CM Immigration Q&A (2018)

[cnxnicho]

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

Can you tell me which IO told you that because when I went for retirement extension this week, the IO at counter 8 (who is a middle-aged guy) didn't mention anything about this and maybe he might have forgotten.

Sounds like the same guy at Counter 8, he was very polite and helpful. When my extension was approved, I asked if I had to come back in 3 months to confirm, as I had seen from other Immigration offices. Then he said................

[EricTh]

22 minutes ago, CMBob said:

Presuming he could identify the given IO (which is unlikely at least by name), does it really matter?  You ought to know the rules by now and should expect that, at your next annual extension, they'll be checking to see that you maintained minimums of 800k baht for 3 months after your prior application date, 800k for 2 months prior to your next application date, and 400k for all the other months.  

 

If people ought to know the rules by now, then why do so many people have arguments over the O-A retirement extension rules over many threads?

 

You are just assuming they will check next year but I have also read some reports here that say the retiree went back after 3 months to show their bank account book if anybody can remember that report.

 

So obviously, what you are saying is different from what that retiree reported .

[Bill97]

Is there a visa called officially a “retirement visa”?  Is it a Non I’m O or AO or OA?

[EricTh]

5 minutes ago, nichopaulcnx said:

Sounds like the same guy at Counter 8, he was very polite and helpful. When my extension was approved, I asked if I had to come back in 3 months to confirm, as I had seen from other Immigration offices. Then he said................

 

It seems that he's the same guy who is mild mannered and middle aged.

 

I didn't ask him like you did because I assume that he would tell me all the requirements.

 

So can I confirm we don't have to come back to show our bank-book after 3 months and he will only check at the next extension one year from now?

[cnxnicho]

2 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

It seems that he's the same guy who is mild mannered and middle aged.

 

I didn't ask him like you did because I assume that he would tell me all the requirements.

 

So can I confirm we don't have to come back to show our bank-book after 3 months and he will only check at the next extension one year from now?

Yes, that is what I was clearly told, check next extension in one year.

[EricTh]

13 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Is there a visa called officially a “retirement visa”?  Is it a Non I’m O or AO or OA?

 

It seems that there are more than one type of retirement visa which I found out only this week.

 

It is called a retirement extension based on the initial visa which can be either non-imm O or non-imm OA. 

 

The word 'retirement' is stamped on my passport in red on the extension stamp but not on the initial visa stamp.

 

I am not sure whether marriage visa has a non-imm O as well.

 

[Lizard2010]

8 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Is there a visa called officially a “retirement visa”?  Is it a Non I’m O or AO or OA?

If anyone who has been here quite a few years will know

That if you look at your Visa Extension  Stamp in your passport

It will say Retirement

Mine was a A O VIsa from overseas

A friend saw his local respected Chian Mai Agent recently

He asked the question

If you have a A O Visa will the medical insurance be needed

He stated NO

As after a A O Visa has been extended within the Country it has become a O Visa

 

I think we all just have to wait till a few Visas have been renewed to hear the full outcome

 

Plus i see another Immigration forum has been suspended

 

Hope this one will not be

 

 

[cnxnicho]

4 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

It seems that there are more than one type of retirement visa which I found out only this week.

 

It is called a retirement extension based on the initial visa which can be non-imm O or non-imm OA. 

 

The word 'retirement' is stamped on my passport in red on the extension stamp but not on the initial visa stamp.

 

I am not sure whether marriage visa has a non-imm O as well.

 

Also Non-Imm B, as mine was 14 years ago before converting to a retirement extension.

[EricTh]

3 minutes ago, nichopaulcnx said:

Also Non-Imm B, as mine was 14 years ago before converting to a retirement extension.

What is your non-immigration B visa based on?  

[Andrew Dwyer]

12 minutes ago, Lizard2010 said:

 

If you have a A O Visa will the medical insurance be needed

He stated NO

As after a A O Visa has been extended within the Country it has become a O Visa

 

 

Just to clarify:

 

An OA visa can only be obtained in your home country ( or a country where you have permanent residence ).

It is Multi Entry and valid for 1 year, every time you enter Thailand on an OA you receive an “admitted  until “ stamp for one year ( hence if entering shortly before it expires you can obtain almost 2 years)

1st year you are on a ME visa

2nd year you are on permission to stay 

At the end of the 2nd year ( and onwards ) you make a 1 year extension , it does not become an O visa .

You are on a retirement extension of your permission to stay based on an OA visa.

You report every 90 days ,continuously in country, to your local IO.

 

A non imm O visa gives you 90 days stay.

