Which Visa should we apply for

[kenandlat 0]

Howdy,

 

Now that Lat and I have decided to finally set a date for permanently relocating back to Thailand once again (Oct 5), one of the questions I'd like advise on is which visa to apply for.

 

Since I am going to be 69 yr's old when my feet once again touch Thai soil, should I go for the "Geezer Visa" (Retirement Visa) or for the multiple entry O/A visa.

 

What are the monotary qualifications for getting either of those visas renewed in Thailand after my initial 1 yr. visa runs out?

 

Somehow, having 18,000 Baht in one of the Thai banks and/or showing that my Army Retirement Checks and Social Security retirement entitlements (currently just over $30,000/yr guaranteed for life) should do the trick right? I'd just like to have the correct requirements for both spelled out please.

 

I'd like also to hear any/all problems the members here have had with getting the renewals, and what paperwork must be submitted with each of the two catagories of visas. And where I would apply and what timeframe B4 the current visa expires should I apply.

 

Since my wife is an American citizen but still a Thai (will have current Thai ID card etc.) someone told us that once we arrive "in-country", she can appear at the Immigration Office on Soi 8, Pattaya (or wherever they move it too) and she can have her visa stamped for a 1 year stay where she will NOT have to do the 90 day visa runs. Can anyone tell us for sure if that is true or not. If so, do we need to spend the extra dough to get her a multiple entry O/A visa or just apply for a Tourist Visa for her and hope it will be stamped for a year as some of our friends who travelled back to Thailand on an American passport have done.

 

Thanking you for your responses in advance,

 

Ken and Rattana Bower

San Antonio Texas

http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ Homepage

[Eneukman 1]

Ken,

 

I'm moving to Thailand shortly as well and my intention is to obtain a non-Immigrant O type visa in the UK first and shortly before it expires to apply for a Retirement Visa in Thailand. This will then allow me to live full time there without the need to leave the country on a regular basis.

 

As an alternative, you can apply for a retirement visa in the US though when you arrive in Thailand, Immigration may only give you a stamp for 90 days. You will then need to get this extended before the 90 day period expires.

 

Bear in mind that once you have the retirement visa that you must obtain a multiple entry permit if you want to leave Thailand for a holiday otherwise your retirement visa will be invalid. Also, whilst a retirement visa allows you to stay in Thailand for a full year, you must report your current address to Immigration every 90 days.

 

I would suggest you ask the same question on the thaivisa site where you will be able to get fuller information from experts in the field. -

 

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/

 

Alan

[doolish 14]

Hi,

Hoping to move to LOS in Sept. this year to live. A retirement visa in the U.K. costs £25. A three entry retirement visa costs £90. You must summit a medical cert. to say that you have no infectious medical conditions also a bank letter saying that you have a income of 800,000B approx. £12,000 this can be renewed in LOS every year. After applying for a visa you must use it within 3 months.

Cheers Doug.

[SunnyValentine 173]

No need at all to apply for a retirement Visa in your home Country. The process can be easy handled while in Thailand on any kind of Visa (Tourist, Business, O Visa). You have to have either 800000 Bt in a Thai Bank or the same amount as pension (need to be verified through your Embassy), a Medical Certificate (from a Thai Clinic, costs 300 Bt or so, usually no Questions asked), and have to be over 50 Years of age.

 

Sunny

[Eneukman 1]

No need at all to apply for a retirement Visa in your home Country. The process can be easy handled while in Thailand on any kind of Visa (Tourist, Business, O Visa). You have to have either 800000 Bt in a Thai Bank or the same amount as pension (need to be verified through your Embassy), a Medical Certificate (from a Thai Clinic, costs 300 Bt or so, usually no Questions asked), and have to be over 50 Years of age.

 

Sunny

SunnyValentine, According to a dumb female who works at the Royal Thai Consulate in Glasgow, (She has been doing the job for 18 years so knows better than a bunch of whore mongers ) the ONLY way you can get a retirement visa is to apply for it in the UK.

 

I'm retiring later this year and my intention is to follw the route you suggest. I don't really expect any problems. By the way, I'm applying for my non-Immigrant O visa in Hull rather than Glasgow for obvious reasons

 

Alan

[Zidane 11]

This visa issue is an absolute minefield.....everyone seems to have a different view of what is available and where to get it.

