Non O Visa question

[Ziplee]

Do they have multiple extensions? Say like, 90 day? I'm still trying to find the the best way to do a 6 month Thailand & 6 month home country scheme.

[davidge]

4 minutes ago, Ziplee said:

Do they have multiple extensions? Say like, 90 day? I'm still trying to find the the best way to do a 6 month Thailand & 6 month home country scheme.

The initial Non O visa (I’m assuming for Retirement) gives you 90 days. It can be extended once for 30 days.

However, at the end of the initial 90 days you can get an Annual Extension of Stay and keep doing that until you shuffle off this mortal coil. You just need to make sure you are in Thailand at the Extension Renewal date each year and that you get a Re-Entry Permit before you leave the country.

You need 800k in a Thai bank for 2 months before the extension and 3 months after. At least 400k for the rest of the year. Also, proof of address.

 

[Ziplee]

53 minutes ago, davidge said:

You need 800k in a Thai bank for 2 months before the extension and 3 months after. At least 400k for the rest of the year. Also, proof of address.

Thanks Davidge, it looks like I'm going to need to drop 800,000 baht in the bank if I want to stay more than 4 months. That will work out, It gives me the option to stay in Thailand 6, 7 or 8 months.

Quick question. Would it be easier to come in thailand with Tourist visa, open a bank account then pay a agent to convert to Non O with extension or get the Non O in the U.S.?

[davidge]

3 minutes ago, Ziplee said:

Thanks Davidge, it looks like I'm going to need to drop 800,000 baht in the bank if I want to stay more than 4 months. That will work out, It gives me the option to stay in Thailand 6, 7 or 8 months.

Quick question. Would it be easier to come in thailand with Tourist visa, open a bank account then pay a agent to convert to Non O with extension or get the Non O in the U.S.?

The Non O ‘for Retirement’ is currently available in the USA due to the Covid rules. Prior to this it hadn’t been available for years. However, they do require the same insurance as for the Non O-A even though it is NOT required for the Extension of Stay for a Non O.

RTE Washington actually says “Thai Insurance” so they may force you to buy from a Thai company. It’s possible they’d accept your current Health Insurance as long as it meets the minimum requirements of 400000 baht inpatient & 40000 outpatient AND your insurance company is willing to complete the Thai Government form.

If you enter on a Tourist Visa it is actually possible to do the conversion yourself but it takes a lot of patience and paperwork. You’d obviously need the 800k in the bank pretty much immediately on arrival.

An agent can do it for you and you’d get 15 months as they do the Non O plus the first Extension of Stay together. So, if you do it in eg November your Extensions of Stay would be due in February each year thereafter - so you’d need to be there each February.

A friend is doing this in July and has contacted 4 agents. The quotes have varied between 25000 and 35000 baht - but he already has the 800k in the bank.

[Ziplee]

17 minutes ago, davidge said:

An agent can do it for you and you’d get 15 months as they do the Non O plus the first Extension of Stay together. So, if you do it in eg November your Extensions of Stay would be due in February each year thereafter - so you’d need to be there each February.

Excellent info! So better to do Tourist Visa, open a bank account and fund it then convert to Non O in Thailand and time it for 15 months to renew.

Thanks, that helps a lot.

[davidge]

11 minutes ago, Ziplee said:

Excellent info! So better to do Tourist Visa, open a bank account and fund it then convert to Non O in Thailand and time it for 15 months to renew.

Thanks, that helps a lot.

Ultimately, it’s a personal choice whether to use an agent or not. There’s always a slight whiff of illegitimacy though I’ve not know anyone have a problem with this particular use.

 

[Ziplee]

4 minutes ago, davidge said:

Ultimately, it’s a personal choice whether to use an agent or not.

Yes, I will use a service. I want it to be as easy as possible and willing to pay. I want a service that will do everything from open a bank account to the visa and anything else I might need.

So far Tik Tok services will do that. I haven't seen any near LK, central Pattaya area that does bank account and visa. If anybody knows a "do it all service" in the central Pattaya area, please let me know.  

[socrates]

^^^Maneerat Soi 13/2 - opposite The Post Office - all in service^^^

[Ziplee]

44 minutes ago, socrates said:

^^^Maneerat Soi 13/2 - opposite The Post Office - all in service^^^

Thanks, I've seen on the forum that they were a popular Visa service and was wondering if they did bank service.

[T-T-T]

if you do use  agent there are rumours they can facilitate  your new visa with out the 800,000 and other necessary documents for an admin fee of cause ;-)  plus set up bank accounts etc. 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by T-T-T

[davidge]

Addendum:

I meant to say, the insurance for the Non O if obtained in your home country will be cheaper than an agent’s fees. It would be required for the duration of the initial visa, so 90 days. I got a quote for a friend for about 12000 baht for 90 day insurance that met the requirements. All done online, broker in Bangkok, correct documentation provided, and it would also meet the requirement for Covid Insurance required for Certificate of Entry, which you’d have to buy anyway.

So, if you have the 800k in a Thai bank account it is fairly easy, and much cheaper, to do it yourself.

[sudsy]

On 08/03/2021 at 22:12, davidge said:

A friend is doing this in July and has contacted 4 agents. The quotes have varied between 25000 and 35000 baht - but he already has the 800k in the bank.

If you use the agent do you still need the 800,000 in the bank? I also was told the next year you use an agent it's much less like 2 or 3k baht.

[davidge]

5 hours ago, sudsy said:

If you use the agent do you still need the 800,000 in the bank? I also was told the next year you use an agent it's much less like 2 or 3k baht.

Most ask if you have the 800k or not and charge more if you don’t, maybe not all.

Subsequent annual extensions are certainly much cheaper. I’ve not heard of any as low as 2-3k but I’m not saying there aren’t any. I would have said the 11-15k range is more common but might be different in current circumstances.

[tps]

Maneerat agency told me about a year ago that if I used them the following year and at that time have the 800k in the bank, they will do the visa renewal for 8000 baht.