Unsuccessful trip to CW today for a NON O

[OJAS]

 

 

14 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Have you considered other options instead of the O-A Visa?

 

@Snow Leopard - in this connection you will need IMHO to take into particular account the mandatory health insurance requirement which has been introduced since you obtained your current OA visa. If I were in your shoes this would tip the balance away from a replacement OA visa towards a 60-day single-entry tourist visa instead, which you could then convert to a 90-day non-O visa at your local immigration office in Thailand. But I would definitely advise against relying on a 30-day visa exemption in lieu of a tourist visa so as to avoid possible boarding difficulties when checking-in for your (eventual) return flight at LHR (or wherever).

Edited July 2, 2020 by OJAS

[Snow Leopard]

1 minute ago, OJAS said:

 

 

 

@Snow Leopard - in this connection you will need IMHO to be aware, in particular, of the mandatory health insurance requirement which has been introduced since you obtained your current OA visa. If I were in your shoes this would tip the balance away from a replacement OA visa towards a single-entry tourist visa instead, which you could then convert to a 90-day non-O visa at your local immigration office in Thailand. But I would definitely advise against relying on a 30-day visa exemption in lieu of a tourist visa so as to avoid possible boarding difficulties when checking-in for your (eventual) return flight at LHR (or wherever).

Thats a good point OJAS. I will look into this option a bit more closely. I just posted that the O&A works for me at the moment. I am also in favour of having health insurance though anyway. But a non O route will be the way to go after 2023 for me for sure.

 

I did take the O&A health insurance in December (Cost was approx $1100US). I had a bit of hassle and there was immigration confusion re-entering Thailand on my current O&A before December 2019. I made several trips backwards and forwards to Thailand in October and November moving the last of my stuff across from Dubai. They kept asking for the cert on arrival. I didnt want to take out the insurance then because i was covered up until the end of December 2019 on my previous scheme. Anyway i did the Thai insurance in the middle of December so i am covered right now. 

[Peter Denis]

28 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

Yes i have but i am in a limbo state at the moment. O&A works for me right now but in a few years i will change it to O.

I just PM-ed you a comprehensive guideline document containing all details/options on how to switch from an O-A Visa/extension to a Non Imm O.

Also contains best options on how to meet the mandatory health-insurance requirement when applying for a new O-A when in your home-country.

[Tanoshi]

15 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

I did take the O&A health insurance in December (Cost was approx $1100US). I had a bit of hassle and there was immigration confusion re-entering Thailand on my current O&A before December 2019. I made several trips backwards and forwards to Thailand in October and November moving the last of my stuff across from Dubai. They kept asking for the cert on arrival. I didnt want to take out the insurance then because i was covered up until the end of December 2019 on my previous scheme. Anyway i did the Thai insurance in the middle of December so i am covered right now. 

Not sure when you plan to return to Thailand, but you are aware Thai Immigration will only grant you permission of stay until the validity end date of your Thai Insurance.

[bkkexplorer]

What are the prices for being quarantined in a government approved facility/ hotel upon reentry? As much as I do not want to give a brown envelope to an officer/ agent, this might end up cheaper if home quarantine is not allowed. Still seeking out options for myself, I do not want to leave the kingdom..

 

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, bkkexplorer said:

What are the prices for being quarantined in a government approved facility/ hotel upon reentry? As much as I do not want to give a brown envelope to an officer/ agent, this might end up cheaper if home quarantine is not allowed. Still seeking out options for myself, I do not want to leave the kingdom..

 

Believe price starts at about 30,000 baht for hotel and 3 meals a day.

[Tanoshi]

49 minutes ago, bkkexplorer said:

Still seeking out options for myself, I do not want to leave the kingdom..

For the moment your permission of stay will be automatically extended until such time they announce an end to the amnesty. That in my opinion can only happen when local borders can open without conditions of quarantine, such as Lao, Cambodia, Myanmar where the virus is literally non existent and the risk factor is low.

With 500,000 + foreigners requiring border runs, or new Visas, when the land borders do reopen it would be virtually impossible to do so with quarantine restrictions in place.

