Can I cancel my Non-immigrant OA Visa before it expires to apply for a Non-O or Marriage Visa in Thailand?

Kenneth Dongphuyao on both extensions (marriage or retirement) there is no mandatory health insurance

OHH OK , GOT IT THANKS . It's A 90 DAY Non-O Visa . Then a One year Extension based on Retirement or marriage . Which one does "NOT " Require Medical Insurance ??

Sean Franjesh, do you know the difference between a multi-entry visa and a single-entry visa?

Sean Franjesh You need to invalidate the stay permit that you got stamped in, when you entered Thailand on the 365-days Non-Imm-O/A Longstay Visa, before you can apply for another visa type. . . . . Marianne Holmen . . . . . what Sean meant to say is, during the first year of the O/A Visa validity, there is a multi re-entry included, and this means you cannot just invalidate the O/A stay permit by exiting Thailand, and Immigration would not invalidate it, either. That is why you have to exit shortly before the visa validity expires, wait outside of Thailand until the visa validity has expired, because from that moment on you have no more re-entry permit and the "admitted stay" stamp in your passport has also become invalid. NOW you can either apply for a 90-days Non-O visa outisde of Thailand, OE enter visa exemot and apply on Immigration for the "change of visa type" to the initial 90-days Non-O visa

Sean Franjesh what?

Tina Stanyer extensions of a Non-OA do not give multiple entry but the visa itself does

John Tidona there is a non-immigrant O based on retirement and there is a nonimmigrant O based on marriage. I had a non-immigrant O based on marriage two years ago and I had to to a border run to clear it, come back into Thailand on a tourist visa exempt, have the ฿800K in my Thai bank account, then use a TM86 to change visa types to retirement from tourist. I could not do the extension based on marriage because we were married in the USA and Thai Immigration now requires a Kor Ror 22 from the local Ampur's office where you are applying.

To get the Kor Ror 22 I have to have our original certified copy of our marriage certificate certified by the US Department of State in VA, that took almost 2 months, I will then have my wife send it to the Los Angeles Thai Consulate for translation and certification. Once we get that back to Thailand, we go to the Thai Foriegn Ministry Office here in Phuket where we are currently, then to the Amphur's office with two Thai witnesses to say we are still married in order to get the Kor Ror 22. PIMA! I have been here in Rawai for 20 years and they keep making more hoops for me to jump through. Thai Immigration used to take an earnings affidavit from the US Embassy, that stopped. They used to take a marriage certificate in English, that stopped 4 years ago. If you were married in Thailand it's a little easier.

This year I came in on a 60 day tourist exempt, put money in my account, applied to change to non O based on retirement and just got a one year extension to stay in the Kingdom based on retirement. I got a single re-enty since we have to go back to California as I need to renew my wife's Green Card in July, along with file our income taxes. Nothing is easy anymore.

Another one is if my wife is out of the US 180 days or more she has to have a good reason and be interviewed at the airport or she can be denied entry as she spent more than half the year outside the US.

In your case, John is correct. Even trying to change from an OA to a marriage extension in Thailand, your base visa was the OA and insurance may still be required. All marriage extensions now are submitted in duplicate, one copy for the local office and the other is sent to either the regional headquarters or Bangkok for approval. In the meantime you get a stamp that says under consideration.

Anna Aa the Non-OA is a multi-entry visa so leaving the country does not deactivate the Non-OA, it has to expire

Jim McGowan, in that case those immigration offices don't follow the rules (exept from the ones they just make up themselves).

Alf Espetveit Even after switching to a marriage extension, your stay remains technically tied to your original O-A entry. Some immigration offices may still ask for insurance because the "base" visa is O-A. To completely sever ties with the O-A and its rules, many people choose to leave Thailand, cancel their O-A, and re-enter on a standard Non-Immigrant O (Marriage) visa.

@John *********

, just read the requirements for every type of extension.

It's only mentioned for retirement.

@Alf **********

pretty sure that's not true any longer

@John *********

, no, it doesn't. Only for the retirement extension.

@Alf **********

I believe the insurance requirement persists if the base visa is a Non-OA

Reiner On Phuket agreed, but once he is out of the OA the insurance options increase greatly

Well I don’t know your health status BUT hardly advice you to get an Insurance then here in Thailand!!!