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Answered3 years ago

Can I change my visa from Non-O to Non-OA after approval?

Shirden ************
asked Oct 14, 2023
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Hi, I received my approval for my visa but instead of the O-A I applied for they gave me an O . . . Can I change this?
Answer summary
The user received approval for a Non-O visa instead of the Non-OA visa they applied for. They are seeking options to change it. Comments reveal that while a change may not be easy or guaranteed, many suggest that the Non-O visa can be beneficial in terms of easier requirements (no insurance needed), and that it may be possible to extend it annually. Others emphasize clarifying which documents were required during the initial application since the Non-O and Non-OA visas have distinct requirements.
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Geoffrey ******
Geoffrey ******
I got a Non O from the Thai embassy in Korea. Took 1 day. Piece of cake.
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@Geoffrey *****
yeah, but what happens after the 90 days?
Geoffrey ******
Geoffrey ******
@Shirden ***********
Get 1 year extension to stay, which most call Retirement Visa. Renew it annually. I have been doing this for 8 years. Have the 800k in the bank, and never any issues. Same for my friends. Immigration in Udon seems very helpful. Good luck.
Geoffrey ******
Geoffrey ******
@Shirden ***********
You can use the
*****
per month option, but it must be for a period of at least 12 months prior to applying. You are showing a Non O-A, which requires you to have health insurance, where a Non O does not. While insurance is always good to have, most companies I have spoken with, drop you after a certain age.
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@Geoffrey *****
because it says that there are multiple options and not just the 800,000
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@Geoffrey *****
what do you make of this?
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
I guess from what you’re saying then, is that I can extend the 90 day visa each time it runs out . . .
Colin *********
Colin *********
@Shirden ***********
as I have plans to retire in Thailand, either on a Retirement or Spouse Visa, I've been very carefully following and taking note of many Posts regarding the two Visa possibilities for most of the past year.

As has already been mentioned, there is a requirement of Insurance with the Non-O A Visa, but there isn't for the 90 day Non-O.

I see the advice of
@John *********
as being good advice - accept the Non-O that you have apparently been mistakenly granted and then before the 90 days that it expires, apply at the nearest Immigration Office for a 12 month Extension. Then each year, before the Extension expires, you can apply for another Extension. John mentioned the requirement of having 800k THB in a Thai Bank account 2 months before you apply for the 12 month Extension. John might correct me on the following, but I believe that the full 800k also needs to be in your account 3 months after being granted the Extension. That's assuming that you will continue with regular 12 month Extensions. If I remember correctly, from 3 months after being granted the Extension, your Bank balance cannot go below 400k and must be at 800k again 2 months before the next Extension. With Extensions, I believe that there's also a monthly income option rather than the 800k, but best not to get confused with that for now.
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@Colin ********
this says something different
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
that's for a Non-OA visa, that is not the same thing as a Non-O visa. The 2 are quite distinct, don't mistake one for the other
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
nope you cannot, once you use the visa it's finished. You apply for an extension of stay once a year starting before your visa expires. To get the extension you need to have funds of 800k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 full calendar months before you apply for the extension
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@John *********
you don’t need the deposit as long as you have a stable income of
*****
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
you appear to be an American, if so you can't get an income affidavit from your embassy so your income is irrelevant. You can transfer into a Thai bank account in your name only 65k baht each and every month for a full 12 months prior to applying for an extension. However for the first extension of a Non-O visa they normally don't allow this method and certainly won't allow it for an in-country Non-O application.
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@John *********
after my 90 day visa runs out, I can stay in Thailand with another visa?
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
you normally would need to leave Thailand to buy another visa. I assume you don't want to do that so what you would do is go to immigration before your visa expires and apply for a 12 month extension of stay. To do that you need to have 800k baht in a Thai bank account for 2 full months before you go to immigration.

