The Thai Embassy to the USA has posted the availability of the Non-Immigrant "O-X" Visa - multiple entry for 5 years of entry and can be extended for another 5 years at Thai Immigration. It shows you must be nationals and passport holders of eligible countries, namely; Japan, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada and United States.
Financial requirements are shown (3 million baht in Thai bank OR 1.8 million in Thai Bank and 1.2 million in income - INTERESTING note - it says if using bank & income method, you must still accumulate in the Thai bank enough baht to have 3 million there at the end of the first year. All holders must go to Thai Immigration after one year to show they have the 3 million in the Thai bank. After one year, you must keep 1.5 million baht on deposit. Further on it notes that you have to go to Thai Immigration to show proof that you continue to meet the requirements for the Visa EACH YEAR for the examination of the qualifications and supporting documents (e.g. funds on deposit & health insurance) and do the 90 day address reporting. So much for avoiding trips to Immigration .
Also, Applicant must have a Thai health insurance for the duration of stay, with coverage for outpatient treatment of no less than 40,000 bahts and inpatient treatment of no less than 400,000 bahts. This is link for Thai Insurance companies currently offering health policies to qualify for the "O-X" Visa (http://longstay.tgia.org/). I only clicked on the first one shown, and yes it excludes preexisting conditions and not available after 80 years of age.
But, the Embassy website does say that you can do "volunteer" work if you hold this Visa (apparently no Work Permit required) .
You can visit their website for the O-X visa by going to: http://thaiembdc.org/non-immigrant-visa ... long-stay/
They also say it can be applied for from Thai Immigration if you are in Thailand on another type of Visa -- good luck with that - I could not find any information on requirements/documents for doing so and my guess is if you try to apply you will get either a blank stare or a "mai mee" response.
The Non-Immigrant "O-A" is still available (multiple entry for 1 year - the one year stay can be extended annually at Thai Immigration, but a Re-Entry Permit is required if you re-enter after the expiration date of the O-A Visa)
--------So, IMO, it "definitely ain't worth it." It does not eliminate the 90 day and annual/with documents visit to Thai Immigration Office. Requires you keep 1.5 million baht continually on deposit vs 800,000 for 3 months before renewal of retirement extension or nothing if using only the monthly income method. So, other than being able to do volunteer work without a Work Permit, there are only minuses.
Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
- Gaybutton
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Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
Even that is not necessarily so. Volunteer work might be permissible, but I would want to be certain whether some sort of documentary permission would still be required. I learned a long time ago - make no assumptions about what is and is not required in Thailand.2lz2p wrote: other than being able to do volunteer work without a Work Permit, there are only minuses.
In any case, considering you would have to still jump through essentially the same hoops as holders of the annual retirement visa, along with having to tie up substantial amounts of money just sitting there in a Thai bank - for me this is a "don't do me any favors" type of thing. I fail to see anything advantageous about going for this visa instead of sticking with the annual visa.
Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
Too complicated,potential pitfalls. Exactly how do you open a Thai bank account, buy Thai health insurance when you are in your home country?
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Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
What also makes zero sense to me is the requirement for Thai outpatient insurance with a minimum of 40,000 baht coverage. These visa applicants would have enough money to be able to hold about 3-million baht in a Thai bank account, but the assumption is these same people need 40,000 baht outpatient coverage?Up2u wrote:buy Thai health insurance
Whose brother-in-law is profiteering from that?
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Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
It's just as crazy for Tourist Visas (TR). If you want a single entry TR visa that lets you stay in country 60 days, you must show $700 in a bank account. Not unreasonable. If, on the other hand, you want to go out and reenter (METV) during that 60-days, you must show $7,000 for each of prior 6 months in a bank account! Why are they trying so hard to keep tourists out? And, they want it in an American (for me) bank account. I have plenty in my Thai bank account, but they aren't interested in that.
Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
I totally agree! My Thai policy used to have outpatient treatment. I decided a couple of years ago to get rid of the outpatient part because I simply wasn't spending more than a fraction of the amount covered and that part of the premium actually cost around Bt. 30,000. So I now have a separate savings account for such outpatient provision with a lot more than Bt. 40,000 in it. But that won't count.Gaybutton wrote:What also makes zero sense to me is the requirement for Thai outpatient insurance with a minimum of 40,000 baht coverage?
I believe this illustrates one big problem with Thai officials. They always believe they have the answer especially on issues about which they know precious little. They pay scant if any attention to what happens in other countries. They draft up an idea, send it around various departments and then try and craft a final proposal that includes all the comments. But as we see so often - most recently with the idiocy of some questions on the new Immigration form which Immigration wanted ditched but the TAT insisted be kept - it ends up as a mishmash that satisfies no one. End result? They have to bring in outside consultants which they should have done in the first place to sort out the mess! Another example is the Thai airlines ban. Overseas experts had to be brought in to sort out a major problem that had been brewing for years but Thais did not know how to sort it all out!
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Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
Why is it that the wrong people always seem to be the ones who manage to get into positions of power and authority and come up with so many regulatory inanities?fountainhall wrote:I believe this illustrates one big problem with Thai officials.
And for sure it's not just Thailand . . .
Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
It certainly isn't! One of those described by the official as a "spectacular mistake" was made by the former British Home Secretary Jack Straw who told Parliament in 2003 that opening the country's borders would result in a maximum of 13,000 immigrants per year from the old Eastern European states moving to work in Britain by 2010. The actual number was well over a million! Some mistake! Brexit is probably the ultimate result.
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Re: Non-Immigrant O-X Visa (so called 10 year Visa) - update
This type of visa is basically an exact copy/style of the Malaysian system with a few tweaks. Thailand has probably worked out that they are losing valuable income with regard to retirees.