Problem transitioning from OA to O Non-Immigrant Retirment Visa

[CanadaJoe]

Has anyone had issues transitioning from an OA Retirment Visa to an O Retirment Visa?

 

When I obtained my OA visa in Canada, they told me that if I stayed in Thailand I'd have to transition over to O visa. They said the only difference (aside from a few requirements like health insurance, police check, etc.) was that OA visa were issued in the applicatns home country, while O visas were issued in Thailand. 

 

However, when I went to Thai Immigration today to do this, I was told it was not possible. They said I have two options: 

 

1) Renew my OA Visa, or

2) Leave Thailand, return on a Tourist visa and then apply for a new O visa

 

To renew the OA Visa, they said I would need to get my non-Thai insurance certified by the Canadian embassy. It's my understanding that the Canadian Embassy does not provide services like this. The insurance is from a German insurer, so the Thai immigration official then told me to go to the German embassy and have them certify the insurance. However, I'm not convinced that the German embassy will certify insurance, particularly for a non-German citizen. The only other option for getting around the insurance is to fork out $300-$400 CND for one of those throw-away Thai insurance policies. This is despite my current policy having infinitely more coverage and benefits than the Thia policy would provide. 

 

The other option would be to fly to a neighbouring country, return on a Tourist visa and start the whole process of applying for an O visa again from scratch.

 

It's very frustrating, particularly as the Thai Consulate in Canada had told me it would be no problem to transition from an OA to an O. 

 

Has anyone had similar experiences and if so, how did you resolve the issues? 

 

Thanks

[Upnotover]

They didn't mean renew your non-OA, they meant get an extension.  You could only renew it in Canada.

 

Your best option is to leave Thailand and kill off the OA.  You can re-enter exempt or better apply for a single non-O e-visa in a nearby country, then re-enter, 90 day entry.  Then you only have to get a 12 month extension of that.  You will need 800k in your Thai bank account, but you will no longer need the insurance, not at least for immigration purposes.

[zzzzz]

Just leave<
i assume u have the 800,000 in the bank?  if so, go to Phnom Pehn (Use the agent "call kim" ), Vientiane or Yangon and apply for a Non o visa, all u need do is show ur thai bank book ( update it the day before u leave) an passport
apx $60-80  3-4 days
than return to Thailand and after 2 months apply for ur 1 year extension.


OR

leave for 1 night, come back on a 60 days visa exempt , after 30 days apply for the 90 day non o Visa ( 2,000 baht)
after 2 months the 1 year extension>

Up to u

[CanadaJoe]

3 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

They didn't mean renew your non-OA, they meant get an extension.  You could only renew it in Canada.

 

Your best option is to leave Thailand and kill off the OA.  You can re-enter exempt or better apply for a single non-O e-visa in a nearby country, then re-enter, 90 day entry.  Then you only have to get a 12 month extension of that.  You will need 800k in your Thai bank account, but you will no longer need the insurance, not at least for immigration purposes.

Thanks. Yeah, I didn't think it was possible to renew an OA from within Thailand and don't really want to do that anyway. I wanted to just transition over to the O which I was under the impression I could do. I already have the 800,000 in a Thai bank and comprehensive health insurance with another company. When I got my original OA in Canada I again had to waste $350 CDN on a throw-away policy because it seemed like no insurance company would sign the "Foreign Insurance Certificate" that This government insists on. Is it just me, or is it crazy that the Thai government was the insurance company to sign a letter saying they have sold you a policy when you can show the policy itself? Doesn't make any sense to me. Anyway, thanks for your advice. 

[CanadaJoe]

3 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

Just leave<
i assume u have the 800,000 in the bank?  if so, go to Phnom Pehn (Use the agent "call kim" ), Vientiane or Yangon and apply for a Non o visa, all u need do is show ur thai bank book ( update it the day before u leave) an passport
apx $60-80  3-4 days
than return to Thailand and after 2 months apply for ur 1 year extension.


