What are the minimum requirements to obtain a Certificate of Residence in Bangkok for expats?

Hey Greg,

I wanted to get further insight on three of your points, if that’s ok?

The health insurance I was approved on for my OA is actually Cigna Worldwide. What the Thai consulate told me is that as long as that insurance carrier fills out the correct ‘foreign certificate’ along with the requirements of the health plan, it would be accepted, and I don’t have to transfer to one of the local tgia insurances for the extrication of stay permit. The misinformation seems to come from the fact that most non-Thai insurances won’t fill out the foreign certificate in the correct manner. CIGNA does. Do you have a different experience with regard to the extension of stay where my Cigna wouldn’t be renewed if everything was signed according to the requirement? 

If what you’re saying is true (and I was misinformed) and if I wanted to switch over to the non-immigrant O for retirement after being there a year on the OA, is there any way of doing this within Thailand, even through an agent, or would I have to leave the country and then apply for the non-immigrant O 90 day, and then get the extension after arriving in the country again? If I had to leave the country, do I have to come all the way back to the US or can I do it from outside the country anywhere?

Lastly, what is the best way to mitigate the 800,000 in my Thai account to make sure the transfers are accepted when I apply for the extension of stay? Is the only way to wire funds directly, because the fees have become somewhat corrupted, They shave off of the exchange rate and say you have no fee charged, but in reality it’s substantially more than what it used to be. But if there’s no way around it, then I guess a direct wire transfer is still may be the best option?

Any advice would be much appreciated?