From my own personal experience I got a multiple entry non immigrant o visa from the Thai consulate in Birmingham for 90 pounds and without a problem.

Under the terms of the visa I have to exit Thailand every 90 days which I do out and back to Laos within 3 hours from my home.

However,I believe that it is possible to get a Retirement visa in Thailand.There is a company called Sunbelt in Bangkok,Phuket & Chiang-Mai and their managing director,Greg Lange,is very helpful.

They state that they are able to get you a Retirement visa for 6500 baht,renewable yearly at your local Immigration office.

Criteria is age 50 and a monthly income of 65000 baht or 800000 baht in a Thai bank account.If your monthly income is,say,only 50000 baht you can still qualify by putting 200000 baht into a Thai bank account.

You may well also have to obtain a doctors letter stating you are in decent health.

Sunbelt advertise in www.thaivisa.com.

 

Zidane

[SunnyValentine 173]

Yes, the Visa situation looks a little bit complicated at first sight.

But the main problem is that most of the Thai Embassies and Consulates abroad have their own politics about issuing Visas. So, you can easily get the desired 1Y Multi-O Visa at one spot, but not at the other one.

In general, it can be said that Consulates, especially smaller ones, in Europe and USA are much easier to deal with than Embassies.

A 1 entry Tourist Visa is available everywhere without any problem without any documentation. A double or triple entry Tourist Visa maybe, maybe not.

Business Visas allowing you to work in Thailand are more difficult to obtain. You need a written Job offer plus Documantation from the Company, and you are then usually granted a one time 3 Month Business Visa. You then have to appy for a Work permit, and then leave Thailand to get another Business Visa to continue your work. (Some situations will allow you to get your first Visa extended in Thailand, some don't.)

An O Visa is for retirement, Family meeting (the case where you are married to a Thai lady) and some other cases of less importance to us.

With a Thai marriage certificate you should get a One time 3 Month O Visa everywhere, two entries or 1 Year Multiple maybe.

This can be extended for 1 Year in Thailand on marriage with 400 000 Bt in Bank coming from abroad.

O Visa for retirement is available without any problems at some Embassies, and only with much red tape on some others. But you don't need it, as you go through Thai Immigration anyway. And any Visa (Tourist, Business, O) is ok at a starting point.

Also, for a Retirement Visa you don't need to pay an Agency.

Just make sure that you have enough money, either by Pension (must be certified by your Embassy in Thailand, contact them to see what documantation they will require) of 65000 Bt or more, or by having at least 800000 Bt in Thai Bank, transferred by Wire from abroad. You can also mix certified income plus surplus money in Bank.

The money in Thai Bank can be spent, but you have to top it up every Year when applying for yearly extension. It is considered wise to use the account several times a Year for your daily expenses, as otherwise (if you keep all the money in the Bank) you might have to answer Questions on what funds you live off. They might suspect illegal work....

But I understand it is ok to spend less than the 800000 and then just top up the difference, as long as the authorities believe that you can have a living with the money officially spent. (the fact that you might use your ATM card or other foreign funds does not count, they won't bother to check on this.

Always make sure that the top-up money is wired to your Account from abroad, do not pay in cash obtained from an ATM!

Other than that, you need a medical certificate from a Thailand Doctor or clinic (ask at Immigration about the details) and your Age must be at least 50 Years.

You need to be on a Visa when you apply, not on a 30 Day stamp without Visa.

 

Cost is Bt 1900.

 

Hope that helps

 

Sunny

[biggles 509]

it is certainly not correct as someone said above (scottish thai embassy?) that you can only get the retirement visa outside thailand. most of the ex-pats I know in pattaya got it locally. this is also borne out by the comments at thaivisa.com. Perhaps the "whoremongers" do know better than the scottish embassy staff?T

he consul general in brisbane oz advised that much easier to get retirement visa in thailand as no police check etc. , my house-mate got a 60 day visa before he left. he then applied for the retirement visa at immigration in soi 8 pattaya four weeks after he got there. he went in first and they advised him what he needed and he went back a week later with all the paperwork (its quite a lot). he was in there for 20 minutes, and came back a couple of hours later to pick it up. staff couldnt have been more helpful.

