IMA_FARANG

It could be done, but first look at what the actual requirements are in your home country for a METV.

You may find the requirements to get an METV are more than you bargained for.

It's up to you but the requirements to be issued a METV are often quite strict depending on where you apply and can be quite costly.

Be sure it Is what really you want and need BEFORE  you choose an  METV.

All I am saying is maybe it is, but look before you leap.

You can't UNDO a poor and expensive choice later.

Thanks joe, that was a good clear explanation.

You probably will have no problem. but please understand that EVERY Thai consulate worldwide  has the final say on whether or not to issue you a visa.

They make that very clear when you apply for a visa.....by telling you no refund will be given if you are somehow refused for a visa.

But again, you will probably have no problem, many people are successful at getting a visa.

I don"t want to be critical, but as we all know, a 60 day tourist visa can be extended for 30 days at most immigration offices in Thailand.

It requires a fee of 1900 Baht for a 30 day extension.

Thus  with the extension you get 60 days plus 30 a day extension or a 90 day total stay.

I have done it myself.

Simply acquiring a entry visa does NOT legally allow you to work on line in Thailand.

In fact working on line in Thailand is illegal and MAY be a violation of the law.

The law about working in Thailand does NOT allow you to work on line here.

However like many things in  Thailand the law is out of date, and has not considered on line working as a "Digital Blogger" or whatever you call yourself.

without a work permit, and a Thai based company hiring you as an employee, you are technically in violation of Thai labor law.

In reality, however, Thailand doe not have the capacity  to monitor  your on line business activity, and therefore they allow it.

However, it is illegal in Thailand to work 0n line in Thailand, but simply not enforced.

as an on line blogger for profit however you violate the intent at least of  Thai work law without a work permit.

So now, you know, continue at your own risk, and don't complain if you get caught and are fined or deported, as unlikely as that may be.

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To borrow a slogan from another poster:

I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you

If your country allows it, and the U.S. does you can apply for a new passport when your old passport has only a  short time before it expires.

There is no minimum time you must have on your old passport, you ca apply at any time as long as your U>S passport is still valid.

Once you have a new passport you can then apply for a retirement visa with the new passport.

I have done it before.

Of course, it will cost you the same renewal fee as a new passport.

A new passport will of course, change the date of your retirement visa and it's annual renewal date.

If you get a retirement visa you can renew it annually every year.

It does NOT change it's extension date every year.

Therefore if you qualify for a retirement visa/extension in October, your next renewal will be in October one year from the date of your original retirement visa/extension.

In order to leave the country, and NOT void your one year visa/extension you should purchase a exit re-entry permit which will have the same one year period as the retirement visa/extension as your retirement visa/extension.

When in Thailand you will need to do 90 day reporting but you will be exempted from that 90 day reporting if out of Thailand.

Your 90 day reporting clock will start again when you enter Thailand, and countdown to 90 days from the entry date.

You will be responsible for maintaining the financial requirements for the one year retirement visa/extension by maintain  a Thai bank account with the required amount  of money in even if you are out of the country.

There is no requirement you live in Thailand the entire year, but you simply must return each year to renew the visa, extension before it expires each year.

As I said above, use the exit re-entry permit to keep the retirement visa,yearly extension valid while out of the country and return in time for the annual renewal.

That  is the only Thai requirements, but If your home country has different rules, that is not a Thai concern for you.

I had a friend form the Netherlands, a retired Dutch Navy officer who for years spent the winter months in the Netherlands in Thailand and then in the summer months went back to the Netherlands to live.

He passed away a couple  of years ago in his 90's

What you are suggesting is possible according to Thai rules, but as I said I can't say what the laws are in your home country.

If he says so. I will believe it.

But I find it unusual, not usually done.

Normally, at best all you get from there is a 90 day non O, which you then extend for a one year at your local immigration.

But then, I don't know everything.

