What are the requirements for converting to a Retirement visa in Thailand from a Non-Imm B visa?

Question

I was looking at the Phuket Volunteers website and it is super-informative but I wanted to ask about 2 things:
1. If converting to Retirement visa from a Non-Imm B, 3-month letter invitation, the website suggests that I would not then need to get extra insurance for the 12-month retirement visa from one of the Thai long-stay insurance providers, but if I tried to convert from say a TR visa or a non-exempt visa, then I would. Is that true/still the case? I guess it is separate from the COVID insurance, correct? It could save money as I have great Cigna insurance coverage but since it's not on the Thai provider list I guess I couldn't use it?
1. Let's say I apply for the retirement visa from a visa-exempt and maybe during the one and only extension I can obtain with that, say around day 45 in country. The website suggests that a) I can't leave Thailand  during the application approval process and the application process can take up to 30 days. Would I go on overstay since I couldn't extend the exempt visa a second time?

I hope that's not too confusing, I'm just trying to figure this all out! Thank you!

Ask Thailand · Answer

The user inquires about converting a Non-Imm B visa to a Retirement visa in Thailand, specifically regarding health insurance requirements and potential overstay issues during the application process. They seek clarification on whether health insurance is necessary if converting from a Non-Imm B, especially in terms of coverage from non-Thai providers like Cigna. Additionally, they want to understand the implications of applying for a retirement visa from a visa-exempt status and the risk of overstaying if they cannot extend their visa further during the application wait.

Jeffrey ********* · Answer

Unless Phuket is using non-standard rules, or the rules are changed before you get here, you would not need to show health insurance to convert to a non-O (retirement) - insurance is only required for OA and OX.

You have to have at least 15 days remaining in your authorized stay when you apply for the non-O. They will then tell you to come back in two weeks for the "decision", but I've never heard of anyone being denied at this stage - what it means in reality is that you come back to get the visa and new period of stay stamped in your passport. (I don't know about Phuket specifically - I'm only talking about the rules from headquarters.)

What are the requirements for converting to a Retirement visa in Thailand from a Non-Imm B visa?

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