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Is it necessary to leave Thailand and return to renew a retirement visa if health insurance hasn't been updated?

Retirement VisaThai ImmigrationVisa ExtensionHealth InsuranceNon-OA VisaRe-entry Permit
March 30, 2022
2 years ago
Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Our retirement visa expires May 16th so I went to immigration to renew it today. Because we didnt have our "pension" transferred into a Thai bank account for the last 12 months we have an issue. The immigration officer told me to get health insurance and leave the country and come back before May 16th and we will get a stamp in our passports for another year. Is this correct? It seems all the requirements are kind of hollow in this case but we might do it since its "easy". Dont know how to verify this is true though. Does anyone know?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user is facing a challenge renewing their retirement visa due to not having their pension transferred into a Thai bank account as required. An immigration officer suggested they leave Thailand and re-enter before the visa expires to obtain a new stamp for another year on their retirement visa. Comments clarify that if the user holds a valid OA visa, this advice is correct. Once they re-enter, they can apply for a re-entry permit to avoid complications in future trips. Several other users share their experiences and tips, verifying the initial advice given.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
  • Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
  • For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
  • Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
  • Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 another quick question. When we come back into the country and get an extension to our retirement visa can we get multiple entry or do we need to get a re-entry every time we leave and come back?
2 years ago
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 hang about,

I thought you still held a valid OA visa sticker (or eVisa) and were just going to bounce out and back to get another year entry stamp) NOT do an in country extension (they are completely different things.

So once you come back in and have that new year entry stamp you can go to the immigration office and get a re-entry permit (1000baht single re-entry, or 3800 baht multiple re-entry) it will be valid for the length of your stamp.
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 yes we do hold a valid oa visa. You answered my question. I can go to immigration afterwards and get a multiple re-entry permit. That’s what I wanted to know. Thank you as always!
2 years ago
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 good luck with bouncing out and back before that visa runs out

I just had someone in your exact situation bounce out and back to Singapore They did it the same day by booking two one way flights (bangkok to singapore, then singapore to bangkok) because the time between the two flights was less than an hour. They just got there, stayed in transit, boarded the next flight and came back. They got stamped in for another year (well almost a year as their insurance was renewed last month so they got 11 months when they stamped in)

Good luck with it
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 sounds doable! Might just do a day trip myself as well! Thanks Tod!
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
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Douglas *******
Just asking but if a couple are married then doesn't only one have to have the 800,000 in the bank? For 2 months before and 3 months after.
2 years ago
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Trina ********
This is true
2 years ago
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 Please realize I'm not trying to be disparaging, or anything at all. It's just it's really hard to fool me about visas/extensions and I can see every step where you came off the rails. I am telling you how it has to work for you to get a year extension and that's IF they'll let you use a joint account with double the monthly transfers each month AND if those transfers all coded as international on your bank book

I think IF you indeed hold a valid OA VISA <-like I mentioned earlier, you BOTH just bounce out and back (Singapore is a place you can get to and back from in a day) to get another year entry stamp (but make sure you have a year of the health insurance).

That will at least buy you a year to get it right next time 🙂

Good luck with it (y)
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 I don’t take it as disparaging at all! I asked for advice and am happy someone can help as I obviously messed up🥴
2 years ago
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Braulio *********
@Tod ********
 Sound advice!
2 years ago
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Braulio *********
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Tod *********
I think we need to clear this post up a bit.

Sounds a LOT like you bought a year-long multi-entry Non-OA (Long Stay) visa from the thai consulate in your country before you came here, and when you came in you were stamped in for a year (or as long as your mandatory health insurance was good for)

is that correct?
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
David Broadfoot but I thought the whole issue was going directly into the Thai account. I have been transferring it here every month for the last year but that didn’t work.
2 years ago
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 and you were bringing in a minimum of 65K baht a month each month every month? AND the transactions coded in your bank book as international transfers (from abroad) and you had a print out of all of those from your bank here in thailand? AND it was DOUBLE the required amount (because it's a joint account)?
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 I dont know if Wise which I use to transfer marks them as international transfers and no I didnt print out all those from our BKK bank today. I only had my US bank statements. And yes it is double the amount required or more because last year was our first year here so we spent more settling in.
2 years ago
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 your US bank statements are worthless as tits on a tomcat here.

