You should search this site for the process to obtain a non-immigrant O visa while you are in Thailand. There is no insurance requirement but you will have to deposit money in a Thai bank to meet the financial requirements.

If you purchase a non-immigrant OA visa in your home country there is an insurance requirement but you can meet the financial requirement with money in your home country bank account. You can meet the insurance requirement by purchasing insurance from the TGIA website however the plans available are expensive and have poor health coverage. There is a form for foreign insurance to qualify but it is difficult to get them to sign the form. I don’t know if you can get a good Thai policy unless you have lived here a while.

The recent reports that I've seen are that since Nov 7 the IO at Suvarnahbumi are not denying entry to people with OA visas obtained before Oct 31. But it is still early days and those reports may or may not be accurate. You should have a plan for what you might do if denied entry. Research your insurance options. If you are really planning to stay here long term and apply for a 1 year extension then you will have to confront this eventually.

Go to your local branch and ask them yourself. If necessary ask them to connect you with someone who speaks good English. You should know what it is you are asking for. Find an example of the letter you want. Print it out and show them.

As a last resort your could visit your bank branch on the lower floor of CW. They will definitely know what you are asking for.

Also, you can apply for an extension 45 days early. Go as early as possible so you have time to fix any problems. Take notes. The second time will go much smoother with less anxiety.

@Adam ********

I am a US expat. My US insurance covered me as a traveler but didn’t cover me to live here long term. I bought a Thai insurance policy in January of this year. It really depends what insurance you think you need. You have two choices (now). Stay here based on an OA with Thai insurance or switch over to a non-O if you want something other than a Thai insurance or no insurance.

Basically you have a choice. If you very much want to keep your money in a Canadian bank then you need to purchase an OA in Canada and purchase insurance. If you don’t want to purchase Thai insurance then return to get a non-immigrant O and then get a year extension of stay but you will have to put money in a Thai bank.

Or you could get insurance between now and then. In any case, there are more recent reports that there has been a change at Immigration at Suvarnabhumi that they are now letting people in with OA before Oct 31 and stamping them in for 1 year. The change seems date from November 7th. Basically, it is all still in flux.

If you apply for an OA in your home country the required document is the same a before + now you need health insurance. Your money can remain in your home country.

If you enter Thailand on non- O the you can apply for a 1 year extension. You do not need insurance but your money has to be in a Thai bank. First you buy the single entry O visa and the the 1 year extension and there are no regular border runs though you still have to 90 day reporting as you do now.

Yes. Wait to see what happens but it wouldn't hurt to explore what the current insurance options are now. If you are on yearly extensions then they are going to probably require a Thai insurance policy. You should look into these now and weigh the implications knowing you have time to wait this out until August next year.

You have four months to look into continuing with a non-O visa and then a 1 year extension of stay.

I would stay away from an OA visa at this time. You already have an O visa and stated an intent to buy health insurance. Follow the process to go directly to a 1 year extension of stay. Buy a good value insurance policy that meets your needs. Don’t get caught up in the current OA insurance confusion.