TV + extension = 90 days…..then what?

[Spengler]

If I enter Thailand (late October) on a TV I get 60 days…..which can be extended one time by 30 days….giving me a total of 90 days

I am trying to stay for 6 months but want to avoid the hassle of an O/OA Non-Imm if at all possible…

So my thinking is that after 90 days (late January), either

a) borders will have opened up & I can do a visa run, or

b) borders will still be closed & immigration will still be issuing 60 covid extensions, or

c) worse case scenario, I could apply for a Non-Imm O visa which would give me an initial 90 days (with the incumbent hassle of moving funds into my Bangkok Bank account)

My question - is this a good strategy or am I trying to be too clever by half & should simply bite the bullet & apply for an OA visa in London?

[JamesE]

Right now your best bet may be an STV. Come in for 90-days and you can extend it twice. The big drawback is: "A fully paid hotel reservation in Thailand for the whole duration of intended stay in Thailand (after quarantine). The reservation must be issued by the hotel showing the duration of stay, and hotel’s contact details and tax ID number." Which might be able to be handled through an Agoda "free cancellation" booking ... You could also lease a condo to meet the pre-paid accommodation requirement. You do need the ฿40/400 health coverage and the $100K COVID policy as well.

Edited October 7, 2021 by JamesE
poor grammar...

[Spengler]

I did look at the STV, but as you correctly point out this requires a minimum 90 days of accommodation pre-paid.

If I were to go down the long stay visa route I would chose an O or OA over a STV all day long.

But still looking for opinions on my clever/stupid TV + extension(s) strategy 

[BlueSphinx]

2 hours ago, Spengler said:

If I enter Thailand (late October) on a TV I get 60 days…..which can be extended one time by 30 days….giving me a total of 90 days

I am trying to stay for 6 months but want to avoid the hassle of an O/OA Non-Imm if at all possible…

So my thinking is that after 90 days (late January), either

a) borders will have opened up & I can do a visa run, or

b) borders will still be closed & immigration will still be issuing 60 covid extensions, or

c) worse case scenario, I could apply for a Non-Imm O visa which would give me an initial 90 days (with the incumbent hassle of moving funds into my Bangkok Bank account)

My question - is this a good strategy or am I trying to be too clever by half & should simply bite the bullet & apply for an OA visa in London?

If only staying for 6 months entering Thailand VisaExempt or 60-day Tourist Visa is almost surely your best option, because of least Thai Immigration admin hassle and lowest associated costs.  As you correctly point out the permission to stay from that entry can be extended for 30 days at ANY Thai Immigration Office for 1.900 THB.  And after having done that and the permission to stay for that already 60-75 or 90 day stay is running out, you can then apply for a 60-day covid extension (1.900 THB) at ANY Thai Immigration Office (useful to know, as there are rogue offices that put incovenient requirements for that 60-day covid extension, and in that case you simply apply at another one which does not hassle you).  And as you point out if in mean time border restrictions have been lifted and Thai Immigration does not prolonge the 60-day covid extension scheme anymore, it is just a matter of doing a quick border-run which will once again provide you with a 30 day permission to stay and which can also be extended for an additional 30 days.

If you are considering long-term stay in Thailand (e.g. a scheme of 6 months in Thailand and 6 months back in your home-country) and do not want to apply 3 times for extensions at a local Thai Immigration office after your VE or TV entry, you could apply for the 1-year ME Non Imm O-A Visa at the Thai Embassy in your home-country.  It's a bit of admin hassle to get all the paperwork for such application, and it will result in you having to subscribe to (cheap) 400K/40K health-insurance, as well as having to subscribe to a +100.000 US $ covid-19 coverage insurance for the full period of the permission to stay you will receive on entry (which is 1 year for the Non Imm O-A Visa).  But booking a flexible return ticket with Emirates will provide you that 100.000 US $ covid-19 insurance for free (included in the ticket price). 

[farang]

seems lots of paper work and restrictions either way you go as of right now.im hopeing in nov these restrictions are dropped and it reverts  back to how you used to apply for o visa and o/a.it was a good bit of paper work but no coe or insurance to deal with.fingers crossed for nov 2021.

