the date I visit the Immigration office and apply for my annual extension or from the day after my Non-Immigrant O Visa 90 days expires?

 

Thanks in advance for your help. 

[chiang mai]

You're not on an OA visa, you're on an extension of stay, the visa has expired, why do you want a new one?

[Upnotover]

5 minutes ago, skorts said:

Does the annual extension start from the date I visit the Immigration office and apply for my annual extension or from the day after my Non-Immigrant O Visa 90 days expires?

It starts from the end of the 90 day entry you will get.

[skorts]

.

[skorts]

4 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

You're not on an OA visa, you're on an extension of stay, the visa has expired, why do you want a new one?

After having completed 9 annual extensions as outlined in my post I think I know I am on extension of stay. The OA Visa requires compulsory medical insurance the O Visa does not. Whilst the original O-A visa has expired it still dictates the medical insurance requirement at every annual extension. 

[chiang mai]

7 minutes ago, skorts said:

After having completed 9 annual extensions as outlined in my post I think I know I am on extension of stay. The OA Visa requires compulsory medical insurance the O Visa does not. Whilst the original O-A visa has expired it still dictates the medical insurance requirement at every annual extension. 

My OA expired 19 years ago and I don't need medical insurance, why do you think you do?

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, skorts said:

Whilst the original O-A visa has expired it still dictates the medical insurance requirement at every annual extension

That is correct and the common reason folk wish to kill off the non O-A.

What you outline in OP  covers the process. 

Hua Hin may require a TM30 and possibly a lease.

You will also provide a TM87 (simple form)

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

My OA expired 19 years ago and I don't need medical insurance, why do you think you do

Yours has been grandfathered hence no insurance requirement.

Can't recall the date your non O-A to have been issued for that to be possible. Think 2018

Someone will post the year. 

[skorts]

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

That is correct and the common reason folk wish to kill off the non O-A.

What you outline in OP  covers the process. 

Hua Hin may require a TM30 and possibly a lease.

You will also provide a TM87 (simple form)

Thanks for your feedback. 
 

Can I go to Immigration and apply for a Non-Immigrant O Visa almost immediately after entering Thailand on 60 days Visa exempt or do I have to wait until later during my 60 day Visa exempt period?

[Liquorice]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Can't recall the date your non O-A to have been issued for that to be possible. Think 2018

Someone will post the year. 

1st November 2019.

[Mike Teavee]

9 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

1st November 2019.

(Excluding Phuket) Did they “Grandfather In” the non-Insurance requirements?

 

I seem to recall a lot of reports of existing Non-IMM OA users exiting to return for a Non-IMM O because they hadn’t been grandfathered in & suddenly needed Health Insurance  

 

Edit: Only applies to “Retirees” guys on Marriage Non-IMM OAs don’t need the Health Insurance

[Liquorice]

14 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

My OA expired 19 years ago and I don't need medical insurance, why do you think you do?

It became mandatory for O-A visa applications from Nov 2019 and for extensions of stay based on retirement from an O-A type visa entry as of that date, unless you change the reason for the extension from retirement to Thai spouse, then there is no mandatory Health Insurance applicable.

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, skorts said:

.......or do I have to wait until later during my 60 day Visa exempt period?

That's completely up to the immigration office.

Even for simple 30 day extension to visa exempt entry some immigration offices made folk wait till last week or two.

Jomitien was telling folk to go away and come back with few days remaining.

 

[chiang mai]

This is probably my oversight, I changed my reason to stay from retirement to marriage, about ten years ago and had overlooked the fact that those OA holders using retirement as the basis of their stay, required insurance. Whether or not anyone was grandfathered in subsequently, I don't know since I wasn't affected. Apologies.

[skorts]

10 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

1st November 2019.

My O-A Visa was issued in September 2014. There was no grandfathering when the compulsory medical insurance requirements for the O-A came in - well not for me at Hua Hin Immigration. 

 

Do you have a link/document where this date is mentioned as it would be very useful to see what it says. 
 

I seem to recall, this grandfathering applies only to those on original O-A Visas in Phuket and nowhere else. 

[skorts]

7 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

(Excluding Phuket) Did they “Grandfather In” the non-Insurance requirements?

 

I seem to recall a lot of reports of existing Non-IMM OA users exiting to return for a Non-IMM O because they hadn’t been grandfathered in & suddenly needed Health Insurance  

 

Edit: Only applies to “Retirees” guys on Marriage Non-IMM OAs don’t need the Health Insurance

I think you are correct and it was Phuket only who were grandfathered. 

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, skorts said:

Do you have a link/document where this date is mentioned as it would be very useful to see what it says. 

Here is thread outlining experiences of health insurance requirements at various offices.

It would seem that only Phuket allowed any grandfather deal.

Certainly Hai Hin requires insurance regardless of when non O-A was obtained.

 

[NoDisplayName]

21 minutes ago, skorts said:

Thanks for your feedback. 
 

Can I go to Immigration and apply for a Non-Immigrant O Visa almost immediately after entering Thailand on 60 days Visa exempt or do I have to wait until later during my 60 day Visa exempt period?

