soisanuk

Jomtien Immigration requires you apply at least 15 days prior to the current expiration date of your Visa Exempt entry - the end of the 30 days you received upon arrival (if not enough time, you can apply for another 30 days at Immigration which will begin when your current stay expires, thus giving you time to apply for a fee of 1,900 baht). There is no under consideration stamp. The 15 days is required as they have to send the application to Bangkok for approval and it is Bangkok Immigration that takes the 15 days to review and approve the application. The fee for the Visa is 2,000 baht. When Jomtien Immigration receives the approval, they will then place a 90 day permission to stay stamp in your passport. After 60 days have elapsed, you can apply for the one year retirement extension which requires the same documents used to apply for the Non-Immigrant O Visa. The fee is 1,900 baht. You can get a Re-Entry permit which will expire on the current expiration date of your permission to stay. Consequently, your return to Thailand must be before the expiration date. I agree with the BitTrim in suggesting you forgo any trips out of Thailand until you receive your one year retirement extension unless it is absolutely necessary since you can do your sightseeing at anytime. One never knows what may happen to delay a return such as accident or unexpected illness.

I have been doing 90 day reports at Jomtien Immigration Office for 19+ years. I have done both early (within 14 days of due date) and late (up to 4 days from due date. In all cases, they have always started the next 90 days on the date I make the report - not from the due date.

Correct - the 3 months prior was for renewals & for new applicants it was 2 months. This was changed a few years ago to 2 months for both. Although there are reports that some Immigration Offices continued to require 3 months, Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration follows the new rules and requires only 2 months for both initial application and future renewals. Pattaya Immigration also requires you appear with your bank book 3 months after your application is approved to prove you still have the 800k on deposit - although most Immigration Offices do not. Upon renewal using the 800k on deposit method, you must also show your bank book to prove the balance did not fall below 400k during the year and was again at least 800k 2 months before applying. If your bank book has not been regularly updated to show all transaction, i.e. has consolidated (net) entries, Pattaya Immigration will require certified bank statements for the period -- if you use Bangkok Bank, their branches can only produce statements for 6 months; for 12 months it will take at least 5 business days for them to get them from Bangkok HQ. Pattaya Immigration allows renewal applications within 30 days of the expiration of the latest extension.

Correct for item a). However, if applying for a Non-Immigrant Visa from a Tourist Visa, I am not sure the information is correct. As I recall, the requirement to apply for the Non-Immigrant O Visa is that you must have at least 800,000 in a your Thai bank account - the monthly income method not being acceptable the purpose of getting the Non-Immigrant Visa (however, if you have a Non-Immigrant Visa, it is acceptable for getting the one year extension for purpose of retirement. Although I have heard that some Immigration Offices may allow it.

No, it is not new. When Immigration imposed the requirement that the 800k had to be on deposit 2 months before and 3 months after renewal and not below 400k at all other times, Immigration Offices including Jomtien started requiring evidence that an applicant had kept the required amounts (800k & 400k) on deposit for the full year. This evidence is either your passbook showing ALL transactions for the preceding 12 month OR certified bank statements for the same period (as mentioned, if you do not regularly update your passbook, it will contain "net" (consolidated) entries rather than individual transactions). Bangkok Bank branches can only provide statements for the preceding 6 months - for a full 12 months they have to request them from the head office in Bangkok which takes about one week - 5 business days. It is always good to remember, Jomtien will allow a renewal up to 30 days before the due date. I usually do mine bout 3 weeks beforehand to allow time in case of any hitches.

The Embassy/Consulate should give you a letter addressed to Immigration when you get your new passport. You also will need to make copies from both passports as well as complete a form requesting the transfer of Immigration stamps to the new passport. At least this is the policy at Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration. Someone else will need to respond regarding the time it takes to get the new passport as I got my last one when the USA Consular staff were still making visits to Pattaya.