 

When the land borders do open you'll be able to obtain a single entry Non O Visa from a Thai Embassy/Consulate, granting permission of stay for 90 days on re-entry.

Within the last 30 days of those 90 days, you can apply for the 1 year extension based on marriage at CW.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Tanoshi

[jackdd]

18 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

For the moment your permission of stay will be automatically extended until such time they announce an end to the amnesty.

The amnesty ends on 31st July. They might announce an extension.

[drbeach]

On 7/1/2020 at 12:22 PM, Okis said:

Didnt ask about that actually.  Just asked if i could do a 60 day extension with a expired multiple entry non-o so i could season the 400k. 

 

My non-0 entry expired 14 june. 

 

I think i read the report you talked about and that seems to be regarding the embassy letter covid extension and alot of people had the same problem and some was even told go back back home because according to some io's the amnesty didnt cover people who used those extensions. 

According to at least one report the answer should be Yes (regarding extensions during the amnesty; no idea about this covid letter they did before announcing the amnesty as those days have passed). Certainly at least, if you're still within the 60 day extension period following the expiration of the 90-day stamp you received (visa is irrelevant). From what I have been able to glean, they may backdate this extension to begin on June 14, taking your stay until August 12. Others have suggested as long as it's done within the amnesty period, the 60 day extension starts on the date you do it (but the latest date to do this is the last day of the amnesty, which is currently July 31). The second option would be better, but even the first one would work in your case. That said...you would need to have financials already "in progress" since June 14 passed several weeks ago, in order to meet the requirements for the 1-year extension.

[drbeach]

43 minutes ago, bkkexplorer said:

What are the prices for being quarantined in a government approved facility/ hotel upon reentry? As much as I do not want to give a brown envelope to an officer/ agent, this might end up cheaper if home quarantine is not allowed. Still seeking out options for myself, I do not want to leave the kingdom..

 

The way I see this going is - at first they will only allow quarantines done at government facilities (which is the case throughout the month). Starting possibly next month (or September...who knows exactly at this time) they will probably start allowing home quarantines again and finally, quarantines will be done away with. That's sort of the way I see it happening, in line with loosening of restrictions.

 

An unrelated example, but case in point of how they remove restrictions in stages comes from China: my local friend, who is an English teacher at a local high school there up in the mountains of Shangri-la, told me that when schools re-opened early April, everyone was required to wear face masks, use a tracking app to enter the school gates and students had their temperatures taken 3 times a day (teachers only once, at the gate). At first, all students and teachers were "locked in" to the school and had to live on campus for several weeks. Around May they could come and go as they pleased but needed to pass through the screening process. Following at least two deaths of students wearing masks while exercising back around May, Chinese schools mostly stopped requiring masks to be worn for PE classes, but they were still required for all other situations when on campus.

 

Then, sometime last month masks were no longer required. However, the app and temperature screening remains.

 

Perhaps in a month or two they'll remove the temperature screening, leaving only the app, and so forth.

 

I see a similar process occurring here in Thailand, with regards to quarantines and also removal of mask requirements on public transport and certain other situations.

[bkkexplorer]

27 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

For the moment your permission of stay will be automatically extended until such time they announce an end to the amnesty. That in my opinion can only happen when local borders can open without conditions of quarantine, such as Lao, Cambodia, Myanmar where the virus is literally non existent and the risk factor is low.

With 500,000 + foreigners requiring border runs, or new Visas, when the land borders do reopen it would be virtually impossible to do so with quarantine restrictions in place.

 

When the land borders do open you'll be able to obtain a single entry Non O Visa from a Thai Embassy/Consulate, granting permission of stay for 90 days on re-entry.

Within the last 30 days of those days, you can apply for the 1 year extension based on marriage at CW.

In the event they allow local border crossings; I can also just do the same day border run, get back in with a tourist visa and apply for the conversion visa at CW correct? And after that the Spouse 'O'.