OR

leave for 1 night, come back on a 60 days visa exempt , after 30 days apply for the 90 day non o Visa ( 2,000 baht)
after 2 months the 1 year extension>

Up to u

Thanks for the advice. It's just frustrating having to leave the country to do all of this. Gotta love government bureaucracy! 

[DrJack54]

27 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

Has anyone had issues transitioning from an OA Retirment Visa to an O Retirment Visa?

So to be clear....what's the plan? 

To live in Thailand ongoing? 

 

You basically have two options.

Continue obtaining Non O-A in your home country.

Each Non O-A can provide a 2 year stay in Thailand. (explain later) 

That requires purchase of insurance for each year.

OR 

You can kill off your non O-A by exiting Thailand in the "second year" 

You can then obtain an eVisa (non O) outside of Thailand.

 

However better option is to just border bounce to kill off the Non O-A and reenter visa exempt (no visa required)

You can then obtain Non O at local immigration office.

After that the subsequent 12 month extension. No insurance requirement. 

 

Edit: fixed up typo Upnotover pointed out. 

[Upnotover]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

You can then obtain Non O-A at local immigration office.

Typo.

[CanadaJoe]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

So to be clear....what's the plan? 

To live in Thailand ongoing? 

 

You basically have two options.

Continue obtaining Non O-A in your home country.

Each Non O-A can provide a 2 year stay in Thailand. (explain later) 

That requires purchase of insurance for each year.

OR 

You can kill off your non O-A by exiting Thailand in the "second year" 

You can then obtain an eVisa (non O) outside of Thailand.

 

However better option is to just border bounce to kill off the Non O-A and reenter visa exempt (no visa required)

You can then obtain Non O-A at local immigration office.

After that the subsequent 12 month extension. No insurance requirement. 

 

Thanks. Yes, the plan is to stay here in Thailand long-term. I'd prefer not to have to purchase throw-away insurance each year, so it seems transitioning over to the O visa is the only way around that. How is it possible to stay for 2 years on an OA? 

 

 

 

 

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

It's just frustrating having to leave the country to do all of this. Gotta love government bureaucracy! 

Is that serious.

Thailand has some of the most flexible options to live in this country.

If you had chosen to obtain a Non O retirement in home country you could live here ongoing with extensions (no insurance) 

Perhaps poor planning 

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

How is it possible to stay for 2 years on an OA? 

A non O-A is valid for 12 months from date of issue.

If you exit and reenter Thailand just prior to expiry of the Visa you will be stamped in for a further 12 months.

Note the "second year" would also require insurance and would no longer be multi entry if wish to exit and reenter Thailand.

No wonder it was popular visa prior to insurance requirement 

[DrJack54]

38 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

1) Renew my OA Visa, or

2) Leave Thailand, return on a Tourist visa and then apply for a new O visa

1.They didn't mean Renew the O-A.

They meant obtain 12 month extension to your permission of stay. That can be done ongoing.

 

2. They always state obtain Tourist Visa to obtain Non O in Thailand..

Not required. A visa exempt entry is satisfactory. 

[CanadaJoe]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Is that serious.

Thailand has some of the most flexible options to live in this country.

If you had chosen to obtain a Non O retirement in home country you could live here ongoing with extensions (no insurance) 

Perhaps poor planning 

I contacted the Thai consulate in Canada numerous times before applying for my original visa. Each time, they told me my only option (from within Canada) was the OA visa. I was informed the O visa could only be applied for from within Thailand. In hindsight perhaps I should have originally entered on a tourist visa and applied from within Thailand for the O visa, but I followed the advice of the Thai consulate in Canada. But yes, I believe there is also a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy here in Thailand, despite the number of visa options available. For example, today they refused to accept the photos of me standing outside my condo because they were printed in landscape orientation and they insisted on portrait orientation. I had specifically visited the immigration office last week to double-check everything I needed, but there was no mention of the orientation requirements for the photos.  Also, what does a photo of me standing outside a condo prove? I could easily go and stand outside ANY condo and take a photo, it's not valid proof of anything. 

