@Gerg *********

yes that’s correct for the first 12 months but you will need a re entry permit in the second 12 months is what I meant.

I agree with Brandon but if that’s your plan why not get the O-A? You would need to get health insurance, police check and health certificate but that gives you 12 month multi entry on one application and if you renew your insurance after 12 months and buy a re entry permit also after 12 months you effectively have a 24 month visa. Just an idea.

Yes, if you work it correctly you can make the O-A last two years. The second year is not multi entry tho, so if you leave in the second year you need to buy a re-entry permit before leaving to preserve you permission to stay.

This is just my experience BTW , entered twice by air at Swampy and both times I needed to show my insurance and visa alongside my passport.

Upon arrival you need to show your visa, passport obviously and certificate of medical insurance. You will then be stamped in for 12 months or up to the expiration of your insurance. It’s a multi entry visa so if you leave every time you return you will be stamped in up to the expiration of your insurance. Hope that assists.

I used AXA there was a link from the Thai visa site that offered a choice, cost was very reasonable.

@Kevin ******

it’s the laughing man emoji that got me thinking you were being ironic

@Andy ******

I fully accept understand that but 20 years + ago ex pats didn’t do boarder bounces in some remote villages unless they had to. The local immigration cop would collect all the ex pats passports and for a small fee they would drive the passports to the boarder, stamp them out and in again. That’s stopped many years ago. If you read Thai immigration law using an agent or bribing a government official to circumvent immigration law is a serious offence. Do you really think that your defence of “doing as the Thais do” will help if the powers that be get a hard on for you or your corrupt official? Anyhow hopefully there never will be a crackdown as there’s not enough space in prison for all the offenders if it came to that. Another factor is that deportations would be in the thousands and that would seriously harm the economy.

@Henrik ****

it is difficult to get a bank account unless you have a long term visa. With a non O or non O-A retirement visa there will be no trouble.

I’m not sure where you get your information about residence certificate. You can get one the day you arrive in Thailand even if on visa exempt. All you require for a residence certificate is the completed application form, TM30, passport copy and passport, passport size photograph the fee and patience to wait at immigration. I have obtained residence certificates in the past within days of entering as a tourist and in April got 3 the day after entering on a visa.

@Kevin ******

I am a lawyer and I can read. Presuming you are being ironic which bit do you think I got wrong?