2-3 Month Stay

[geezer2005]

Hope this is in the correct place.

I am planning in the future to spend 2-3 months of our winter in LOS.

I would be renting a condo and running my uk business whilst staying there. Ive been looking at visas etc, but cant really understand what I need.

So, Which visa would I need? Also, my return ticket would, I suppose be out of the normal 30 day visa, so would that pose a problem at the airport?

Anything else I should take into consideration for the longer stay?

Thanks in advance 

[DrBig]

This is what I do.  I get a 60 day tourist visa, which is simple to get near where I live and takes only 5 or 10 minutes, and restrict my visit to 58 or so days.  I don't know how extensions at Jomtien work, and to me doing a visa run would be far more hassle than I want to do.

At the outgoing farangland airport they always tell me there's a problem because my return flight is more than 30 days after entry, but that's always fixed easily by my pointing out my 60 day visa.

[usexpat46]

If you stay just under 2 months you could get by with just the 30 day entry stamp and then get the 30 day extension at immigration for 1900 baht.  If you're over 50 then you could get the retirement extension which would cost you 2000 baht for the "O" visa, plus 1900 baht for the retirement extension plus 1000 baht for each single rentry permit or 3800 baht for a multiple reentry.  The following years would be 2000 baht less as the "O" visa is a one time cost unless you fail to renew your retirement extension or you exit LOS without a reentry permit.

[geezer2005]

7 hours ago, usexpat46 said:

If you stay just under 2 months you could get by with just the 30 day entry stamp and then get the 30 day extension at immigration for 1900 baht.  If you're over 50 then you could get the retirement extension which would cost you 2000 baht for the "O" Visa, plus 1900 baht for the retirement extension plus 1000 baht for each single rentry permit or 3800 baht for a multiple reentry.  The following years would be 2000 baht less as the "O" Visa is a one time cost unless you fail to renew your retirement extension or you exit LOS without a reentry permit.

Thanks for the reply.

With the retirement visa, am I right in thinking, you can stay in Thailand for 1 year, but to come and go you need the multiple entry? Are these just given when asked?

Also are the retirement visas re-newed yearly as long as you meet the criteria?

[usexpat46]

8 minutes ago, geezer2005 said:

Thanks for the reply.

With the retirement Visa, am I right in thinking, you can stay in Thailand for 1 year, but to come and go you need the multiple entry? Are these just given when asked?

Also are the retirement Visas re-newed yearly as long as you meet the criteria?

Technically its called a retirement extension which is good for 1 year, however you must first get the "NON O" visa which is good for 3 months. Thus your first time you are good for 15 months ( 3 months for "O" visa and 12 month for the retirement extension.  Thereafter you only have to renew the retirement extension which is good for 1 year.  You apply for the reentry permits after you have received your retirement extension and before you leave the country.  Like I mentioned before 1K for a single or 3800 baht for a multiple, so if you only plan to exit LOS 3 times or less during the year then get the single each time before departing.  If you plan on 4 trips or more during the year then get the multiple reentry permit.  You must renew each year before expiration, otherwise you have to start the process over from scratch which means you'll have to get the "NON O" visa again.

[geezer2005]

9 minutes ago, usexpat46 said:

Technically its called a retirement extension which is good for 1 year, however you must first get the "NON O" Visa which is good for 3 months. Thus your first time you are good for 15 months ( 3 months for "O" Visa and 12 month for the retirement extension.  Thereafter you only have to renew the retirement extension which is good for 1 year.  You apply for the reentry permits after you have received your retirement extension and before you leave the country.  Like I mentioned before 1K for a single or 3800 baht for a multiple, so if you only plan to exit LOS 3 times or less during the year then get the single each time before departing.  If you plan on 4 trips or more during the year then get the multiple reentry permit.  You must renew each year before expiration, otherwise you have to start the process over from scratch which means you'll have to get the "NON O" Visa again.

Thanks for that!!

So just to clarify, the re entry permits are automatically given, there is no criteria which you need to fulfil?