A single entry is valid for 90 days, a multi entry gives you 90 days stay but is valid for 1 year, on a ME you have to leave the country every 90 days.

You have the option to make an extension of your permission to stay based on a non imm O visa ( retirement, marriage, etc ) and then you are on an identical extension as the non imm OA ( except for the insurance malarkey ) and report to immigration every 90 days continuously in country.

[Lizard2010]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Just to clarify:

 

An OA visa can only be obtained in your home country ( or a country where you have permanent residence ).

It is Multi Entry and valid for 1 year, every time you enter Thailand on an OA you receive an “admitted  until “ stamp for one year ( hence if entering shortly before it expires you can obtain almost 2 years)

1st year you are on a ME visa

2nd year you are on permission to stay 

At the end of the 2nd year ( and onwards ) you make a 1 year extension , it does not become an O visa .

You are on a retirement extension of your permission to stay based on an OA visa.

You report every 90 days ,continuously in country, to your local IO.

 

A non imm O visa gives you 90 days stay.

A single entry is valid for 90 days, a multi entry gives you 90 days stay but is valid for 1 year, on a ME you have to leave the country every 90 days.

You have the option to make an extension of your permission to stay based on a non imm O visa ( retirement, marriage, etc ) and then you are on an identical extension as the non imm OA ( except for the insurance malarkey ) and report to immigration every 90 days continuously in country.

I already know all of the above

 

We will just have to wait till more people have there extensions at Chaing Mai  Immigration approved

[CharlieH]

46 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Is there a visa called officially a “retirement visa”?  Is it a Non I’m O or AO or OA?

 

No.

 

It is a one year extension of the 90 day permit to stay from a non-o visa based upon retirement.

It can also be the extension of the one year permit to stay from a non-OA visa.

 

The most common and correct terminology is a non-OA long stay visa based upon being 50 or over.

In reality there is no retirement visa per se.

 

(thanks to UJ)

[NancyL]

An easy way to tell what type of visa you have is if you've acquired a new passport since being granted your original visa, all you have to do is look in the first visa page at the stamp where Immigration transferred your visa information.  The third line lists your original visa "non-O", "non-OA"  etc.

 

 

[NancyL]

3 minutes ago, Lizard2010 said:

I already know all of the above

 

We will just have to wait till more people have there extensions at Chaing Mai  Immigration approved

And we receive reports from people who correctly understand what type of visa they have.

[Mapguy]

A few days ago I  posted a list in Thai received from chief Chiang Mai Immigration officers on duty of the 14 accredited Thai insurance companies for 40/400 heath insurance coverage.  The longstay.tgia site only lists 12 at present (10 November).  The two companies NOT on the site are Bangkok Insurance Company (https://www.bangkokinsurance.com/)  and Syn Mun Kong (smk.co.th).  But both can be contacted by phone or message.

 

It appears to me that their web sites are not yet ready in English.

 

Since I received this from CM Immigration I am not posting it elsewhere.  If someone wishes to do a complete translation into English, please do one and post it.

1420054316_Longstay.TGIAAccreditedHealthInsuranceCompanies7NOV19(1).pdf

[CharlieH]

If the Chrome browser is used it will translate the page automatically for you. However, on my perusal even then it was of little use and doesnt list an applicable policy. (BkkIns)

[sappersrest]

5 hours ago, NancyL said:

And we receive reports from people who correctly understand what type of visa they have.

Have it on good authority that two people I know have been refused extension to stay on an O A visa issued 5 years ago and renewed every year since  due to not having health insurance at Chiang Mai immigration office.

This is not a rumor as the people told me themselves.

Just a heads up please let your clients at Lanna care know and any one else in your circle.

[saengd]

7 hours ago, Lizard2010 said:

 

He asked the question

If you have a A O Visa will the medical insurance be needed

He stated NO

As after a A O Visa has been extended within the Country it has become a O Visa

 

 

For large numbers of people this is the core question, I've heard the above (in bold) previously in a different context and will seriously appreciate it if somebody who actually knows (not guessing) can confirm this is the case. If it is, I truly fail to understand why we have all these reports of several year+ O-A visa extensions being denied because of no health insurance.

 

EDIT: forget it, I just saw the clarification above, apologies.

[EricTh]

4 hours ago, sappersrest said:

Have it on good authority that two people I know have been refused extension to stay on an O A visa issued 5 years ago and renewed every year since  due to not having health insurance at Chiang Mai immigration office.

This is not a rumor as the people told me themselves.

Just a heads up please let your clients at Lanna care know and any one else in your circle.