Perhaps it might be an idea for you to post a picture of the visa you have with your personal details blanked out
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@John *********
in that case what do I do, reapply each 90 days?
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
nope you just report to immigration that you are still inside Thailand which you can do online, by mail or in person
Nongnuch ********
Nongnuch ********
I shall refrain from adding my advice here, because this thread has already been hopelessly shot to utter and blemish death 🙁
Bonnie *********
Bonnie *********
Keep the O, it’s better in the long run. They did the same to me and did a great favor in the long run.
Jon ******
Jon ******
@Shirden ***********
did you meet all the requirements for non- O-A? And the application said O-A? And the fee paid was for O-A? Did you collect the passport at the embassy/consulate? Or they mailed it to you? If you did it in person, you could have challenged it immediately. Not sure what "dispute" period would be for mail-in applications.
Johan ********
Johan ********
Non-O is better imho.
Bob **********
Bob **********
Yes change in country get your 800 k in a Thai bank in your name from a foreign transfer they actually did you a favor as with the non-o you don’t need the insurance which isn’t very good anyway
Bonnie *********
Bonnie *********
@Bob *********
I have US govt retiree health insurance and they wouldn’t accept it. Non-O is much easier.
Bob **********
Bob **********
@Bonnie ********
you cannot use Medicare out of the US
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@Bonnie ********
I had to get the insurance just to apply
Bonnie *********
Bonnie *********
@Shirden ***********
Got an OA, yep.
Bob **********
Bob **********
John **********
John **********
I guess you could ask them to cancel that visa and issue a new one. Did you meet all the criteria for the OA, they're very different so not so easy to confuse
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
If you were to go online and begin a new application for the long term non-immigrant o-a visa you can clearly see where they ask for these documents
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
you don't need those documents for a Non-O visa. That's why I'm confused and suggested you posted a copy of what they actually gave you
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
The only thing I don’t have is the Board of Investments certificate. I had to have all of the other documents otherwise they wouldn’t have approved me
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
I'm aware but you implied you didn't have them to provide
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@John *********
I’m not sure . . . I have the stable income requirements just not the board of investments
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
I’m telling you that they requested the insurance certificate, and the background check, and proof of income in the application. Then when they were in the processing of my application they made me send a bank statement for further proof of income.
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
I don't understand this. As an American you don't need a stable income for either of those bisas, as the American embassy in Thailand won't verify your income, you just need money. The board of investment would not get involved for either of the 2 visa types you mentioned either.

Are you sure you weren't applying for the wealthy pensioner LTR visa, which does come under the board of investment?
John **********
John **********
@Shirden ***********
you seem very confused about the whole process. There are basically 3 options for long term retirement. The LTR visa which you get via the BOI. The Non-O visa which you apply for on the e-visa system and gives you 90 days inside Thailand, doesn't require insurance nor a police check but does require funds in Thailand to extend. The Non-OA visa which gives you 12 months inside Thailand, doesn't require funds in Thailand but does require insurance and a police check - you can't buy insurance as part of the appointment, you need to buy that separately and provide the certificate when applying, same with the police check
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@John *********
no definitely not that one. I chose the non-immigrant long stay O-A. There was another option for the non-immigrant long stay retiree but it requires a certificate from a board of investments within Thailand and since I’ve never been there, I don’t have that. From what I can tell, the online application has some discrepancies from the website documentation . . . from what everyone has said here, I should have been able to apply with an insurance certificate but that wasn’t the case either because they made me submit the certificate in the online application
Marty *********
Marty *********
These days people generally recommend an O over an OA because there is no insurance requirement to extend an O.
Shirden ************
Shirden ************
OP
@Marty ********
to apply I had to already have the insurance because they asked for the certificate
Marty *********
Marty *********
@Shirden ***********
I don’t know the requirements to get the original 90 day visa but after 90 days you would apply for a 1 year extension. When you have an O visa you do not need insurance to extend that O visa for 1 year. In order to extend an OA visa for 1 year you would need to have 1 year of health insurance.
Graham ******
Graham ******
No, you got what you applied for, you cannot backtrack
John ********
John ********
That doesn't make sense so sorry
Brian *********
Brian *********
@John *******
it doesn’t make sense?

Not even sure it’s possible? A person can’t apply for a non-o from outside of Thailand, so issuing one has to be a mistake and may lead to problems. 🤷‍♂️
John ********
John ********
@Brian ********
please read the thai embassy website
Craig ********
Craig ********
@Brian ********
You can apply for a non-O outside of Thailand.
Jeffrey *********
Jeffrey *********
@Brian ********
You can absolutely get a Non-O from a Thai embassy or consulate overseas, though not all offices will issue one for every purpose. You may be thinking of the fact that some Thai embassies won't issue a Non-O for retirement, but that's due to a local policy, not a universal MFA rule.
Brian *********
Brian *********
@Craig *******
I’m very open to not fully understanding but I’ve never seen how a person could apply for and receive a non-o while not in Thailand at some point? They could come on tourist visa, get a 90 non-o, get a bank account (which requires residence proof). Person asking questions I do not believe has or has done any of that?

Again, maybe I’m wrong?

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