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O-A Long-Stay Visa Guide: Benefits, Requirements, Reporting

The O-A visa is issued to those over 50 years old and provides a long-stay option in Thailand. It's often referred to as a “retirement visa”.

This visa is applied for in your home country, at a local Thai embassy or consulate. The application can usually be done by mail and takes a minimum of 15 days to process.

In this post, I'll run through the benefits of the visa and the requirements you need to meet to be approved.

O-A-visa-thailand

Beautiful Koh Lanta. Image credit: Wojciech Portnicki

O-A Visa Benefits

The visa is active from the date of issue. You are granted a 1-year stay from the date of entry to Thailand.

This is a multiple entry visa. What that means is: you can leave Thailand and re-enter as and when you please, within the validity of the visa.

The great thing about the O-A visa is that the multiple entry aspect allows a further one year stay on any entry, so if you exit and re-enter just before the visa expires you get another one year's stay.

When your visa has expired and your permitted stay inside the country is coming to an end, you can extend the visa inside Thailand, at an immigration office. A little more about that later on.

O-A Visa Required Documents

There's a fair bit of documentation to get together. Here's what you will need to submit to your local Thai embassy or consulate.

  1. Your passport and a copy of your passport. Your passport must have validity of at least 18 months and have at least one empty page.
  2. The visa completed application form (in black or blue ink).
  3. A medical certificate (notarized) showing no prohibitive diseases in accordance with the Ministerial Regulation No.14(B.E. 2535).
  4. Three passport-size photographs (2″x2″). Photographs must have a lightly color background with a full-face view of the person with no hat or dark glasses. Photos must be no more than 6 months old.
  5. Bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht, or an income certificate (original not a copy) with a monthly income of not less than
    65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht. Submitting a bank statement requires a letter of guarantee from the bank (original not a copy).
  6. A letter of verification from the relevant authority in your country to show that you have no criminal record. Internet documents are not accepted.
  7. A copy of your airline tickets.
  8. The required health insurance (as discussed below)

O-A Health Insurance Requirement

In 2019, a health insurance requirement was made mandatory for this visa.

You must have a policy that covers you for the following:

  • Outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB
  • Inpatient benefit of not less than  400,000 THB

The policy can be obtained from a Thai or foreign insurance company, and must state that you are medically insured for the period, with the aforementioned coverage.

If you use a foreign insurance company, you will need to provide the original policy and two copies. You will also need to get the insurance company to fill out and stamp a form, which can be seen here.

If you use a Thai company, you will only have to provide the two copies.

The easiest option is to take out your insurance with a reputable Thai company, although one with English-speaking customer service is highly preferable.

+ Compare Quotes Here On Mr Prakan

O-A for Your Spouse

If you have a spouse over the age of 50, she/he can apply for an O-A visa too.

If your spouse is younger than 50, he or she can apply for temporary stay under the Category ‘O’ visa. He or she will need to provide your marriage certificate as evidence.

90-Day Reporting

All long stay visas come with a 90-day reporting requirement, which involves producing a number of documents for immigration.

You can report in person, by mail and online. In person is easiest, but when working, the online system is convenient, particularly if you live far from an immigration office.

The reporting requires the following documents:

  • Passport
  • Notification form (TM47)
  • Copy of passport info page (with photo, name, passport number, etc.)
  • Copy of current visa
  • Copy of latest entry stamp
  • Copy of latest visa extension
  • Copy of departure card (TM6)
  • Copy of previous 90-day slip (if any)

Extending Your Stay Inside Thailand

As mentioned previously, you can extend your stay in Thailand beyond the validity of your visa. But don't wait for your visa to run out to do this. Instead, start the process 30 days beforehand.

This extension requires you to prove an income of 65k Baht per month income by way of a confirmation of income letter from your embassy, or 800k in a local Thai bank account 3 months prior to the application. The latter requires a confirmation letter from the bank and a copy of your bank passbook.

You will also need to fill out a TM7 (extension of stay form).

At this point it is worth noting that you can avoid applying for an O-A visa in your home country and instead obtain a long stay by doing this exact extension process in Thailand.

So instead of applying for an O-A Visa, you would apply for a Non Immigrant O Visa at your local Thai embassy or consulate instead.

The Non Immigrant O Visa gives you a 90-day stay on arrival. Before this expires inside Thailand (up to 30 days), you can do the one year extension at an immigration office.

So if you'd rather avoid applying for the O-A visa in your home country and having to provide the medical certificate, criminal record check, and the insurance requirement, you can take this alternative route.

I've written about this type of “retirement visa” extension here.

In Summary

The route a person takes to obtaining a long stay usually depends on the timeframe they are working with and how quickly they want to get to Thailand.

Applying for an O-A visa in your home country does have its benefits: You get stamped in for a year as soon as you enter, and you can exit and re-enter just before your visa expires and get stamped in for another year.

Some people would rather just have everything sorted before they leave and not have to think about doing an extension of stay in Thailand, whereas others may want to avoid that criminal record check (ahem).

I appreciate that if you're applying for a visa for the first time there may be some confusion and questions. So feel free to ask away in the comments section below.

———–

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  1. ken chao says

    i am not too sure if the first year OA visa include the benefit of multiple entry. Why? it is because not aware of this benefit, i did apply and pay for the multiple entry permit in my first year of OA visa before expiry, so i wonder why i was not told by the immigration that it is NOT necessary at all. isn't it amazing?
    Reply

  2. Nick Y says

    Hi. Many thanks for all the great work you do on the Thai posts!

