Confused about Non-Immigrant O visa

[Faz]

Hi Klutz and welcome to the forum.

It would assist in giving you the best advice if you could furbish further details.
When you state visiting family, is that Thai or foreign family.
If Thai, is it Thai spouse, Thai children?

Thailand doesn't offer a lot of options for an 8-10 month stay.

[KlutzUK]

Visiting family as in, my son is married to a Thai and are living in Thailand. 8-10 months stay is just a suggestion. However, it could be possible that I would stay a year. 

[Faz]

1 hour ago, KlutzUK said:

Visiting family as in, my son is married to a Thai and are living in Thailand. 8-10 months stay is just a suggestion. However, it could be possible that I would stay a year. 

OK thanks.

Only 3 options.
The METV which would allow you to stay for up to 9 months, but requires border runs. 
At this time no land borders are open and it's difficult to predict the situation in 6 months time.

The Non Imm O Visa based on retirement grants a stay of 90 days on entry.
1. Financial evidence e.g. A copy of pension statement if the applicant is a pensioner, or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least £10,000
2. Confirmation of legal residence in the UK or Ireland. 
3. Copy of health insurance that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand.
Non-Immigrant visas - Royal Thai Embassy, London

You can extend that 90 day entry for a further 1 year but requires depositing 800K THB in a Thai bank account.
 

The Non Imm O-A Visa based on retirement, grants a stay of 1 year on entry.
1. Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months and at least 2 blank pages
2. A medical certificate issued in the UK or Ireland or Thailand, showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535) which include Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Elephantiasis, drug addiction, third stage of Syphilis, and the certificate shall be valid for not more than three months.
3. Certificate of criminal record clearance from the UK (ACRO, DBS, or issued by the police) or Ireland
4. Financial evidence showing monthly income of not less than 65,000 THB (approx. £1,625) or having the current balance of 800,000 THB (approx. £20,000), e.g. bank statements, proof of earnings, for at least 1 month
5. Copy of evidence stating that applicants have insurance as per stipulated by the Office of Insurance Commission and health insurance of Thailand which covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand.

Please check < http://longstay.tgia.org> for more information regarding the insurance requirement.

 

There are separate requirements for entering Thailand, but these could change April 1st.

 

[KlutzUK]

NON O-A

"2. A medical certificate issued in the UK or Ireland or Thailand, showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535) which include Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Elephantiasis, drug addiction, third stage of Syphilis, and the certificate shall be valid for not more than three months.

3. Certificate of criminal record clearance from the UK (ACRO, DBS, or issued by the police) or Ireland"

Do you know if these documents needs to be notarized/certified? I am hearing different answers. 

 

Thank you so much for the information.

[Faz]

18 hours ago, KlutzUK said:

Do you know if these documents needs to be notarized/certified? I am hearing different answers. 

 

Note: 

- Please submit the originals of bank statement, criminal record check, and medical record, as well as one photocopy of each document. In case that an applicant could not submit the original documents, the Embassy will accept the photocopies which have been certified by a Notary Public officer or Solicitors.

- The consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary. 

If you submit originals of the above + a photocopy of each one, then no notarisation is required.
1. Bank statement (should be issued and stamped by bank for authentication)
2. Criminal record check.
3. Medical certificate.
If for any reason you cannot or don't want to send the originals, (+ photocopies)  then you must send certified copies.

 

You can download the medical certificate here; Microsoft Word - oa_add.doc (thaiembdc.org)

 

[KlutzUK]

"You can download the medical certificate here; Microsoft Word - oa_add.doc (thaiembdc.org)"

Sorry to sound stupid. What would I need to do with this Microsoft Word- MEd Certificate? Do I need to give this to my doctor to fill in when I get a medical check for my visa in the UK? 

[Faz]

2 hours ago, KlutzUK said:

Sorry to sound stupid. What would I need to do with this Microsoft Word- MEd Certificate? Do I need to give this to my doctor to fill in when I get a medical check for my visa in the UK? 

Yes.

[KlutzUK]

 

So, I am in the middle of applying for my NON-OA visa, and it requires me to have insurance with the equivalent amount of 3 mil.

 

Just out of curiosity, what would happen to my insurance which I applied for IF my application for my visa was refused?

 

[Faz]

8 hours ago, KlutzUK said:

Just out of curiosity, what would happen to my insurance which I applied for IF my application for my visa was refused?

A few pointers;
1. Have any Insurance post dated to start on the date of your planned entry.
2. Ensure the premium is refundable if you are refused the Visa.
3. If you go for a locally issued policy ensure they will sign the Foreign Insurance certificate, otherwise purchase it through the tgia website as recommended.

There is absolutely no reason why your Visa application should be refused provided you meet all the requirements.