 

I arrived on 30-day visa waiver on the 8th, applied for non-O at CW on the 18th, did not need the 30-day extension.

 

Had bank account with seasoned funds from a non-O extension that had expired a few years earlier due to being outside the kingdom during the covids.

 

Proof of overseas transfer was not required.

[skorts]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Here is thread outlining experiences of health insurance requirements at various offices.

It would seem that only Phuket allowed any grandfather deal.

Certainly Hai Hin requires insurance regardless of when non O-A was obtained.

 

Thanks Dr Jack that is really helpful 🙏

[Liquorice]

24 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

(Excluding Phuket) Did they “Grandfather In” the non-Insurance requirements?

 

I seem to recall a lot of reports of existing Non-IMM OA users exiting to return for a Non-IMM O because they hadn’t been grandfathered in & suddenly needed Health Insurance  

Although newly introduced in 2019, they retrospectively applied it those already on existing extensions based on retirement from an O-A visa.

Thus, the mandatory Insurance was thrust on those who previously arrived at an O-A visa, hence the desire to exit and re-enter VE or Non O for many expats.

The Covid travel restrictions stopped many from actually doing this.
It was never (officially) grandfathered.

 

It has been announced amongst the recent changes, that the current 3M BHT Insurance requirement will be reduced to 400K inpatient, 40K outpatient between Sept - Dec 2024, which was the original requirement.

[Liquorice]

1 hour ago, skorts said:

The thing I am not sure about is 3. above, and whether I can go to Immigration and apply for a Non-Immigrant O Visa almost immediately after entering Thailand on 60 days Visa exempt or I have to wait until later during my 60 day Visa exempt period?

You must have at least 15 days permission of stay left from the 60 day VE entry (23 days at certain IO's).
If you go too early, they may tell you to return later.
I'd go 30 days after entry.

[Liquorice]

22 minutes ago, skorts said:

My O-A Visa was issued in September 2014. There was no grandfathering when the compulsory medical insurance requirements for the O-A came in - well not for me at Hua Hin Immigration. 

I never stated it was grandfathered, quite the opposite.

In reply to @Mike Teavee I posted;

 

11 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

Although newly introduced in 2019, they retrospectively applied it those already on existing extensions based on retirement from an O-A visa.

Thus, the mandatory Insurance was thrust on those who previously arrived at an O-A visa, hence the desire to exit and re-enter VE or Non O for many expats.

The Covid travel restrictions stopped many from actually doing this.
It was never (officially) grandfathered.

 

It has been announced amongst the recent changes, that the current 3M BHT Insurance requirement will be reduced to 400K inpatient, 40K outpatient between Sept - Dec 2024, which was the original requirement.

 

[skorts]

3 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

I never stated it was grandfathered, quite the opposite.

In reply to @Mike Teavee I posted;

 

 

Apologies, I misunderstood your comment as you replied 1st November 2019 in response to Dr Jack saying he couldn’t recall the date your non-OA had to be issued for grandfathering to be possible. I understand now. 

[DrJack54]

33 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

Proof of overseas transfer was not required.

That is because the funds had been in the account for some time which will also be the case for OP

 

[Liquorice]

6 minutes ago, skorts said:

Apologies, I misunderstood your comment as you replied 1st November 2019 in response to Dr Jack saying he couldn’t recall the date your non-OA had to be issued for grandfathering to be possible. I understand now. 

1st Nov 2019 was the date they introduced the mandatory Health Insurance requirement for Non Imm 0-A visa applications.
At that time there was a lot of discussion whether it would also apply to extensions applications from new entries on an O-A, and/or for those already on extensions from a previous 0-A visa, the consensus being the new requirement would be grandfathered and only apply to new extension applications from Nov 2019.

Immigration subsequently issued a new order making the requirement retrospectively, effectively backdating the requirement to apply to all extension applications from all 0-A visa entries.

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

If during this post you became aware that it was only Phuket that grandfathered, then you should not have posted your first comment

I have always been aware that Phuket immigration has not required insurance for extensions based on retirement where the non O-A was issued prior to certain year.

The post I replied to from @chiang mai I took on face value as he stated that has never needed to obtain insurance from his long ago non O-A. 

 

As I have stated many times. ...post assistance to the forum or avoid posting

[JimTripper]

5 hours ago, skorts said:

After having completed 9 annual extensions as outlined in my post I think I know I am on extension of stay. The OA Visa requires compulsory medical insurance the O Visa does not. Whilst the original O-A visa has expired it still dictates the medical insurance requirement at every annual extension. 

Are you otherwise covered, or will be going without insurance?

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Are you otherwise covered, or will be going without insurance?

Guess that's up to him.

He might have better options for insurance or even self insure. 

[Rimmer]

An argumentative baiting post has been removed

[DrJack54]

5 hours ago, chiang mai said:

My OA expired 19 years ago and I don't need medical insurance, why do you think you do?

 

Are you obtaining extensions from non O-A based on retirement or marriage.

Retirement requires insurance 

Marriage no insurance requirement