    I have one question on your O-A visa page re applying for the visa at a local (in my case London) Embassy.

    Point 5) states:
    Bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht, or an income certificate (original not a copy) with a monthly income of not less than
    65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht. Submitting a bank statement requires a letter of guarantee from the bank (original not a copy).

    Q. Can the 800,000 Baht be an equivalent sum in a UK account ?

    Also, once I have the visa ( which I understand gets renewed for 12 months on each re-entry) are there no further checks on funds ?

    Thanks
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      For your initial application, yes, the funds can be in a home-country bank. When you're in Thailand and look to extend your visa at the end of your first year the funds will need to be in a Thai account. I'm not sure if there's a funds check on an O-A issued based on a foreign account when you do your 90-day report. Hopefully, Max can weigh in on that. When you go to extend your O-A the ฿800K funds have to have been in a Thai bank for two months prior to the extension and for three months after the extension and never drop below ฿400K. That will be checked.

      You have to wrap your head around the difference between your visa's valid dates - 12 months - from the date it was issued and your permission to stay - 12 months from your date of entry. Your permission to stay - also 12 months - from your date of entry. It is perfectly possible, and legal, to be in the country on an expired visa if you entered before the expiration but your visa only gets extended if you visit immigration before it expires.

      But you really don't want an O-A (unless your plan is to only stay a year or two). Look through the comments about the O (Retirement) visa. You can get one in the UK based on UK funds, you come to Thailand, you move your money, then you get a 1-year extension on your permission to stay. It does away with the excess health coverage cost and all the criminal background and health checks.
      Reply

  3. Ken F says

    Okay guys, you are not going to believe this but my visa was just approved with a mere 15 minutes to spare (assuming they close at 5pm). This after they told me 3-days ago, in no uncertain terms, that the system would be down until the 18th, and basically implying that I was SOL. I’m honestly starting to believe that they do this on purpose and that they get some kind of sadistic thrill out of making people sweat it out until the last possible moment. Either way, at least I have it now- even if getting it did take ten years off of my life.
    Reply

      • Ken F says

        Yes. That was a huge sigh of relief. In any case I’m in BKK now waiting for test results. And despite all the hassles getting the paperwork together the actual trip itself was a breeze. First of all I got though security at LAX in about 5 minutes (last time it took an hour). And since both my flights were only at about 20% of capacity it made boarding and deplaning a breeze. In fact, had I known this ahead of time I might not have sprang for the premium economy seat. I could have just laid across all five middle seats in economy. Anyway tomorrow its off to Phuket.
        Reply

          • Ken F says

            Thanks Peter. By the way, I wonder if you could answer a question for me that is unrelated to visas. Since I ended up coming here in November instead of October as originally planned the place I wanted to rent, as well as my two back ups have already been rented. And because I am so picky I have not come across any other online listings that I find even remotely suitable. The hotel suite I’m in is actually exactly my style however and is in the perfect location so I am trying to negotiate a deal on a long-term stay with them and then start apartment hunting again after the high season has ended. The problem with that however is that I don’t see how I can get a residency certificate if I am staying in a hotel and I need that certificate to buy a motorbike or car. Normally I would not mind renting a bike for a while, despite the added expense, but unfortunately nobody rents anything like a Honda Wave anymore. They only have either automatic scooters, which I hate, or large cc motorcycles, which are overly expensive to rent. There are a lot of windy roads here and the scooters simply do not handle as well as a proper motorcycle (yes the Honda Wave is a motorcycle and not a scooter) nor can you downshift to a lower gear in order to engine brake on steep hills. Its also much harder to stand up on the pegs (platform in this case) to use your legs as shock absorbers when going over big bumps in the road. The bottom line is I hate those things so I was wondering what my options are. Even if I buy a used motorbike I will still not be able to register it without the certificate or residency. Any suggestions? Also I would appreciate any suggestion on apartment hunting. The last time I lived here I drove around looking for rental signs but back then I also had a Thai girlfriend who could actually read the signs and contact the rental owners. I do not have that now and there is nothing available online that I like.
            Reply

  4. Ken F says

    Can anyone out there PLEASE tell me who I can contact to get answers to some questions since the Thai consulate seems to refuse to do so. If I put off my departure now I will loose $350 on hotel bookings and probably several hundred more for changing my flight yet nobody will tell me how far out I should make the new travel arrangements to avoid the same thing happening all over again. I was going to just go ahead and travel on schedule and get a visa on arrival in order to not loose all that money but then I realized that there is no guarantee that it will be any easier to get into any bordering countries in order to change my visa status. So basically I’m between a rock and a hard place as the Thai consulate will not give me any information on how much longer it might take to complete my existing visa application or whether or not I will have to start the process all over again after changing my flight and hotel details. They will not even acknowledge the questions. I tried both phoning and e-mailing a Thai legal firm but cannot get through to anyone either way. If I am going to change my flight reservations I need to do it within the next 24 hours. And since I am retired I cannot really afford to loose all this money, not to mention the money I will have to spend on hotels here in the states after having to move out of my apartment at the end of the month ( the property is being sold) if I still have no visa by then.
    Reply

