Returning to Thailand

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I can't see any post numberibg any more!

They disappeared last night when a software update was done. That is on a list of fixes to be done.

[jacko45k]

Just now, ubonjoe said:

They disappeared last night when a software update was done. That is on a list of fixes to be done.

Lost the edit button too.

[Peter Denis]

4 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Lost the edit button too.

It is still there > just click the 3 dots on your post (obviously the Edit is not available on posts by others than yourself).

Note: And in case you are looking for the overview of your posts, that is now 'hidden' as part of your Profile

[tso310]

10 hours ago, ruby1 said:

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/119247-requirements-for-certificate-of-entry-during-travel-restriction?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

 

Which clearly states that entry can be based for family members of a Thai national. So you are saying that people are lying for some obscure reason.  

 

"O"	To visit family or friends in Thailand, voluntary job, retirement, medical treatment, to attend judicial process, to work as diplomat's housekeeper
"O-A"	For applicants aged 50 and over who wish to stay in Thailand for an extended period without the intention of working.

[ruby1]

On 10/22/2020 at 1:43 AM, Peter Denis said:

NO, it is not correct that you MUST obtain an O-A Visa to be eligible for the COE and return to Thailand.  It depends on your situation > When married to a Thai national or with Thai dependent children a Non Imm O Visa is accepted.  Also applying for a NEW Non Imm O-A Visa is not required if your current Non Imm O-A Visa validity has not expired.  And normally also a Re-Entry Permit protected still valid permission to stay from an extended Non Imm O-A Visa would be accepted.

I dont have a OA retirement Visa I have a O retirement Visa 

[ruby1]

23 hours ago, tso310 said:

 

Which clearly states that entry can be based for family members of a Thai national. So you are saying that people are lying for some obscure reason.  

 

"O"	To visit family or friends in Thailand, voluntary job, retirement, medical treatment, to attend judicial process, to work as diplomat's housekeeper
"O-A"	For applicants aged 50 and over who wish to stay in Thailand for an extended period without the intention of working.

O retirement Visa is not on the drop list to apply

[Peter Denis]

23 minutes ago, ruby1 said:

O retirement Visa is not on the drop list to apply

An "O retirement Visa" does not exist.

There are only O Visa, and you can apply for such O Visa for different reasons, e.g. retirement, marriage to a Thai national, dependent Thai children, etc.

 

I presume that you are currently in UK with a still valid permission to stay (protected by a Re-Entry Permit) from a 1-year extension of stay based on an original Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.  That's a whole mouthful but the only correct way to describe what is your probable Visa situation.  As mentioned you are NOT on an O retirement Visa, and insisting on using that incorrect terminology makes it impossible to have clarity on your actual Visa situation and possible options.

 

When trying to use that valid permission to stay for the CoE application you will need to provide proof that you are married to a Thai national or have Thai dependent children.  If that's not the case, your application will not be eligible.  And even when married, it is possible that your application will be denied as the Embassy/Consulate might insist on a valid Visa instead of the valid permission to stay you might have.

When being dismissed, you can of course apply - if you meet the criteria - for a Non Imm O-A Visa, as such Visa is eligible for the CoE now required to be able to enter Thailand.

 

[Whale]

I got a new O-A in UK a week ago. Will return to Thailand on 16 November. As others have said a "non O (retirement)" cannot be used to get a certificate of entry issued. For retirees only O-A and O-X can be used for applying for certificate of entry. The exceptions to this are retiree who is married to a Thai and retiree who has PR, they can use "non O (marriage)" and "non O (PR)" routes.

 

 

[EricTh]

On 10/13/2020 at 3:20 AM, ruby1 said:

I guess loads of people are asking why we cant return to Thailand on a O retirement Visa?..Its a visa that we obtained in Thailand and have to hold 800,000b almost all year round which is a big commitment.Its shouldn't be about your visa as long as you respect thailand rules.Come on does this O retirement visa have Covid 19 virus all over it?

 

Unfortunately, not everybody use the 800k deposit. There are other loopholes they haven't closed yet.

 

[Peter Denis]

13 minutes ago, EricTh said:

Unfortunately, not everybody use the 800k deposit. There are other loopholes they haven't closed yet.

Two questions:

- Why is this unfortunate?

- What other loopholes are you referring to that need closing?

[tso310]

23 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Unfortunately, not everybody use the 800k deposit. There are other loopholes they haven't closed yet.

 

O visa is 400K. 

[Peterw42]

12 minutes ago, tso310 said:

O visa is 400K. 

An extension from an O visa for retirement is 800k, a marriage extension is 400k

[tso310]

3 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

An extension from an O visa for retirement is 800k, a marriage extension is 400k

Yes, Being married to a Thai I always gravitate to that amount.

[tso310]

Posted earlier on a private facebook group this is for Non O deniers. It took under a week to get the visa and the CoE was posted within 24 hours after all the documents had been sent. 

"ive just got my Non O visa so now is it i can book my flight and hotel and insursnce ????" 

 

Another guy posted this which may be helpful to some people -

"I’ve just tried to apply again for my non o visa online and I got a message saying you’ve reached your maximum of 10 attempts does that mean I can no longer proceed?? Please advise need help thanks"

"Some people accidentally start a new one each time and the max is 10. Each time you work on completing the application... click on the pending box..select the same application and carry on again."

 

 

[Peterw42]

28 minutes ago, tso310 said:

Posted earlier on a private facebook group this is for Non O deniers. It took under a week to get the visa and the CoE was posted within 24 hours after all the documents had been sent. 

