Thailand visa question No. 210/20: Which is more convenient, renewal based on marriage or retirement?

Questioner: Rob

I would like to know your experiences with extending non-immigrant O visa for 1 year. Situation: I am now in the last 4 days of my quarantine, leaving in about a week for Chiang Rai where I bought a condo a few months ago and want to stay until April and come back in October (have a multiple entry visa).

I am married to Thai people in the Netherlands (legalized by the Thai embassy, ​​but still have to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok and then to the Thai municipality), but I am also retired (67 years old) with sufficient AOW plus pension. I arrived in Thailand on November 30, so have to apply for an extension at the immigration office in ChiangRai in early/media February. I have the following questions:

1. Which is the least cumbersome, extension of one year based on “retirement”, or based on being married? I feel that retirement-based renewal is the easiest, especially since I own a condo. As far as I understand, I have to provide the least for that. What are your advices? Are there any experiences with the immigration office in Chiang Rai?

2. In both cases you must provide financial proof. I think it would be easiest to do that with a letter of support from the (Dutch) embassy? How does that work? Send proof of AOW and pension benefits to the embassy? Can everything be done by email? How long does that take? Experiences?

3. Health insurance certificate. To enter Thailand I have had a statement from the OHRA for one year (until November 30, 2021). But for a one-year extension, I will probably need a new statement, until February 28, 2022. Is that correct? And maybe they will ask for Thai insurance?

4. In principle, I have a Non Immigrant O multiple entry visa, valid for one year for multiple entries. And so I plan to extend that for 1 year. At the end of April I will temporarily return to the Netherlands, but it is not possible to extend it for 2 months! So the extension is until February 28, 2022. If I return in October, will that extension until February 28, 2022 still be valid when I return to Thailand in October. Or is that no longer valid?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

Reaction RonnyLatYa

Once again pointing out that it is not your visa that you are extending, but the period of stay obtained with that visa.

1. The least paperwork and the fastest is to ask for a year extension based on “Retirement”. You usually also immediately receive your extension, where “Thai Marriage” usually works with an “Under consideration” stamp of 30 days. Which does not mean that one cannot work with an “Under consideration” stamp with “Retirement”, but it is less common.

Whether you own a condo or not makes little difference. Actually nothing.

2. It depends what you call the simplest.

For some, that will be the 800 Baht bank amount, but that also means that you will not always have access to that full amount when you want it. Must be on it 000 or 2 months before, must remain on it for 3 months after granting and for the remaining period you may not go below 3 Baht.

For “Thai Marriage” the bank amount is 400 000 Baht, which must be paid 2 or 3 months before application. Afterwards you can use it freely.

A “Visa Support Letter” as proof of income is also possible. Costs 50 Euros. You can read all about it at the link:

Thailand visa support letter | Thailand | Netherlandsworldwide.nl | Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Bank amount or income, it is a personal thing and everyone has their reasons for choosing one or the other.

3. There is currently no requirement (yet) to show health insurance when extending your period of stay, obtained with a Non-immigrant O visa. If it is ever introduced, it will probably be the same conditions as when extending a period of stay obtained with a Non-immigrant OA visa. This means that the application may also include local insurance policies that meet the requirements. For annual renewals, it must be a Thai insurance that is on an approved list. Those requirements are 40 OutPatient/ 000 Baht Inpatient. Has nothing to do with that 400 000 Dollar Covid insurance here just to be clear. Those are COVID requirements to obtain a CoE. Not to get a visa.

There is also a difference between applying for a Non-immigrant O as “Retired” or as “Thai Marriage”. No insurance is currently required for a Non-immigrant O based on “Thai Marriage”. In that sense, it might also be possible to extend it to annual extensions and there too a difference will be made between “Retired” (with insurance) and “Thai Marriage” (no insurance). But those are currently just assumptions as far as renewals are concerned. As far as extensions are concerned, nothing has been published about that yet as far as I know. Could be in a few months of course.

4. As a “Thai Marriage” you also have the option to extend your stay by 60 days in addition to the annual extension. You do need to make sure your marriage is registered in Thailand, as you will need a Kor Ror 22 for that. You can obtain this from the municipality once your marriage has been registered there. A Kor Ror 22 is a document that proves that you are married to a Thai, it was registered but the marriage was contracted abroad. You will also need it if you decide to get a year extension based on “Thai Marriage”. If you go for those 60 days, you have an extension until sometime at the end of April (you have to do the calculations). Since you have a “Multiple entry” you can re-enter in October with your Non-immigrant O Multiple entry. If it is still valid, of course, because I do not immediately see anywhere what the validity period of your Non-immigrant O Multiple entry visa is. Validity period is important to be able to enter in October. If still valid, you will receive 90 days again, which you can then extend again by a year. But of course you can also immediately apply for a year extension in February as “Retired” or “Thai marriage”. If you then leave Thailand in April, you must first obtain a “Re-entry” from immigration in order to keep that year extension active and before you leave Thailand. Because of this “re-entry” you will not receive 90 days upon your new entry in October, but again the end date of your previously obtained year extension, in other words you will not lose your previously obtained year extension.

NB. I don't know if the CoE still exists or not, but you may need insurance again. Also with a "re-entry", but that will have to show in the future and what the entry conditions will be in October.