You can do both a border run and a visa run. A visa run means going to a nearby country and applying for another visa, while a border run gives you a 60-day visa exemption if you are from one of the 93 nations entitled to it. Personally, I would use a professional border-run company for this.
No official statement exists on this. Generally, Immigration Officers have full discretion, but issues may arise if you stay 90 days within a 180-day period or six months within a 12-month period.
Both the standard 90-day Non-O visa and the one-year Non-OA visa require applicants to be at least 50 years of age, and to demonstrate either a minimum monthly income of 65,000 baht or financial assets of at least 800,000 baht.
The Non-OA visa further requires valid health insurance, a medical certificate, and a police clearance certificate.
The standard Non-O visa permits an initial stay of up to 90 days in Thailand. Thereafter, holders may apply for annual extensions of stay under conditions largely identical to those of the initial Non-O visa. (If you’re embassy doesn’t offer to provide you a affidavit letter confirming your income, you can’t use income to fulfil the financial requirements for the first year).
The one-year Non-OA visa allows a stay of up to two years, provided that health insurance coverage is renewed for the second year.
Upon expiry, holders must apply for annual extensions of stay under the same requirements as the Non-O visa. However, the obligation to maintain valid Thai health insurance remains mandatory on a permanent basis.
You can apply for both visas online through the Thai embassy in your own country. The Non O-A visa is the only visa that allows multiple entries for the first year, but you can simply purchase a multiple re-entry permit in Thailand to be stamped back into the country.
Yes, you’ll just need to cancel your stay based on the Non O-A by leaving without a re-entry permit and re-enter on a 60 days visa exemption. From there you can apply for a regular 90 days Non O at your local immigration at a TM.87 form using your bank account and do a regular one year extension of stay within 90 days.
Both the Non O and the Non O-A is called retirement visas as you’ll need to be passed 50 years to apply. If you plan to stay in Thailand on a more permanent basis you might at one point just want to cancel your stay based on the Non O-A visa and apply for a Non O at home or inside Thailand. No issues as you already have a bank account and then you’ll get rid of the mandatory Thai health insurance requirement.
Yes because it’s a one year multiple entries visa which means that you’ll get one year stay each time upon entry within the validity of your visa. So if you enter one more time or do a border bounce short time before the visa expires, you’ll get another year stay as long as you also update your mandatory health insurance. For the second year you’ll need to purchase re-entry permits in order to get stamped back in on your stay.
Yes, when departing through Suvarnabhumi Airport via Departure No. 2, proceed up the escalator, pass through security, and the re-entry desk will be located in the corner in front of the immigration counters. It is possible to attempt to open a bank account with a residence certificate issued by immigration; however, multiple branch visits may be required.