Mulling over different Visas ....

[smiles]

I've been happily living Hua Hin for 13 years: my first visa, and last visa, was a Non-Imm O-A and after that it's been 12 month Extensions all the way.
In the beginning I was 60 years, healthy, a great Thai partner and retired. Bliss all the way.
But now I have reached 73 and medical issues are slowly coming, like bamboo sprouts, to the fore. A couple of these issues are quite expensive here in Thailand and over the last 2 years I've gone back to Canada where medical problems are free.

So my thinking ... just thinking ... that perhaps I should give up my regular 12 months here and ramp down and start living in Thailand for 6 months a year.
I must say that 12 month Extension has always been easy to me, like butter most of the time so consistently I'm out of the loop on other types of Visa.

Thus my education:
Could I just take out a 30 day Tourist Visa, and then go to Immigration and get extensions of that Visa? Hopefully that would add up to 6 months?
Any other Visa processes I should know of?
Is my idea above a non-starter?

Thanks in advance

[sateeb]

Why not, if you have sufficient funds, keep your existing visa together with a multiple re entry visa. That way you can come and go as you please but make sure you're in Thailand in time for the renewal.

Alternatively there are plenty of winter warmers that come here for 6 months or so, I personally don't know what visas they have and I'm sure someone on this site will point you in the right direction.

Good luck with your health issues.

[Dannie Boy]

The problem with the O-A visa is that you now have to show that you have medical insurance - if you already have it then no problem, but as you probably know already it gets damn expensive as you reach 70+. The alternative is an annual O visa, which is very similar in nearly all of its requirements - you still need to show that you have the same savings or monthly incomes as for the O-A visa, just at the moment (who knows about the future) you don’t need to have medical insurance. Hopefully others might be able to advise about alternative visas to get you over a six month only duration

[Robinhood]

Dannie Boy,

I am interested in your point about the medical insurance for visas. In my ignorance I hadn't considered Medical Insurance might impact on visas.
I currently pay a few thousand baht a year for medical insurance that might give me some assistance in a major crisis, but I doubt much else. This is done through my employers insurance.
Should I be getting a "better/more expensive" medical insurance policy as something of an investment? with visas in mind?

* If you are wondering why I sound so vague on the benefits of my MI policy, its because every time I ask my employer or insurance company about the benefits, I get referred to legalistic texts that would need an army of lawyers to decipher.

[Dannie Boy]

Dannie Boy,

I am interested in your point about the medical insurance for visas. In my ignorance I hadn't considered Medical Insurance might impact on visas.
I currently pay a few thousand baht a year for medical insurance that might give me some assistance in a major crisis, but I doubt much else. This is done through my employers insurance.
Should I be getting a "better/more expensive" medical insurance policy as something of an investment? with visas in mind?

* If you are wondering why I sound so vague on the benefits of my MI policy, its because every time I ask my employer or insurance company about the benefits, I get referred to legalistic texts that would need an army of lawyers to decipher.

There’s an awfully long thread about the subject of medical insurance and the visa requirements which I will try to find (tomorrow) but by the sound of it, what you mention won’t qualify.

[PeteC]

Here is the thread about mandatory health insurance:

https://huahinforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38140

[smiles]

Thank you folks for pretty well nothing in terms of my original query.
Somehow it turned out to be something about "mandatory health insurance" ... regarding which I never asked about, and regarding which I am already knew of.
Bloody waste of time.

[Big Boy]

It was your thread - you have probably been negligent in not advising people sooner that they have misunderstood your question.

[smiles]

Nonsense. I waited thinking that an on-topic response might emerge.

[hhinner]

FWIW I think the first reply was the best advice, with either a single or multi reentry permit. You say that the annual renewal is easyy for you. Apart from having to have money in a bank account it's probably the cheapest option as well. You just need to make sure you come back in time to do the following renewal.

[Big Boy]

Nonsense. I waited thinking that an on-topic response might emerge.

Not nonsense, everybody has access to the emoticon. If you were not getting the response you wanted, it was up to you to tell people, not wait 2.5 days, and then cry foul.

[Dannie Boy]

FWIW I think the first reply was the best advice, with either a single or multi reentry permit. You say that the annual renewal is easyy for you. Apart from having to have money in a bank account it's probably the cheapest option as well. You just need to make sure you come back in time to do the following renewal.

Exactly, And to which I added a comment about getting an annual “O” visa instead of an O-A visa to avoid the need of expensive medical insurance - some people are never grateful.

[Scout]

Nonsense. I waited thinking that an on-topic response might emerge.

Keep waiting, if you don’t like the current responses maybe a better one will come along...