Re-Entry to Thailand - A beaurocratic nightmare

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, Jen65 said:

but Immigration , on arrival have put a stamp in my passport with "admitted until 31st August 2021"

Is that perhaps when your medical insurance is valid until? 

[Peter Denis]

13 hours ago, Jen65 said:

My new O-A Visa is issued by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs - nothing to do with Immigration - and the expiry date stated as 3rd November 2021 but Immigration , on arrival have put a stamp in my passport with "admitted until 31st August 2021" .  No explanation forthcoming !!   I didn't think Immigration were allowed to mess about with Ministry of Affairs issued visas unless one was a naughty boy or did something illegal ??

As Immigration told me a load of rubbish previously , I think I will have to visit the embassy to get the right answer !! 

Most probably due to the fact that your permission to stay is CAPPED to whichever is shortest, of the following 4 factors

1 - the permission to stay your valid Non Imm O-A Visa entitles you to, i.e. 12 months from date of arrival; 

2 - the Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance expiry date as written on the note at the bottom of your Non Imm O-A Visa sticker;

3 - the expiry date of the 100.000 US $ covid-19 compliant insurance, everybody now entering Thailand has to comply with in order to be granted the CoE;

4 - your passport validity date.

[Peter Denis]

13 hours ago, Jen65 said:

well I'm back (arrived on 11th Nov) and now doing the ALQ in Pattaya .   

...

You are a UK passport-holder with no permanent legal residency in Portugal, so there were big doubts - and several posts in this thread - whether you would be able to get the Non Imm O-A Visa at the Lisbon Thai Embassy.

So the burning question is > Did the LIsbon Thai Embassy provide you with the Non Imm O-A Visa or were you forced to apply for it in your home-country (or other country where you have legal permanent residence)?

[Jen65]

8 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

You are a UK passport-holder with no permanent legal residency in Portugal, so there were big doubts - and several posts in this thread - whether you would be able to get the Non Imm O-A Visa at the Lisbon Thai Embassy.

So the burning question is > Did the LIsbon Thai Embassy provide you with the Non Imm O-A Visa or were you forced to apply for it in your home-country (or other country where you have legal permanent residence)?

The Lisbon Thai Embassy "offered" me the Visa when I explained my situation before I left Thailand so I had everything sorted / planned even before I left !!  They were VERY helpful . 

[Jen65]

8 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Most probably due to the fact that your permission to stay is CAPPED to whichever is shortest, of the following 4 factors

1 - the permission to stay your valid Non Imm O-A Visa entitles you to, i.e. 12 months from date of arrival; 

2 - the Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance expiry date as written on the note at the bottom of your Non Imm O-A Visa sticker;

3 - the expiry date of the 100.000 US $ covid-19 compliant insurance, everybody now entering Thailand has to comply with in order to be granted the CoE;

4 - your passport validity date.

Yes, its date of expiry of my Insurance Policy that's the key !    SO - because I don't want to go back to an O visa I will comply with the requirements of the OA visa and renew my insurance just before my "admitted to " date and then renew my OA visa for one year to get it in sync with my insurance ( if Immigration with go along with that ) I want to keep on with the O-A visa extension  because seems to be a damn sight easier to get back into Thailand and you never know if another pandemic might restrict access again !! 

[Jen65]

On 10/20/2020 at 7:06 PM, KhaoYai said:

The potential delays I'm refering to are with embassies beaurocracy Joe.  Its not always straightforward - even if you're Thai.  We just had a lot of hassle getting my wife onto a repat flight - all totally unecessary, just BS from the Thai embassy in London. They are experts at making a relatively simple matter difficult.

 

Thankfully my Mrs is back in Thailand now and in quarantine but even the flight wasn't without hassle at check in. Thai airways staff were unhappy with the wording of my wife's so called fit to fly certificate - I had asked the RTE twice what they wanted the certificate to say - all I got was "fit to fly".  When I contacted my doctor in the UK he said that a normal 'Fit to Fly' certificate would involve a comprehensive health check including an ECG, Lung Function etc, etc.  I had seen examples of certificates issued by clinics on the RTE's list and they just referred to Covid 19. A full check would be very expensive so again I contacted the RTE and asked then what they want - same reply again.

 

My wife's 'certificate' was much the same as examples I'd seen yet the Thai Air staff didn't want to let her board.  It was only when I asked another passenger who had checked in, if I could see her 'certificate' and found the content was no different to my wife's that Thai Air backed down and issued a boarding pass.

 

If they'd just state what they want from a 'Fit to Fly Certificate' there would be no problem.

 

It is of course, entirely possible that they don't like people using a doctor who's not on the list of clinics they recommend - there could be some kind of 'financial arrangement'.  Most of the passengers seemed to have 'certificates' issued by a doctor who had simply interviewed the traveller by phone for 5 minutes and asked them if they had any Covid symptoms - cost, £30 for the consultation + £50 for the letter. Complete BS and a waste of time.  My wife didn't even have her temperature taken at check in.

My embassy in Portugal gave me a "sample" letter of both the Covid test and the Fit the Fly so whichever Hospital / Doctor I went to had to produce the same !!   easy !!  no question about content . 

