What steps should I take with my Non-Immigrant OA visa in Thailand before it expires?

Cris Cris . . . . . .Look up your .pdf visa document which is your Non-O/A visa, and check on the expiry date of the visa validity (the date behind the wording “visa must be used by”)

This would be a different date than the expiry of your currently stamped stay permit (the small stamp in your passport saying “admitted until” and the expiry date in blue ink.

You could do a border bounce and enter Thailand within the 1-year visa validity. You would get stamped in for a last time for fully 365 days but only if your new health insurance is also valid for a full year. If it is not, you will only get stamped in until the expiry date of your health insurance.

In case you wish to get off the O/A visa and the mandatory health insurance, you need to exit Thailand AFTER the expiry of the 1-year visa validity, but still within the duration of the stamped stay permit, in order to invalidate the O/A visa.

Then you would be free to apply abroad for the Non-Imm-O visa, which does not require a mandatory health insurance, however you would need 800,000 THB in your Thai bank account or in your home bank account, showing account statements of 3 months, or you would need a proof of a minimum monthly income of 65,000 THB.

On this 90-days Non-Imm-O visa, you can re-enter Thailand, get stamped in for a 90-days stay permit, and before the 90 days stay permit expires, apply for the 1-year extension of the stay permit.

In case your embassy in Bangkok still issues income affidavits, you can use the income affidavit as proof of funds for the application. In case your embassy in Bangkok does not issue income affidavits anymore, you must show a minimum of 800,000 THB funds in your Thai bank account, and the bank letter must confirm that the deposit has been sitting in your account for 2 months.

As others have said do a border bounce just before your visa expires you will be stamped in for as long as your insurance is valid, be aware that it will only be a single entry, will have to buy a reentry permit if you intend to travel outside of the country and keep your stay permit alive. Or... Don't buy insurance, Leave the country after the visa expires (not your permission to stay stamp) and enter on visit exempt, and then switch over to a non-O, transfer your 800k into your Thai bank account within 30 days, then get a yearly extension at immigration after the money has seasoned for 2 months.

Extend your non-O visa when it expires. Dont listen to these knuckleheads here just go to Immigration 1 week before; just make sure you have the financial requirements. That's all you have to do. If you don't, you can always go to agency.

If you paid for insurance for a year do a border bounce and take advantage of your free year then switch to the non-o

I kept my OA and the insurance for 6 years. I then used the insurance when I qualified for my LTR visa. It’s really up to you.

look up your .pdf visa document and check on the expiry date of the visa validity. This would be a different date than the expiry of your current stay permit. You have to do a border bounce and enter Thailand still within the 1-year visa validity. You will get stamped in for a last time for fully 365 days but only if your new health insurance is also valid for a full year. If it is not, you will only get stamped in until the expiry date of your health insurance. In case you wish to get off the O/A visa, you need to exit Thailand AFTER the expiry of the visa validity, but still within your stay permit, in order to invalidate the O/A visa. Then you would be free to apply abroad for the Non-Imm-O visa which does not require a mandatory health insurance, however you would need 800,000 THB in your Thai bank account or in your home bank account, since 3 months, or would need a proof of a minimum monthly income of 65,000 THB. You could re-enter Thailand on the 90-days Non-Imm-O visa and before the 90 days stay permit expires, apply for the 1-year extension of the stay permit. In case your embassy still issues it, you can use the income affidavit of your embassy in Bangkok, or the 800,000 THB funds in your Thai bank account

Do a border bounce before your Non-OA expires (not your entry stamp) and you'll get a new entry stamp up to the end of your new insurance

The immigration will normally tell you to do a border bounce first to get another year off your visa. You’ll need to update your mandatory health insurance regardless of if you do a bounce or apply for an extension. You can’t apply for any Non O visa in country now, only through a foreign mission outside Thailand or in country if you enter on a visa exemption.