[DrBig]

8 hours ago, usexpat46 said:

If you stay just under 2 months you could get by with just the 30 day entry stamp and then get the 30 day extension at immigration for 1900 baht.  If you're over 50 then you could get the retirement extension which would cost you 2000 baht for the "O" Visa, plus 1900 baht for the retirement extension plus 1000 baht for each single rentry permit or 3800 baht for a multiple reentry.  The following years would be 2000 baht less as the "O" Visa is a one time cost unless you fail to renew your retirement extension or you exit LOS without a reentry permit.

Small question on detail please.  Does the Jomtien 30 days extension of the visa-free 30 days at the airport cost 1900 baht?  If so that's more expensive than getting a 60 day tourist visa back in farangland.  1900 baht is about 50 $/€/£, whilst the 60 day tourist visa has just cost me 30 $/€/£ a few days ago for this winter's visit.  Plus I prefer to spend a day back home doing it to spending ages in Jomtien, but that obviously depends on your situation.

[usexpat46]

6 minutes ago, geezer2005 said:

Thanks for that!!

So just to clarify, the re entry permits are automatically given, there is no criteria which you need to fulfil?

Pretty much so, you go to immigration with your passport, fill out a simple form, give them a couple copies of pages from your passport and attach a photo.  Then give them the baht and they will put the reentry stamp in your passport.  There is also a desk at BKK airport prior to passing thru immigration where you can get this done, however I always do it at Jomtien Immigration.

[usexpat46]

6 minutes ago, DrBig said:

Small question on detail please.  Does the Jomtien 30 days extension of the Visa-free 30 days at the airport cost 1900 baht?  If so that's more expensive than getting a 60 day tourist Visa back in farangland.  1900 baht is about 50 $/€/£, whilst the 60 day tourist Visa has just cost me 30 $/€/£ a few days ago for this winter's visit.  Plus I prefer to spend a day back home doing it to spending ages in Jomtien, but that obviously depends on your situation.

I could be wrong on the amount.  When I did the extensions prior to getting my retirement extension back in 2006, the cost was only 500 baht but was only good for 14 days.  It sounds like the 60 day tourist visa is cheaper, would it still be cheaper for the OP if he stays for 3 months?

[Guest]

I am coming for 4 months, 

a multi entry tourist visa is $200 a single entry is $40. This is a big increase in the multi, so I plan on this.

i phoned the embassy, she said I needed a multi.

i told her I would be in Thailand the first 60 days, which my single entry tourist visa would cover, then I travel to Cambodia and Vietnam for a month, then for my last month I will be back in Thailand, and as a Canadian, I get an automatic 30 days.

she said yes , I could do it this way, 

and assured me there would be no problem at the airport.

[sulu]

On 11/3/2017 at 04:31, DrBig said:

Small question on detail please.  Does the Jomtien 30 days extension of the visa-free 30 days at the airport cost 1900 baht?  If so that's more expensive than getting a 60 day tourist visa back in farangland.  1900 baht is about 50 $/€/£, whilst the 60 day tourist visa has just cost me 30 $/€/£ a few days ago for this winter's visit.  Plus I prefer to spend a day back home doing it to spending ages in Jomtien, but that obviously depends on your situation.

1900 Baht is correct as of last March.

 

I have a question though. I am coming for 2 months. Choices are 60 day visa or come in visa exempt and extend for another 30 days.

Getting the 60 day requires a 120 mile round trip twice into the shit hole that is Miami so I'd rather fly in visa exempt and extend.

 

HOWEVER, at thaiembassy.com it says 
 
Passport Holders who can enter Thailand without a Visa

They must have a confirmed return ticket to show that they are flying out of Thailand within 30 days of entry, as appropriate. Open tickets do not qualify. 

You may be asked to show your flight ticket on entering Thailand. If you do not possess a flight ticket to show you will be exiting Thailand within 30 days of entry you will be most likely refused entry.

