Questioner: Bert
After 6 months in NL I have now made the decision and will go back to my family in Thailand at the beginning of July. I am married to a Thai, only marriage is not registered in Thailand.
Normally I applied for a Non Immigrant O multiple entry on the basis of marriage in The Hague every year, because I come back to the Netherlands for a few months every year to maintain contact with my family and to arrange some things. This visa means that you have to cross the border every 90 days and you can stay for another 90 days. Never a problem as my in-laws live close to Malaysia. Now the situation is different, I can't cross the border every 90 days.
Now I am unsure which visa to apply for:
- Non Imm O 90 days based on marriage?
- Non Imm O based on early retirement?
Then I want to apply for an annual extension in Thailand, have I already topped up my account to Thb 800.000 and here again the doubt, based on marriage or pension?
The question also arises, if I apply for a visa for 90 days, should the insurance cover 90 days or should it also include that year for the extension?
Already have the statement from Unive that all costs are covered. As read, it is accepted by the embassy, but at Suvarnabhumi Airport it sometimes meets with misunderstanding. Is it then possible to take out insurance on the spot? For an annual renewal, do I also have to have insurance that states $100.000.
Reaction RonnyLatYa
1. Currently, “border runs” as before are not yet possible. Someone who leaves Thailand must go through the entire CoE procedure, quarantine, etc. again.
2. You can still apply for a Non-immigrant O based on your marriage. Just like before. You do not have to prove that 40/000 Baht insurance because it does not apply to a “Thai marriage”. That $400 COVID coverage will remain. Since you are not going to "border run" a "Single entry" will suffice because you will still be applying for a year extension there.
3. As for the annual extension. The fact that you have applied for the visa as “Thai marriage” does not preclude you from applying for the extension as “Retired”. That is allowed and possible. I've also done that in the past.
So you have the choice:
- Extend as a Thai marriage, but then you will have to register the marriage in Thailand because that is a requirement.
- Renew as “Retired”. You have the financial means to prove this and then you do not have to register anything. Be careful afterwards with your “re-entry”. Since you have applied for that extension as “Retired”, you can demand that 40 000/400 000 Baht insurance if you would subsequently leave for Thailand on the basis of your “re-entry”.
“When requesting for a COE, holders of a valid Re-entry Permit (Retirement) who wish to return to Thailand using the Re-entry Permit (Retirement), are required to submit a copy of health insurance policy which covers the length of stay in Thailand with no less than 40,000 THB coverage for out-patient treatment and no less than 400,000 THB for in-patient treatment.”
Information for non-Thai nationals planning to visit Thailand (during COVID-19 pandemic) – สถานเอกอัครราชทูตณ กรุงเฮก (thaiembassy.org)
The choice is yours.
4. I also recently read the question of whether you should be insured for 90 days or a year with a Non-immigrant O. Ask the embassy seems like the best advice in this. If your insurance is accepted for a CoE I assume it should be OK. I actually don't understand why that keeps being questioned at the airport upon arrival. Either a CoE is approved and the evidence that was shown for this with the application is sufficient, or not and the embassy must then point you in the right direction. But I do understand your concern because it happens again and again when I read it like this.
As far as I know you cannot take out insurance upon arrival at the airport.
5. The $100 insurance is not required for an annual renewal. Not even for an extension of a residence period obtained with a Non-immigrant O.
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