Thought I’d my share experience of applying for 1 year O-A Retirement Visa extension at Division 1 and some lessons learnt.

Having thought I’d got all the paperwork etc sorted. Dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s, filled all the forms and booked an afternoon appointment for Monday just gone. Then watched the lady officer disassemble all the paperwork, stamp, sign, staple, restamp, copy, reshuffle, restamp etc etc… Then passed forms over in Thai and mumbled things that where inaudible as she was wearing a facemask and sat behind a perspex screen, while load speakers bellowed out appointment slots. Signed things, wrote telephone number etc. No idea what she was asking or what I was doing!

Then another officer came over (think he was her boss) and told me…

* The TM 30 address on their system was different, to the condo contracts I’d provided, even though I’ve lived at the same address for two years ???– so I will need to go to residence residing Area B to correct the TM30.

* Also told me AXA had not updated the “Long Stay Website” for my 4,000,000TBH Health Insurance, so despite having got all the AXA paperwork and Insurance Certificate, I would need to contact AXA and tell them to update the system Aghhhh

Queued for 2 hours to resolve TM30 which included the officer their talking to my landlady and her sending ID through. Eventually got an updated TM30, by which time it was too late to go back to Extensions. (It turned an agent the Landlady was using had updated the TM30 after we’d been to Krabi on a long weekend and had updated the TM30 with the wrong address and never gave us a copy.

It then took 24 hours for AXA to get back to confirm they had updated the “Long Stay Website”

SO THEN…. Booked appointment for 8:30 and a car to pick me up from condo at 7:30. Heavy traffic and a road accident! It took 1½ hours to do what should be a 40min trip Agghhh – got to Immigration at 9:15 and saw the same guy who’d raised the concerns and explained that it was a continuation of the Monday application. Fortunately they still saw me even though late. Got the 1 year extension HOORAY!

LESSONS LEARNT

• Even if you have an Insurance Certificate make sure the company have updated the “Long Stay Website”

• Always check you have the latest TM30 and don’t assume it’s correct on the system without checking

• If you have an appointment allow DOUBLE the journey time to get there. Shit happens!

Wonderful.

I have a nice normal O A retirement visa and both trips in have had immigration snapping at me and insisting I have the actual paper insurance certificate physically with me. I used the copy on my remote drive which (with a lot of of scowling) seemed to make them happy.

Is this normal? FFS I had to get the cert to get the visa in the first place

Hi to all you helpful moderators!

I am coming to the end of my 1+1 years from my O-A retirement visa. However, I am not returning to Australia to start the process over again.

I am, however, going to apply for the Non-O visa from within Thailand (Chiang Mai) based on retirement once I have done my visa run to the Thai-Laos border (visa exempt = 30 days + 30 days, if needed).

My question is:-

Am I able to qualify for the monthly transfer of income (minimum 65,000 baht) given that I have done that for the last 18 consecutive months OR am I stuck with the 800,000 baht process and convert to the monthly income method after the qualifying period of 12 months?

Regards!

Graham

Asking for a buddy any suggestion for a cheap thai insurance policy that covers the O-A retirement visa - just until he can get home and come back and apply for an O visa - I use pacific prime but over spec for what he needs - and agents are being silly

Hello everyone! I would like to share some information regarding my O-A retirement visa and seek your advice. I currently hold a multiple-entry O-A retirement visa, valid from September 6, 2022, to September 5, 2023, which I obtained from the Thai Embassy in Warsaw. I arrived in Thailand on September 17, 2022, and received an entry stamp valid until September 15, 2023.

I have learned from this group that it is possible to extend my visa for an additional year through entry stamps, provided I follow the correct procedure. I am planning to leave Thailand on May 27 and return on September 3. Today, when I visited the immigration office, I was informed that I do not need a re-entry permit (TM8). However, I am aware that upon re-entry, I will need to show proof of 100k USD annual insurance coverage. Do I also need to provide any other documents, such as a passbook or a letter from the bank? Additionally, can the insurance be purchased from a provider outside of Thailand (which is what I have done)?