 

Obviously my ticket, IF asked for, wouldn't apply. Anybody ever have a problem with this ? I've been there 5 times but don't ever recall being asked at immigration for my travel ticket details though all the other times (4) staying at least 2 months I always had the 60 day visa.

 

Any idea what they WOULD actually do if they asked for my ticket and saw the return was for more than 30 days from arrival ?

 

TIA

[davidge]

16 minutes ago, sulu said:

1900 Baht is correct as of last March.

 

I have a question though. I am coming for 2 months. Choices are 60 day visa or come in visa exempt and extend for another 30 days.

Getting the 60 day requires a 120 mile round trip twice into the shit hole that is Miami so I'd rather fly in visa exempt and extend.

 

HOWEVER, at thaiembassy.com it says 
 
Passport Holders who can enter Thailand without a Visa

They must have a confirmed return ticket to show that they are flying out of Thailand within 30 days of entry, as appropriate. Open tickets do not qualify. 

You may be asked to show your flight ticket on entering Thailand. If you do not possess a flight ticket to show you will be exiting Thailand within 30 days of entry you will be most likely refused entry.

 

Obviously my ticket, IF asked for, wouldn't apply. Anybody ever have a problem with this ? I've been there 5 times but don't ever recall being asked at immigration for my travel ticket details though all the other times (4) staying at least 2 months I always had the 60 day visa.

 

Any idea what they WOULD actually do if they asked for my ticket and saw the return was for more than 30 days from arrival ?

 

TIA

If it happened it would be at check-in when you left home. Airlines do sometimes ask for proof you are leaving Thailand in under 30 days if you don’t have a visa, and say you can’t fly if you don’t have it. Difficult to say what the chances are, and you may be able to talk yourself into the plane in any case. Some people buy a throw away ticket to show, just in case, or make a cancellable booking, print it off, then get a refund. 

It is very, very, very unlikely that Thai Immigration would refuse entry at Swampy.

You should be able to get the visa by post to avoid going to Miami.

[Mick Pattaya]

On 11/3/2017 at 05:28, usexpat46 said:

If you stay just under 2 months you could get by with just the 30 day entry stamp and then get the 30 day extension at immigration for 1900 baht.  If you're over 50 then you could get the retirement extension which would cost you 2000 baht for the "O" visa, plus 1900 baht for the retirement extension plus 1000 baht for each single rentry permit or 3800 baht for a multiple reentry.  The following years would be 2000 baht less as the "O" visa is a one time cost unless you fail to renew your retirement extension or you exit LOS without a reentry permit.

Don't you need to show something like 8,00,000 baht in a Thai bank a/c to get the retirement visa.

[ChiFlyer]

1 hour ago, Mick Pattaya said:

Don't you need to show something like 8,00,000 baht in a Thai bank a/c to get the retirement visa.

No and yes - sorry could not resist -

There are two types of retirement visas. One is the 10 year retirement visa and it requires the 3 M in a Thai Bank. You still have to check in every 90 days and that is a lot of cash to lock up at a very low return rate IMO.

The other type is the O-A Non-resident visa. I have one of these and  obtained it in Chicago. It cost $200 US. It is good for one year. Must be used within 90 days and can only be extended for another year within Thailand. You can not extend it until you are at 30 days remaining on the visa.

btw - the Chicago Thai Consulate will process this by registered USPS. I did not do this and wished I had. I assume Miami can do this as well. The instructions on the web site for the Chicago Thai Consulate related to visas are not bad.

http://www.thaiconsulatechicago.org/pages-visa.html

You can also get the 30 day upon arrival visa extended twice at the Jomtien Immigration office on soi 5. I believe someone covered the various prices above.

[Biennial]

15 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

 

There are two types of retirement visas. One is the 10 year retirement visa and it requires the 8 M in a Thai Bank.

This doc says it's 800,000, not 8M:

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

[davidge]

1 hour ago, Mick Pattaya said:

Don't you need to show something like 8,00,000 baht in a Thai bank a/c to get the retirement visa.