 

[jackdd]

2 minutes ago, drbeach said:

The way I see this going is - at first they will only allow quarantines done at government facilities (which is the case throughout the month). Starting possibly next month (or September...who knows exactly at this time) they will probably start allowing home quarantines again and finally, quarantines will be done away with. That's sort of the way I see it happening, in line with loosening of restrictions.

According to a news from today, on a site which may not be linked to, the Thai government is planning to offer travel bubble tour packages to tourists from low risk countries, and these people will not be required to go into quarantine. So this is probably their first step.

[Tanoshi]

2 minutes ago, bkkexplorer said:

In the event they allow local border crossings; I can also just do the same day border run, get back in with a tourist visa and apply for the conversion visa at CW correct? And after that the Spouse 'O'.

 

You can just do a border run and re-enter Visa exempt (No Visa) which grants a stay of 30 days.

 

Visas, such as Tourist Visas (60 days) and Non O (90 day) can only be obtained from a Thai Embassy/Consulate.

 

If you choose to enter VE, then you'll have to apply at CW for the Non O (two visits), then the extension based on marriage (two visits).

If you obtain a single entry Non O from a Thai Embassy/Consulate, then you can apply directly for the extension based on marriage at CW (two visits)

[bkkexplorer]

My mistake, I meant visa exempt, I somehow always confuse that with a tourist visa. Thanks again.

[drbeach]

15 hours ago, Mulambana said:

I was on the top of the news but I can say that in February there was very little indication of the impending doom unfolding through out the World. I had my flight out of Thailand on March 21. I even got a re-entry permit in the last week of Feb. In the second week of March when I started getting notifications for flight rescheduling and cancellations, I started growing suspicious and could initutively feel that it is not wise to travel to the US. On March 15, I cancelled my flight. The SARS and H1N1 pandemics were in my minds and never anticipated the travel gloom that was going to engulf the World within weeks. 

Ditto. Prior to late February/early March, the only sense something was different I got out of this crisis was more countries banning Chinese/people who had been to China and that country being locked down. I figured it would be left at that, and China would emerge from lockdown by about April leaving the rest of the world unscathed.

 

The first country outside of China to enact a lockdown, which was Vietnam, only did so in a small township (ward) outside Hanoi in mid February and that sort of got me thinking, but I still didn't expect a worldwide lockdown until early March and by mid-March it was self-evident. And this despite seeing warning signs last year long before anyone ever heard of this virus, by the likes of alternative news providers talking about how Bill Gates was "predicting" a pandemic with up to 65 million deaths. As a critical thinker I am a bit more "awake" as they say than some people, but even I got caught off guard because never in global history has there been a co-ordinated shutdown of the world lasting months with no clear end in sight.

[Tanoshi]

11 minutes ago, jackdd said:

According to a news from today, on a site which may not be linked to, the Thai government is planning to offer travel bubble tour packages to tourists from low risk countries, and these people will not be required to go into quarantine. So this is probably their first step.

That was in the news last month and previously posted on TVF. I understand their are local discussions abreast between the local Countries mentioned, but as yet no agreement or signatures.

Each Country will firstly want to ensure it's own house is in order, as well as the house of the Country(s) party to any agreement.

Schools have just restarted in Thailand, but with classes split, 3 days one week, 2 days the next.

Universities are also starting up this month, But until almost everything is back to normal and social distancing comes to an end, I don't foresee any such signed agreement.

 

That's why I predict the amnesty will be extended until the end of August, if not the end of September.

[Tanoshi]

5 minutes ago, drbeach said:

Ditto. Prior to late February/early March, the only sense something was different I got out of this crisis was more countries banning Chinese/people who had been to China and that country being locked down. I figured it would be left at that, and China would emerge from lockdown by about April leaving the rest of the world unscathed.

By the end of February there were some 18 Countries with confirmed cases of Covid.

The WHO predicted a 'global' infection beginning of February.

By mid March almost every European Country had confirmed cases.

 

After the WHO' statement, I anticipated Countries following China's example and locking down.

I cancelled all plans for 2020, which will be remembered by many for the wrong reasons.