      • Ken F says

        Yes, that was my plan as of yesterday. But today I was thinking that due to covid it is not so easy now to simply make a quick run to neighboring countries in order to change ones visa status after starting the paperwork in Thailand. It could be a very long and involved process simply to enter those countries and might even take longer than my 30 days. Still, luckily I was finally able to reach another Thai legal firm earlier and I am awaiting their advice now. If they say it will not be a problem then I will go ahead and take my flight. Either way, I am so thoroughly fed up with the whole nightmarish process at this point that I don't mind in the least paying someone else to take care of everything for me this time around. Anyway thank you for the reply.
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          Immigration has been offering in-country visa extensions while borders with neighboring countries are closed, so you can always take advantage of that extension if you can't cross a border. Also, don't forget that you can extend your stay by 30 days at immigration for 1,900 Baht. That will give you 60 days. Don't worry too much. Just get there; you'll be able to sort it out with the help of a visa agent.
          Reply

          • Ken F says

            That’s good to know. I was worried because I just read somewhere else that the visa on arrival could only be extended for 7 days now rather than 30. But if it’s 30 days that would give me plenty of time. Also I just had an online chat with a visa agent in Phuket who assured me that it can all be done in country, although he said its more expensive – hopefully its all above board. Anyway thanks again for the reply.
            Reply

            • TheThailandLife says

              The official line is: It is also possible to extend a 30-day entry stamp/visa on arrival at an immigration office for another 30 days, though in some cases you may only receive an extension of 7 days. This is at the discrepancy of the immigration official. I'm quite sure you'd get 30.
              Reply

  5. Ken F says

    The consulate finally got back to me but rather than answering any of my question concerning my situation they simply sent me a generic canned message stating that the visa application system is temporarily down for maintenance at that it will not be back up until November 18th. I assume that if I go ahead and enter Thailand on a tourist visa that this would void my current application but as they did not answer this or any of my other questions I don’t really know for sure. Either way, I still think that the tourist visa is the only way to go at this point. After all, if I changed my flight and my hotel reservations in order to wait for the visa I would then have to reapply for the Thailand pass all over again with my new details. And I might even have to start the whole visa application over again as well if I am not allowed to add new air travel and hotel booking details to the existing application. It’s just not worth putting things off just to start the whole nightmarish process over again. I think I’m just going to go to a Thai immigration lawyer when I get there and they can sort out the whole mess. I assume that I will have to spend some time in a neighboring country to get it done but ironically that may actually be a lot less hassle then trying to get it done online from right here in my own home.
    Reply

  6. Ken F says

    Well things are not looking very good for me at all at this point as there are now less than three full business days left before my flight and I still have not received either my Thailand Pass or my Thai visa. By the way, I am one of those people who hates to put things off until the last minute so in the past I have always had all my travel arrangements completed anywhere from 3-weeks to 3-months ahead of time. But wouldn’t you know it, the one time I am not able to do that I end up having ten years taken off my life from all the resultant stress.

    Anyway, whatever happens I would just like to urge people to start the application process for their long-term visas an absolute bare minimum of 6-weeks ahead of time, and probably a minimum of 3 weeks ahead of time for the Thailand Pass. This is necessary primarily due to the fact that there are absolutely no even remotely useful instruction for either and it can sometimes take a very long time to get all of your questions answered adequately by the Thai consulate. And believe me, even if you have an IQ north of 130 you are going to have a lot of question about filling out the often nonsensical visa application form correctly. And this is because it is often not clear at all what they are even asking you, nor is it made clear what constitutes valid documentation for various things or even what form those documents should take. For example, I have been told after the fact by both Peter and James that the Thai visa application examiners will not look at more than the first page of any insurance document you send them. But seeing as how they obviously have to routinely look over multiple pages of financial documents (3-months of back statements) who on earth would possible suspect that they might not check multiple pages of your insurance documents? Nobody would, of course. Speaking of which, this has also turned out to be a big problem with the new Thailand Pass. The Thailand pass only allows you to upload a single document for each category and now many people are being denied because either their hotel booking confirmations or insurance confirmations did not have all the relevant information contained in a single page. And since it is not recommended that you put multiple pages in a single document your only real option in such cases would be to either find different hotels and insurance providers which put all the relevant info onto a single page, or to contact the existing companies and tell them to modify their existing forms and then re-send them to you. But again, HOW ON EARTH could anyone possible suspect that this would be necessary ahead of time?

    The bottom line is, you just have to allow yourself WAY more time than you think would be reasonably necessary to get these tasks completed successfully. And always have a big bottle of aspirin on hand.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      I read about the delay in the QR codes being delivered for the Thailand Pass app. Apparently this has been solved so fingers crossed yours is delivered shortly. Have you phoned your local Thai embassy to enquire about your visa. You may have to go down there and get it done.
      Reply

      • Ken F says

        I gave up on trying to call the various Thai consulates or embassies early on in this process as they have never answered the phone and do not even give you the option of leaving a message. I have however e-mail them extensively over the past month and I e-mailed them yet again today about what my options might be should the pass not come through in time. Anyway, although I did not hear back from them directly, my acceptance e-mail and code finally came through about an hour after that. This is a HUGE relief because now even if the visa does not come through I can at least still use my plane ticket and all those non-refundable hotel reservations by coming in on a tourist visa. Of course, since I only have a one-way ticket I would then have to get some proof of onward travel but I can handle that. And under those circumstances I would have the leave the country soon anyway to re-apply for my long-term visa. But then again, I suppose there is always a possibility that my visa could be approved within the next two days.
        Reply

