Retirement Visa - From US - questions

[Garzan]

2 hours ago, TheJoker said:

For the same money it will cost me to get my motorcycle license in Florida, I can pay an agent to walk me through the system and get both in Thailand.  I have no reason to have a ML in America so that is my thinking on that.

I'm a big proponent of Motorcycle Safety courses, and so far, I've not found one here in Thailand in English. That might exist in Pattaya, but I haven't found it up here. I did find this link but it is not opening for me.  https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/motorcycle-rider-education-endorsements/safety-course-locations/  I still think it would be worthwhile to rent or borrow a small bike or scooter and take the course while you're still in an English speaking country. :-) if you're not a regular rider, I see your point about getting a Florida endorsement. Going through the testing here is annoying, but certainly not impossible, lots and lots of farangs take all those driving and riding tests every day. My point is that going through the safety training, even though rules of the road are a lot different here, is a worthwhile thing to do, especially when you can understand what the instructor is saying. :--)

[frantick]

Ditto on the rider training. I took it after many years of riding and it taught me things I didn't know.

But riding around Pattaya is a whole other ballgame, with the added confusion of coming from driving on the right.

As she said to me, "you stop, you die"!

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[sulu]

1 hour ago, Luv2Phuket said:

Out of curiosity, I did an online search of rates at Public Storage units in Las Vegas or Austin.  If/when I pull the rip cord, I plan to try to set up some kind of mail forwarding service in either NV (where I have considered buying a property) or TX (where I have family).

Austin came across as the cheapest, with some 5 x 5 climate controlled units going for only $25 per month.

While that doesn't sound bad, when you start looking at it over time, it really adds up.  Would what I would store there be worth keeping at a cost of $600 USD per year?  How about $1,200 USD after 2 years? 

I hope not to be living on the baseline after I call it quits, but $600 USD a year would likely equate to a extra month's rent (or more) in Thailand. 

Ummmmm,,,,,,,,, How does $300/year sound ? Better ? (25*12=300) 

[sulu]

3 hours ago, TheJoker said:

For the same money it will cost me to get my motorcycle license in Florida, I can pay an agent to walk me through the system and get both in Thailand.  I have no reason to have a ML in America so that is my thinking on that.

If I can continue to ask questions.  What do I need to open a Thai Bank account while I am in Thailand?

I will get onto the Thai Embassy website and see what I can start working on now to get my visa in order.  I would much rather be able to sort all that out here, as I have lot's of time on my hands.  For my income verification, would a certified account statement from my bank work to verify that I make the monthly amount or will I have to move money around to show I have 800,000 baht sitting in an account?  Again everyone thank you...

Yes, Nana would very much like to be somewhere in the Khon Kaen or Udon area both of whichare about 80 minutes from her village.  It is large enough of a city that somewhere on the outskirts might be a good home.  Then just come on down to Pattaya when I am in the mood.

Every trash day it is time to go.  So many things.  Anyone need a 103lbs 600 watt subwoofer?  If you can come get it...

 

Nana ?

 

There are about 531 threads in this forum on visas, retirement and otherwise. Add to that Thailand changes its visa rules more often than most of us take a shower. 

 

You're almost 2 years out. Start your real investigation about 6 months from going to Thailand.

 

Consider the Non Imm O-A from the US(?) but I, for one, haven't the first clue how to go about getting a letter from a Law Enforcement Agency telling the Thais I'm a good boy. That alone may convince you to simply get a 60 day Tourist visa and convert it to the Non Imm O-A IN Thailand. That way you don't need the letter from a law enforcement agency.

 

Once you're IN Thailand and have gotten the year long Non O-A you've got plenty of time to get the rest of it done. 

 

 

 

[Garzan]

6 minutes ago, sulu said:

Consider the Non Imm O-A from the US(?) but I, for one, haven't the first clue how to go about getting a letter from a Law Enforcement Agency telling the Thais I'm a good boy. That alone may convince you to simply get a 60 day Tourist visa and convert it to the Non Imm O-A IN Thailand. That way you don't need the letter from a law enforcement agency.

When I did mine, I was in NE Montana (middle of nowhere). I went to the local sheriff's office and asked then to write a letter for me, which they did, and that was good enough. In the past, when I needed something similar, but for different reasons, I lived in Washington State. In the 90's the Wa State Patrol would do background checks on a standard form for $50. I suspect that would be acceptable too. 

Okay, I just looked. 

"7.  Letter of verification stating that the applicant has no criminal record (verification have to valid for not more than three months and must be issued from a state or Federal Bureau of Investigation only. Online criminal record without authorizer’s signature is unacceptable )"

So the local sheriff wouldn't work any more... in that case, you print out the visa requirements page, showing #7, and take it down to whatever your state police office is called, and ask them to do the letter. (Or the local FBI office, but I would rather use the state police instead.)

https://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/non-immigrant-visas/non-immigrant-category-oa/

It's not that big an issue.

[Luv2Phuket]

Ummmmm,,,,,,,,, How does $300/year sound ? Better ? (25*12=300) [emoji3]

DOH! 555


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[ChiFlyer]

On 23/07/2019 at 07:59, TheJoker said:

......

I will get onto the Thai Embassy website and see what I can start working on now to get my visa in order.  I would much rather be able to sort all that out here, as I have lot's of time on my hands.  .....

I got my O-A Non-IM Long Stay through the Chicago Thai Consulate. They were good to deal with and their web site was fairly well organized. I think you said you are in FL, so you would need a different consulate obviously. Should show up on a simple Google search. Getting the required paperwork for the O-A is a bit of a pain, so take a look at what the consulate wants.

As someone once said to me the most important thing to open a Thai Bank Account is 10,000 baht in your hand. You will also need a Certificate of Residence (fairly easy Immigration paperwork done in Thailand). Thai bank branches tend to operate according to their own rules. Rules from the corporate office are taken as suggestions.

I also used Iron Mountain to shred paper documents.