[torrenova 644]

I was in the Soi 8 immigration and a guy obviously over 50 was asked by the staff if he had Bt800,000 in a Thai bank and if so, they would give him a retirement visa, not merely extend his tourist one.

 

As for the non imm B visa, you do not need a job offer and it is not that difficult to obtain. No real hoops to jump through but some simple planning will get yo uthe paperwork.

[thaiflyer1 0]

My 2 Satang worth.........main differences in applying for a "retirement" visa in your home country and in Thailand are, applying in your home country requires proof that you have no criminal record applying in Thailand does not...............applying and obtaining approval in your home country gets you the 1 year stay stamp in you passport upon landing applying in Thailand you obviously dont.............and lastly applying and obtaining approval in your home country means you dont have to bring into Thailand the 800k until it comes time for your first renewal of the 1 year extension, handy if you can make the 800k work for you during the first year in your home country. All the other basic requirements have been outlined by others already.

[SunnyValentine 173]

Thaiflyer, you're spot on on the differences, but the problem is that sometimes the foreign Embassies / Consulates try to add some more rules or hinderances. If your Embassy is cool about everything, and you have had no problem with the police lately, go there, it will save you some hours in Thailand much better spent otherwise. If they seem to make problems in the Embassy back home, just ask for a Tourist Visa instead and do the paperwork in Thailand.

 

About Business Visas: You can quite easily get a one-time B-Visa abroad for "research for investment", but a second one on the same grounds is harder and a third one in a row almost impossible to get without lots of paper work.

 

Sunny

[landy2a 0]

I enquired about a retirement visa with Nong Khai immigration at Udon AEK hospital.

 

I am aged over 50 and receive 80k baht approx a month veterans pension from the Australian govt. They said provided I had a non immigrant O visa and had my income verified by the Australian embassy I would have no problem getting a retirement visa.

 

As I was returning home for a month and my non imm O visa had almost expired I decided to get another non O visa and apply sometime in the coming year for the retirement visa.

 

John

[Eneukman 1]

it is certainly not correct as someone said above (scottish thai embassy?) that you can only get the retirement visa outside thailand. most of the ex-pats I know in pattaya got it locally. this is also borne out by the comments at thaivisa.com. Perhaps the "whoremongers" do know better than the scottish embassy staff?T

he consul general in brisbane oz advised that much easier to get retirement visa in thailand as no police check etc. , my house-mate got a 60 day visa before he left. he then applied for the retirement visa at immigration in soi 8 pattaya four weeks after he got there. he went in first and they advised him what he needed and he went back a week later with all the paperwork (its quite a lot). he was in there for 20 minutes, and came back a couple of hours later to pick it up. staff couldnt have been more helpful.

biggles, it was the consulate in Glasgow that gave me the duff information. When I enquired about a non-Immigrant O visa I was asked why I was going to Thailand so I duly explained that it was my intention to retire there. She (of 18 years experience) then told me that I HAD to obtain the retirement visa in the UK etc etc and insisited that this was the case when I queried what she had said.

 

I then telephoned the consulate in Hull, who didn't ask why I was going to Thailand and confirmed what I already knew to be the requirements. So I'll be applying to Hull for my visa which is much more inconvenient to get to than Glasgow

 

The requirements for a retirement visa are less stringent in Thailand than your own country, such as no need to wait 6 weeks or more for the local consatbulary to confirm that you have no criminal convictions plus I suspect a simpler medical.

 

Alan

 

Alan

[torrenova 644]

You don't have to go to Hull, you can just send it off in the post (secure mail obviously) and they send it back in a couple of days.

 

Personally, I think the whole thing is just a money making scam and they couldn't give a fuck why you want to go to LOS.

[Eneukman 1]

You don't have to go to Hull, you can just send it off in the post (secure mail obviously) and they send it back in a couple of days.

 

Personally, I think the whole thing is just a money making scam and they couldn't give a fuck why you want to go to LOS.

I would just post my visa application but after the bullshit I got from the Glasgow office, I would rather pay them a visit (and pay an extra £10 for the priviledge ) to ensure there are no problems for whatever reason. The cost of applying for visas to many countries, not just Thailand, is ridiculous but it's their country and they know that if we wnant to go there we have to pay the fees they decide to charge!

 

Alan