[Todderz]

I know this is an old thread but I can't seem to create a new topic and this one has a lot of info related to my questions, chiefly about the effect of health insurance expiry dates on permission to stay for a non O-A based on retirement.

Three questions:

• When extending the permission of stay for a non-immigrant O-A (based on retirement) in Thailand near the end of the first year permission of stay, would the new permission of stay be limited by the expiry date of the mandatory health insurance, just as it would be when re-entering from abroad before the expiration of the visa? How do you get around that?
• If I enter on a non-immigrant O 90 day single entry with the intention of opening a Thai bank account and applying for the 1 year extension of stay (based on retirement), could I get a re-entry permit in order to briefly leave (and then return) during that first 90 day period?
• Is it possible to open a bank account while holding only a 90 day non O and while living in hotels (ie before finding a longer term property rental)?

Many thanks for any help. If my questions don't make sense then below is the long-winded version.

--------

I am currently back in the UK after most of last year in Thailand on tourist visas and exemptions. I wish to return for long term.

I could apply for the non-immigrant O-A visa (based on retirement) while in the UK. The health insurance is reasonably priced and it seems sensible to have it anyway.

I understand that if I leave and re-enter Thailand then the permission of stay stamped in my passport will be limited to the expiration date of my health insurance. I understand how this would prevent me from gaining a second year permission of stay by re-entering just prior to the expiration of the visa.

I first thought that wouldn't bother me as I would meet the requirements to simply apply for a 1 year extension of stay without leaving. However, when applying for the 1 year extension of stay would I still be limited by the health insurance expiry and thus be forced to buy a new policy that slightly overlaps the first?

For example (and please look past any minor errors in my date calculations!) Say I buy insurance beginning Jan 1st and enter Thailand with my new non O-A visa on Jan 1st. I am granted permission to stay until 31st Dec, same as when the insurance expires.

I can apply to extend my stay in the last 45 days of the visa. So I apply on 1st December. But my insurance expires on 31st December.

Does that mean I would only receive permission to stay until 31st December?

How would anyone ever renew their health insurance, instead having to buy a new separate policy a few weeks earlier than the first expires?

I could apply for a non-immigrant O single entry 90 day visa then apply for the 1 year extension of stay after entering Thailand.

However, I am worried about the difficulty of opening a Thai bank account (while holding a 90 day visa and living in hotels) quickly enough to allow the 2 months to elapse before getting too close to the end of the 90 day permission to stay. Or even getting a bank account at all.

Also I intend to leave Thailand for a short trip to Bali a few weeks after the initial entry. The non-immigrant O visa is single entry. Could I get a re-entry permit in order to spend a fortnight in Bali and return to use the remainder of the 90 days and complete my application for the 1 year extension, or would leaving terminate the visa and I'd have to start again?

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Todderz

[Faz]

50 minutes ago, Todderz said:

Three questions:

• When extending the permission of stay for a non-immigrant O-A (based on retirement) in Thailand near the end of the first year permission of stay, would the new permission of stay be limited by the expiry date of the mandatory health insurance, just as it would be when re-entering from abroad before the expiration of the visa? How do you get around that?
• If I enter on a non-immigrant O 90 day single entry with the intention of opening a Thai bank account and applying for the 1 year extension of stay (based on retirement), could I get a re-entry permit in order to briefly leave (and then return) during that first 90 day period?
• Is it possible to open a bank account while holding only a 90 day non O and while living in hotels (ie before finding a longer term property rental)?

1. Yes, any permission of stay from a Non Imm O-A is subject to the expiry date of any Health Insurance, which should be from the recommended Thai (TGIA) Insurers.
You can't get around the Health Insurance requirement with a Non Imm O-A.
Obtain the Non Imm O to avoid the compulsory Health Insurance for extensions of stay.

2. Yes, you can purchase a re-entry permit (1,900 BHT) to protect the 90-day stay. On re-entry, you'd be stamped in to the existing date of the original entry.

3. Banks will almost certainly require a permanently registered address to open an account, regardless of the visa type. (Non Imm O / Non Imm O-A). Hotels/guest houses are regarded as temporary accommodation.

