Retirement Visa

[TigerWoods]

I am thinking of getting a Retirement Visa with the 800.000,— THB  bankdeposit. I am over 50 but still tied up with businesses in Germany, thats why right now I am normally staying 4 to 5 month with normally 3 different stays in Thailand. I could get away with 2 x 60 days visa and one 30 day visa, but the amount of time staying in Thailand could go up in the future and I think it is a good idea to secure the retirement visa now and renew it every year. Here are my questions:

Can I enter the country with the 30 day entry visa and apply for the Retirement Visa in Jomtien ?

What are fees for the first visa and renewal ?

How many days before it expires can I renew it already ?

I think with the Retirement Visa you have to do the 90 days reporting, how can I do that if I am 4 or 5 months out of Thailand in the European summer ? 

 

 

[Ru4Real]

18 minutes ago, TigerWoods said:

I think with the Retirement Visa you have to do the 90 days reporting, how can I do that if I am 4 or 5 months out of Thailand in the European summer ? 

You only do the 90 day reporting if you're in country for 90 days; it restarts every time you enter.

[TigerWoods]

Okay understand - are there restrictions how many I can leave and enter the country on a Retirement Visa  ?

[TigerWoods]

how many times 

[davidge]

 

As I understand it:

If you enter on a visa exempt, or a Tourist Visa, you’ll first need to convert that to a 90-day Non-Immigrant Visa. You can then apply for the 12 month extension of stay due to retirement within the last 30 days of the 90. The initial conversion is now only done in Bangkok, but you can submit in Jomtien and they send it off.

Fees? Officially, I ‘think’ it should be 1200 + 1900 + 3800 for multiple entry permit BUT Jomtien seem to find ways of adding to this.

As has already been said, if you’re not in the country then no 90 day report. It’s probably wise to go and report your address when you return though - this seems to be applied rather inconsistently at the moment.

Remember, the 800000 needs to be in the Thai account for 2 months before application, and 3 months before renewal.

You’ll also need to time your visits to do your annual renewal.

I’m sure others will correct my mistakes in any of this!

[davidge]

1 minute ago, TigerWoods said:

Okay understand - are there restrictions how many I can leave and enter the country on a Retirement Visa  ?

That’s what the multiple entry permit is for. No limit.

[Scuba+]

Isn't a Multi entry tourist visa easier for you? £125, valid for 6 months, possible to get almost 9 months stay. Leave every 60-90 days. No need to think of the 800000 baht

[TigerWoods]

Basically I can live with 60 + 60 + 30 but that number could go up the next years and somehow I think it is easier to secure it now already and keep renewing it every year, no problem with the 800.000,— THB, money is here and will stay here 

[usexpat46]

28 minutes ago, TigerWoods said:

Okay understand - are there restrictions how many I can leave and enter the country on a Retirement Visa  ?

Once you pick up your passport with the extension to stay stamp (AKA retirement visa) then fill out the form for a re-entry permit for multiple entries, cost is 3800 baht.

[TigerWoods]

51 minutes ago, davidge said:

 

As I understand it:

If you enter on a visa exempt, or a Tourist Visa, you’ll first need to convert that to a 90-day Non-Immigrant Visa. You can then apply for the 12 month extension of stay due to retirement within the last 30 days of the 90. The initial conversion is now only done in Bangkok, but you can submit in Jomtien and they send it off.

Fees? Officially, I ‘think’ it should be 1200 + 1900 + 3800 for multiple entry permit BUT Jomtien seem to find ways of adding to this.

As has already been said, if you’re not in the country then no 90 day report. It’s probably wise to go and report your address when you return though - this seems to be applied rather inconsistently at the moment.

Remember, the 800000 needs to be in the Thai account for 2 months before application, and 3 months before renewal.

You’ll also need to time your visits to do your annual renewal.

I’m sure others will correct my mistakes in any of this!