  7. Ken F says

    Well, boys and girls, the fun continues. As everyone knows I have applied for a Non-O visa with the intent of changing to a Non-O-A once in the country. Anyway about 4-hours ago I was contacted stating that they needed more documentation and they included a link to the form they needed but no information as to who is supposed to fill it out (it looks like it needs to be filled out and signed by the insurance provider). This was a bit surprising considering that they already have all 30 some odd pages of my insurance policy written in both Thai and English. Then I got an even bigger surprise when I noticed that this form says that it is “for Alien to apply for Non-Immigrant Visa Type O-A (period I year). Since I only applied for a 90-day Non-O visa I naturally only bought a 90-day insurance policy to start out. And since I was not asked for the medical report or police report or proof or 800,000 baht I know that I did not accidentally apply for a Non-O-A. But now that they want this form I’m wondering if I will also now need to turn around and change my policy to include one year of coverage. In any case, since neither the visa people or my insurance provider have gotten back to me I am attempting to fill out the form myself and send it to them, even though I don’t know who is supposed to sign it in 3 different places. Unfortunately its just nearly impossible to get any timely answers to your questions even though time is extremely critical at this stage of the game.

    You know, I have come to the realization over these past few weeks that the Thai visa process is about as much fun as getting repeatedly punched in the face with a pair of brass knuckles. Actually it’s more like trying to walk through quicksand. The more you struggle to go forward the faster you sink.
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      First - They don't want the words to your insurance policy they want the certificate: one page. If you have a policy you should also have a certificate. The blank certificate they sent you is for a foreign company to certify to them (Thai embassy/consulate) that your coverage is valid in Thailand and covers the required minimums and COVID. Who provided your insurance? You can't fill it out on your own. They'll just kick it back to you.

      Second - You can't get an O-A once in Thailand. You'll be able to extend your O by a year by reason of retirement once you meet the requirements but it won't be an O-A. The blank certificate you've been given is a holdover from when the O-A was the only visa with an insurance requirement. Don't seat that part.

      Look through your paperwork for a certificate. It will be a single sheet signed and (probably) sealed. You shouldn't need more than that.
      Reply

      • Ken F says

        Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately however the first page of my policy is actually called a “schedule” and there is nothing in the rest of the 38-page document called a “certificate”. I only sent them the first few pages of my insurance policy at first, as these seemed to be the relevant ones, but then after they requested this other document I sent them all the rest of the pages. As for that document it sounds like you are correct about what its for but that doesn’t really matter. After all if they are mistakenly holding up my visa for a document that I should not need and which I cannot possibly supply it doesn’t really matter what it is supposed to be for. My visa will still be held up either way until I can reach someone to make them aware of the error. The real problem here is that its just virtually impossible to get in touch with anyone to clarify things when these kinds issues arise. And this is why I have always done visas in person in the past even though I prefer doing just about everything else online.

        By the way, thanks for the clarification on the Non-O visa. Although since the Non O can be extended for the same length of time as the Non-O-A it really doesn’t matter I suppose – six of one, a half dozen of the other. And if I do find down the road that there is some advantage to the O-A I would imaging that it could be applied for from a bordering country, just as we used to have to go to a nearby country to switch from a tourist visa to a working visa when living in Japan.
        Reply

        • Ken F says

          Update: I was just trudging through all those insurance documents again and I found the right page. Although it does not say certificate on the top of the page, it does say in the very small text below that “this insurance certificate is issues for” and my name. The funny thing is this is on the second page of the original 5 pages I sent them. Perhaps they just did not scroll down and so assumed that I had only sent the one page (the wrong page). But again, the real problem here is that its impossible to get this information while you are filling out the original application. And if a subsequent issue arises its nearly impossible to reach someone in order to fix the problem. But then again this is exactly why I have been documenting all my troubles on here. I’m just hoping that the information will help some other unfortunate soul to avoid making the same mistakes that I made.
          Reply

          • TheThailandLife says

            The certificate needs to explicitly state the COVID-19 requirement. This is all they are looking for. The staff won't bother flicking through pages of a policy; they have just been told to accept a one-page certificate. Good luck!
            Reply

            • Ken F says

              Well, despite having figured this out I’m afraid I have more bad news. They finally replied to one of the many e-mails I sent them over the past two days and despite the fact that I sent them the certificate page by itself they are still asking me for that other form which they say must be sent to the insurance company and signed and stamped by them. The problem is I already e-mailed that form to the insurance company two days ago and never heard back from them. If I cannot get them to do this for me or if I cannot convince the visa people that I should not need this from when I already have the certificate then it looks like I will just have to come in on a tourist visa and sort out the rest later. I have to be out of my apartment by the end of the month so I can not really postpone the trip at this point.
              Reply

  8. Joe says

    I extended my 60 day tourist visa to 90 days. it expires November 29. i have 800,000 in my thai bank for 3 months. can i then apply for a retirement visa while in thailand and if so do i now need medical insurance?
    Reply

  9. Ken F says

    If anyone is interested, I just came across the first major glitch in the new Thailand Pass online sign up form. If you had the one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine, as I did, then you are screwed as it will not let you continue to the next page without filling in the info for your second shot, not even if you selected J&J in the first shot window. Hopefully it will not take them long to discover the issue and remedy it.
    Reply

    • Ken F says

      Good news! As of today the Thailand Pass website has been updated to work for J&J vaccine recipients. Be aware however that before you start you will need to covert all those PDF documents you used for your visa application into jpg files because the Thailand pass application does not accept PDF files. This is unfortunate because with a jpg I do not see a way to put multiple pages into one file and I think you can only upload a single file as it appears that uploading a second file simply replaces the first one. If this is the case then they will only have one page of my insurance forms and my application may be denied and there may not be enough time to re-apply. Of course since nobody from either Thai consulate has gotten back to me with information I need about the extra documentation they require for my visa, and since they do not answer their phones or even allow you to leave a message, it may be a moot point as my visa application will likely be denied as well.
      Reply

