Its time to start the process for retirement. How much can i do from Australia before heading over. As in visa!

Looking at the OA visa,applying from the UK. I have a question about the 'certificate of criminal record clearance '. I can get a DBS check that costs £21.50, or an ACRO certificate which costs £68. Is the DBS sufficient or do I need to go all in with the ACRO?

Thanks.

Just received my OA visa in Australia. Where can I find out all the rules to this visa officially? I can’t find anything on the Canberra page. Nor was anything sent with my visa. Eg my requirements for reporting. I have read it can be extended into a second year. Where is everyone else getting confirmed information from the Thai authorities please?

Thanks for feedback re cheap health Insurance. Can for the 3 months duration ao visa departing australia. Can you use the comprehensive insurance of an allianze travel policy that covers Thailand for the three months validity?

US citizen. Hoping to go on an OA visa in December.

A few questions (again) after using search here and some google/web.

1. Any opinions on State Department Federal Credit Union and the ACA group that is the path to getting accounts there? Supposedly they are good with foreign addresses, and also web/ip platforms for MFA. Issue is I don't see a lot of current reviews, or mentions in the expat groups.

2. Maintaining US credit cards as an expat. Not expecting a tutorial here but any links to good info or first hand success in keeping them open?

3. Why don't we see any info on Gentleman Girls, only Lady Boys? (OK disregard this one).

Any help appreciated.

Question on expiring passports and extension of stay.

I have an OA visa and I am on an Extension of Stay to October 2025 (multi-entry). I do the extension in early September each year.

My (Australian) passport will expire in January 2026.

I have read various posts about this and it seems to me that the simplest approach is to get a new passport before attempting the extension.

I think I can renew the passport in Thailand, but this seems quite a lengthy process.

As an alternative, I have no problem with renewing my passport in Australia mid-year prior to doing the extension in Thailand in September. But that will mean that I leave Thailand on the old passport, and return with the new.

As I understand it, I simply show both passports on return and get the existing extension moved to the new passport once I have arrived.

What is unclear to me is

(a) I have an existing multi-entry stamp in my old passport. Is this still valid (and thus allowing re-entry)?

(b) Once arrived back in Thailand, do I need to immediately "transfer the stamps", or can I just wait until I do the extension, (showing both passports + associated paperwork/insurance/funds etc), as the new extension will go straight into the new passport.

Looking for advice on flaws in my logic/understanding.

Thanks all.

I am applying for a oa type Visa and I have the paperwork in front of me and I requesting information about insurance does this have to be Thai insurance and if so how do you get high insurance while you're in the United States

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I'm in USA. I'm returning to Thailand. I'm trying to decide whether to fly in on a tourist visa and convert to OA visa, or to get OA visa in the US. Can anyone relate some experience about this?

Asking for a sanity check on my visa plan please?

My wife and I, both on a UK passport, and we both are currently on an ED visa having originally arrived on the visa exempt scheme. As soon as we got our ED Visa, I opened a Thai Bank account, and have been depositing 70,000 Baht per month. The plan is: - once our ED visas expires, we each apply for OA visa in Thailand, I believe this will not require monetary proof at this point? Then when it comes to the extension after 3 months, I will have over 12 months records of bank international deposits, so I will apply for an extension on this basis, and my wife’s extension will be on the basis of “Dependency”.

Does this seem do-able?