"ive just got my Non O visa so now is it i can book my flight and hotel and insursnce ????" 

 

Another guy posted this which may be helpful to some people -

"I’ve just tried to apply again for my non o visa online and I got a message saying you’ve reached your maximum of 10 attempts does that mean I can no longer proceed?? Please advise need help thanks"

"Some people accidentally start a new one each time and the max is 10. Each time you work on completing the application... click on the pending box..select the same application and carry on again."

 

 

Is that an  O visa from the UK ?

Dont you need insurance, quarantine hotel booking and flight etc before getting OoE

Edited October 23, 2020 by Peterw42

[tso310]

2 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Is that an  O visa from the UK ?

Yes. You have to be married or a parent to a Thai national. There is no minimum age for this visa.

I will also point out that the Non O is issued by the Department of Immigration and the Non O-A is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The NON O is not meant to be a retirement visa but many people get this visa and then obtain 1 year extensions. Loads of discussions in this sub forum.

[ubonjoe]

50 minutes ago, tso310 said:

Yes. You have to be married or a parent to a Thai national. There is no minimum age for this visa.

I will also point out that the Non O is issued by the Department of Immigration and the Non O-A is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The NON O is not meant to be a retirement visa but many people get this visa and then obtain 1 year extensions. Loads of discussions in this sub forum.

A non-o visa can be issued for many reasons by a embassy or consulate. It can be issued by immigration for a few specific reasons.

A non-o visa can be issued to those that are 50 or over for retirement to qualify for a extension of stay based upon retirement,

You are mixing up visas and extension of stay.

[Robin]

Do I understand this correctly?  

I should be eligible for  CoE as I am married to Thai and have been living in Thailand on Non O retirement extension until June 2021.  

 

Am I assured of getting a CoE, as it seems I have to book flight and ASQ before this is issued?  So several thousand ££ at risk if the CoE is refused?

If I go into Thailand on existing visa, must I have medical insurance to June 2021, (when my visa expires,) or can I get in with medical insurance for  3 months.

Any recommendations for medical insurance for Covid only, to satisfy CoE requirements.

Can I chose any flight into Thailand that is offered on the Internet.  I usually book through Expedia and they have several flights for he date I am thinking of.

Nothing has been said here, but I assume that all ASQ hotels will take booking using UK credit card?

Any advice or experience would be welcome

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, Robin said:

I should be eligible for  CoE as I am married to Thai and have been living in Thailand on Non O retirement extension until June 2021.

Your current permission of stay stamp is June 2021? 

So have left Thailand after June  this year with a reentry permit?. I'm confused.

[EricTh]

9 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Two questions:

- Why is this unfortunate?

- What other loopholes are you referring to that need closing?

 

Some people use the monthly transfer method and you don't need to keep 800 k locked up in the bank. 

 

Some people do recycle the money....

 

Or ask agent for help and other loopholes.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by EricTh

[EricTh]

8 hours ago, tso310 said:

O visa is 400K. 

We are talking about the retirement and not the marriage extension.

[tso310]

38 minutes ago, EricTh said:

We are talking about the retirement and not the marriage extension.

Not my area of expertise but there are loads of threads in this sub forum of recent experiences. I don't know of anyone who has a Non O that is not legally married.

[Peter Denis]

10 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Your current permission of stay stamp is June 2021? 

So have left Thailand after June  this year with a reentry permit?. I'm confused.

Hi drJack54 and @Robin,

That situation is not exceptional at all.

While in Thailand he applied in June (4-5 months ago) for a 1-year extension of stay based on his original Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.  He was then provided with the 1-year permission to stay till June 2021.

A couple months later he exited Thailand and bought a re-entry permit to protect that 1-year permission to stay.

He now wants to return and since he is married to a Thai national he is eligible for the CoE.

But of course he is somewhat worried that his Re-Entry Permit protected permission to stay of his original Non Imm O Visa, would not be accepted by the Embassy when applying for the CoE (making his flight and hotel-booking then not usable).  I would advise him to check with the Embassy beforehand about this possible issue, but would be surprised if they would insist on him applying for a new Visa when the permission to stay of his current one is still valid till June 2021. 
Note also that there have been reports of applicants booking refundable flights as well as cancelable ASQ hotel-bookings.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Peter Denis

[Whale]

13 hours ago, Robin said:

Do I understand this correctly?  

I should be eligible for  CoE as I am married to Thai and have been living in Thailand on Non O retirement extension until June 2021.  

 

Am I assured of getting a CoE, as it seems I have to book flight and ASQ before this is issued?  So several thousand ££ at risk if the CoE is refused?

If I go into Thailand on existing visa, must I have medical insurance to June 2021, (when my visa expires,) or can I get in with medical insurance for  3 months.

Any recommendations for medical insurance for Covid only, to satisfy CoE requirements.

Can I chose any flight into Thailand that is offered on the Internet.  I usually book through Expedia and they have several flights for he date I am thinking of.

Nothing has been said here, but I assume that all ASQ hotels will take booking using UK credit card?

Any advice or experience would be welcome

 

 

If you are in Uk or on UK passport just go to https://coethailand.mfa.go.th and complete the CoE first stage. There are two stages to the application the first is he "pre-approval" for which you do not need the tickets or ASQ booking, they just assess you basis details and visa status. Anyone can do this who is not sure if their visa qualifies or not. You will need to upload a copy of your visa inside the app.

 

I am not sure if this online system is same for other countries because my experience is limited to my ow use of the app? 

 

I did and got an answer (which was an approval to proceed to the second stage which requires ASQ and flight booking) within the hour.