Non immigrant O application in home country (UK)

[PatsGuy]

2 hours ago, Ziplee said:

My "66 yr old" quote was 34,000 for year.

It should be enough for most stuff.

They have Smartcare, which quote was 140,000 a year... too much. I go back to US and use medicare for really major medical.

Not in a hurry to go back to the US, so I think the 34k Easycare should help me with that.

I have health insurance for.. if I need hospitalisation for an accident or organ failure.. or even death ..

I would not stay in Thailand for any medical procedure if I could simply fly home.

[Jebb]

For Australians, I have found this company Fastcover Insurance very price competitive. Never had to claim but they have an Australian based call centre that is very helpful.

https://fastcover.com.au/international-travel-insurance

[PatsGuy]

1 hour ago, Jebb said:

For Australians, I have found this company Fastcover Insurance very price competitive. Never had to claim but they have an Australian based call centre that is very helpful.

https://fastcover.com.au/international-travel-insurance

Do you know if they have even been used for an AO visa application ?

I paid Axa 7,100 baht (AU336) for 12 months.. 

If I put 12 months coverage with Fastcover it costs around $1,500 for the cheapest cover.

There is a difference between the two.. Fastcover also covers luggage and theft etc.. it is travel insurance while Axa is just health insurance.. 

I only want cover for health.. 

Axa is on the short list for definite approved Thai health insurance companies.. They even mention AO in the quote.

[PatsGuy]

FYI.. I never knew from all my research that when going through Immigration you have to show your health insurance policy.  I was stood aside until I could log into my email and find the policy details.. they said next time I should just print it and show them.. They were not letting me through without proof.  They want proof every time I come into Thailand with my OA Visa.

[davidge]

1 hour ago, PatsGuy said:

FYI.. I never knew from all my research that when going through Immigration you have to show your health insurance policy.  I was stood aside until I could log into my email and find the policy details.. they said next time I should just print it and show them.. They were not letting me through without proof.  They want proof every time I come into Thailand with my OA Visa.

Yes and they usually only stamp you in for the time left on the insurance. So if it expires in a month they stamp you for a month.

[PatsGuy]

5 hours ago, davidge said:

Yes and they usually only stamp you in for the time left on the insurance. So if it expires in a month they stamp you for a month.

If my insurance expires in August can you renew it in June and get a 12 month extension until August the following year or will the date start when you renew ?  I want to make sure my insurance has 12 month on it when I go back to Thailand before my OA expires for the last 12 month stamp !

[Scuba+]

15 hours ago, PatsGuy said:

FYI.. I never knew from all my research that when going through Immigration you have to show your health insurance policy.  I was stood aside until I could log into my email and find the policy details.. they said next time I should just print it and show them.. They were not letting me through without proof.  They want proof every time I come into Thailand with my OA Visa.

OA is best avoided, get the O next time, no insurance required

[PatsGuy]

2 hours ago, Scuba+ said:

OA is best avoided, get the O next time, no insurance required

But I want insurance.  I don't think it is a good idea running around Pattaya without insurance.

The actual reason I got the OA is because I can't spend any more than 10 consecutive days in Thailand.. I was able to apply for the OA at home.

[penboy]

40 minutes ago, PatsGuy said:

But I want insurance.  I don't think it is a good idea running around Pattaya without insurance.

The actual reason I got the OA is because I can't spend any more than 10 consecutive days in Thailand.. I was able to apply for the OA at home.

You can apply for the Non O at home.

You can get insurance without having an OA.

[PatsGuy]

6 hours ago, penboy said:

You can apply for the Non O at home.

You can get insurance without having an OA.

Once you get a Non O at home .. it is a 3 month visa right ?  You then have to get an extension for the full 12 months and also multiple entry .. how long does that take ?  You need a full 12 month visa nowadays to open a bank account as well.

Yes you can get insurance without OA hence I am saying to not get insurance is a moot point for me.. The insurance in Thailand is a lot cheaper than getting it back in Australia .. but as far as Thai insurance is concerned I am a Thai resident so it does not cover repatriation back to Aust if I need it.. and it only covers Thailand where as Aussie based insurance covers all of Asia.