[Spengler]

My fear is that SHA Plus hotels are taking bookings into Jan & Feb 2022, indicating that the whole CoE hassle is not going away any time soon

At least the UK government has taken Thailand off of its red list

Baby steps, but progress all the same

Edited October 8, 2021 by Spengler

[Faz]

@Spengler
You only have 4 options;

1. Non O-A Visa, permits a stay of 1 year, requires the mandatory Health Insurance.
2. Non O Visa, permits a stay of 90 days > 1 year extension, requires funds in a Thai bank account.
3. STV, permits a stay of 90 days, can be extended twice for a further 180 days, requires the mandatory Health Insurance.
4. VE, TV, or Non O entry, the VE and TV can be extended by 30 days, then rely on 60 day Covid extensions still being available.

If your concerned about availability at SHA+ hotels, even the most booked are at less than 50% capacity.
A friend who has been waiting for Thailand to be removed from the UK's red list, yesterday informed me that since he started looking in July, prices have now risen by as much as 300% at some of these hotels.
He's now arriving next month.

The purpose of the COE is to ensure you've got all your ducks in a row before turning up at the airport and being refused boarding because you've omitted something.
It's a pre check to ensure you've booked flights, hotel accommodation, PCR arrival tests and have the necessary Insurance.

An associate at Manchester airport told me it's still amazing how many foreigners, even with the COE process still turn up for boarding without the T8 form.

[Faz]

@Spengler

How long do you want to stay ideally and what is the frequency of your visits?

[JamesE]

35 minutes ago, Faz said:

3. STV, permits a stay of 90 days, can be extended twice for a further 180 days, requires the mandatory Health Insurance.

Plus pre-paid lodging for after the quarantine for the duration of your stay. Plus the medical check for 19th Century diseases... Plus the background check...

"2.7 Criminal record (Letter of verification stating that the applicant has no criminal record (verification has to valid for not more than three months and must be issued from a state or Federal Bureau of Investigation only. Online criminal record without an authorized signature is unacceptable)"

"2.10 A Medical certificate showing no prohibitive diseases. The certificate shall be valid for no more than three months as indicated in Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535)."

"2.12 Evidence of long-stay accommodation: either

A fully paid hotel reservation in Thailand for the whole duration of intended stay in Thailand (after quarantine). The reservation must be issued by the hotel showing the duration of stay, and hotel’s contact details and tax ID number;

A fully-paid residential lease in Thailand for the whole duration of intended stay in Thailand (after quarantine). The lease must be issued by the lessor showing the duration of stay, and the lessor’s contact details and tax ID number;

A hire-purchase or mortgage agreement of immovable property; OR

Condominium title deed;"

When I look at it that way, it sounds less than appealing.

 

 

[Faz]

27 minutes ago, JamesE said:

Plus pre-paid lodging for after the quarantine for the duration of your stay. Plus the medical check for 19th Century diseases... Plus the background check...

"2.7 Criminal record (Letter of verification stating that the applicant has no criminal record (verification has to valid for not more than three months and must be issued from a state or Federal Bureau of Investigation only. Online criminal record without an authorized signature is unacceptable)"

"2.10 A Medical certificate showing no prohibitive diseases. The certificate shall be valid for no more than three months as indicated in Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535)."

"2.12 Evidence of long-stay accommodation: either

A fully paid hotel reservation in Thailand for the whole duration of intended stay in Thailand (after quarantine). The reservation must be issued by the hotel showing the duration of stay, and hotel’s contact details and tax ID number;

A fully-paid residential lease in Thailand for the whole duration of intended stay in Thailand (after quarantine). The lease must be issued by the lessor showing the duration of stay, and the lessor’s contact details and tax ID number;

A hire-purchase or mortgage agreement of immovable property; OR

Condominium title deed;"

When I look at it that way, it sounds less than appealing.

That must be from the DC website?

No such requirements from the Thai Embassy London website.

You couldn't make this stuff up!

[Faz]

@JamesE

This is the information from the Thai Embassy London website.

