Marty ********

I don’t know the requirements to get the original 90 day visa but after 90 days you would apply for a 1 year extension. When you have an O visa you do not need insurance to extend that O visa for 1 year. In order to extend an OA visa for 1 year you would need to have 1 year of health insurance.

2 years ago

How can I renew my US passport through the Thai consulate without traveling to America?

Marty *********

You mean the US embassy in Bangkok. I did this in April. Everything done by mail. It took 30 days for me. They changed the process for paying for the return envelope. Good luck with that.

2 years ago

Can I change my visa from Non-O to Non-OA after approval?

Marty *********

These days people generally recommend an O over an OA because there is no insurance requirement to extend an O.

2 years ago

What is the best bank for opening an account in Thailand for expats?

Marty *********

@Jimmy ******

The branch I have an account with is on Sukhumvit next to W District. I hear that the branch in EmQuartier, Phrom Phong, is easy for expats to work with.

2 years ago

What is the difference between the 90-day O visa and the 12-month OA visa when applying for a retirement visa in Thailand?

Marty *********

@Bosco ******

LTR - Long Term Resident visa offered by the Thailand Board of Investment. There are several categories of the visa. I have the pensioner LTR which requires a passive income of $80,000/yr and health insurance. 50,000 fee baht for 10 years. Google LTR Thailand BOI for the website

2 years ago

What is the best bank for opening an account in Thailand for expats?

Marty *********

@Stuart **********

I think it is true with all the banks but I wasn’t sure.

2 years ago

What is the best bank for opening an account in Thailand for expats?

Marty *********

@Jimmy ******

I believe the 50,000 baht limit has something to do with Wise transfers. If you do a traditional wire transfer you can wire just about any amount. I wired transferred over a million baht to Kasikorn in order buy a car last year and similar amounts while building a house.

2 years ago

Do you need to have money in a Thai bank for a non-immigrant OA retirement visa?

Marty *********

If your goal is to never put money into a Thai bank then you will have to return to your home country every 1-2 years to apply for a new OA visa. This plan works for some people.

2 years ago

What is the best bank for opening an account in Thailand for expats?

Marty *********

I bank with Kasikorn. If you use cardless withdrawal then there are no ATM fees throughout Thailand.

2 years ago

What is the difference between the 90-day O visa and the 12-month OA visa when applying for a retirement visa in Thailand?

Marty *********

Another thing to note is that the OA visa requires health insurance both to get the visa and to extend the visa. The non-O does not require insurance for one year extensions. I had an OA for 6 years and now I would recommend the O visa. I got a 10 year LTR in January and I would recommend looking into that as well.

2 years ago