  10. Ken F says

    I just wanted to say a few more words about completing the e-visa application so that others doing it for the first time wont waste as much of their time on it as I did. Specifically I want to talk about item 10 on the supporting documents page which asks the applicant to “upload his/her passport pages which contain all travel records for the past 12 months (1 year) since the last international trip”. In my case this meant uploading all19 blank visa pages from my brand new passport. I first took photos of them on my smart phone thinking that this would be the quickest way to do it before realizing that you can only upload a single file for any given line item request, and that it mush be under 3MB. There are ways to combine many photos into a single photo of course but I decided instead that I would just scan all the pages into a single PDF file. Unfortunately however the file size came out to 6MB. So then, not wanting to use compression, I changed the DPI setting from the default down to 150 DPI and scanned all those pages over again. This time it was 3.05MB, which was still too big, so I had to scan them all yet again, this time first reducing the page size from 8”x12” down to 5”x7”. This whole thing made me feel like I was back in the late 90’s when we always had to constantly worry about file size when uploading a file to the web or attaching it to an e-mail. But none of us have had to worry about such things for such a very long time now that I was just really caught off guard by this. In any case, these kinds of hang-ups can just be very frustrating, particularly when you are getting down to the final days in which you can submit your application and still be assured that it will be processed in time.
    Reply

  11. Ken F says

    I’m really starting to get desperate here so I hope someone on here can help. I have been trying to contact Thai embassies and consulates for a week now and the only reply I have received so far simply had links to pages that did not answer my questions. The question are as follows:

    1. When my flight arrives in Bangkok on November 15th will I be able to immediately take my domestic flight to Phuket due to the new rules being in effect then, or will I still need to exit the Airport in Bangkok first and take my test there and wait 24 hours there rather than in Phuket?

    2. If I am coming in on a Non Immigrant-O visa do I need to have a round trip ticket?


    3. Apparently I need a local Thai address for both the e-visa application and for the health insurance application but I obviously do not have a local address so what address should I use on this applications? My original plan was to stay at a hotel in Phuket for a week while I looked for a permanent place to stay but it is hard to even make hotel reservation when I don’t know how the new rules will apply to an application being made in October. For instance even though I will likely only need to stay one night in an ASQ hotel in November (either in BKK or Phuket, or both) do I need to have a reservation for a week at an ASQ simply because my application is being filed in October? And either way, will an address at a hotel for a week be sufficient for a 90-day visa application? And I will probably have this same issue with the COE

    I really need to get my visa application filled immediately because if it does not come through in time for some reason I will have to enter on a tourist visa on arrival (which should be allowed by November) and then exit again to a neighboring country to once again apply for my Non-O visa.
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      1) No (probably), The sealed route travel scheme as used for Samui was never implemented for Phuket. Of course, that could change at any instant but as of now only direct international flights are allowed. Plan in advance for one night in BKK.

      2) No. The only requirement for RT booking I’ve seen is for a TV or VE entry.

      3) Use the hotel address. That’s what I did for all entry documents even though I’m only staying in Phuket a week. I had no problems doing that and didn’t get questioned further.

      Visa Exemption arrivals are allowed right now, so no problem there either.
      Reply

      • Ken F says

        Thanks for the reply. Anyway I already knew that as of the current month flights to Phuket cannot transit through BKK. My problem is that I am in a state of limbo because I have no way of knowing with any degree of certainty what the case will be next month when I actually arrive. In any case, I already made the decision today that I should just proceed as if Bangkok were my intended final destination and then just find out once I get there about the options for getting to Phuket. And if they let me transit under the new rules then fine. And if not I will have a reservation set up in an overpriced Bangkok ASQ hotel. Of course the problem with that is that the hotel want proof of insurance to make the reservation but to fill out the insurance form I have to list an address in Thailand which I will not know for sure until I get the hotel reservation – a real catch22 situation. I also have to list my Thai address on the e-visa application I am doing at this very moment but I cannot obtain a long term place until I am in country and I cannot even make more reservations other than the one night ASQ hotel until I know what the situation will be when I arrive. So I guess I just have to put the address of that one night ASQ hotel once I get it and hope that is good enough and that this does not hold up my visa.
        Reply

      • Ken F says

        By the way, if anyone has done the e-visa application I’m have trouble with item 4 and 6 on the last page. Item 4 ask for proof of residency in the country in which the application is being submitted (my country I assume) but it does not say what would constitute such proof. Is a Social Security card enough? And if not, what? Item 5 and six both ask for “financial evidence” and while 5 explains that its for either proof of a pension or proof of 3 moths of back statements showing at least 10,000GPH (what the heck is “GPH”?) item 6 says nothing. There is no explanation whatsoever as to what financial evidence they are talking about and how it differs from the evidence for item 5. There are no instructions at all that explain this and I have been trying for a week to reach anyone at a Thai consulate with no luck.
        Reply

        • Ken F says

          Wow! They actually got back to me very quickly this time. The reply was:

          “No.4 US ID card or driver license as no. 11.
          No.5 and 6 Bank statement”

          So apparently number 11 and number 6 are completely redundant. It also looks like a drivers license is sufficient for proof of residence, which is great. Here in the USA proof of address for anything official usually means having to have a recent piece of mail with your name and address on it. And since I went paperless ten years ago this is always a problem.