 

59 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

No and yes - sorry could not resist -

There are two types of retirement visas. One is the 10 year retirement visa and it requires the 8 M in a Thai Bank. You still have to check in every 90 days and that is a lot of cash to lock up at a very low return rate IMO.

The other type is the O-A Non-resident visa. I have one of these and  obtained it in Chicago. It cost $200 US. It is good for one year. Must be used within 90 days and can only be extended for another year within Thailand. You can not extend it until you are at 30 days remaining on the visa.

btw - the Chicago Thai Consulate will process this by registered USPS. I did not do this and wished I had. I assume Miami can do this as well. The instructions on the web site for the Chicago Thai Consulate related to visas are not bad.

http://www.thaiconsulatechicago.org/pages-visa.html

You can also get the 30 day upon arrival visa extended twice at the Jomtien Immigration office on soi 5. I believe someone covered the various prices above.

 

42 minutes ago, Biennial said:

This doc says it's 800,000, not 8M:

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

What is commonly referred to as a ‘Retirement Visa’ but is really an extension of stay on a long stay visa requires 800 000 baht in a Thai bank account for 2 months before applying or 3 months before renewing or a monthly income of 65000 baht.

They have introduced (or are in the process of introducing) a 10-year ‘Retirement ‘ Visa but I can’t imagine many people will bother. It requires 3 million baht in a Thai bank account or a monthly income of 100 000 baht. It also requires medical insurance.

There is also the Thai Elite Visa which can be bought for 500 000 for 5 years or 1m or 2m for 20 years (with different privileges).

[ChiFlyer]

37 minutes ago, Biennial said:

This doc says it's 800,000, not 8M:

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=48

The 800,000 is for the O-A.

The 10 year Retirement requires 3 M. I typed that incorrectly. I will fix.

 

[ChiFlyer]

1 hour ago, davidge said:

What is commonly referred to as a ‘Retirement Visa’ but is really an extension of stay on a long stay visa requires 800 000 baht in a Thai bank account for 2 months before applying or 3 months before renewing or a monthly income of 65000 baht.

....

In the case of the O-A (Long Stay) visa I believe the 800,000 does not have to be in a Thai Bank. When I submitted this a few months ago I showed the funds from my main USA Account. As you pointed out there is an alternative of 65,000 baht a month income, which per annum is pretty close to 800,000. One can combine these two methods to reach the 800,000.

Also, I have heard that Thailand is moving (has moved?) to requiring the O-A to be filed from your home country. That is one reason I did it that way. Also, I did not want to fuss with it after I was there and I had in mind to use the O-A to establish a bank account and wanted to get that moving quickly, as I hear the full internet package from Bangkok Bank can take two months to get in place.

O-A renewals, I have been told, must be done from within Thailand. The US Embassy in Bangkok will provide an income statement upon request. I think you need to make an appointment and it costs about $50. I will need one late in September and am making a trip partly for that purpose.

[penboy]

To the OP, IMO get a single entry tourist visa. If you stay longer than 60 days, get a 30 day extension in Jomtien. That is the easiest option IMO.

[davidge]

8 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

In the case of the O-A (Long Stay) visa I believe the 800,000 does not have to be in a Thai Bank. When I submitted this a few months ago I showed the funds from my main USA Account. As you pointed out there is an alternative of 65,000 baht a month income, which per annum is pretty close to 800,000. One can combine these two methods to reach the 800,000.

Also, I have heard that Thailand is moving (has moved?) to requiring the O-A to be filed from your home country. That is one reason I did it that way. Also, I did not want to fuss with it after I was there and I had in mind to use the O-A to establish a bank account and wanted to get that moving quickly, as I hear the full internet package from Bangkok Bank can take two months to get in place.

O-A renewals, I have been told, must be done from within Thailand. The US Embassy in Bangkok will provide an income statement upon request. I think you need to make an appointment and it costs about $50. I will need one late in September and am making a trip partly for that purpose.

