@Tod ********

with the excellent advice you give and the work you have done directly with immigration to get answers and to understand procedures, it certainly felt like it was your group.

Let me just say, "Thank You", to you and the other moderators for all the work you have put into this group.

I hope that things can continue in the same way, with the same high quality advice.

We shall see what the future holds.

Could you please tell us who was the owner of the group before and why the ownership changed?

I had thought that Tod was the owner of the group prior to this change but perhaps I was mistaken.

If you do not enter before the 2nd of March next year...

You could go through the Non-Immigrant OA visa application process again. As things stand you will need the mandatory Thai health insurance.

Or you could get a Non-Immigrant O visa in London for the purposes of retirement (valid for 90 days) then extend it in Thailand as Robert mentioned above.

Other more complex alternatives are to enter visa exempt or with a tourist visa and then convert to a Non-Immigrant O in country then extend it. However, this may or may not be offered by your local immigration office.

Also there may be a requirement to show that the money came abroad with one or both of these conversion methods.

Using the Non-Immigrant O or visa exempt / tourist visa then convert route, you do not need the Thai health insurance. Or more accurately, you didn't need it BEFORE the pandemic began.

Now, who knows?

There may or may not be pandemic or other health insurance requirements.

Come March, everything might be different again.

What is the 'Valid Until' date on your Multiple Entry Tourist Visa?

If the borders open between Thailand and a nearby country before your original visa is no longer valid, it may be possible to do a border bounce to get another 60 days using your visa and then get a 30 day extension on top of that.

Having said that, I have no idea how immigration will look upon people who have been in Thailand continuously for many months (due to the Coronavirus) and who still try to stay longer.

@Tod ********

is it possible for him to get 17 months of stay out of that visa by extending the final 90 days by 60 days (for visiting a family member) or is that not an option?

I agree with the others that say go to immigration and get an extension.

In the past there were no real consequences for overstaying but now there are some, such as not being able to get certain visas at at least one embassy in the region, as has already been mentioned.

Things may continue to change and you spend a lot of time in Thailand every year.

Avoid the overstay if you can.

You should be able to apply for a 60-day tourist visa in Denmark. You can then extend this for an additional 30 days in Thailand if you need more time.

What is your history in Thailand?

Three months in the past six shouldn't be a problem but do you have a more extensive history in Thailand? If so, that may change things.

Thanks Tod. Very helpful. Hopefully few people will ever need it.

I think there is an additional consequence, which is that you may not be able to get a tourist visa at some embassies / consulates in the region with an overstay stamp in your passport.

At the moment I have only heard of one that this applies to but that may change in future.

@Paul ******

you shouldn't need the Thai insurance to do those things because your visa was issued before the new requirement came into force.

That is how it should be and how it has worked for many people.

However, not all immigration officers enforce the same rules and it hasn't been that way for everyone.

Carry a copy of your travel insurance certificate and if asked tell them you have insurance but because your visa was issued before October 31st 2019 you don't need it.

Hopefully there will be no further problem but if they and their superior officer still require Thai insurance they *should* stamp you in for 30 days so you can buy insurance (at least this is what they have been doing).

If you arrive on the 28th of January and leave on the 26th of February 2020 you will have the option of doing nothing or going to your local immigration office as detailed below.

If you arrive on the 27th of January you will need an extra day.

You should go to your local immigration office and tell them that you were stamped in incorrectly.

They should correct your stamp to a 1-year stamp.

It may also be possible to extend the 30-day stamp for another 30 days, just like a normal 30-day stamp. However, I have no idea if it actually is possible and I don't remember seeing reports of anyone trying it.

Nothing is certain. While a number of people have had their stamps corrected that way, one person recently posted about being refused the correction Chiang Mai immigration.

How pre-October 31st 2019 O-A visas are handled seems to be down to the luck of the draw but with the odds in your favour... at the moment. Tomorrow might be different.

Keep an eye on this group or ask again before you return.