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A change regarding Health Insurance requirement and NON IMM OA Extension of Stay


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3 hours ago, PhuketDok said:

I just renewed my Non-Imm OA Extension of Stay at the Phuket IO and I did not need to have Health Insurance. I was told this a week or so ago by one of the officers while doing a "stamp transfer" to a new passport. I am not sure why they are not requiring it anymore but I believe I heard them say it was because my Non Imm OA Visa was issued/activated prior to Oct, 2019...

 

Not all immigration offices use the same stamp for the transfer of information  to a new passport but the first stamp your immigration office put into the new passport should look some thing like this:

STAMP TRANSFER.jpg

 

On the third or fourth line of this stamp, you will see a handwritten entry of the visa type and category. In the above example the entry is NON-O. What is it in the stamp in your passport?

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4 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

There are also other reports on the Forum of Non Imm O-A Visa holders NOT being required to have the thai IO-approved health-insurance when applying for their 1-year extension of stay for reason of retirement.

It seems that Phuket IO is NOT requiring it anymore since March, and that they will 'evaluate' this expirement in October.  So till then, there is no need when applying in Phuket to subscribe to a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy.

Afaik, Phuket is the ONLY IO nation-wide that is temporarily - and hopefully permanently - not enforcing the health-insurance requirement anymore.

You do not need to have Health Insurance for O-A in Phang Nga immigration neither . AFAIK , if they not changed it lately ...

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5 hours ago, Tracyb said:

We’ll have to wait and see here in Chiang Mai!

I have a report from an agent that the same is true in Chiang Mai. However, this needs confirmation at immigration by more than one personal experience. Anyone due for a renewal? Try it! 

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Additional confirmation from Chiang Mai expats is eagerly waiting.  My Non-OA retirement extension is due in August and if what has been reported of no insurance requirements would greatly alleviate my problems especially since my wife is still stuck in the USA.

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Please excuse my ignorance

I thought to extend an O/A visa that you had to leave the country and when returning would receive an new 1 year extension

am I missing something here?

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1 hour ago, cjd said:

Please excuse my ignorance

I thought to extend an O/A visa that you had to leave the country and when returning would receive an new 1 year extension

am I missing something here?

Only for the 12 months that the Visa is valid.

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1 hour ago, JohnOFphon said:

I have a 3 year old OA...not married to a Thai.

It expires Aug. 5th. 

This is great news ..if..I can extend!!

Fingers crossed..

I live in Rayong with a four year old OA just did my extension end of April, insurance was required

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31 minutes ago, Malawi said:

Only for the 12 months that the Visa is valid.

Sorry still not getting it, my initial O/A visa is still valid until Mid July

I thought to extend it for a further 12 months I needed to leave the country and return within the period of initial validity?

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10 minutes ago, cjd said:

Sorry still not getting it, my initial O/A visa is still valid until Mid July

I thought to extend it for a further 12 months I needed to leave the country and return within the period of initial validity?

 

Correct. Technically it's not an extension, it's another 12 month permission to stay.

 

But the insurance is/was required when extending in-country once the visa itself (and your second year if you took it) have expired.

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1 hour ago, cjd said:

Sorry still not getting it, my initial O/A visa is still valid until Mid July

I thought to extend it for a further 12 months I needed to leave the country and return within the period of initial validity?

If you can leave and re-enter the country prior to your OA visa expiring you would get a new one year entry.

If your current permit to stay ends before you are able to leave the country you could stay under the amnesty until you can leave to get a new entry from your visa. If not then you could stay until July 31st.

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1 hour ago, cjd said:

Sorry still not getting it, my initial O/A visa is still valid until Mid July

I thought to extend it for a further 12 months I needed to leave the country and return within the period of initial validity?

There is a difference between the validity of your Non Imm O-A Visa and the 1-year permission to stay it provides you when entering the country.

When you are able to exit and re-enter the country BEFORE the validity of your Non Imm O-A Visa expires (mid July - as printed on your Visa sticker), you will be stamped in again for another 1-year permission to stay by border-Immigration.

If you are not able to do so because of the present border-closures, you will lose that 2nd year the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you.  And in that case one of your options is to apply for the 1-year extension of stay at your local IO before your current permission to stay expires.

Be aware that when doing so you would need to show:

- 2 months of having kept 800K on a personal thai bank-account, or at least 2 months of at least 65K monthly-income transfers, both of them with foreign origins proven;

- a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy when you are applying for the 1-year for reason of retirement.

>> I did PM you a comprehensive guideline document outlining all details/options to apply for a Non Imm O - retirement Visa, which has the same requirements/conditions as an O-A extension but does not require the mandatory thai IO-approved health-insurance.

To access your PM-messages just click the letter-icon next to your Profile when logged-in to the Forum.

 

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3 hours ago, JohnOFphon said:

I have a 3 year old OA...not married to a Thai.

It expires Aug. 5th. 

This is great news ..if..I can extend!!

Fingers crossed..

