35 minutes ago, khunPer said:

A one-time re-entry permit costs 1,000 baht. An unlimited re-entry permit for as long as your stay is permitted – i.e., the period for annual extension of stay – costs 3,800 baht.

Cheers khunPer, can you get multiple "one-time" if 3x re-entries 3000 baht and more than that, better get the unlimited?

15 minutes ago, BaanOz said:

Cheers khunPer, can you get multiple "one-time" if 3x re-entries 3000 baht and more than that, better get the unlimited?

Yes. Multi reentry = 3800b

Single = 1000b

Note: reentry permit stamp takes half a page. Many prefer just to get the multi.

Available at local immigration office or airport on departure.

At airport they have optional service fee 200b to do the form etc + pic

26 minutes ago, BaanOz said:

Cheers khunPer, can you get multiple "one-time" if 3x re-entries 3000 baht and more than that, better get the unlimited?

Yes, you can get a single each time you travel or a multi if you're expecting to travel more often. The convenience of the multi is also worth something, not having to apply for a new one each time.

3 hours ago, BaanOz said:

Cheers khunPer, can you get multiple "one-time" if 3x re-entries 3000 baht and more than that, better get the unlimited?

Thanks – as above answers.

Hi, suppose I have a standard O or O-A visa which is single entry.

If I go to leave the country and decide to get a multi re-entry permit at the airport, how long does it last - until the expiry date of the visa?

If I was on an O-A and came back into Thailand just before the visa expired (to get nearly another year of the visa), would the validity of the multi entry carry on until that 2nd year was over?

Thanks!

17 minutes ago, Dazzler said:

If I go to leave the country and decide to get a multi re-entry permit at the airport, how long does it last - until the expiry date of the visa

You would not have a visa you would have permission of stay.

The reentry permit will be valid to expiry of that stamp.

19 minutes ago, Dazzler said:

If I was on an O-A and came back into Thailand just before the visa expired (to get nearly another year of the visa), would the validity of the multi entry carry on until that 2nd year was over?

No after expiry of the Non O-A for "second year" you would need to buy reentry permit.

Note: you will also require 12 month health insurance. Dud option for some

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

You would not have a visa you would have permission of stay.

The reentry permit will be valid to expiry of that stamp.

No after expiry of the Non O-A for "second year" you would need to buy reentry permit.

Note: you will also require 12 month health insurance. Dud option for some

DrJack from your comment:: "You would not have a visa you would have permission of stay.

The reentry permit will be valid to expiry of that stamp." If I arrive in Thailand with an O or OA visa on July 1 2026. Then get a Multi re-entry at the airport when I first leave on August 1, then come and go numerous times, what is the last date that I have the Multi re-entry usage coming back into Thailand, is it June 30 2027?

"No after expiry of the Non O-A for "second year" you would need to buy reentry permit"

So once the original visa 1 year is over, would I need to get another Multi re-re-entry at the airport for use in the "second year"?

5 hours ago, Dazzler said:

So once the original visa 1 year is over, would I need to get another Multi re-re-entry at the airport for use in the "second year"?

I think best we seperate the Non O and Non O-A.

So with the Non O-A....

It's a multi entry visa valid for one year.

When you receive the eVisa it will have a "valid until" Date.

It's a multi entry visa.

So you do not need a reentry permit during it's validity.

Every time you enter Thailand you will be stamped in for 12 months provided you have insurance that covers that period.

Hence if you exit and reenter just prior to expiry of the visa you will effectively have almost 2 year stay.

Note in the "second year" with visa expired you would need to buy a reentry permit to exit and reenter Thailand

If you have any questions re Non O then fire away.

Note: if the plan is for ongoing living in Thailand then Non O-A is not best option IMO.

You will require annual insurance for every extension after the 2 year honeymoon

43 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I think best we seperate the Non O and Non O-A.

So with the Non O-A....

It's a multi entry visa valid for one year.

When you receive the eVisa it will have a "valid until" Date.

It's a multi entry visa.

So you do not need a reentry permit during it's validity.

Every time you enter Thailand you will be stamped in for 12 months provided you have insurance that covers that period.

Hence if you exit and reenter just prior to expiry of the visa you will effectively have almost 2 year stay.

Note in the "second year" with visa expired you would need to buy a reentry permit to exit and reenter Thailand

If you have any questions re Non O then fire away.