You've got 3 yes answers, so believe them.

if your non O multiple entry visa is still valid (not out off date) you can do a final border  run and return on the last date of the visa and get a 90 day entry stamp.

But that will be the last one, after that entry expires you will need a new visa of some kind.

Clear enough??

Reading these posts, I as a human being, feel sorry for whoever it is.

But we, as human beings, are responsible for abiding by the rules of our society.

We have to accept that, if not we are just animals.

I have lived 70 years, and I have lost loved ones to accidents and even in war.

It wasn't easy, but I have tried to live by and follow the rules of human society.

I can feel pity, but I also can honestly say I never deliberately broke a law.

A local Thai consulate whether in Manila or another may NOT have access to information as to whether a applicant is or is not working on-line via the internet I Thailand.

A bankbook for a Thai bank, can and often does show a record of a regular monthly transfer of funds into Thailand from outside of Thailand.

As I said before on this forum , I have a monthly pension transferred by direct deposit into my Thai bank account from the U.S.

I t shows up each month as a FTT incoming credit in my bankbook and many immigration officers know how to read a bankbook clearly.

I have had immigration ask to photocopy my Thai bankbook and the go through that photocopy underlining in red or yellow marker all the FTT entries, and then adding that marked photocopy to my visa application packet.

Don't think that immigration is fools, and especially the senior officers know precisely what they are doing and want to see from the applicant.

If you want to it is possible to do both at CW on the same day.

It may take you two queue numbers however, but if you have the time it is possible to do it on the same day.

In theory, it should be possible to do both at one session, but you may be asking a bit to much of the immigration officer to do that.

Since you are married to a Thai and the legitimate father of your child. you COULD come to Thailand on a tourist visa and extend your stay here in Thailand by qualifying for a marriage visa extension in Thailand.

You would need to have a Thai bank account in your name in the amount of 400K Thai Baht OR a monthly income of 20K Thai baht.

You could use your SETV to enter Thailand, and then go to either Savanakhet, Laos or Penang, Malaysia with proof of your marriage and get a 90 day non O from one of those places.

that could be extended annually in Thailand at your local immigration office by meeting the above financial requirements.

If you can meet those financial requirements that visa/extension can be renewed each year annually as long as you are married to a Thai.

In other, words, there are options you can explore.

Don't give up so easily, explore your options..

It Is possible to do it your way.

However, I as was pointed out by another poster.it would have been wiser and easier to get a 60 day tourist visa (SETV) before you booked a ticket to Thailand.

That would have given you a visa when you entered Thailand originally and a 60 day stay on arrival which could have been extended for 30 days at immigration for a 1900 Baht fee.

Secondly, as you are intending to travel on a one way ticket to Thailand, you MAY be told by the airline that you can not board your flight to Thailand without a confirmed out-of country ticket.

This is not certain, but it has happened to other travelers before.

And thirdly, you need to consider the cost of a Lao visa required for you to enter Laos from Thailand.

And then fourthly, it is possible that the Thai consulate in Laos will insist on seeing a confirmed out-of Thailand ticket BEFORE they issue you a 60 day SETV to re-enter Thailand.

As. I said, what you want to do is possible, but there are other things involved you may have not  considered.

I know, I have had single entry tourist visas from both of the Thai consulates in Laos in the past 3 years. So I know firsthand the requirements and how they can change often without notice..

Good luck, however, and I hope it all works out for you.

In theory, as soon as you are qualified.

You must be 50 years of age or greater and if  you  use the Bank funds method your money must be in the bank and "seasoned" for the required time.

In reality, it also depends on the immigration.....some offices don't like you to apply to early.

There is no "hard and fast rule" for all immigration  offices.

Generally, a embassy income letter is good for 6 months from the date of issue.

I do not understand what you mean by a 30 day SETV.

SETV  visas are for 60 days when issued, and may be extended for another 30 days at immigration in Thailand.

Often on receiving a SETV it is stamped that it must be used within 90 days from the date it was issued.