          Anyway, now the only thing I’m waiting on is a confirmation of the hotel booking I made the other day and then I can finally submit this thing and start working on the COE or Thailand Pass.
          Reply

        • JamesE says

          Welcome to the fun world of interpretive visa application! Proof of Residence: Anything that indicates you should be applying at the Embassy/Consulate you are applying at. I just used my passport (again), others have used driver’s license or utility/phone bills. “GPH” = “GBP”. Use the other choice for #6 than you did for #5. So, bank statements showing income and investment account showing US$15,000 or so.
          Reply

          • Ken F says

            Yes, “interpretive” is probably the best way to describe it. And this is exactly why in the past I have always just driven to the consulate of whatever country that I was about to visit. It’s just nice always having someone right there on hand to explain all those ambiguous or just downright nonsensical question on the forms. I mean its not like these application are exactly intuitive. After all, when they already have a photo of my passport - which should serve as proof of residency – who would think that they would require further poof of residency, not once, but twice more on the same application. And they don’t care if it’s the same document of proof, they just want it in three different places apparently. The redundancy is just astounding.

            By the way, thanks for catching my typo – although it was actually correct in the copy of the questions I sent to the consulate, which was supposed to be posted immediately above my last post (the one with the answers to those questions) but which instead somehow ended up below. I often do not proofread my posts before submitting them despite knowing how prone I am to making typos. Anyway, as for my initial confusion concerning GBP it was because I had just completely forgotten that this was the currency code for currency in the UK, but it came back to me shortly after submitting the post. You would think that they would just use Thai Baht to avoid confusion since people from so many different countries are going to be applying for visas. But I guess they just decided to use the Pound for all visa applicants from English speaking countries. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Thailand just gets a lot more visitors from the UK than it does from the USA – or at least this used to be the case.

            As for putting my trading account statements on 6 and my checking and savings account statements on 5, that is actually exactly how I was initially planning on doing it. Although now I’m thinking that I might just put all the statements for all these things on both 5 and 6 just to be on the safe side.
            Reply

      • Ken F says

        I have decided to put up a copy of an e-mail I just sent to the Thai consulate and if they should answer my questions I will post those answers here so that hopefully others will not have to wrestle with these same issues when applying for a visa:

        Thank you again for your reply but now I am having trouble with the e-visa application and there are simply no useful instructions on the website. Specifically I am having trouble with items 4 and 11 on the support documentation page. Item 4 ask for “proof of residence in the country in which the application is being submitted” but it does not say what would constitute such proof. What kind of documents do I need to prove such a thing? Also how does this differ from item 11, which asks for “proof of current residency”? Both are asking for proof of residency but neither one explains what kind of documents are acceptable to prove said residency or even what is meant by “residency”. In the USA the term “US resident” usually refers to a resident alien and not to a US citizen like myself. So, I can only assume that item 4 is asking for proof of my citizenship while item 11 is actually asking for proof of address. Still, I have no way of knowing this for sure. And even if this is the case I do not know what documents are acceptable to the Thai government to prove these things as no examples are given in the online instructions.

        I also have a problem with item 5 and 6. Both ask for “financial evidence” and while 5 explains that it is for either proof of a pension, or 3-months of back bank statements showing a standing balance of at least 10,000GBP, item 6 says nothing. Item 6 also says “financial evidence” yet there is no explanation whatsoever as to what financial evidence they are talking about and how it differs from the evidence for item 5.
        Reply

  12. Thida McClure says

    Let say I am in Thailand with non immigrant O visa. Once all require documents are completed submitted, how long does it take to get an approval?
    Do they usually grant a visa on the day you submit or is there a waiting period?
    Reply

  14. joe says

    how long do I have to keep the 800,000 bank balance in a thai bank after acceptance of 90 day visa extension. and then if a get a retirement visa type o visa how long do I have to keep the 800,000 in a thai bank account. all this is done while I am in thailand
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      Assuming you come in on an O (Retirement) or a TV and then convert to an O (Retirement) the money has to be in the bank for two months before you apply for extension and for three months after your extension starts. After that it can't go below 400K.
      Reply

  15. Norman says

    This is a very useful information thank you for taking the time to explain in detail. I do have one couple of questions I am over 50 originally from the UK so understand my part, but my wife is Chinese and below 50 and we also have a 6 year old son. Do you know how my son would be treated, what type of visa would be needed for him to be able to go to school?
    We all currently live in Malaysia, would this course any further difficulties?
    Reply

    • Richard says

      Hi Norman....I'm no expert on this but I had a similar situation when applying for a Retirement Visa back in 2014.....my wife who is also Chinese did not meet the age requirement. My experience was that as long as you meet all the requirements the rest of the family is granted the same status/visa as you.
      That was 7 years ago, Pre-Covid and everything else. I have no idea about your son though.
      Reply

  16. Richard says

    I have a few things going on....I'm a US Citizen but I live in China. My Passport only has 15 months left on it as of August. I would be applying for my Thai Visa through the Kunming China Thai Embassy. I'm vaccinated with the Sinovac Chinese vaccine.
    I'd like to stay in Thailand as long as possible and am uncertain about what type of Visa I can or should apply for and how easy or hard any particular Visa is to renew or to convert to something longer.
    I meet all the requirements for the "Retirement Visa" except the expiration date of my passport.
    What would you recommend?
    Reply

  17. chris says

    Hi.
    I will be looking to go to Thailand hopefully in october on an o-visa non immigrant which i havent applied for yet...what i was wondering, what would be the best way regarding booking flights..can i book an open ended return date? I was thinking of booking a one-way ticket, but i read somewhere that you must have a return ticket and date and that is something that immigration will check..any info would be appreciated...Thanks
    Reply

  18. Nick says

    Hi
    Maybe a daft question but....I am currently in Thailand on a full 12 month Multi entry OA visa ..First visit and about to fly home for a month for work then coming back asap (1 month later i hope), ....I seem to recall somewhere long ago while going through all the paperwork for visa that I needed to get a "re-entry" letter from immigration before leaving thailand.