Note: if the plan is for ongoing living in Thailand then Non O-A is not best option IMO.

You will require annual insurance for every extension after the 2 year honeymoon

Thanks for the lowdown.

I wonder if you could explain why the non-imm O is better than the non-imm O-A for long term retirement stays. If you don't have a problem paying for insurance every year, then what are the drawbacks? I know that insurance gets pricey after age 70, but let's assume I'm willing to pay it. Would you still recommend an non-imm O over an non-imm O-A? I'm currently a snowbird but considering my options for a more permanent stay in Thailand next year or the year after.

11 minutes ago, ultramarine said:

Thanks for the lowdown.

I wonder if you could explain why the non-imm O is better than the non-imm O-A for long term retirement stays. If you don't have a problem paying for insurance every year, then what are the drawbacks? I know that insurance gets pricey after age 70, but let's assume I'm willing to pay it. Would you still recommend an non-imm O over an non-imm O-A? I'm currently a snowbird but considering my options for a more permanent stay in Thailand next year or the year after.

Even if you're willing to pay it, the non-O is the better option because you can go whatever insurance you want on that. With the non-OA extensions, you must get a policy only from the list of approved Thai companies that meet the required coverage amounts. And then you have to go through the process of getting it renewed every year and getting the specific proof for your extension.

If you go with the non-O you can do that at your own leisure and it's not part of your extension. Anything that can potentially reduce a wrench getting thrown into your extension is a good thing in my opinion. Depending on your immigration office, it can be a long drive, and a long wait just to find out you don't have what you need and have to come back another time.

If you truly don't care about the insurance aspect, then there's really no difference once you get past the first 1/2 years.

19 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

Even if you're willing to pay it, the non-O is the better option because you can go whatever insurance you want on that. With the non-OA extensions, you must get a policy only from the list of approved Thai companies that meet the required coverage amounts. And then you have to go through the process of getting it renewed every year and getting the specific proof for your extension.

If you go with the non-O you can do that at your own leisure and it's not part of your extension. Anything that can potentially reduce a wrench getting thrown into your extension is a good thing in my opinion. Depending on your immigration office, it can be a long drive, and a long wait just to find out you don't have what you need and have to come back another time.

If you truly don't care about the insurance aspect, then there's really no difference once you get past the first 1/2 years.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Of course, I'd like the process to be a painless as possible. Being free to get whatever insurance I want is a plus for sure.

Is there a difference regarding multiple entries for O vs O-A?

22 minutes ago, ultramarine said:

Is there a difference regarding multiple entries for O vs O-A?

The Non-OA VISA is multiple entry for the first year. That's why you can get 2 years out of it if you enter near the end of the first year. Since it's multiple entry, you get a 1-year stamp every time you enter during the validity of the visa. After that first year, you need to purchase a re-entry permit for the 2nd year on the visa, or any subsequent extensions.

The Non-O will need a re-entry permit for the initial entry if you want to leave during that 90 days, or for the subsequent extensions. Once you're on the extensions of either one, there's no difference about ANYTHING except the insurance requirement. You'll need a re-entry permit for any extension.

21 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

The Non-OA VISA is multiple entry for the first year. That's why you can get 2 years out of it if you enter near the end of the first year. Since it's multiple entry, you get a 1-year stamp every time you enter during the validity of the visa. After that first year, you need to purchase a re-entry permit for the 2nd year on the visa, or any subsequent extensions.

The Non-O will need a re-entry permit for the initial entry if you want to leave during that 90 days, or for the subsequent extensions. Once you're on the extensions of either one, there's no difference about ANYTHING except the insurance requirement. You'll need a re-entry permit for any extension.

Thanks. It seems for longer term expats, might as well get the O for the flexibility.

The other major decision I'll have to make is using a visa agent vs DIY. I can see the benefits of both. An agent makes sense if avoiding the Thai bank deposit although I gather that could be a problem down the line if you ever switch to DIY.

23 minutes ago, ultramarine said:

An agent makes sense if avoiding the Thai bank deposit although I gather that could be a problem down the line if you ever switch to DIY.

There is current thread running re agents. Link attached.

I have posted advice re DIY after use of agent. Suggest start over is best option. Not always necessary.

In the thread I would ignore all the sideshow re legality of agents.

I would avoid the Non O-A for long term living in Thailand

https://aseannow.com/topic/1390928-anyone-had-issues-later-with-an-extension-done-by-an-agent/

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

There is current thread running re agents. Link attached.