Thus  an SETV may be good for 60  plus 30 or a 90 day stay.

I do not use agents, I do my SETV from the Thai consulate/embassy directly.

I usually then pay the 1900 Baht fee at immigration in Thailand and get a 90 day total stay from that visa.

Okay

but in my case I live in Bangkok.

I got a new passport via the U.S. embassy in Bangkok in March 2017.

and the whole process was completed in 7 days from my initial application to the pickup of the new passport at the embassy.

They notified me when my new passport was available for pickup by email.

But nice to know anyhow.

There is an English sign in  Penang Thai consulate, that has been on display there for at least 2 years.

It is right next to where you apply for a visa to Thailand.

It states clearly that you may be asked to show the amount of 20K Thai Baht when crossing into Thailand by land border from Malaysia. (10k per person or 20K per couple)

When you are applying for a Thai visa in Penang it is less than a meter away from you..

I have 3 SETV from Penang, but I have always crossed the border by air.

Not required to show funds on arrival that way.

Sorry, but one thing is incorrect.

If you do have a reentry permit you should enter re-entry  permit number in the visa number slot on your entry card to call attention to it when you enter Thailand.

Write the words entry permit after it.

If you do not want to use that re-entry  permit write nothing in that visa number slot.

Either way, if you want the immigration officer to see your re-entry permit or not, it is best to show the permit to the immigration and make your choice clear to him or her at the time.

Immigration can not stop you flying, but the airline MAY  not allow you to board the aircraft if they see you may not be allowed to enter Thailand.

You are limited to 2 visa exempt entries into Thailand in one year under the latest rules, and if you try to exceed that you MAY be denied entry.

Under IATA (International Air Traffic Agency) regulations  the airline may be responsible for removing you from Thailand  IF you are not allowed entry to Thailand..

That is why the airline may check your visa and travel status first before you board the airplane, if you are not allowed to enter it could cost them money.

To be absolutely sure this won't  happen on of the best ways to protect yourself is to get a Thai Tourist visa from a Thai consulate BEFORE you travel.

Is that clear enough?

I hope I explained it clearly enough.

I think that is what your travel agent was trying to get across to you  in England.

If you are a national of a G7 country you will be allowed to enter Thailand on a visa exempt 30 day entry. 

Unser the new rules however you will be limited to 2 of these  in one year.

Each one of these can be extended by another 30 days by paying a 1900 baht fee at your local immigration.

for some people this s not enough.

You can try for a tourist visa which will give you a 60 day stamp on entry, and also may be extended by another 30 days stay for the same 1900 baht fee at immigration.

Some, if not all, Thai consulates are o requiring you purchase an exit ticket out of Thailand before they will issue a 60 day tourist visa.

This is not a "return air ticket", it may be a simple low cost exit ticket out of Thailand.

An example of a Thai consulate that requires you to show a "exit out of Thailand ticket" is the Thai consulate in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. They will want to see such a ticket before they issue you a 60 day tourist visa.

Other Thai consulates in South East Asia are adopting the same practice.

I just returned today from a trip for 2 days to Kuala Lumpur .Malaysia.

When I entered at the airport in Bangkok I got a visa exempt 39 day stamp.

It is Ramadan in Malaysia now, Ramadan started 3 days ago.

The hotel  Ii stayed in was known as the One Enigma Hotel  and cost me 1083 Baht  for  a 2 night  stay in Malaysia which included a breakfast each day.(Muslim food).

No alcohol allowed of course

Good  internet connection.

You could do it cheaper for a one day stay and using Air Asia. but I flew Air Malaysia and it cost me about 10K Baht..

My reason for going there was to return with another 30 day visa exempt entry. (first one in 2017)

I am nowhere legally until 27 June.

Probably you will be ok.

I have heard stories however where foreigners have issues with the local village head man in the village, and  not using local Thai laborers  has caused the foreigner problems  with the powers that be.

So be careful, as you are always a FARANG,

A good summary above.