Health insurance now mandatory for long-stay foreigners

[Nereus]

I entered as visa exempt and obtained a non imm O at Hua Hin immigration based on income. Visa was stamped “retirement” and expires in February so one month before I will be extending it. As I don’t have time to run around getting insurance etc before I return to work I will visit Matt at AA and get some insurance that meets the requirements however when I extend will not produce the cert unless asked and will report how things went at the time. I do find the “retirement” category interesting particularly as I am not yet 60 and obviously still working.

According to this post he did not even have a tourist visa!

[Nereus]

Just to clarify my confusion now, regardless of basis of extension (retirement in this case) what is the difference between O and OA? I have the former.

And for the likes of myself, if I go down the route suggested by Nereus (which sounds like good advice) how easy/difficult is it to get an “O” visa on return? In my specific case, my O-A visa extension will be due when I’m out the country, so if I don’t renew it before I leave, I assume I will also not need to pay for a re-entry permit, on the basis of entering on a 60 day tourist visa And then apply for an O visa once here - is that correct?

Despite Gregjam's post, if it was me I would obtain a tourist visa before coming back just for peace of mind. And yes, don't give them anymore money, spend it on your trip away!

[Dannie Boy]

Just to clarify my confusion now, regardless of basis of extension (retirement in this case) what is the difference between O and OA? I have the former.

And for the likes of myself, if I go down the route suggested by Nereus (which sounds like good advice) how easy/difficult is it to get an “O” visa on return? In my specific case, my O-A visa extension will be due when I’m out the country, so if I don’t renew it before I leave, I assume I will also not need to pay for a re-entry permit, on the basis of entering on a 60 day tourist visa And then apply for an O visa once here - is that correct?

Despite Gregjam's post, if it was me I would obtain a tourist visa before coming back just for peace of mind. And yes, don't give them anymore money, spend it on your trip away!

[Nereus]

Just to clarify my confusion now, regardless of basis of extension (retirement in this case) what is the difference between O and OA? I have the former.

I have posted the link to the Immigration website regarding 0-A visa's. Regarding a non-immigrant type "0" you do not have to prove any of the BS associated with an 0-A to obtain it, but to extend it basically the same requirements.
Also, it now appears that you can get an "0" in Thailand, but the other stupid 0-A requires you to be out of the country.

[buksida]

Clear as mud then. I had to prove a mountain of BS to obtain my non-O so not sure how that works. It was obtained outside the country and extended internally with a bigger mountain of BS.

Anyhoo ... back to the health insurance ...

[Ratsima]

When I got my new passport a few years ago Immigration transferred my original visa from the old to the new. It says:

VISACLASS: NON-RE

So, is that O or O-A?

[hhinner]

I think what they transferred was more likely an extension based on retirement. Could be mistaken, but I don't think visas are transferred. Any real visa I've ever had has never been transferred but it's still valid, unless expired, in the passport it was stamped or affixed in.

[caller]

But Nereus, I didn't qualify for an O visa in my own Country when I applied. If I had done, then that is what I would have applied for. I simply didn't meet the requirements needed for an O, but did for an OA. That was in 2014. I just checked and I still don't qualify.

So I am quite certain I can't do it in the UK

Edit Okay, you are suggesting a completely different way for arriving here in the first place.

So on what basis can I change elsewhere or even within Thailand? What do I say to immigration? Just that I want to change visa? I know the visa rules outside of Thailand can differ to internal (different agencies), but what actually enables me to qualify for an O now and is that renewable annually, or do I have to leave, come back on a tourist visa then do the O application again?

It would be great if I could, it won't really help on health insurance as that's heading for O visa holders in any case, but for 40k / 400k, it makes a big difference

[Ratsima]

I’m out of Thailand now but I just got a chance to ask my wife about this. She agrees with Nereus: Enter as a tourist, convert to O (you need at least 21 days remaining on the tourist entry), extend as Retirement.

Apparently she’s already done this for some clients.

It’s pure madness. Oh, wait. This is Thailand. Business as usual.

[Nereus]

This thread has drifted that far off course it has now run up on a rocky reef!

The subject is health insurance requirements for those holding a "long stay" 0-A visa? The new regulation took effect from 31st of October 2019. The widespread confusion, bought about by the usual Thai ambiguous wording of regulations, does NOT state if this regulation only applies to 0-A entries AFTER the 31st October, OR does it apply to ALL such visa's regardless of the date of entry, or extension date request.

It would be great if I could, it won't really help on health insurance as that's heading for O visa holders in any case, but for 40k / 400k, it makes a big difference

Where do you get this information from? Do you have a link to where Immigration Dept. has posted that is the intention?
Or is it just speculation?

As I see it, and I no longer get advised about these changes, it all comes down to money.

To obtain an 0-A visa you have to do it in your country of "residence"(NOT necessarily your country of birth). As part of that process, along with several other requirements such as a current medical certificate, you are required to show the same funds as needed in Thailand in a bank where you apply, or proof of pension income. NOTE: a bank in the country where you apply, NOT in Thailand.

Unless it has changed recently, to obtain an non-immigrant type "0" visa you can apply anywhere there is a Thai embassy or consulate. The only money needed is the cost of the visa, I believe 1900 Baht equivalent. That visa gives you 90 days on arrival, no questions. In comparison, a Tourist visa gives you 60 days on arrival, extendable for 30 days after paying yet another 1900 BAHT. NEITHER of these visa's require health insurance.

The difference with the "0" visa is that you can apply in Thailand for a 1 year extension, normally based on retirement, but it must be done while at least 30 days remaining valid. THEN you need to prove your funding, the details of which everybody should be aware, to qualify for the "extension of stay" for 1 year. As it stands at the moment, NO health insurance is required with this extension.

In another post one member has posted that he has converted without ANY visa, just a 30 day exempt stamp!

That was in 2014. I just checked and I still don't qualify.

No idea why. Maybe you are being given bad advice, or just been a naughty boy in the past.

[Ratsima]

.
.

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/

[dundrillin]

Is a visa on marriage grounds(to a Thai) category O?

[Nereus]

Is a visa on marriage grounds(to a Thai) category O?

No. As with other visa's, marriage can be used as a reason for an extension of stay. It is not a visa in itself.

[Ratsima]

The graphic I posted, which is from the Thai embassy Washington DC web site, makes it pretty clear that an O visa is for those who wish to stay with family in Thailand or who wish to do volunteer work.

That said, my wife says she has several clients with O visas who meet neither of those criteria. As usual, Thailand is the land of FUBAR.

[Nereus]

The graphic I posted, which is from the Thai embassy Washington DC web site, makes it pretty clear that an O visa is for those who wish to stay with family in Thailand or who wish to do volunteer work.

That said, my wife says she has several clients with O visas who meet neither of those criteria. As usual, Thailand is the land of FUBAR.

It all depends where you copy it from:

90-Day Non-Immigrant Visa
to Thailand
The 90-Day Non-Immigrant visa is issued to foreigners who wish to enter Thailand for study, business, investment, retirement and other purposes. This type of visa is valid for use for 90 days from the date of issue. The holder of this visa is also given a period of 90 days stay inside Thailand and can be extended for 7 days.
Furthermore, this type of visa grants the holder the option to convert to a 1-Year Non-Immigrant visa stay (i.e. work visa, marriage visa, retirement etc) which can be processed and obtained inside Thailand