I have posted advice re DIY after use of agent. Suggest start over is best option. Not always necessary.

In the thread I would ignore all the sideshow re legality of agents.

I would avoid the Non O-A for long term living in Thailand

https://aseannow.com/topic/1390928-anyone-had-issues-later-with-an-extension-done-by-an-agent/

Thanks Dr J. Very helpful as always.

10 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I think best we seperate the Non O and Non O-A.

So with the Non O-A....

It's a multi entry visa valid for one year.

When you receive the eVisa it will have a "valid until" Date.

It's a multi entry visa.

So you do not need a reentry permit during it's validity.

Every time you enter Thailand you will be stamped in for 12 months provided you have insurance that covers that period.

Hence if you exit and reenter just prior to expiry of the visa you will effectively have almost 2 year stay.

Note in the "second year" with visa expired you would need to buy a reentry permit to exit and reenter Thailand

If you have any questions re Non O then fire away.

Note: if the plan is for ongoing living in Thailand then Non O-A is not best option IMO.

You will require annual insurance for every extension after the 2 year honeymoon

Thanks again for the info.

As I would buy medical insurance anyway if on an O visa that is not an issue for the OA for me. I am looking to save c. Bt30k by keeping my £20K in a UK bank with 4.5% interest.

You state that "Every time you enter Thailand you will be stamped in for 12 months provided you have insurance that covers that period." I assume that if my OA and insurance expire in June 2027 and I re-enter Thailand in say April 2027, I don't need insurance to cover 12 months from April 2027, i.e. until April 2028?

11 minutes ago, Dazzler said:

I assume that if my OA and insurance expire in June 2027 and I re-enter Thailand in say April 2027, I don't need insurance to cover 12 months from April 2027, i.e. until April 2028?

You will need insurance to cover the period that you will be stamped in for.

So in your example you need insurance till April 2028.

Suggest that you have a good look into the topic of insurance and what is available for Non O-A and future extensions.

Many folk killed off their O-A because of the insurance requirement even if they intended to obtain insurance with extensions from a Non O.

Quirky thing is if your extensions from Non O-A are ever based on marriage then insurance is not required

Here is thread discussing insurance for O-A

https://aseannow.com/topic/1373160-clueless-about-which-health-insurance-to-choose-for-non-oa/

59 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You will need insurance to cover the period that you will be stamped in for.

So in your example you need insurance till April 2028.

Suggest that you have a good look into the topic of insurance and what is available for Non O-A and future extensions.

Many folk killed off their O-A because of the insurance requirement even if they intended to obtain insurance with extensions from a Non O.

Quirky thing is if your extensions from Non O-A are ever based on marriage then insurance is not required

Here is thread discussing insurance for O-A

https://aseannow.com/topic/1373160-clueless-about-which-health-insurance-to-choose-for-non-oa/

Oh, so every time I leave Thailand in the first year of my OA I need to extend my insurance by an additional number of months to maintain a full year of insurance coverage?

So if I go overseas in November I need to reenter with insurance til November the following year, and then if I go overseas again in January I need to extend cover until the following January. Is that correct?

8 minutes ago, Dazzler said:

So if I go overseas in November I need to reenter with insurance til November the following year, and then if I go overseas again in January I need to extend cover until the following January. Is that correct?

Granted this quote is from AI:

Insurance Requirement upon Entry/Re-entry: Each time you enter Thailand on a Non O-A visa (within its 1-year validity), your permitted stay is stamped based on the expiration date of your health insurance, up to a maximum of 12 months.

This is just my take. Someone will correct.

For first year trips like the ones you gave as examples the io should stamp you in till expiry of insurance.

Then for that last exit/reenter that's the one time you buy the new 12 month insurance

7 hours ago, Dazzler said:

Oh, so every time I leave Thailand in the first year of my OA I need to extend my insurance by an additional number of months to maintain a full year of insurance coverage?

So if I go overseas in November I need to reenter with insurance til November the following year, and then if I go overseas again in January I need to extend cover until the following January. Is that correct?

No need to update your insurance every time you leave. You just need to know you'll only be stamped in until the end of that coverage but that won't matter because you have plans to leave and return before the visa expires to get year 2. Make sure you have a copy ready when you return.

It's only on the LAST entry that you would do in order to get year 2 that you want to make sure you have the new year of insurance ready.