Could you ask them to report their experiences here in more details? 

 

 

 

[EricTh]

8 hours ago, CharlieH said:

If the Chrome browser is used it will translate the page automatically for you. However, on my perusal even then it was of little use and doesnt list an applicable policy. (BkkIns)

Please note that Chrome or Google doesn't translate everything accurately as I have found wrong translation in the past.

 

You need an expert in both languages to translate 100% accurately.

[TheAppletons]

10 hours ago, EricTh said:

Could you ask them to report their experiences here in more details? 

 

 

 

Still in denial, I see.  

[EricTh]

2 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

Still in denial, I see.  

Why should I be in denial? I don't gain anything out of denial, do I?

 

Asking somebody to post first-hand account of their experiences is still better than second-hand account of "I heard". It's better to verify.

 

FYI, I have also read other visa threads coming in talking about their experience which are contradictory. Isn't it good to verify why all these different experiences have different results?

[TheAppletons]

1 minute ago, EricTh said:

Why should I be in denial? I don't gain anything out of denial, do I?

 

Asking somebody to post first-hand account of their experiences is still better than second-hand account of "I heard". It's better to verify.

 

FYI, I have also read other visa threads coming in talking about their experience which are contradictory. Isn't it good to verify why all these different experiences have different results?

  Do you actually think that everyone in Chiang Mai is a member of this forum and/or will join just so you can have a "first hand" account?  If his/her extension was refused, I think he/she probably has greater priorities right now.

 

How does a post by a new member with zero posting history have more validity than information posted by a long-standing member of the forum who personally knows the people involved?  

[EricTh]

5 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

  Do you actually think that everyone in Chiang Mai is a member of this forum and/or will join just so you can have a "first hand" account?  If his/her extension was refused, I think he/she probably has greater priorities right now.

 

How does a post by a new member with zero posting history have more validity than information posted by a long-standing member of the forum who personally knows the people involved?  

 

How do you know he's not already a member?

 

Yes, I agree in most cases, he/she would have greater priorities now but if you bothered to read the other visa threads, some people do bother to post their experience even after their visa has been denied.

 

Your behavior when faced with the same situation is not reflective of everyone's behaviour.

 

It's just a request and not compulsion.

 

[TheAppletons]

1 minute ago, EricTh said:

 

How do you know he's not already a member?

 

Yes, I agree in most cases, he/she would have greater priorities now but if you bothered to read the other visa threads, some people do bother to post their experience even after their visa has been denied.

 

Your behavior when faced with the same situation is not reflective of everyone's behaviour.

 

It's just a request and not compulsion.

 

  Fair point.  And I have been reading the other threads.....extensively.

 

  Just seems to me that this topic has been woefully under-publicized in this particular sub-forum and since I reside here - with a LOT of other retirees - I think the news needs greater dissemination here, particularly if the enforcement of the new law continues in the same manner.    

 

[Lizard2010]

2 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

How do you know he's not already a member?

 

Yes, I agree in most cases, he/she would have greater priorities now but if you bothered to read the other visa threads, some people do bother to post their experience even after their visa has been denied.

 

Your behavior when faced with the same situation is not reflective of everyone's behaviour.

 

It's just a request and not compulsion.

 

Give it time

I has only been 1 week

Plus other forum posts

May not be applicable to Chiang Mai  immigration

As I stated the moderators have suspected one Forum post already

We don't want this one suspended

[Bill97]

10 hours ago, EricTh said:

Could you ask them to report their experiences here in more details? 

 

 

 

Could we ask you to use the correct terms for visa types and extensions?  After having a previous incorrect post removed you continue to use incorrect names and confuse others.

[EricTh]

5 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

  Fair point.  And I have been reading the other threads.....extensively.

 

  

 

 

You might want to read the experience of this guy named Hayduke who renewed his extension after 1st Nov.

 

Yes, he's not a new member in this forum so according to you, you should be able to trust him...

 

 

 

[TheAppletons]

5 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

You might want to read the experience of this guy named Hayduke who renewed his extension after 1st Nov. Yes, he's not a new member in this forum.

 

 

 

 

  And he's not in Chiang Mai.  Also, see that blue-ish looking sign there - the same sign I posted earlier in this thread?  That sign IS from Chiang Mai Immigration.  

[Bill97]

3 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

You might want to read the experience of this guy named Hayduke who renewed his extension after 1st Nov. Yes, he's not a new member in this forum.

 

 

 

Now you are posting about experience at other immigration offices, not Chiang Mai.  This is a thread about Chiang Mai immigration.