Yes, you are free to spend the money. The only requirement is you show evidence that at least 65k is deposited in the account Each Month and it originated From Outside Thailand. I use this method for my annual extensions - previously used the Embassy letter until the USA Embassy stopped issuing them. In my case I use Wise (formerly Transferwise) to transfer the money from my USA bank to my Bangkok Bank Account which the bank records with the FTT (foreign transfer) code. This is not the case with many other Thai banks, they will record it as domestic because Wise uses one of their partner banks (Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank) for the funds - if your account is with another Thai bank, the funds will come from a partner bank and they will treat it as a domestic transfer. Even with Wise, there have been some hiccups, i.e. they sending money through Kasikorn instead of Bangkok Bank resulting in it not being recorded with the FTT account. In such cases, I had sufficient funds available to make a second transfer by another means that did get properly recorded thus still had no problem showing I made the required transfer in each month. As with many things dealing with Immigration here, the documentation requirements can differ between offices. I use Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration. For proof of monthly transfers, they want an original bank letter listing the foreign deposits to your account for the 12 months preceding your renewal application (this is in addition to the usual letter providing evidence you have an account in your name which is also required for those using the 800k in the bank method).

I had my Pfizer booster shot there on 1 February. In my case, a Thai friend made my appointment using the Mor Prom App - the section to do that was in Thai, thus the need for my Thai friends assistance. I had previously installed the Mor Prom App on my iPhone using the 13 digit number (begins with 6) provided when I received my initial doses of Astra Zeneca. When we went there, it took slightly less than 1 hour from entry until departing. The OP doesn't indicate whether it is beneficial to have a Thai with you to complete the registration form - in my case, I was in a wheelchair and my Thai friend completed the form for me - she was also there for her 2nd dose. So I don't know if it was in English or Thai. Also, in my case, I waited outside the entry door to where they were doing the vaccinations while my Thai friend went inside to get hers - she then returned with a nurse who came out to give me my booster shot.

Did you look for the 90 day reporting desk they have set up outside. The Pattaya City Expats Club has the following on their "Latest Immigration News" web page: If you are going to do your 90 day address report, DO NOT GET in the long line of people waiting to enter the building. Just inside the main entrance to the parking area on the right-hand side there is a separate small tent and desk with a large sign 90-day report / tm30. Hand in your passport there and it will be taken inside and returned by an Immigration Officer. A “number card” is given when handed out and will be called out to pick up your passport when it is ready.

When I went to pick up my passport the day after I extended, I bypassed the line (holding up my claim check for the passport and saying "picking up passport" as I passed). No problem at the entry door and I went straight to Desk 8 - no need to check with desk a the entrance.

Very good advice IMO. If you pay a Thai notary and it is not accepted, you have wasted your money. I have used one once, but it was for a Thai document. For papers that needed to be notarized for use in USA, I have always used the US Embassy Consular staff in the American Citizens Service (ACS) unit - it used to be US$50 for first page and US$20 for additional pages, BUT that changed. It is now, I believe, US$50 for each page.

It is the 12 months preceding the day you apply for the extension (the day you go to Immigration). The bank passbook should be sufficient provided it has been continually updated and does not have any consolidated entries, i.e., showing a net cumulative total for deposits & withdrawals for a period of time. If it does that, you may need to obtain certified bank statements from you bank for the period. If your bank is Bangkok Bank, a Branch can only provide statements for the preceding 6 months. For a full 12 months, they will need about one week to provide them as they have to request them from their HQ in Bangkok.

I usually email [email protected] to make an appointment advising them of the doctor, date, and preferred time period, e.g., morning, afternoon, or 0900 to 1100, etc. They usually get back to me the same or early the next day advising me of the appointment time.

If you are extending your stay based on your underlying visa being category "O-A", you are correct that you will need to have health insurance the same as was required for getting the Visa - BUT, you must have the health insurance from a Thai company as Thai Immigration will not accept a foreign policy. The Thai companies are listed on the tgia website - https://longstay.tgia.org/

I found myself having to change eyeglasses a little more frequently - for regular exam and getting eyeglasses, I used EUROPTIC located on 2nd Road opposite Royal Garden, but I think she has now moved into the Royal Garden. I decided it was time for a complete eye exam which I had at BHP. The lady doctor said I had cataracts in both eyes. She said I could continue getting new eyeglasses but could instead have surgery to remove them but could wait if I wished. I was reluctant to have surgery and purchased new eyeglasses. But as the cataracts grew, my vision continued to change even more frequently, so I decided it was time for surgery. Dr. Srisuraj at BHP performed the surgery on one eye and checked the results the following day, then he did the other eye. I chose monofocal lenses (far vision) primarily due to cost as the multifocal lenses (far and near vision) were much more expensive. Another factor in my choice was my USA health insurance would cover only the cost of surgery and monofocal lenses; not multifocal. I am glad I had the surgery did and kicked myself for not doing it sooner. This was several years ago. I do need glasses for reading, but that is not a problem as a pair of cheap drugstore eyeglasses do the job.

