Non-Thais can now apply to enter Thailand by air provided they own and can prove they own a property in their own name. This will normally be a condominium unit with proof of purchase and/or relevant ownership documentation. However, there are a string of other conditions to obtain the authorized non “B” visa for this group.
Applicants need also to show evidence of three million baht in a Thai bank or Thai bonds to the same amount. Separately they need to prove at least 500,000 baht, presumably in foreign currency, in a UK or Irish bank. That sum needs to have been present in the account for six months prior to application.
Finally, applicants will need a fit-to-fly certificate, Covid-19 health checks, proof of hotel booking for 14 days quarantine and – lastly – the all-embracing US$100,000 medical insurance.
The latest information is on several Thai embassies, including the UK. The addition of property owners – there is no lower limit to the value of the residence and no requirement to live in it – to the list of permitted categories for entry means that the main groups still prohibited are leisure tourists and those holders of non-immigrant “O” based extensions of stay based on retirement.
The former barred group are dependent on the future of Special Tourist Visa, still under government review, and unlikely to be generally available, whilst the retirees have been advised to apply for an “O/A” 12-months visa which requires medical insurance not always available to candidates in their late 70s or older.
Source: The Pattaya Mail