    I fully accept I may have gotten crossed wires..brain got fried doing applications!! But I cannot find any mention anywhere of needing this now...maybe I dreamt it!!!! Can anyone put my mind at rest...can I just fly out and in again (With COE, ASQ, Ins etc) without needing any ok from immigration?
    I just dont want to lose visa for want of not getting a piece of paper!!!

    Sorry if this seems obvious but was sooo hard to get here after 15 months...just want to triple check!!!!
    Thank you for your patience!
    Reply

  20. Laurence Mabileau says

    Hello I have applied for a visa O-A , 6 weeks ago and have no news from the Thailand embassy is it normal ? on the website it says 2 weeks processing ...
    book my plane ticket took health insurance and ASQ hotel .
    tried to called the Embassy and email but no one answered
    Reply

  21. Tom says

    Hi,
    I'm married to a Thai national and we have been living in Malaysia many years. We want to return to Thailand to live. I have read on some websites that applying for an O Visa (to get a Marriage Visa) for US citizens requires only a deposit of THB400,000 for at least two months and proof of no criminal record.

    Is this correct?

    I can apply for this here in Malaysia and then once inside Thailand apply for a Marriage Visa.

    Please let me know if I have this correct.

    Thanks,

    Tom
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      You *may* be able to get a spousal visa directly and not have to worry about the ฿400K initially. This will depend on if the Thai Embassy in Malaysia is offering them or not, the Thai Embassy in the US is. Basically, you get the Spousal Non-O for a 90-day stay and then bring your money into TLOS at least 2 months before you apply for the 1-year extension. I'm not sure about the criminal record piece. It's not specifically mentioned in the US site (but it is shown for the O-A) so that's another question for the local embassy.
      Reply

  22. Jerry says

    To confirm what I think you are tell me. I get the non-immigrant O visa that's valid 90 day at home. I have the banking and medical done already. I get an extension on that Non-O that is valid for 1 year, with the 90 day check in, money requirement (800k or 65k baht per month), and medial requirment. The extended Non-O functions the same once extended, as the Non-immigration OA that I would have gotten at home (US), with fewer initial requirements,.... Less paperwork. I just have a retirement Non-O. Annual extensions, 90 day check in, money requirement, medical, insurance. Sounds to me like once in the Land of Smiles, the Non-O and the Non-OA function the same. The goal is to get the annual extension, no visa runs with the least amount of paperwork. THANK YOU for all you do!!! GREAT BLOG. Very helpful!!!
    Reply

  23. Jerry says

    I had all my documents ready to go literally the week they implemented the COVID test requirement in Feb 2020. Now I'm thinking I'll just get a Tourist Visa, or mult. entry Tourist Visa and do the Retirement OA Visa from Thailand.

    I've read if you do it in Thailand the medical document & criminal background check are not required. Is there any truth to that? I already did both, but are a year old. The medical form being notarized was the pain last time.

    I have everything else in order, Bank account in Thailand etc....

    Curious what you and your readers think, do it from home (US), or do it from Thailand.

    Thanks to all

    J
    Reply

    • KenF says

      I assume that your wife has at least some retirement income and if this is the case you would not need to deposit the whole 800,000. This is because - unless things have changed in the past few years - you can actually use a combination of both savings and income to meet the requirement. For example if she has an income of 33,000 baht per month then you would only need to deposit about 400,000 baht into the account.
      Reply

      • John Tedesco says

        Thanks. My wife is Chinese and will be receiving a minimal retirement income. So, I'll have to go the deposit route for her. I just read they are planning to reduce visa requirements to attract more workers and retirees to Thailand to help boost the economy. Curious to see how it will affect the O-A visa.
        Reply

        • JamesE says

          John, Have you looked into the O (Retirement) option? That is now available through overseas embassies. It eliminates some of the drawbacks of the O-A (like ongoing health insurance, the criminal check, and medical certificate) and can be extended once you're in Thailand. Look at some of Max's comments, it seems like the best of both worlds.
          Reply

        • Ken F says

          I understand that your wife’s retirement income is “minimal” but even minimal is better than nothing at all and I would think that any amount that you can shave off of that 800,000 would be a welcome relief. By the way, I’m not really sure what either her ethnicity or nationality has to do with her retirement funds. After all, China is not exactly a poor country these days.

          In any case, if I were about to retire to Thailand with a wife or girlfriend I would be just as concerned with the possible relationship pitfalls of the move as I would be with the financial issues. And to help avoid these pitfalls I would first want to make sure that she is genuinely just as keen on the idea as I am and that she is not going along just to make me happy (always a bad idea). My last girlfriend actually lived with me in Phuket for a year because that is where I wanted to be. She probably would have been much happier and much less moody however if I had chose to live in her hometown of Chiang Mai.