Can somebody confirm that I need a 90-day-non-Immigrant Visa to apply for the Retirement Visa and that I only can apply for the 12 month extension within the last 30 days of the 90 day stay 

Thanks for all answers so far 

[usexpat46]

When I got my extension to stay at Jomtien in 2006 I first had to get the Non "O" visa at a cost of 2000 baht. It was stamped into my passport and immediately stamped used.  Then I went to the extension desk and got the extension to stay for another 1900 baht.

[johnfb43]

Can someone tell me if I have 5000 GBP in cash, exchanged into THB and paid into my Kasikorn bank and proven 1156 GBP UK pension paid into my UK bank monthly (can easily be also paid into my Kasikorn bank account from the UK and was last year actually) is sufficient to get a retirement visa in Thailand? If not how much more do I need to show? And what do I do step by step to get this retirement visa? Thank you all. I am 62 and from the UK and in Thailand on a Tourist visa....

[Ru4Real]

17 minutes ago, johnfb43 said:

if I have 5000 GBP in cash, exchanged into THB and paid into my Kasikorn bank and proven 1156 GBP UK pension paid into my UK bank monthly (can easily be also paid into my Kasikorn bank account from the UK and was last year actually) is sufficient to get a retirement visa in Thailand?

Not really that up with it but until someone comes along take this with a mountain of salt - doing a rough calculation and based on current exchange you are I believe you are in with 244 Bht to spare per month i.e. bottom line, you need to find more cash up front and likely more income. Allowing for currency fluctuation and fees I seriously doubt it's a go.

Hopefully I am wrong (calc based on what you'd have in the bank then what you'd need monthly to make it up to 800,000 Bht in the year), but figured worth you start thinking about other avenues of income as soon as possible.

[davidge]

^^^^^^^

Agree. At an exchange rate of 40 to the £ I reckon you’d be about £1200 a year short.

You need some leeway.

[ChiFlyer]

Just as a thought ......

I got my first O-A in the US last year. This cost a few baht more ($200 USD), but was very straight forward and not that cumbersome of a procedure. One series of documents and one process and yes it is a multiple entry O-A. I did not even have to go to the Thai Consulate in Chicago, although I elected to do so. In retrospect I should have mailed it in with the appropriate return envelope. 

This approach will save you a fair amount of time at Thai immigration in Thailand. Also a Thai Bank Account is not needed and having the O-A makes setting up the Thai Bank Account a little easier. I do believe the Thai Bank Account is required for the extension.

I am getting the TM.7 application and related materials for the O-A extension together now.

An extension has to be filed within the Kingdom as I understand things.

[Ludhamlad]

28 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

Just as a thought ......

I got my first O-A in the US last year. This cost a few baht more ($200 USD), but was very straight forward and not that cumbersome of a procedure. One series of documents and one process and yes it is a multiple entry O-A. I did not even have to go to the Thai Consulate in Chicago, although I elected to do so. In retrospect I should have mailed it in with the appropriate return envelope. 

This approach will save you a fair amount of time at Thai immigration in Thailand. Also a Thai Bank Account is not needed and having the O-A makes setting up the Thai Bank Account a little easier. I do believe the Thai Bank Account is required for the extension.

I am getting the TM.7 application and related materials for the O-A extension together now.

An extension has to be filed within the Kingdom as I understand things.

You don't need to go down the road of the TM.7 application you can leave the country and come back just before the end of your first year and the O-A Visa will extend for another year.

I was told about it on my thread here....

http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/topic/326430-got-retirement-visa-from-london/?tab=comments#comment-4486184

 

[ChiFlyer]

5 hours ago, Ludhamlad said:

You don't need to go down the road of the TM.7 application you can leave the country and come back just before the end of your first year and the O-A Visa will extend for another year.

I was told about it on my thread here....

http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/topic/326430-got-retirement-visa-from-london/?tab=comments#comment-4486184

 

First off I am not a visa expert. Like I said, I am going for my first O-A extension. I am retired at this point and looking to make Thailand home.

I read over the info in the other thread you mentioned. I am thinking that the method that is described in the other thread does not extend your visa. It extends the "admitted until" date on your entry stamp. I am thinking that the related actual O-A visa will still expire.