[Jen65]

On 10/16/2020 at 8:01 AM, RAZZELL said:

I bet Old "Captain" won't be back for 6 months! ???? 

 

 

RAZZ

 

 

i was back within 4 weeks AND I flew to France , got my effects shipped to Thailand , drove down to Portugal , sold my vehicle and sorted all the docs for my return !!  I even had spare time to work on my yacht !!

[Jen65]

13 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Is that perhaps when your medical insurance is valid until? 

yes, I now know that ,  they just put a stamp "admitted to " the same date of expiry of insurance .They can't alter the / change the date on the official visa document because that's issued by different organisation - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

[Jen65]

On 10/15/2020 at 12:56 PM, Pattaya Spotter said:

If you leave Thailand, you won't be back for months (if you're lucky). Leave at your own peril. 

back within 4 weeks !!

[Jen65]

On 10/15/2020 at 8:20 AM, UncleMhee said:

Jen65, I see to date you don't seem to have been informed of the health insurance component of new OA visas which came into effect on 31 October 2019. Note: This insurance is totally separate to the Covid insurance and must be purchased from: https://longstay.tgia.org/

LMG is the best value with 200,000 baht deductible considering it's basically a throw away just to meet immigration requirements. Good luck.....

I already had the Medical Insurance Policy per government requirements . It was only a case of adding the Covid Insurance and an extra premium 

 

[Jen65]

On 10/14/2020 at 7:03 PM, LivinLOS said:

The officer is giving you the correct answer in normal travel times. He is ignorant to the additional restrictions on obtaining a COE. 

A retirement non imm O generated permission of stay and its extensions are not eligible for a COE currently. If you can comply with obtaining a new OA visa (usually only possible in your home country and with the restrictions mentioned) you may be eligible for a COE. However simply being eligible for a COE does not mean you can always get one. Be aware that many places will not issue an OA while a current valid O or its extensions of stay sits in your passport and COEs can be hard to obtain in many locations simply due to poor responses from the embassy in that region, or poor travel connections. Being eligible for one and getting one are not guaranteed outcomes. 

I was in touch with the Lisbon Embassy / Consulate long before I left to find out exactly how I stood and what I needed to get back . They were very helpful and contradicted the Chonburi Immigration and wanted to speak to them for giving me wrong advice .   They also advised that I did not have to cancel my O visa or permit of Entry in order to get the new O-A visa and those are still in my passport and valid !!  My advice is to get the information from the Thai Embassy from where you wish to travel back to Thailand from . 

[KhaoYai]

4 hours ago, Jen65 said:

My embassy in Portugal gave me a "sample" letter of both the Covid test and the Fit the Fly so whichever Hospital / Doctor I went to had to produce the same !!   easy !!  no question about content .

Then they handled it far better than the Thai Embassy in London did.  They are improving though but its taken them 6 months!

[jomtienisgood]

14 hours ago, Jen65 said:

i was back within 4 weeks AND I flew to France , got my effects shipped to Thailand , drove down to Portugal , sold my vehicle and sorted all the docs for my return !!  I even had spare time to work on my yacht !!

Just joking, now you would be able to do quarantine on your yacht.... lol

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

anyway, if you need a criminal record certificate from thailand, even while abroad, try

the email of this thai lawyer -wannapa ngamjaroensil  :

[email protected]

[jomtienisgood]

11 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

anyway, if you need a criminal record certificate from thailand, even while abroad, try

the email of this thai lawyer -wannapa ngamjaroensil  :

[email protected]

This time not joking, do you send your fingerprints by email too ????

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 10/14/2020 at 1:05 PM, Jen65 said:

Please note that there are a number of holders of re-entry permit of Non-Immigrant O Retirement who were denied entry to

the Kingdom upon their arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

woooow it must be hard to fly back to thailand with NON-O visa only to be denied entry...in this

time and age of global pandemic...after all the beurocratis headech and 16 hours flight....

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 10/15/2020 at 10:57 AM, malthebluff said:

You do the police check from your own country just fill the form in on line and pay they will email you back with results think the company is called acro 

most european countries have a web site where you can order the criminal record on line

and it will be sent straight to the address you give. problem is that it takes few weeks to get...

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 10/16/2020 at 1:35 PM, Jen65 said:

new O-A visa is the fact that it requires the Insurance Policy and the monies in the bank (800,000  baht

must the O-A 800K money in the bank must be in a bank in the home country, or can it be in a thai bank account?

[jomtienisgood]

18 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

most european countries have a web site where you can order the criminal record on line

and it will be sent straight to the address you give. problem is that it takes few weeks to get...

Correct, but that is not the case in Th. As far as I know in Th only SID in Bkk deliver it; So you have to go in person to get fingerprinted....

[Peter Denis]

7 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

must the O-A 800K money in the bank must be in a bank in the home country, or can it be in a thai bank account?

When applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country (or country of legal permanent residence) you need to show funds the equivalent of 800K on a bank-account (both foreign or Thai bank-accounts are accepted).

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa there is NO need to park/transfer funds to a Thai personal bank-account during the almost 2 years of IO hassle-free stay the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you.