[forcebwithu]

24 minutes ago, PatsGuy said:

Once you get a Non O at home .. it is a 3 month visa right ?  You then have to get an extension for the full 12 months and also multiple entry .. how long does that take ?  You need a full 12 month visa nowadays to open a bank account as well.

Yes you can get insurance without OA hence I am saying to not get insurance is a moot point for me.. The insurance in Thailand is a lot cheaper than getting it back in Australia .. but as far as Thai insurance is concerned I am a Thai resident so it does not cover repatriation back to Aust if I need it.. and it only covers Thailand where as Aussie based insurance covers all of Asia.

I have insurance with IMG which gives me worldwide coverage. I do have to pay extra for a rider that covers me in the US. Even though it's quality health insurance with a $5 million USD limit, it doesn't qualify for the OA visa. Last time I looked they only allowed select Thai insurance companies on the approved list, and the limits on the plans were lower than what I would be comfortable with.

There is one exception to the above and that would be the Thai insurance company Pacific Cross. They're a decent insurance company with good plans that a few expat friends have policies with. I just checked and they're on the approved list. You'll have to check to see what the coverage would be for repatriation back to your home country.

Some info on insurance in the this topic...

 

[PatsGuy]

15 minutes ago, forcebwithu said:

Some info on insurance in the this topic...

I got AXA insurance (Thai) and it stated clearly that it was good for the OA visa and if the application failed they would reimburse the insurance.  It was just over 7,000 baht per annum.  With high excess.  

There was an option when applying online for the OA to get local Aussie insurance and it had to be verified as suitable.. It cost significantly more (very low excess) and needed approval.. So I went for AXA.. it was all signed and sealed within 24 hours.

[Scuba+]

10 hours ago, PatsGuy said:

But I want insurance.  I don't think it is a good idea running around Pattaya without insurance.

The actual reason I got the OA is because I can't spend any more than 10 consecutive days in Thailand.. I was able to apply for the OA at home.

OA insurance is usually garbage, get O at home and get better insurance from home

[penboy]

5 hours ago, PatsGuy said:

Once you get a Non O at home .. it is a 3 month visa right ?  You then have to get an extension for the full 12 months and also multiple entry .. how long does that take ?  You need a full 12 month visa nowadays to open a bank account as well.

 

Took me 3 hours to do the extension a couple of months ago, longer than previously due to new system with agent and bank.

Talk to agent about opening bank account with initial Non O.

[LustnotLove54]

Just read through this thread and I think the Non-Immigrant O visa would be the best visa for me. I was also considering applying for a DTV but I am over 50 and have the relevant amount of cash in my bank account. Although I have a few questions.

Is the information in this thread still current? I know immigration and visas has been a hot topic over the last year with what appears to be a few changes and a lot more scrutiny?

Specifically is my understanding correct that to apply for the O visa I can have the equivalent to 800,000 baht in a UK bank account and only need a Thai bank account when I wish to extend after the initial 90 days?

[davidge]

8 minutes ago, LustnotLove54 said:

Specifically is my understanding correct that to apply for the O visa I can have the equivalent to 800,000 baht in a UK bank account and only need a Thai bank account when I wish to extend after the initial 90 days?

Yes.

[LustnotLove54]

Just now, davidge said:

Yes.

Thank you. Appreciate the fast reply.

[davidge]

Current requirements from RTE London:

 

NON-IMMIGRANT VISA TYPE O Retirement (Single entry)

Retirement (pensioner aged 50 or above with state pension who wishes to stay in Thailand for no longer than 90 days)

1. Biodata page of Passport or Travel Document
    
2. Photograph taken within the last six months
   - If the photograph does not reflect your current appearance you may be refused to enter the Kingdom of Thailand.
    
3. Document indicating current location
   - Applicant’s local utility bills (shows your name and address) e.g. electricity bill/ gas / mobile phone / rental agreement.
    