I am concerned about whether I will receive a stamp to extend my visa or if I should apply for an extension while I am away. I would greatly appreciate any advice you can provide. Thank you in advance 🙏

Husband has non imm O-A retirement visa issued in NZ and is stamped in until 8th October 2023. My Daughter and I have non imm O visas issue in NZ and have extension following my Husband, also stamped in until 8th October 2023. We reside in Phuket and are going to Bali in September and plan to return to Phuket with another year of insurance for my Husband. Am I correct in understanding that will give him a stamp that aligns with his new insurance policy? What will it give my Daughter and myself? Will we be stamped in for 90 days and then do an extension to match my Husband’s? Thanks for your advice.

I checked all the posts #vientianelaosthaiconsulate but unfortunately did not find anything answering my question, so it would be great to get some advice this way.

I am currently on an O-A retirement extension in Thailand, but would like to switch to a 90 day retirement O visa, applied for in Vientiane after breaking the O-A line by entering Laos close to the end of my current extension of stay without buying a re-entry permit before.

Now I see on the Vientiane visa application form that I will have to chose from 'single-', 'double-' and 'multiple entry'. My plan would be to return to Thailand after the visa has been issued and then apply for the 1-year-extension of stay in due time at my local immigration office. But I will have to leave Thailand for a short trip to Germany about one month after I will get the visa in Vientiane.

So, should I apply for the visa with double or multiple entry already in Vientiane or just with single entry and then in Thailand buy a re-entry permit for my trip to Germany? Do these two approaches result in different consequences/requirements regarding my return to Thailand and/or my intended extension of stay? Or would it be advisable to schedule the visa application (with single entry) that early, that my Germany trip would be only after the first extension of stay, i.e. later than 90 days after issue of the visa (and buy a re-entry permit then)? I understood, I can quit my current extension of stay at any time by leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit, right?

Sorry, if all this sounds rather trivial, but I of course want to avoid risking the visa and/or extension of stay.

Thanking you so much in advance,

Carsten

This year I had to get a TR 60, multiple entry visa instead of my usual O-A Retirement visa from the Consulate in Vancouver because of the new rules of having to use just the listed 12 Thai insurance companies, none of which, either, got back to me, or would insure over 75, or didn't have adequate insurance coverage.

So I have two questions:

First question; I've already left Thailand after my 1st 60 days on the TR Visa, and now on my 2nd set of 60..is there any way I can get a 60 day extension at the end of that period, instead of the normal 30? So I won't have to leave again.

Second Question: has anyone found a way around having to use the 12 Thai insurance companies when getting an O-A Retirement Visa?

Thank you

A friend from Sweden is currently on an O-A retirement visa. His permitted to stay stamp is the end of the month. He doesn’t want to do a new one year extension since the cost of the required insurance is more than he wants to spend. I’ve suggested he do a Border Bounce to cancel his O-A, return on 45 day visa exempt entry, convert to a Non-O visa and then do one year extensions on that. I’ve done the tourist to Non-O conversion myself but didn’t have the issue of a switching entry stamps first.

This is the general plan for the border bounce:

- Exit Thailand without getting a re-entry permit thus cancelling existing visa.

- Fly to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai, stay a couple of nights and fly back.

- Return and get stamped in on 45 day visa exempt.

Alternatively, he could do the easier option of a Visa run day trip service from Chiang Mai to the Lao border at Chiang Khong to do a border bounce for the 45 day visa exempt entry.

The question is how soon he can apply to convert from visa exempt to the Non-O based on retirement? Can he do it right away? We’re aware of the 21 day requirement for Chiang Mai immigration. He already has the required affidavit from the Swedish embassy confirming his income. He also has a bank account but doesn’t maintain a significant balance since he has the retirement income verification. Note that he has a planned trip in late December (40th day of 45 stamp in). He’ll get a re-entry permit for his return on the Non-O.

Thanks!

Are there any benefits (other than not needing to show funds in a Thai bank account) of applying for an o-a retirement visa in one's native country instead of an o retirement visa within Thailand? I believe that the former requires health insurance, and the latter doesn't.