[CanadaJoe]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

A non O-A is valid for 12 months from date of issue.

If you exit and reenter Thailand just prior to expiry of the Visa you will be stamped in for a further 12 months.

Note the "second year" would also require insurance and would no longer be multi entry if wish to exit and reenter Thailand.

No wonder it was popular visa prior to insurance requirement 

Okay, thanks. Yes, that's an option. 

[CanadaJoe]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

1.They didn't mean Renew the O-A.

They meant obtain 12 month extension to your permission of stay. That can be done ongoing.

 

2. They always state obtain Tourist Visa to obtain Non O in Thailand..

Not required. A visa exempt entry is satisfactory. 

Olay thanks for the clarification. I guess I didn't understand renewing a visa and extending my stay were different beasts. Yeah as a Canadian I believe I can enter Visa exempt for 60 days. I have all my paperwork and bank account stuff prepared for the O visa already so hopefully once back in Thailand it would be a fairly simple process to get the O visa. 

[Upnotover]

2 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

I believe I can enter Visa exempt for 60 days

Yes you can, don't forget if you chose that option you may be asked for onward travel proof, a small thing but not to be overlooked.

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

I have all my paperwork and bank account stuff prepared for the O visa already so hopefully once back in Thailand it would be a fairly simple process to get the O visa. 

So to be clear ...you are not in Thailand but rather Canada.

So what were the photos you mention earlier about. 

Yes enter visa exempt and obtain a Non O 

 

Process explained here.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1311886-visa-exempt-to-retirement-extension-process-and-cost/

[CanadaJoe]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

So to be clear ...you are not in Thailand but rather Canada.

So what were the photos you mention earlier about. 

Yes enter visa exempt and obtain a Non O 

I'm currently in Thailand and have no plans to return to Canada in the near future. When I went to Phuket immigration last week to check on the requirements for the visa, the Immigration officer told me I needed to have photos of me standing outside my Phuket condo, with the unit number clearly visible. I complied with this requirement, but they didn't like the fact that the photos were in landscape orientation on the page when they were printed.  

[CanadaJoe]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Process explained here.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1311886-visa-exempt-to-retirement-extension-process-and-cost/

Thanks the link, I'll go through it. 

[CanadaJoe]

I went back to Immigration this morning after purchasing a throw-away insurance policy and waving goodbye to $350. Next year I will leave Thailand, return on a 90-day O or visa exempt and transition off the OA so I don't have to pay these rip-off insurance fees ever again. 

 

Thanks to everyone who responded for your advice and information, it was much appreciated.  

[DrJack54]

46 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

Next year I will leave Thailand, return on a 90-day O or visa exempt and transition off the OA so I don't have to pay these rip-off insurance fees ever again

Just make sure that you don't have a reentry permit when you exit Thailand.

 

[CanadaJoe]

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Just make sure that you don't have a reentry permit when you exit Thailand.

 

Got it, thanks for the info. When I leave Thailand, is it best to do so just before my current OA visa expires, so that it's already expired when I return? If I leave while my OA visa is still valid and try to re-enter on a visa exemption or a 90-day O visa, could that cause any issues?

[CANSIAM]

I had the OA a few years back. Your OA is valid for 1 year, To kill the OA you need to exit Thailand just before the OA visa sticker expiry date. As already said do not get a re entry permit prior to leaving. You can return to Thailand with a 90 day Non O from home Thai embassy or return exempt and get the Non O here, you'll need a bank account here.  

[Upnotover]

1 hour ago, CanadaJoe said:

Got it, thanks for the info. When I leave Thailand, is it best to do so just before my current OA visa expires, so that it's already expired when I return? If I leave while my OA visa is still valid and try to re-enter on a visa exemption or a 90-day O visa, could that cause any issues?

