It’s anyway quite funny for the airline to ask for a VISA when a national (your wife) goes back to her own country.

@Kevin *****

You don’t do the non OA visa in Thailand, you do the non O visa when in Thailand. To apply non O in Thailand is much more simple than apply non OA in your home country.

When you enter Thailand with your Canadian passport, you will get a stamp to stay 60 days under visa exemption scheme. You then open an account with a Thai Bank, remit 800,000 baht to your Thai account. Go to immigration to apply for a non O retirement visa, which is initially a 90 days visa when granted, then before this visa expires, go to extend it for 1 year. Thereafter, extend it every year for another year.

@Edward *******

That’s what I meant, your flight ticket to Kuala Lumpur serves the purpose.

@Edward *******

The departure flight doesn’t have to be back to where you come from, you can upload the Air Asia ticket to Kuala Lumpur which proves you are leaving Thailand.

It’s the expiry date of your one year extension. You have two options: either leave the country or you can go to the immigration office to apply for another year of extension if you fulfil all the requirements.

@Paul *****

when you are back in Feb 2024, your entry stamp of permitted length of stay will be exactly the expiry date of your existing extension. But with your new one year insurance and if you satisfy the other requirements (eg bank deposits}, you can go to the immigration office to apply for another year of extension before the existing one expires.

In short, you won’t get another year extension at the airport but have to apply at the immigration office.

@Leslie ***

As James said above, if being asked, you can just show your Canadian dollars in Canadian dollar, no need to exchange them for Thai Baht before you arrive. The important point is the Canadian dollars you have must equivalent or not less than to 20K Thai Baht.

@Cesar *********

The expiry date will be the same as the expiry date of your visa/stay extension

For single re-entry permit, of course once you use it, it is void and you have to apply for another one for your next exit and return. For multiple re-entry permit, it is valid until your visa expires.

True. Always check before you leave the counter. My last entry to the country, even though I handed the IO my passport with the page where the extension of my non OA and re-entry permit are, the IO didn’t pay attention and gave me 30 day stay on visa exemption.

I was only aware of the mistake when I was home and checked it. Eventually, I had to go back to the airport and had it fixed.

A senior IO apologised to me though.

@Ellie ******

Thank you very much for advising this additional piece of information. Think we will take the easiest and safest way.