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa there is NO need to park/transfer funds to a Thai personal bank-account during the almost 2 years of IO hassle-free stay the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you.

This is, of course, contingent on borders reopening so as to enable recent retiree re-entrants to use their brand new spanking OA visas to the fullest extent possible through border runs. In the OP's case this would need to happen before 31st August 2021.

 

They would also need to ensure that their TGIA-approved health insurance policies were renewed or extended as necessary in advance of their border runs, in order to gain the maximum benefit from their OA visas.

[Jen65]

On 11/15/2020 at 9:49 AM, jomtienisgood said:

Just joking, now you would be able to do quarantine on your yacht.... lol

I want to be here in Thailand and my Yacht is in Portugal !!

[Jen65]

21 hours ago, OJAS said:

This is, of course, contingent on borders reopening so as to enable recent retiree re-entrants to use their brand new spanking OA visas to the fullest extent possible through border runs. In the OP's case this would need to happen before 31st August 2021.

 

They would also need to ensure that their TGIA-approved health insurance policies were renewed or extended as necessary in advance of their border runs, in order to gain the maximum benefit from their OA visas.

why the need for all the hassle of border runs ?  I live here , my partner is here, I have liabilities . One needs a Thai Bank Account to show you have the required funds for renewal of an O-A visa . Anyone who "lives" here has a Thai Bank Account ! easy to pay bills,top up phone , access to all ATM functions etc etc the list is endless .

  

[Jen65]

23 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

When applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country (or country of legal permanent residence) you need to show funds the equivalent of 800K on a bank-account (both foreign or Thai bank-accounts are accepted).

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa there is NO need to park/transfer funds to a Thai personal bank-account during the almost 2 years of IO hassle-free stay the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you.

I find your post somewhat confusing and possibly inaccurate .  yes, you must follow the rules when applying for the O-A visa with regard to the required funds in a Thai Bank Account , the Insurance requirements of Health Policy and Covid Insurance , a valid reason for entering Thailand etc etc .  Then , your O-A visa is valid for 1 year or the date of expiry of your insurance . After that , it;s an "extention of stay " based on your O-A visa and you have have to produce the same documents in order to keep that O-A valid , otherwise you're back to an "O" based extension !! 

[Jen65]

23 hours ago, jomtienisgood said:

Correct, but that is not the case in Th. As far as I know in Th only SID in Bkk deliver it; So you have to go in person to get fingerprinted....

I've been through that - I thought the criminal record could be obtained from the Police Criminal Records Department in Bangkok and went there only to be told it required a letter from Immigration or your employer to get it.  It was the wrong information that immigration gave me .  Subsequently I found the criminal record has to be obtained in the country of your nationality - in my case the UK.    Fortunately for the UK it can all be done online and if you require it to be expedited it costs 90pds but worth it to get hold of it quickly and also the provision for it to be sent (original) to your Embassy for the Visa with a copy to your address .  That's what I did and the Embassy had it in double quick time  .  

[Peter Denis]

6 minutes ago, Jen65 said:

I find your post somewhat confusing and possibly inaccurate . 

...

Sorry but it is YOUR post that is totally confused.

My post to which you reacted is 100% correct.

 

7 minutes ago, Jen65 said:

23 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

When applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country (or country of legal permanent residence) you need to show funds the equivalent of 800K on a bank-account (both foreign or Thai bank-accounts are accepted).

When entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa there is NO need to park/transfer funds to a Thai personal bank-account during the almost 2 years of IO hassle-free stay the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you.

 

[Jen65]

23 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

must the O-A 800K money in the bank must be in a bank in the home country, or can it be in a thai bank account?

Thai bank

[OJAS]

15 minutes ago, Jen65 said:

why the need for all the hassle of border runs ?  I live here , my partner is here, I have liabilities . One needs a Thai Bank Account to show you have the required funds for renewal of an O-A visa . Anyone who "lives" here has a Thai Bank Account ! easy to pay bills,top up phone , access to all ATM functions etc etc the list is endless .

  

 

Up to you, of course, If you are able to meet the relevant financial requirements come next August then by all means hit the retirement extension of stay trail again then. Other recent retiree returners might not necessarily be in the same fortunate position as regards finances, and might therefore welcome the opportunity to use their new OA visas to the fullest extent possible through border runs (assuming, of course, that borders reopen in time in their cases). 

[Jen65]

On 11/15/2020 at 10:21 AM, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

woooow it must be hard to fly back to thailand with NON-O visa only to be denied entry...in this

time and age of global pandemic...after all the beurocratis headech and 16 hours flight....

yes, get the O-A visa and then stick with it to avoid present and any future problems 

[Peter Denis]

1 minute ago, Jen65 said:

Thai bank

WRONG > When applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa at the Thai Embassy in your home-country (or country of legal permanent residence), the financial requirement of showing the equivalent of 800K on your bank-account, can be met by funds on your foreign or Thai bank-account.

The only exception I know of is that at the Paris Thai Embassy, they require +800K on a Thai bank-account for your 2nd and later applications, but you can do the first one with funds on your French bank-account.