I had cataracts identified during an exam at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya (BHP) but it was not so bad that I wanted to have surgery. But as my vision continued to get worse with more frequent change in prescription for glasses. I decided to have cataract surgery, which was done a few years ago by Dr. Srisuraj Sawang at BHP. No complications and great vision afterward.

I use Wise transfers to my my Bangkok Bank account using the "long stay Thailand" purpose for the transfer. This assured they sent the transfer through Bangkok Bank rather than a partner bank. Bangkok Bank the recorded the deposits as a Foreign Telegraphic Transfers (code FTT). However, this year my November 1 transfer went through their partner bank and was recorded as domestic transfer. I doubted that Jomtien Immigration would accept the Wise receipt as adequate as they have always required a letter from my bank listing foreign deposits for 12 months my application for extension renewal. I cannot say for certain, but expect that the Wise receipt would not be accepted at Jomtien. My option for November was to either send another transfer of at least 65,000 baht or go to Kasikorn (the Wise partner bank that funds were sent through) bank branch on Central Road to their Trade Dept (2nd floor) to get an FET form to show the funds originated outside of Thailand. Since I was not sure Immigration would accept the FET form, I used a different method to transfer another 65k+ to ensure I had one for November coded FTT and would be included in the bank letter listing my deposits. Wise has apparently fixed the problem and now assures using the long stay purpose will result in my transfers going through Bangkok Bank rather than Kasikorn. My December & January Wise transfers did get recorded as FTT transfers. Others may be able to say more specifically whether Jomtien Immigration will accept the Wise receipt and/or FET form as sufficient proof of transferring the required amount if using monthly income to meet the financial requirements for retirement extensions.

Reporting to Pattaya Immigration to show you still have 800k in bank for 3 months from getting extension renewal doesn't matter if it is after the date they gave you as it will still show you kept funds in bank for the required period. In the past, reports from folks that planned to be out of country or out of Pattaya on the due date they were given asked Jomtien Immigration about it and were told no problem, just report when you get back. That said, from reports I have seen, Jomtien Immigration has no system to track such reporting and when you do, they do not enter any information to show the report was made. So one could skip reporting entirely without any problems -- but, still probably best to make the report to be on the safe side.

If the lease period is more than 3 years, it can be registered at the land office. As I understand it, this will ensure the lease will remain in force to any heirs or purchasers of the property.

I and several other Expats aged 75 and over from Pattaya obtained our 1st dose of Astra Zeneca vaccine using the walk in service at Bang Sue Grand Station (now discontinued). We were each given a registration form showing the date and vaccine received as our first dose. The form also has the date and time to appear for our 2nd dose. My 1st dose was on 10 July, the 2nd is scheduled for 2 October (12 weeks later which it seems based on my googling results is the normal interval between the 1st & 2nd dose of the AZ vaccine).

I agree - my Thai partner usually takes my passport to Pattaya Immigration for the 90 day address report. When it has been past due a few times(usually 2 or 3 days), there was no problem.

A good question. My Thai partner is 52 and no underlying condition. Also, it seems the vaccines that the City obtained are only available for those registered in a Pattaya housebook. Like most Thais here in Pattaya, he is registered in his home province in Isaan.

Pattaya Immigration on Jomtien Soi 5 has two desks, one for retirement extensions and the other for 90 day reporting. On my last extension, as usual, I picked up my passport with the new extension stamp the following day. I then obtained a queue number for the 90 day report desk and did the report (I was overdue, but still within the 7 day grace period).

At Pattaya's Immigration Office, anyone can do it for you. There is no charge. The person just needs to present the person's passport & receipt for last report - they scan the bar code and print out a new receipt with your next reporting date shown. At Pattaya Immigration on Jomtien Soi 5, there is no requirement to submit the TM.47 form if there have no changes.

The article notes: So not available for expats in Pattaya.