For a person like myself whose objective is heading toward an expat residency (no I do not want to be a Thai resident), the TM.7 sounds like the better route as my understanding is that can be used to extend the actual underlying visa. If one does not do that, they will have to go through the initial O-A visa process again, which is more onerous and costly than the O-A TM.7 extension process.

If anyone knows better, I am all ears.

 

[davidge]

On 16/08/2018 at 23:33, ChiFlyer said:

First off I am not a visa expert. Like I said, I am going for my first O-A extension. I am retired at this point and looking to make Thailand home.

I read over the info in the other thread you mentioned. I am thinking that the method that is described in the other thread does not extend your visa. It extends the "admitted until" date on your entry stamp. I am thinking that the related actual O-A visa will still expire.

For a person like myself whose objective is heading toward an expat residency (no I do not want to be a Thai resident), the TM.7 sounds like the better route as my understanding is that can be used to extend the actual underlying visa. If one does not do that, they will have to go through the initial O-A visa process again, which is more onerous and costly than the O-A TM.7 extension process.

If anyone knows better, I am all ears.

 

The thread linked to has some very confusing, and contradictory, advice!

BTW, you won’t be renewing the visa, you’ll be getting an Extension of Stay based on Retirement. This lasts 12 months.

Assuming you got the correct visa, and I assume you did , you’ll get 12-months permission to stay when you enter. As long as you get a re-entry permit before you leave then you don’t need to do the Extension until 12 months time. 

The visa itself ends at the date shown on it but it can be used to get permission to stay for up to 12 months more.

eg if the visa expires 30 September 2018, you enter on 28 September then you don’t need to get your first Extension to Stay until September 2019. Just make sure you get a re-entry permit before you leave next trip - or you’ll have to start again.

 

 

[davidge]

On 16/08/2018 at 17:57, Ludhamlad said:

You don't need to go down the road of the TM.7 application you can leave the country and come back just before the end of your first year and the O-A Visa will extend for another year.

I was told about it on my thread here....

http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/topic/326430-got-retirement-visa-from-london/?tab=comments#comment-4486184

 

I hope you’re not relying on the posts in your thread. There is a lot of incorrect info there!

Please check for yourself when you get to Thailand on your O-A visa.

You’ll need to make sure you get a re-entry permit before you leave once the visa has expired. You can’t extend the visa but you get permission to stay from your last entry using it. You lose that if you leave without the re-entry permit (once the visa expires).

[Guest]

On August 15, 2018 at 08:48, Scuba+ said:

Isn't a Multi entry tourist visa easier for you? £125, valid for 6 months, possible to get almost 9 months stay. Leave every 60-90 days. No need to think of the 800000 baht

Many ways around having $800 k in the bank, that'll be the day I do this. Easy Peasy.

[davidge]

On 16/08/2018 at 23:33, ChiFlyer said:

First off I am not a visa expert. Like I said, I am going for my first O-A extension. I am retired at this point and looking to make Thailand home.

I read over the info in the other thread you mentioned. I am thinking that the method that is described in the other thread does not extend your visa. It extends the "admitted until" date on your entry stamp. I am thinking that the related actual O-A visa will still expire.

For a person like myself whose objective is heading toward an expat residency (no I do not want to be a Thai resident), the TM.7 sounds like the better route as my understanding is that can be used to extend the actual underlying visa. If one does not do that, they will have to go through the initial O-A visa process again, which is more onerous and costly than the O-A TM.7 extension process.

If anyone knows better, I am all ears.

 

As I was less than clear earlier, until I got brain into gear, let’s try again:

1. Your original visa has a ‘Valid Until’ date on it. You can enter Thailand on the visa up to this date. The visa then expires. It cannot be renewed or extended;

2. Each time you enter on the visa you get ‘permission to stay’ for 12 months. So, if you enter on the day before the visa expires you can stay for 12 months from that date;

3. Whilst the visa is valid you can leave and re-enter as you like as it’s a multiple entry visa;

4. Once the visa has expired you will lose your ‘permission to stay’ once you leave the country UNLESS you get a re-entry permit from immigration before you leave. If you get this, you can leave and re-enter under your last ‘permission to stay’ date. So, if you get a multiple re-entry permit you can leave and re-enter as often as you like up to the expiry date of your last ‘permission to stay’. Effectively, you can make the original visa last almost 2 years;

5. You only need to do your first ‘Extension on the basis of Retirement’ at the end of all of this.  Just make sure you plan to be in Thailand at this time or you’ll have to start all over again.

