I’ve been in Thailand for 5 months now and it looks like I’ll be soon enough running out of options from the immigration office to avoid visa/border runs to stay longer.

What’s the visa process like if I fleet Thailand for 1-2 months and come back?

Can I still get a visa on arrival, a tourist extension, etc?

Nationality: USA

Location: Phangan, but might be in Chang Mai before my visa expires

Type of Visa: Not sure. The visa prior was a covid visa extension. The visa I have today is a 45 day visa given from the Thailand border (went on a border run to Malaysia)

Time in Country: Visa expires Nov 16

Thank you guys in advance. Your help is much appreciated 🙏🏼

Guys thankyou again for the advice on getting my 60 day visa application sorted, took 4 days for approval to come through so all paperwork is now in place ready for my flight on the 13/01.....😁

Edited: wrong amounts.

I am debating between a 5 year Thai Elite visa for 500K baht and a 20 year Elite visa for 1M. I am 41, currently living in the US. I was going to move to Thailand before the pandemic started and now I'm stuck outside. I visited Thailand many times and would like to stay there long term. Getting an Elite visa while I'm in the US should help me enter Thailand before it opens up for tourists even though at the moment new Elite visa holders are still not allowed to apply for COE. I am considering the following options:

Option 1. Get a 5 year visa (plus a 6 month bonus if I apply by end of September, plus an additional one year stamp before the visa expires), then bridge the gap between that visa running out and being able to apply for a retirement visa. That gap would be around 2-2.5 years.

Option 2. Get a 20 year visa for 1M baht which, with an additional 1 year stamp before it runs out will be let me stay in Thailand until I'm 62. Then get a retirement visa if needed.

Option 3. Wait until Thailand opens for tourists, then enter on a tourist visa and, if all goes well, get an Elite visa.

For those who have more experience living in Thailand and dealing with different types of visas, what would you do? How easy do you think would be to bridge the two year gap between a 5yr Elite visa and a retirement visa? Would that option be much cheaper than a 20 year visa considering the cost of 2 years of shorter term visas (business, education, etc), then retirement visas for another 12 years, mandatory health insurance and additional visa runs? Anything else I need to consider? I can afford a 20 year visa but I'd rather not spend an additional 500K baht if I didn't have to.

Fellow Members.

PLEASE USE THIS POST FOR ALL QUESTIONS AND YOUR POSTINGS ABOUT NEW HEALTH INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR O-A Visas.

IF you have an O visa with annual Extension of Stay...for retirement... it DOES NOT AFFECT YOU.

IF you have an O-A with which you entered Thailand on for retirement...

and want to Extend it INSIDE THAILAND for an added year in Thailand...YOU NEED TO MEET the NEW REQUIREMENTS

You can return to your home country and make a new O-A visa application every two years...and must meet the health insurance requirement by either providing proof of health insurance using the an approved form OR by purchasing a plan approved by Thailand.

Or you can begin the retirement process over again by obtaining an O Visa ...converting it to an annual Extension of Stay by meeting the financial requirements for it inside Thailand.

And as there are 70+ Thai Immigration offices ...

PLEASE Ask your local office for their requirements.

Thank you.

Thai Immigration has posted the NEW HEALTH INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS for the O-A Visa.

The O-A Visa is ONLY available in your HOME COUNTRY.....NOT available in Thailand.

This does NOT APPLY to those on Age 50+ Extension of Stay for retirement.

Nor does it apply to those who obtain a Non O Visa as step to conversion from an entry visa or status you may have.

[members only]

A National Press Conference will ve held at 2:00pm Wednesday October 9 to introduce the new requirement.

At this time we are seeking and awaiting further information on this NEW health insurance requirement.

Therefore...we are CLOSING COMMENT until further details are known.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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UPDATE..Thursday October 10th

Though not yet seen on Thai Embassy Websites in home countries, I have found this NEW FORM...I share it with you for whatever its worth....

We are watching foreign Thai Embassy websites ...yet no changes seen.

But if you do have health insurance which covers you in Thailand as well as home country it appears it will meet the requirement.

A form for this health insurance certificate of coverage does appear on the Thai website which does now sell the O-X health insurance...with O-A now added.

See the new Overseas Health Insurance Certificate here....

[members only]

Click on O -A health insurance...

And click on DOWNLOAD OVERSEAS HEALTH INSURANCE CERTIFICATE.

Again...We will watch for added developments and will post as known.

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The top section is in Thai...

Scroll down to read English.

I live in Chiang Mai and have a Non-Immigrant ED visa, due for an extension by October 15. I'm currently in the US, and am a US citizen. I have a re-entry permit also valid until Oct. 15. I had an accident, requiring surgery while on holiday in the US and cannot fly back to Chiang Mai until at least October 25th when I can fly safely with my injury. What are my options? Can I get some kind of medical extension on my ED extension? Or will my education visa just be voided? Can I apply for an extension at a Thai consulate in the US? Thanks for any advice.

SETV in Ho Chi Minh City.

Handed in a bank statement, proof of onward flight, copy of a rental contract. No queues and everything went really smoothly. Total time spent in the consulate less than 10 minutes.

Howlong does it take to get a 60 day tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh? I’m really hoping to be able to get in and out on the 9th or 10th since everything will be slowing down for Songkran and Khmer new year.