 

Special Tourist Visa (STV) : for stay up to 90 days with possible extension of 90 days twice)

1. Your passport copy which must have validity at least 12 months with at least 3 blank pages
2. Travel booking confirmation
3. Proof of accommodation in Thailand for (1) ASQ hotel booking for 15-day quarantine with proof of payment, and (2) confirmed hotel booking or proof of accommodation for the remaining period of your stay in Thailand; or copy of condominium ownership or purchase agreement of condominium with proof of payment 
4. UK/Irish bank statements with sufficient fund to cover your trip to Thailand
5. Confirmation of legal residence in the UK or Ireland (if applicants are not nationals of these countries) e.g. long stay visa, residence permit, BRP card
6. Copy of health insurance policy which covers COVID-19 related medical expenses in Thailand 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.

If a STV applicant wishes his/her spouse and children below 20 years old to apply for STV visa, the spouse and children have to submit proof of relationship and required documents in (1), (2), (4), (5) and (6).

Note the omission of any 400/40K Health Insurance requirement
https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/requirements-for-foreigners-travelling-to-thailand-during-covid-19-tra?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

 

And for the Non Imm O-A Visa.

 

Non-Immigrant Type O- A (Long Stay) 1 Year/Multiple entries 

 

• Printout of visa application form submitted online, with bar code

• Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months and at least 2 blank pages

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

• If you wish to be accompanied by spouse, the marriage certificate will be attached. But your spouse will be granted Non-Immigrant “O” instead of “O-A”(Long Stay)
• Applicant must be of age 50 years old or over.

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. 

Again, note the omission of any 400/40K Health Insurance requirement

No mention of 7 day ASH+ bookings.
Clear as mud!

 

[JamesE]

@Faz I checked the Consulate in Los Angeles and they have a link to all the information for the STV. When you click the link you get the page shown below. Clearly, there needs to be a meeting...

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by JamesE
missing word

[Faz]

10 hours ago, JamesE said:

Clearly, there needs to be a meeting...

I think the jury is still out at lunch ........

[kerryd]

From the official gov't e-Visa website, regarding (normal) Tourist Visas:

https://thaievisa.go.th/tourist-visa

Required Document

(Please check relevant embassy/ consulate's website for specifically required documents)

• 1. Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months.
• 2. Photograph of the applicant, taken within the past six months.
• 3. Evidence of travel from Thailand (air ticket paid in full).
• 4. Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family).

 

 

Period of Stay

Upon arrival, travellers with this type of visa may be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 60 days.

Extension of Stay

Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their type of visa must file an application for permission at the Office of Immigration Bureau located on Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 (or at http://www.immigration.go.th). The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer.

 

Enter on a Single Entry Tourist Visa. (60 days stay)
(Stay at an SHA+ hotel for a week.)

Extend it for one month. (Total - 90 days)

Immediately (within a week) apply to convert it to a Non-O visa. (Another 3 months, total 180 days.)
(Don't wait to long in case it doesn't get approved for some reason.)

Extend it for a year (or not).

The form to change Visa type is not complicated nor is the process. Or you can pay (a lot) to an agent to do it for you.

Way easier than going the "Special Tourist Visa" (STV) route.

 

Trying to remember, if one converts a visa (any kind) to a Non-O in country and then wants to extend it for a year, how do they meet the financial requirements, especially if they want to do the "monthly deposit" method ?
Or say they apply for an Extension of Stay in the last month but their 800k has only been in the bank for a month ?

(I thought I read awhile back that if you applied to extend a Non-O for the first time, they'd "grace" you the financial requirements for the first year as, obviously, there's no way most people would be able to show a year's worth of monthly transfers if they've only been in the country for 3 months. And if you applied for the Extension in the last month of the initial stay and wanted to use the "cash in the bank" method, it wouldn't be there long enough to qualify.)

[Faz]

On 10/11/2021 at 11:01 AM, kerryd said:

Trying to remember, if one converts a visa (any kind) to a Non-O in country and then wants to extend it for a year, how do they meet the financial requirements, especially if they want to do the "monthly deposit" method ?

There is no 'monthly' income acceptance for the Non O, it's strictly 800K THB in a Thai bank account.

 

On 10/11/2021 at 11:01 AM, kerryd said:

Or say they apply for an Extension of Stay in the last month but their 800k has only been in the bank for a month ?

The 800K THB is only required to be in a Thai bank account on the day of application for the Non O, it's therefore been in the bank for the required 2 months 30 days before the 90 day permission of stay granted by the Non O expires.