AND you need to make sure that wise codes all those transfers as international because if even ONE is marked domestic you're done. 😕

This is what the bank letter AND the year detail transaction history print out looks like
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 yes I get that now. Thanks for the clarification.
2 years ago
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 so in other words you didn't meet the requirements to get an extension,

🙁

you would have needed the standard bank letter dated within 7 days of your applying,

AND

you'd have needed the year detail transaction report,

and

you'd need copies of every page of your bank passbook

and

you'd need to update the bank book the day you apply.
2 years ago
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Tod *********
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thanks
@Tod ********
 you know your stuff. Challenge is our monthly payment is for us jointly and we have one joint bank account here. So not sure how we can get it split equally so that we can each get half into an account here. But first order of business is extending the visa.
2 years ago
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Ekkehard *******
@Joanne ****************
 For a joint bank account you have to show doubled amount i.e. 1,600,000 Baht instead of 800,000 Baht. Or you open a separate bank account with your name only.
2 years ago
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 in order to qualify for a yearly extension using a joint account you'd of course need DOUBLE the financial requirement comin' in every month (because in thai eyes half is yours and half is your spouses) so you'd need to bring in 130K baht a month each month every month for the previous 12 months into that account to both get yearly extensions (and that's going under the premise that you each have stand alone OA visas)
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 ok then we can probably do that! Thanks for the info!
2 years ago
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Michael ********
@Joanne ****************
 i would plan to go after May 1st restrictions may get easier then.
2 years ago
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Michael ********
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Tod *********
@Joanne ****************
 Then IF you still have a valid OA visa as long as you exit and re-enter ON or BEFORE that date (and have another year health insurance) when you stamp in you'll get a whole new year of stay.

Most people get 2 years of stay out of an OA visa that is valid for a year by bouncing out and back just before the visa <-(NOT the small entry stamp you got when you entereed) expires.
2 years ago
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Tod *********
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Tod *********
SO what you need to do is look at the visa STICKER in your passport (or if it was an eVisa PDF file look at that), it should say OA under the visa type, there should be a date of issue, a date it's valid until (a year from the date it was issued) and it should say if it was single or multiple entry.

IF the visa sticker is still valid you could exit/re-enter the country (with a new year of the mandatory health insurance) and you'd get stamped in for a whole NEW year (or as long as your insurance is good for).

That would buy you the time to start transferring in the 65K baht a month so that NEXT year when your entry stamp runs out and you go to apply for an extension you COULD meet the financial requirements 🙂
2 years ago
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Tod *********
the requirements aren't 'hollow' at all, They're pretty darn cut in stone 😛

to get a year extension (you didn't go to renew anything) you meet the financial requirements of having 800K baht in a thai bank account in your name only for 2 months before you apply OR you have transferred IN to the country from overseas into your thai bank account a minimum of 65K baht a month each month every month for the previous 12 months.

Those are the only two ways you can meet the financial requirements as an American (whose embassy doesn't issue a letter stating you have income from abroad)
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Yes!
2 years ago
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Joanne *****************
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Michael ********
You are on an OA visa then not an O.

If so he is perfectly correct
2 years ago
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Mah **********
@Michael *******
 Is there a difference between OA and O? I had the impression that the differences are just that OA is applied in the home country of the visitor and he gets 1 year, and O is applied in Thailand, and he gets 3 months first then extended for the balanced 9 months, and everything else is exactly the same.
2 years ago
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Mah **********
Oh I see, thanks.
2 years ago
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Michael ********
@Mah *********
 no you can get O in most countries usually for 90 days and then you do extension of stay in country. Some countries offer multiple entry O visa which are valid for a year.

OA require insurance for duration of time in Thailand O doesnt
2 years ago
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Michael ********
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