Recommended read;
https://thaiembdc.org/2020/11/17/oalongstay/

2.10 Additional health insurance requirement for Non-Immigrant O-A / O-X (Long Stay)

Effective from 1 October 2021, the applicant must be insured for the entire period of stay in Thailand with the following coverage:
– Health insurance must cover Covid-19 disease with the total sum insured of no less than 3,000,000 THB or $100,000 per policy year

The applicants must submit the following:

Health insurance policy document issued by a Thai or foreign insurance company, stating that the applicant is medically insured for the period and with coverage as mentioned above:
(a) In case of a foreign insurance company, the applicant must submit the insurance policy document;
(b) In case of a Thai insurance company, the applicant must submit the insurance policy document. A list of Thai insurance companies participating in the scheme can be found here: http://longstay.tgia.org

Foreign Insurance Certificate as stipulated by the Office of Insurance Commission and Health Insurance of Thailand, which must be completed, signed, and stamped by the insurance company. The form can be downloaded here: Foreign Insurance Certificate Form. Please contact your insurance company, since this Foreign Insurance Certificate is mandatory.

https://talk.thethaiger.com/topic/1649-common-visa-types-explained/

MeetingtheHealth-InsurancerequirementwhenApplyingforaNonImmO-A(long-stay)VisainyourHome-Country-rev5dd2021-03-05.pdf

LMG Insurance Non Imm O-A approved Policy – Tips & Caveats _ rev3 dd 2021-03-05.pdf

 

 

 

 

[Todderz]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply.

By "How do you get around that?" I meant how do you coordinate health insurance expiry dates with annual extension of permission to stay.

The answer seems simple. Renew the policy a month before expiry then do the extension.

I don't see why people were saying it was difficult.

And - at least at my age - the health insurance seems quite cheap. On the other hand, the deductible is 100k THB and I suspect many minor injuries or ailments wouldn't cost more than that anyway, meaning such a policy has little practical value.

[Faz]

4 hours ago, Todderz said:

By "How do you get around that?" I meant how do you coordinate health insurance expiry dates with annual extension of permission to stay.

The Non Imm O-A Visa is valid to enter Thailand for 1 year, each and every entry permits a stay of 1 year.
If you exited and re-entered the day before the visa expiry date, you'd get permission of stay for a further one year, so almost 2 years.
If you know the date you'd first enter, post date the Insurance to start on the day of entry and consider 2 years cover. 

How - The Non Imm O-A Visa ..odt 

There is no requirement to have a Thai bank account or funds in a Thai bank when entering with a valid visa. To extend your stay, you must meet the financial requirements in a Thai bank.

4 hours ago, Todderz said:

The answer seems simple. Renew the policy a month before expiry then do the extension.

Any extension would then only be granted for 11 months.
Post date the Insurance to coincide with any extension renewal date, or the initial entry date.

 

4 hours ago, Todderz said:

And - at least at my age - the health insurance seems quite cheap. On the other hand, the deductible is 100k THB and I suspect many minor injuries or ailments wouldn't cost more than that anyway, meaning such a policy has little practical value.

Which Insurer?

 

[Todderz]

On 4/25/2023 at 6:52 PM, Faz said:

 

Any extension would then only be granted for 11 months.

Which Insurer?

Renewing means adding a year to the policy. That can be done 1 month prior to expiry, adding 12 months to the expiry date.

The insurer is AXA. Age 50 with 100k deductible (lowest deductible) is 9895 per year. With 300k deductible (cheapest premium) it's 5655.

The cheapest premiums rise to

6460 at 51

7595 at 60

21680 at 65

25360 at 70

 

 

 

[Todderz]

While I'm here, do any Brits know a source for the health check certificate required for the O-A application?

I obtained a Certificate of Good Health from ZoomDoc for £49. (I tried to insert a link but it seems I'm not allowed. Easy to google ZoomDoc and find the option for "Visa – Certificate of Good Health")

It is issued by a CQC and FCDO registered UK doctor and refers to the International Health Regulations (IHR2005) stating:

"This health certificate states that <name> does not suffer from any of the diseases that may have serious public health repercussions in accordance with what is stipulated by the International Health Regulations of 2005. "

That isn't the same wording as the template letter linked higher up, but the London embassy doesn't specify a format. 

I asked a private clinic who specialise in visa medicals and they told me I would need to have 5 tests totalling £590, which is idiotic. I asked my GP and they might get back to me in about 3 years...

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by Todderz

[Todderz]

I've answered my own question: ZoomDoc will sign and stamp the standard format letter for an extra £25.

(though of course acceptance by the embassy is a different matter)

[Faz]

5 hours ago, Todderz said:

Renewing means adding a year to the policy. That can be done 1 month prior to expiry, adding 12 months to the expiry date.

I think you're missing the point.
Any policy will usually start the day of acceptance, then you have to apply for the visa, then arrange flights.
The policy could be one month old by the time you enter, therefore only being granted a stay of 11 months, not 12. You should request the policy be post dated to start on your intended day of entry to utilise the full period.

You are aware you can stay in Thailand for almost two years with an O-A visa, (one border run) before applying for an extension of stay?

5 hours ago, Todderz said:

The insurer is AXA. Age 50 with 100k deductible (lowest deductible) is 9895 per year. With 300k deductible (cheapest premium) it's 5655.

