Do I need a re-entry permit for my Non-OA visa while returning to Thailand before my health insurance restarts?

Non-OA Visa Thailand Visa Rules Re-entry Permit Health Insurance Visa Expiry Dates Retirement Visa Multi-entry Visa

Dec 7, 2022

2 years ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

Clarification needed..........

I am currently on my first 12 month multi - entry OA long stay (retirement) visa --stamped in until 31 March 2023. The health insurance policy also expires at the same time.

I am returning to Australia on the 13th of March and returning to Thailand on the 21st of March 2023.

Question - given that I am still on my first 12 month OA visa and wanting to extend for the second 12 month period (as of 1 April 2023), do I need a re-entry permit given that I will have another health insurance policy and certificate from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 to cover my second 12 mo th period.

TIA

Graham

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The question is about whether a re-entry permit is needed for a Non-OA long-stay (retirement) visa when returning to Thailand after a trip abroad. Users clarified that since the visa is multi-entry, a re-entry permit is unnecessary as long as the traveler enters before the "Enter Before Date" on their visa, which allows them to receive a new permission to stay for another year. It's important to ensure that the health insurance policy covers the new stay period before returning to Thailand.

NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES

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George *************

The Non-OA Visa is a visa meaning it has a validity period. Take a look at your Non-OA Visa. It has two important dates: Date of Issue and Enter Before Date. The example used here shows the Non-OA visa has a Date of Issue of 13 May 2012, and an Enter Before Date of 12 May 2013. This means that you have until 13 May 2012 to enter Thailand and you will receive permission to stay for one year. Let's say you entered Thailand on 25 May 2012. You would have received permission to stay until 24 May 2013.

What happens if you leave Thailand and re-enter before 12 May 2013 (your Enter Before Date)? Let's say you re-enter Thailand on 11 May 2013 (the day before your Enter Before Date). Then you will be stamped in for one-year permission to stay starting from when you entered, 11 May 2013, until one year later, 10 May 2014.

What happens if you leave Thailand and re-enter after 12 May 2013 (your Enter Before Date)? If you haven't purchased a re-entry permit that keeps alive your current permission to stay date, you will be stamped in for non-exempt entry (30-45 days), because your Non-OA Visa has expired before you tried to re-enter Thailand. If you did purchase a re-entry permit then that will allow you to re-enter Thailand using that re-entry permit until the date specified on your re-entry permit, which is equal to the permission to stay date when you purchased your re-entry permit.

So, one of the important dates on your Non-OA Visa is the "Enter Before Date." This is the date you must enter before in order to take advantage of the visa's ability to get you one-year permission to stay. Enter before this date and you will be stamped in for one year. Enter after this date and you will not be. If you purchased a re-entry permit then that allows you to re-enter Thailand even after your initial Non-OA Visa has expired (passed its Enter Before Date).

The "Enter Before Date" listed on your Non-OA Visa is the important date to determine if your visa is still valid (and thus will get you one-year permission to stay) or it's expired (in which case, barring a re-entry permit, will not get you one-year permission to stay).

When you are dealing with the boundary conditions of your Non-OA Visa, it is critically important to know exactly when your Non-OA Visa expires and that is the date specified as "Enter Before Date" on your Non-OA Visa.