Can I do a border hop to extend my Non Imm ME OA Visa in Thailand?

Non Immigrant Visa Visa Extension Re-Entry Permit Health Insurance Thailand Immigration OA Visa Koh Samui

Jan 18, 2025

3 days ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

My wife and I, both 71 are in Koh Samui on individual Non Imm ME OA VISAs from South Africa. Expiry date is 28 Feb. I have already extended our Med Insurance for another year. My question is whether We can do a border hop by air ,first buy a re-entry at airport and then get stamped back in until Med insurance expiry date. This is to circumvent the tedious bank statements/letter etc. plus all  the hoops to jump before extension? Obviously one may only be allowed to do this once but may give up to a year reprieve.

Your wise input is much appreciated.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

You and your wife, both holding Non Immigrant ME OA Visas, can indeed perform a border hop to extend your stay in Thailand. After purchasing re-entry permits at the airport, you can re-enter and should receive an entry stamp valid for up to another year, contingent upon your health insurance being current. It's important to note that these visas allow multi-entry, thus the re-entry permit is not required for the initial re-entry. However, if you plan to exit Thailand during this second period, obtaining a re-entry permit is necessary to maintain the validity of your entry stamp.

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Mike ******

i just did this. On my latest OA Visa the "must be used by date is the 9th". Flew back into CNX airport on the 7th and presented my new OA Visa Health insurance and got stamped in until the 6th of next year. After the new stamp I got the re-entry permit.

3 days ago

Tod *********

As long as it's the VISAS themselves that expire on Feb 28th, you can bounce out/back showing the new insurance when you re-enter and you should get stamped in for a whole new year (or until the insurance expires up to a year)

You do NOT get a re-entry permit because the visa is a year-long multi-entry type meaning the re-entry permit is built into the visa

It is not uncommon for people on OA visas to get almost 2 years of stay out of them by getting that new year insurance and bouncing out/back just before the visa itself expires..

Remember though, once you do come back into the country IF you're going to leave at any time on this second "free" year you need to buy a re-entry permit or you'll cancel the entry stamp when you exit the country

3 days ago

Reply to

Tod *********

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Can I extend my stay in Thailand for another year with a Non OA visa using health insurance?

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