Is that through the TGIA website, or AXA in the UK?
If it's with a non-Thai Insurer, they must sign a certificate, or it won't be accepted.

5 hours ago, Todderz said:

While I'm here, do any Brits know a source for the health check certificate required for the O-A application?

The Thai Embassy in London should provide a link for the Health certificate, but they don't!
The medical certificate can be downloaded (free) here; http://thaiembdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Medical-Certificate-Form-For-Non-Immigrant-O-A-Long-Stay-Only.pdf

Your GP should sign it.

[Todderz]

On 4/28/2023 at 7:55 PM, Faz said:

I think you're missing the point.

No, I get it. I was talking about renewing when you do the extension of stay while In Thailand, not the first entry. Match the dates when you first enter and then annually renewing the insurance and applying for the extension seems easy enough.

Thanks for clarifying, I appreciate the help.

On 4/28/2023 at 7:55 PM, Faz said:

You are aware you can stay in Thailand for almost two years with an O-A visa, (one border run) before applying for an extension of stay?

 

Subject to having a renewed health insurance policy for another year, no?

In which case I don't see the benefit of a border run, which must cost a lot more then the extension fee, unless you were travelling anyway.

On 4/28/2023 at 7:55 PM, Faz said:

Is that through the TGIA website, or AXA in the UK?

Yes, AXA Thailand via TGIA, hence prices in THB.

On 4/28/2023 at 7:55 PM, Faz said:

The Thai Embassy in London should provide a link for the Health certificate, but they don't!
The medical certificate can be downloaded (free) here; http://thaiembdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Medical-Certificate-Form-For-Non-Immigrant-O-A-Long-Stay-Only.pdf

Your GP should sign it.

Poor wording on my part - I already have the certificate template document, I meant "does anyone know a medical service that will sign the certificate".

My GP won't, but ZoomDoc will.

 

Edited April 30, 2023 by Todderz

[Faz]

6 hours ago, Todderz said:

My GP won't, but ZoomDoc will.

Well that's a new one, never heard of a GP that refused to sign, although it's not free, they usually charge.

 

6 hours ago, Todderz said:

Subject to having a renewed health insurance policy for another year, no?

In which case I don't see the benefit of a border run, which must cost a lot more then the extension fee, unless you were travelling anyway.

The difference being for the O-A visa and subsequent 1 year entries during its validity, the financial requirement of 800K THB can be in your UK bank account, whereas for annual extensions the 800K funds must be in a Thai bank account.

The majority who obtain the Non O-A do so with the intention of regularly returning home to renew it every two years. If it's your intention to stay long term, why not obtain the Non O, which has no compulsory Health Insurance requirement for annual extension.

[Todderz]

In case it helps any other Brits who find this thread the way I did:

1. I applied online for the non-immigrant O-A multi-entry visa via the London Thai embassy (£150)
2. I used a DBS basic check for the criminal records certificate (£18) (Upload a photo of the paper certificate)
3. I used ZoomDoc for the health certificate (£49 for their certificate format, and £25 for the template linked previously in this thread, just in case that mattered. My own GP is useless and wasted my time.)
4. I got health insurance with AXA (£230). I gave a hotel address for "address in Thailand" because I won't have a longer term place until I return to Thailand. The certificate of coverage arrived within 5 minutes of paying for the policy. You can only choose a start date max 30 days ahead.
5. I provided 3 months statements from a UK bank (savings) account showing the required funds. (The form only allows one document, but to save being chased for more statements I used an online PDF editor to join 3 statements into one file)
6. For both questions asking for proof of residence in UK I uploaded a photo of my driving licence
7. The application asked for date of intended departure from Thailand, which I thought was odd. I used the end date of my health insurance, ie 365 days after intended date of arrival
8. The application had 3 different questions about health insurance. I uploaded the same certificate three times
9. The application asked for intended date of arrival, port of entry, and flight number, but did not ask for flight bookings
10. The visa arrived by email just over 2 days later. Under "visa conditions" it states the end date of my health insurance, so do make sure you line up the start date of the policy with your intended arrival day

Total cost, £472. Degree of difficulty, 0.

No Thai bank accounts, no visa agencies, and it's a multiple entry visa so I can come and go.

In a couple of years if I'm still wanting to remain in Thailand I will probably allow the O-A to expire then re-enter to apply for the standard O (again based on retirement) and dispense with the need for health insurance.

At my age the health cover is cheap, and doing it this way makes my life a lot simpler for my upcoming travel plans, with no pressure to sort out long-term accommodation, bank accounts, 30 day extensions, border bounces, etc)

(And I'm glad I didn't talk myself into blowing £14k on a 5 year elite visa...)

Hope that's useful to someone. Thanks to all the previous commenters and especially Faz for sharing your advice

Edited May 11, 2023 by Todderz