4. Financial evidence showing monthly income of no less than 65,000 THB (£1,500) or having the current balance of 800,000 THB (£18,000), e.g. bank statements, proof of earnings
   - Applicant’s recent official UK/Ireland bank statement shows your name, address (Screenshots are not accepted). For monthly income of last 3 months no less than £1,500/ month. 

 

[davidge]

1 minute ago, LustnotLove54 said:

Thank you. Appreciate the fast reply.

The cash in Thai bank must be there 2 months before you apply for Extension and it’s not easy opening an account now. An agent can help. 

[LustnotLove54]

10 minutes ago, davidge said:

The cash in Thai bank must be there 2 months before you apply for Extension and it’s not easy opening an account now. An agent can help. 

Quote

For monthly income of last 3 months no less than £1,500/ month. 

 

So the 2/3 month proof of funds requirement only applies to monthly income when initially applying for the visa in the UK and lump sum (800,000) in a Thai bank when applying for the extension in Thailand?

The reason I ask is because I had to wait until the new tax year before transferring some of my pension into a savings account otherwise I would have had to pay 50% tax on it due to yearly earnings bracket.

It's no hardship if I have to wait until July before applying for the initial O visa here in the UK, but I am a little confused as to when and where the 2/3 month proof of funds/income applies.

For example would I likely be refused if I apply for the visa in the UK next month after only having the full 800,000 in my account for 1 month?

Hope my question makes sense.

Edited April 10 by LustnotLove54

[davidge]

43 minutes ago, LustnotLove54 said:

 

So the 2/3 month proof of funds requirement only applies to monthly income when initially applying for the visa in the UK and lump sum (800,000) in a Thai bank when applying for the extension in Thailand?

The reason I ask is because I had to wait until the new tax year before transferring some of my pension into a savings account otherwise I would have had to pay 50% tax on it due to yearly earnings bracket.

It's no hardship if I have to wait until July before applying for the initial O visa here in the UK, but I am a little confused as to when and where the 2/3 month proof of funds/income applies.

For example would I likely be refused if I apply for the visa in the UK next month after only having the full 800,000 in my account for 1 month?

Hope my question makes sense.

My previous post was about getting the subsequent Extension in Thailand.

 

To get the initial visa in the UK then a current bank statement with £18000+ should be fine on it’s own.

They want 3 months statements if you don’t have that balance so are showing monthly income of £1500+

[LustnotLove54]

3 minutes ago, davidge said:

My previous post was about getting the subsequent Extension in Thailand.

 

To get the initial visa in the UK then a current bank statement with £18000+ should be fine on it’s own.

They want 3 months statements if you don’t have that balance so are showing monthly income of £1500+

That was what I was thinking, but was just after some clarification. So thank you again @davidge.

 

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas

I pulled this from the London Thai embassy site which I think is out of date as it states a lump sum of £10,000 for at least 3 months.
This is the issue I have faced whilst researching which visa to choose. There is a lot of contradictory information out there so I really appreciate the clarification from someone who is familiar with the process.

[davidge]

5 minutes ago, LustnotLove54 said:

That was what I was thinking, but was just after some clarification. So thank you again @davidge.

 

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas

I pulled this from the London Thai embassy site which I think is out of date as it states a lump sum of £10,000 for at least 3 months.
This is the issue I have faced whilst researching which visa to choose. There is a lot of contradictory information out there so I really appreciate the clarification from someone who is familiar with the process.

That’s out of date. I think it was that when I applied about 4 years ago or so. 
They changed 12/18 months ago to match the requirements for the Extension in Thailand.

Link to current page:

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/retirement-visa

[davidge]

London Embassy ‘might’ ask for older statements but they are usually pretty good.

[LustnotLove54]

1 minute ago, davidge said:

That’s out of date. I think it was that when I applied about 4 years ago or so. 
They changed 12/18 months ago to match the requirements for the Extension in Thailand.

Link to current page:

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/retirement-visa

Thanks again for posting the revised page. Poxy Google has never taken me to that page once, always the out of date one. so a heads up to anyone Googling.