[oldmanstan]

On 6/29/2020 at 8:26 PM, ubonjoe said:

They are correct about needing 15 days remaining on a standard permit to stay form a visa exempt or tourist visa entry or a extension of them. Immigration does not consider the "automatic extension" under the amnesty as a valid permit to stay.

@ubonjoe , does the same 15 day rule apply to a marriage extension on a non-imm O multiple?  E.g  Non-imm O multiple from HOCHIMINH valid until July 15 2020.   Entry stamp from Jan 19 admit until April 17 but currently on amnesty.  Was hoping to change this to marriage extension.

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, oldmanstan said:

@ubonjoe , does the same 15 day rule apply to a marriage extension on a non-imm O multiple?  E.g  Non-imm O multiple from HOCHIMINH valid until July 15 2020.   Entry stamp from Jan 19 admit until April 17 but currently on amnesty.  Was hoping to change this to marriage extension.

The 15 days is only needed for non immigrant visa application.

For s extension of stay application based upon marriage you can do it on the last day if you want to.

You need to ask your local office to find out what their policy is for those on the amnesty after a non-o visa entry.

[drbeach]

10 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

By the end of February there were some 18 Countries with confirmed cases of Covid.

The WHO predicted a 'global' infection beginning of February.

By mid March almost every European Country had confirmed cases.

 

After the WHO' statement, I anticipated Countries following China's example and locking down.

I cancelled all plans for 2020, which will be remembered by many for the wrong reasons.

The WHO made the announcement of a worldwide pandemic on March 11. You are right they were predicting something big before then, but a worldwide lockdown never happened before (not for SARS or MERS, Ebola etc) hence why I didn't expect to see one this time round until signs made it apparent, this was imminent.

 

As mentioned in my previous reply, I could see where this was going by around late February, but it was still a bit vague until early March, when it finally became quite clear to me where this was going.

I did tell my Chinese colleagues around mid-February, that I didn't think it was a good idea to arrange transportation of goods from Thailand to Laos anymore (mostly because I didn't want them gaining a certain advantage over my business partners and I but also because I thought it was a bit complicated) - at the time I really didn't think the Thai-Lao border was going to close, but in hindsight I made the right decision because by the time we would have been ready (early to mid-March) it was already clear. And of course by March 20, the Thai-Lao borders had all been shut (except for official trade).

Edited July 2, 2020 by drbeach

[Tanoshi]

7 minutes ago, oldmanstan said:

@ubonjoe , does the same 15 day rule apply to a marriage extension on a non-imm O multiple?  E.g  Non-imm O multiple from HOCHIMINH valid until July 15 2020.   Entry stamp from Jan 19 admit until April 17 but currently on amnesty.  Was hoping to change this to marriage extension.

No.

The 15 day rule only applies to those holding a VE or TV entry but want to apply for, or change the type of Visa to a type 'O', in order to apply for an annual extension.

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Tanoshi

[oldmanstan]

29 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The 15 days is only needed for non immigrant visa application.

For s extension of stay application based upon marriage you can do it on the last day if you want to.

You need to ask your local office to find out what their policy is for those on the amnesty after a non-o visa entry.

Thanks, good to know.  Tried to get the 60day extension in April but bc of amnesty they refused and said extension not needed.  I'll see what they have to say at the local office.

 

 

[JackThompson]

On 7/1/2020 at 1:12 PM, Tanoshi said:

I've never stated I warned everyone.

Ok.  But bummer, because I was going to ask for stock-tips, next. 

[Tanoshi]

32 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Ok.  But bummer, because I was going to ask for stock-tips, next. 

I stated I anticipated what would happen.

I can give you some good offshore investment tips offering 6.1% and 8%  ????

 

I predict the amnesty will be extended to end of August, or September though. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Tanoshi

[drbeach]

16 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

I stated I anticipated what would happen.

I can give you some good offshore investment tips offering 6.1% and 8%  ????

 

I predict the amnesty will be extended to end of August, or September though. 

From all the information available now, I fully agree. I think an extension until end of August or September is highly likely.