Presumably you haven't already left and returned since the original entry on the OA, i.e., in the first 12 months?

 

Leaving before it expires is no issue but If you re-enter with a still valid OA then yes it may/will cause issues.  Of course if you don't have renewed insurance they might not give you a non-OA entry but rather than attempt that route simply re-enter after it has expired.

[CanadaJoe]

1 hour ago, CANSIAM said:

I had the OA a few years back. Your OA is valid for 1 year, To kill the OA you need to exit Thailand just before the OA visa sticker expiry date. As already said do not get a re entry permit prior to leaving. You can return to Thailand with a 90 day Non O from home Thai embassy or return exempt and get the Non O here, you'll need a bank account here.  

Thanks for the info. Would probably exit to another nearby country rather than returning to Canada. 

[CanadaJoe]

23 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

Presumably you haven't already left and returned since the original entry on the OA, i.e., in the first 12 months?

 

Leaving before it expires is no issue but If you re-enter with a still valid OA then yes it may/will cause issues.  Of course if you don't have renewed insurance they might not give you a non-OA entry but rather than attempt that route simply re-enter after it has expired.

Great thanks. I got my original OA in Canada last January and bought the throw away Thai insurance (needed for the visa) with a march start date, which was my intended arrival date. My trip was delayed so didn’t arrive in Thailand until July. Was only granted a stay until March of this year because that was when my insurance expired. Took a short trip to Singapore in August and then returned to Thailand. Got an extension this morning of my OA until March 2026, but needed to purchase another throw away Thai insurance policy. Not sure of my travel plans for next year, but sounds like I will need to plan a trip to coincide with the expiration of my OA so I can then transition to the O. 

[Upnotover]

31 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

Great thanks. I got my original OA in Canada last January and bought the throw away Thai insurance (needed for the visa) with a march start date, which was my intended arrival date. My trip was delayed so didn’t arrive in Thailand until July. Was only granted a stay until March of this year because that was when my insurance expired. Took a short trip to Singapore in August and then returned to Thailand. Got an extension this morning of my OA until March 2026, but needed to purchase another throw away Thai insurance policy. Not sure of my travel plans for next year, but sounds like I will need to plan a trip to coincide with the expiration of my OA so I can then transition to the O. 

You can be flexible.  Your visa has already expired.  The "enter before" date on the visa is the expiry date.  So provided you leave after that January date, and before the current March permission to stay date, you will be fine.  You can re-enter any time after leaving, can be before the current March date if that suits your plans. 

[CanadaJoe]

5 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

You can be flexible.  Your visa has already expired.  The "enter before" date on the visa is the expiry date.  So provided you leave after that January date, and before the current March permission to stay date, you will be fine.  You can re-enter any time after leaving, can be before the current March date if that suits your plans. 

Great thanks 🙏🏻 

[DrJack54]

40 minutes ago, CanadaJoe said:

Not sure of my travel plans for next year, but sounds like I will need to plan a trip to coincide with the expiration of my OA so I can then transition to the O. 

As has been already pointed out...

You can obtain the Non O retirement at consulates/embassies outside of Thailand. 

Note: does not need to be home country unlike Non O-A application.

OR

You can enter visa exempt after killing off Non O-A. 

[CanadaJoe]

8 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

As has been already pointed out...

You can obtain the Non O retirement at consulates/embassies outside of Thailand. 

Note: does not need to be home country unlike Non O-A application.

OR

You can enter visa exempt after killing off Non O-A. 

Sweet thanks. Appreciate all the info. 👍🏻

[erectem]

Had same problem with OA and beginning of covid.  Too old to get med. ins. so got an agent for 2 consecutive estensions to do renewals.  When covid restrictions wetre lifted, I went to Vientienne (with out re entry permit effectively cancelling oa) and got a 60 day tourist visa.  entered Thailand and 15+ days before expiration applied at C. Wattanna for 90 day thing. Non. imm. 0. for retirement. and now I get 1 year extension  easy peasy.