Chances are high that by early August the borders will be open again.  That will allow you to do a quick border-run and return VisaExempt.  You can then apply for a 90-day Non Imm O - retirement Visa at your local IO and in the last month of those 90 days apply for the 1-year extension of stay of that Visa. 

The requirements/conditions when applying for a 1-year extension of stay for a Non Imm O - retirement Visa and a Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement, are exactly the same.  But with the one difference that the Non Imm O - retirement Visa extension does NOT require a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy.

> I have PM-ed you a comprehensive guideline document outlining all options/details to apply for that Non Imm O - retirement Visa. 

Note: If I recall well I did sent you an earlier version some months ago, but the present version of the document has been updated and amended with additional information of relevance.

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22 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

There are also other reports on the Forum of Non Imm O-A Visa holders NOT being required to have the thai IO-approved health-insurance when applying for their 1-year extension of stay for reason of retirement.

It seems that Phuket IO is NOT requiring it anymore since March, and that they will 'evaluate' this expirement in October.  So till then, there is no need when applying in Phuket to subscribe to a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy.

Afaik, Phuket is the ONLY IO nation-wide that is temporarily - and hopefully permanently - not enforcing the health-insurance requirement anymore.

In March, my agent told me not required if your O-A was issued prior to Oct 2019. This was for Jomtian office for retirement extension based on any method, including combo method. 

Edited by Mulambana
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1 minute ago, Mulambana said:

My agent told me not required if your O-A was issued prior to Oct 2019. 

Your agent is wrong.  The PoliceOrder clearly states that a 1-year extension of a Non imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement - even when the original Non Imm O-A Visa was issued yesteryear - does require a thai IO-approved health-insurance from one of the TGIA approved insurers.

In Phuket an 'experiment' is on-going where IO does not enforce that requirement presently, but they will evaluate in October whether or not to continue that practice.

It seems that also in Pha Ngam it is not enforced at the moment.

And some rumours that that might also be the case in Chiang-Mai.

But you should not take any chances with this as the PoliceOrder regulating that health-insurance requirement for Non Imm O-A Visa extensions for reason of retirement, has not been withdrawn or updated, and is adhered to by IO nation-wide.

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Thank you all

I was aware of the usual conditions that apply to the normal O/A visa procedure

the topic header led me to believe I'd missed some new development,  anyway your replies are much appreciated.

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38 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

In Phuket an 'experiment' is on-going where IO does not enforce that requirement presently, but they will evaluate in October whether or not to continue that practice.

It seems that also in Pha Ngam it is not enforced at the moment.

So, if some places can waive it and can do experiment, why cant Jomtian do the same experiment through agent only? Of couse my agents don't posts in this forum he does by actions what he says. And his fees for O-A and O are the same. So I Have to beleive him more than somebody who posts here. 

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1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

Note: If I recall well I did sent you an earlier version some months ago, but the present version of the document has been updated and amended with additional information of relevance.

Hi Peter and thanks for your work on this! Can you send me the updated document? 

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16 minutes ago, Mulambana said:

So, if some places can waive it and can do experiment, why cant Jomtian do the same experiment through agent only? Of couse my agents don't posts in this forum he does by actions what he says. And his fees for O-A and O are the same. So I Have to beleive him more than somebody who posts here. 

The difference being that in Phuket it is officially not enforced by IO at the moment, so perfectly legit. 

But if you make use of an agent to avoid having to subscribe to a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy when he handles the 1-year extension of stay of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for requirement, there will obviously be some 'tea-money' involved for the immigration officer that 'overlooks' the requirement when his IO adheres to the HI-requirement as imposed via the PoliceOrder.  In other words > not legit.

Of course everybody is free to make use of an agent or not.  If you only use the agent for doing the 'leg-work' and not to circumvent any requirements imposed by the IO you report to, there is no problem.  Personally I would never make use of an agent if it involves some 'hanky-panky' but once again that's up to you.

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6 minutes ago, claynlr said:

Hi Peter and thanks for your work on this! Can you send me the updated document? 

HI Claynlr > thanks, I just did PM you the latest version of the Guideline document and you are welcome!

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4 hours ago, cjd said:

Sorry still not getting it, my initial O/A visa is still valid until Mid July

I thought to extend it for a further 12 months I needed to leave the country and return within the period of initial validity?

You could(!) leave and reenter to get another 12 months without any formalities.

But this is currently pure theory as you could not reenter. Another example for the damage to visa holders by the closed borders.

You could apply for a one year extension at your immigration office if you fulfill the requirements.

This would be worth a separate thread.

 

Just seen you already got a qualified answer by ubonjoe!

Edited by KhunBENQ
added: at your immigration office
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2 hours ago, Mulambana said:

In March, my agent told me not required if your O-A was issued prior to Oct 2019. This was for Jomtian office for retirement extension based on any method, including combo method. 

Would love to believe it as it is just plain arbitrary to introduce aggravation retroactively.

I hope they have changed their "interpretation".

Fortunately I have time until early October to let things ripen.

Edited by KhunBENQ
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