[Ludhamlad]

28 minutes ago, davidge said:

As I was less than clear earlier, until I got brain into gear, let’s try again:

1. Your original visa has a ‘Valid Until’ date on it. You can enter Thailand on the visa up to this date. The visa then expires. It cannot be renewed or extended;

2. Each time you enter on the visa you get ‘permission to stay’ for 12 months. So, if you enter on the day before the visa expires you can stay for 12 months from that date;

3. Whilst the visa is valid you can leave and re-enter as you like as it’s a multiple entry visa;

4. Once the visa has expired you will lose your ‘permission to stay’ once you leave the country UNLESS you get a re-entry permit from immigration before you leave. If you get this, you can leave and re-enter under your last ‘permission to stay’ date. So, if you get a multiple re-entry permit you can leave and re-enter as often as you like up to the expiry date of your last ‘permission to stay’. Effectively, you can make the original visa last almost 2 years;

5. You only need to do your first ‘Extension on the basis of Retirement’ at the end of all of this.  Just make sure you plan to be in Thailand at this time or you’ll have to start all over again.

Yea this is much clearer, you've got it all covered here.  Whilst the option to make the O-A last almost 2 years is nice to have I will more than likely take the same route as ChiFlyer and do the extension as I will be making trips away and want one that gives me Multi Entries.  Thanks for clarifying.

P.S.  I would have checked in Thailand either way.  

 

[davidge]

2 minutes ago, Ludhamlad said:

Yea this is much clearer, you've got it all covered here.  Whilst the option to make the O-A last almost 2 years is nice to have I will more than likely take the same route as ChiFlyer and do the extension as I will be making trips away and want one that gives me Multi Entries.  Thanks for clarifying.

P.S.  I would have checked in Thailand either way.  

 

You get a multiple re-entry permit and you can continue to come and go as you please until 12 months from the last time you entered while the visa was still valid. eg Visa expires 30 September. You enter 28 September. As long as you get a multiple re-entry permit after 30 September, you can come and go as you like until 27 September 2019.

I don’t even think you can get an Extension of Stay until within 30 days of the end of your current permission to stay.

[ChiFlyer]

10 hours ago, davidge said:

As I was less than clear earlier, until I got brain into gear, let’s try again:

.......

That is my understanding as well. I enter Thailand in late September. My original O-A has a "valid thru" date of October 25th 2018. I am collecting all the materials to "extend" it and plan to do so shortly after my arrival in Jomtien in late September.

My understanding of the O-A extension process is that you can do it when you are within 30 days of the "valid thru" date. One is advised to begin the extension process more than 15 days before the valid thru date, or there could be complications that are best avoided. And yes, this has to be done from within Thailand.

In my case being retired and looking to spend about 8 months a year in Thailand, having to be there in late September every year is not a bad thing.

Here is a link from the Pattaya Ex-Pat Community board that has a lot or really excellent information on all this. These guys are long term ex-pats with a lot of experience in these things.

http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/docs/retirementvisachecklist.pdf

I know that posting links to other boards is a no-no here, but in this case I think it is warranted.

[ChiFlyer]

16 hours ago, weblo said:

Many ways around having $800 k in the bank, that'll be the day I do this. Easy Peasy.

True guy.

It really comes down to what one is trying to achieve. In my case establishing the 800,000 baht bank account is a plus. I am looking to live here in retirement and want to establish a solid financial footprint within the Kingdom.

I am looking at things such as a condo purchase, buying a car, and probably more. Demonstrating a commitment toward investing in the future of Thailand carries weight. Yes, not all the smiles in LOS are genuine, but one needs to adapt to the culture if they want to do basic business. I am well aware of TiT, but when in Rome etc. etc.