Yes, if you apply in your home country then the funds can be there. Obviously, for the  renewal they’ll need to be in Thailand. I’d not heard anything about them moving towards doing it in Home country as a preference. I’d always planned to enter on a Tourist Visa then do all the paperwork for the conversion in Thailand - simply because it’s easy to find someone to help/do the grunt work there for relatively little.

As for bank account, I got fully set up with Krung Thai within an hour - though I had previously held an account with them in Udon many, many years ago which helped.

[ChiFlyer]

1 hour ago, davidge said:

Yes, if you apply in your home country then the funds can be there. Obviously, for the  renewal they’ll need to be in Thailand. I’d not heard anything about them moving towards doing it in Home country as a preference. I’d always planned to enter on a Tourist Visa then do all the paperwork for the conversion in Thailand - simply because it’s easy to find someone to help/do the grunt work there for relatively little.

As for bank account, I got fully set up with Krung Thai within an hour - though I had previously held an account with them in Udon many, many years ago which helped.

You may be right about the renewal funds. In my case it does not really matter, as I plan to renew based on income. My understanding is that it is very easy to get the appropriate form from the US Embassy in Bangkok.

Bangkok Bank is the best choice for me because my main accounts are with Schwab. Bangkok Bank has a branch in the US, so I can transfer USD to them for free from Schwab. Bangkok Bank will covert these to baht and move that to my Thai account. The process is very quick and costs very little.

Opening the account at Bangkok Bank is not a problem. What takes time is getting setup in their iBanking system. I have been told to expect that to take 8 weeks by a friend who recently went through this in Phuket.  

[sulu]

6 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

You may be right about the renewal funds. In my case it does not really matter, as I plan to renew based on income. My understanding is that it is very easy to get the appropriate form from the US Embassy in Bangkok.

Bangkok Bank is the best choice for me because my main accounts are with Schwab. Bangkok Bank has a branch in the US, so I can transfer USD to them for free from Schwab. Bangkok Bank will covert these to baht and move that to my Thai account. The process is very quick and costs very little.

Opening the account at Bangkok Bank is not a problem. What takes time is getting setup in their iBanking system. I have been told to expect that to take 8 weeks by a friend who recently went through this in Phuket.  

As of roughly April, 2016,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Not that this is a big deal but the documentation of your income provided by the US Embassy is merely a clerk, with notary authority, notarizing YOUR statement of income. i.e. YOU are swearing to the amount(s) on the document and the Embassy is swearing that YOU filled it out, not that any numbers are true.

Also, you need to take that document elsewhere in Bangkok (not too far from the US Embassy I believe) and get a stamp affixed to the back of it. Exactly what that's for ? Don't know but it has to be done. And that stamp takes 24 hours to get unless you pay (amount unknown) for same day service.

 

As for myself, I decided to just get the visa. Can't be bothered (possibly) being turned away at either the airline counter or Thai Immigration.

 

[KittenKong]

For most people it is much more tedious and expensive to get a retirement visa in their home county than to get a retirement extension here. It certainly would be for me.

[usexpat46]

On ‎1‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 12:05, KittenKong said:

For most people it is much more tedious and expensive to get a retirement visa in their home county than to get a retirement extension here. It certainly would be for me.

From what I've heard one needs a medical check up and police background check.

[usexpat46]

On ‎1‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 12:03, sulu said:

As of roughly April, 2016,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Not that this is a big deal but the documentation of your income provided by the US Embassy is merely a clerk, with notary authority, notarizing YOUR statement of income. i.e. YOU are swearing to the amount(s) on the document and the Embassy is swearing that YOU filled it out, not that any numbers are true.

Also, you need to take that document elsewhere in Bangkok (not too far from the US Embassy I believe) and get a stamp affixed to the back of it. Exactly what that's for ? Don't know but it has to be done. And that stamp takes 24 hours to get unless you pay (amount unknown) for same day service.

 

As for myself, I decided to just get the visa. Can't be bothered (possibly) being turned away at either the airline counter or Thai Immigration.

 

No swearing allowed, for about the past 30 years one affirms.