David Richardson Iuse AIG... very happy with them. They kicked me out once because too many hospital visits but somehow they accepted me again and without my medical history being an issue.
In short, with AO visa there's no need to ask for a re-entry but with a non-O you have to. The funds before applying is basically same for both but once you've got your visa, different rules might apply. If applying for non-O visa it's basically just asking the Immigration Officer. And with my current AO visa I will ask when they check if I'm indeed living at the Thai address given.
Once I know how it works exactly I will try to make a clear overview and post it in here.
So the main difference is that non-O visa requires 800k in a Thai bank account at least 2 months before you APPLY for the extension and it should stay in there for 3 months after receiving the non-O visa. There's no requirement for insurance with a non-O visa. After 3 months you are still required to keep a minimum balance of 400k at all time.
And the OA visa requires to have the equivalent of 800k in your usual bank account but it may also be a Thai account. It must be in the account 3 months before APPLYING for the OA visa and it must remain in there for 2 months untouched. There's a requirement for insurance covering the full year and the amount may not drop below 400k.
I will only stay 6 months this time. So when I exit I will have to ask for a re-entry stamp or so, right? I then need to re-enter before the 1 year AO visa expires and will receive another 1 year but I will need to have insurance which isn't an issue for me. Then another 12 months later I will come on a tourist visa and apply to convert to a non-O visa which will give me 90 days. Then after 60 days I apply for a 1-year extension. I won't need to show insurance but I will need to have 800k in the Thai bank account 2 months before I APPLY for the extension. Basically before I fly into Thailand I should have the 800k already in the Thai bank account. All correct till now? The only question I have now is what about the 800k with a non-O visa. How long does it need to be in the account? Once I apply, can I already use some funds or must I wait until I receive the non-O visa? Or maybe similar to AO visa I must leave it untouched for at least 2 months after my O-visa?