          Furthermore I would not consider a retirement destination that you had not both previously spent at least three consecutive months in. And with Thailand of course there are also a lot of temptations that can strain any relationship. Speaking of which, I have a good friend here in California who has been married to a Thai woman for about 30 years now. They first met here in California when they were in their early 20’s (same day I met her in fact) just two years after she came over from Thailand and they ended up married and had two kids together. Anyway, now that the kids are all grown he wants to take early retirement and move to Thailand. Unfortunately for him however his wife wears the pants in the family and she does not want to do it. She always gives him various excuses for her reluctance, such as not wanting to deal with the humid climate, but I think the real reason is that she does not trust him around all those cute young Thai girls. And I can’t really say that I blame her for having those thoughts. They say that a man is only as faithful as his options, and lets face it, there are a LOT of “options” in Thailand.
          Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Is your wife over 50? If so, she can apply for an O-A visa separately. If she is under 50 she can get a Non Immigrant O visa (single entry) and then do an extension inside Thailand. The required documents are the same for your O-A-visa plus a copy of your marriage certificate. She would need a copy of a bank statement that shows 800,000 Baht (or equivalent), in addition to the amount shown on your application.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      For an O-A visa, the proof of income is shown in your home country to the local embassy or consulate. The visa is issued there and therefore valid. One benefit of the O-A visa is the reactivation of another year upon re-entry, without having to reapply or extend. So you don't have the "money in a Thai bank" requirement because this is taken care of in your home country. You do have to do 90-day reporting though.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Hmm, which bank is that? It's quite normal practice, as far as I know. Oh, updating my comment, as I realized you probably meant in your home country, as you are applying for an O-A there. Just call your local Thai embassy and see if they will accept that.
      Reply

  28. Geoff Knight says

    Thanks for this helpful summary. I wasn't aware that the London embassy was offering the O-A multi-entry visa. Previously I have used the 12 month O visa based on marriage to a Thai but they are not offering that any more. My question is about the income requirement. Am I correct in understanding that if I can show a monthly pension income in my UK bank account equivalent to more than 65k THB that will be acceptable? I am hoping so as it will avoid having to open a Thai bank account in my sole name and/or depositing 800,000 THB in a deposit account. Also, I presume it would not be acceptable to use a Stocks and Shares ISA account containing shares with a value way above £20k to satisfy the financial requirement.

    On the insurance requirement, being 80 years old I do not want to pay for an expensive annual policy if I am unlikely to spend more than 3 or 4 months in Thailand at a time. Would it be possible to use my UK policy with 4 month trip coverage to get the visa, recognising that when I get to Thailand they will only stamp me in for the length of the insurance cover rather than the full 12 months?
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      Yes - kind of. The O-A can use home-country assets for your initial application. The income must be verified by an "income certificate" with no exact description as to what that is. If you go the bank balance route you will require a letter of guarantee from the bank. When I looked at an O-A a few years ago the Thai Embassy in the US told me my mutual fund accounts were acceptable as proof of assets. The insurance requirement is more nebulous. It can be *interpreted* as you do but - since the insurance is required to be in place at the time of application - they may want a policy that will cover the entire year of visa validity. This is one where you should get clarification from the Thai Embassy. Have you considered an Elite Visa? It might be a better way around the financial and insurance requirements.
      Reply

  30. KenF says

    I am planning on moving back to Thailand to retire in October or November but I still have some questions about the A-O Visa. From what I understand the 800,000 Baht needs to be deposited in a Thai bank account but how is one supposed to do this if he is applying for this visa before even entering Thailand?
    Reply

  31. Geoffrey Ellis says

    Thanks for your reply. I am going to need quite a mixed bag of insurance it appears.
    1. To apply for OA visa (chuck away)
    2. To individually cover covid for the exact duration of my visa (Unnecessary / noses in troughs)
    3. The insurance cover I will (hopefully not) be using.
    Sadly neither Mr Prakan nor Cigna appear at first sight to be able to help. I'll have to do a bit more digging.
    As for the school project - E must try harder.
    Reply

  32. Brian says

    Hello
    I just renewed my retirement visa at the Royal Thai Consulate in Vancouver Canada - sent by fedex in the morning with return paid FedEx envelope and it come back the next day! It is a fair amount of work - I had foreign health insurance with Medipac-- that was accepted without the foreign health insurance certificate ( I have ample coverage for covid 19 included under the policy maximum) - they seem to be flexible at this Consulate anyways -- the COE and Fit to fly stuff are an extra mile

    Keep up the good work with your posts etc

    Brian
    Reply

  33. Geoff Ellis says

    Thanks for all the tips. Quite where to start with my current OA application in London. I have ready to post on line criminal check, bank statement £20k / 800,000B.
    When I went to get the medical form (TB, syphilis, leprosy &c) I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Three or four weeks medication to fix.
    Additionally it appears I need insurance to apply but I was hoping to go in February thus wasting three months. My plan therefore is to apply for junk annual insurance which I can find for as little as £36 & take out a proper policy just before I leave. I have all sorts of health conditions which I can't disclose to the junk insurers but it should get through the visa application process.
    They also appear to want two company directors to physically sign a form to prove I have insurance along with sworn affidavits for other parts of the application. The whole process seems like a school project.
    What are they expecting for proof of residence? Something tells me my gas bill won't do. I don't have a driving licence.
    If I do succeed do I have a year from issue to travel or only three months?
    Thanks for any help you can offer.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      With the O-A you have a year from issue to travel, and a year's stay will be activated upon entry. Proof of residence can be utility bills, mortgage statement, or house deed. The insurance company has to fill out that form to confirm the insurance. Though if you buy insurance from one of the companies linked in the post you won't require that. It is indeed like a school project :)
      Reply

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