OtinPattaya

21 hours ago, Tug said:

I know it doesent fit the fear mongering narrative trump pushes but the fact remains 93% of the blm protests are 100% peaceful with no damages whatsoever that leaves 7% were some damage was reported I’m sure it’s an even smaller percentage were major damage occurred btw before you get your undies in a knott all damage is bad as Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have stated 

And I'm sure if these were right-wing protests you'd be at pains to emphasize that 93% of the protests were peaceful though 7% burned cities to the ground. I guess 30+ people dead in these peaceful protests are considered trivial property damage. Keep minimizing the carnage and when Trump is re-elected I will thank you and the other apologists personally. People like you will win it for Trump. 

Who cares about Qanon or how many Republicans believe in it? What difference does that make to actual human lives? Meanwhile on the Left we have a confederacy of dunces burning down cities without any regard as to who the victims are. We have professional academics who believe that 2+2=4 is inherently racist and sexist. Western civilization is by its very nature corrupt and racist. Qanon demonstrates that the Left doesn't have a monopoly on idiotic conspiracy theories. They only have a 99% monopoly in that.

BTW, I like the title of the article, as Trump "dwells" on protests. A pejorative term "dwells" that implies lack of justifiable cause. Said it once, said it a million times, media cannot even manage an article title without infecting it with their political bias. 

2 hours ago, Tug said:

Yup born and bred when I wasent sailing lots to be proud of 5 largest economy on the planet a tremendous bread basket feeding millions very progressive and democratic don’t forget the summer of love I was old enough to be involved all that beeing said were is that guy with the rake and that golden shower that could put some embers out lol

I'm going to hazard a wild guess and suggest that the rest of the United States at this point is willing to sacrifice the tax dollars coming from California, if only you let the rest of the country be. Plenty of Americans who'd love to see Cali burn to the ground. 

4 hours ago, buick said:

i looked into getting an METV from the los angeles consulate but they wanted a 'proof of employment letter'.  since i was retired, that wasn't possible.  i think i read some people got around this issue in some way but i can't recall how.

 

getting an SETV from LA and then another one from a country in the region (vietnam or laos) wouldn't be too rough.  then you can convert your tourist entry into a non imm O at your local immigration office in thailand.  some offices don't do the conversion though, so keep that in mind.  not sure where you plan to live.

I am also self-employed and there is basically 0 info on this on all the million pages on thaivisa.com. 

I did end up changing my return ticket date to Sept. 24th. 

One scenario I was thinking:

Enter Thailand on visa-on-arrival, get a 1-month extension on that = 2 months. Before that expires, take a 2-3 week trip to Vietnam. Apply for a SETV there = 2 months plus 1 month extension. Total = 5 months. I turn 50 on January 16th. Would this work? THE SETV requires a return ticket out of Thailand so I'm not sure how I'd handle that. Just get a cheap flight-out ticket to wherever? 

I'm trying to avoid having to apply for a SETV or METV in the States since it is now the 18th of July, the processing time alone can take "a minimum of 15 days" and then there is the shipping back and forth delays. So I'd be pushing my luck if I need to depart on the 26th of August, at which time I might be bereft of my passport.  

According to Ubonjoe in a 2017 post, they will accept an "income letter" for the retirement cert. Still, not sure what this income letter would be or how to obtain it. 

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I think they just mean bank book / bank letter.

The retirement cert is a daft requirement, I need the same being 50 when I apply

What's the nature of this retirement cert? First time I've heard of it. Okay, so bank book/bank letter should satisfy the financial requirement. But I'm not clear at all what this retirement cert is all about. 

4 hours ago, Briggsy said:

I found on the Savannakhet website in Thai a list of documents for what appears to be the Non-Imm O for being 50 or over.

 

The extra documents include :-

A document from one’s embassy certifying retirement

 

Documentation certifying financial status

 

Copy of house registration where you will live.

 

Copy of ID card of someone where you will live.

 

 

The first one (from the British Embassy) could be troublesome. Seems to be an affidavit essentially. Will the Embassy play along and if so, how much filthy lucre will they demand?

This is the same visa I intend to get from Savannaket (the non-0 based on retirement). This document from the embassy certifying retirement is baffling. I thought all I had to do was show a Thai bank book showing the 800,000 (which I would have already seasoned for 2 months). Also, what is the document certifying financial status if not the bank book? If you have the bank book showing 800,000 in a Thai bank why would they need any further documentation showing financial status or retirement status?  

I think sgooges needs to create a new thread. Since he seems mainly concerned with the non-O-A. I'm sorry I even commented on this since I obviously have no clue what I'm talking about. I really think I need to shut the F up. Thanks for everyone's help on the OP topic. You've all been really a great help. 

nope, what? I'm wrong, he's wrong?

I'm the noob OP of this thread but I'd say that Thailand immigration isn't going to care about how much money you have in an Australian bank account. If you want to apply for an O-A, you need the 800K in a Thai bank account. 

And if by "most other countries," I just hope you aren't alluding to America. Because you are just dead wrong. Compare American immigration law to Thai immigration law. There's no comparison. It's laughable to compare the two. There's literally zero commonality between American immigration and Thai immigration law. 

Who are these "most other countries?" Examples are always welcome. Canada? the UK? Australia? New Zealand? Good luck finding a western country, that isn't a member of the Visegrad, that has immigration policies even remotely resembling that of Thailand.

Not one thing you said would I disagree with. I wouldn't be going through this rigmarole if I thought everything was perfect in the US of A ????

I never expected this process to be easy. That is not my complaint. I am 10x more in agreement with Thai immigration law than I am with that of my own country, but that is a political discussion, and my post was a practical one ????

I think it's pretty obvious that official Thailand isn't exactly rolling out the red carpet for more permanent western retirees or expats, even the ones who can afford it, preferring instead the fast and easy Chinese bucks and the endless tourist buses from East India. It definitely seems to be there is very conscious, probably cultural, backlash against western culture "invading" Thailand. This is a deeply sovereign country, which I as an American respect. I think economically Thailand is making a grave mistake. But the street vendor et al is the one who is going suffer the consequences of Thai immigration law. I totally understand there have been abuses of immigration law in Thailand. But as an American, the one thing I will tell you is that Americans are wonderful as a nation in identifying problems in America. But what does America do? We make the remedy 10x worse than the disease. So it's not just Thai immigration that is the problem. 

The honest answer is, yes, I am sure I want to retire to Thailand. At least while I am relatively young. I'm not sure how to explain it. Despite the naivete of some of my immigration questions, I wouldn't assume that the rest of my motivations are equally naïve or uninformed. The one thing that has become painfully obvious to me is that anyone, not just those in my peculiar predicament, everyone contemplating long-term or retirement in Thailand needs to have a PLAN B, whether that plan B is the Philippines, Vietnam, Costa Rica, or wherever. My heart bleeds for westerners who have Thai wives, or God forbid, children under this current atmosphere of bureaucratic whimsy. It must be agonizing.  

obviously there are different requirements for obtaining the non-O from within  Thailand or neighboring countries than from within the USA. But it's almost like they don't want us to know about ???? it

Thanks for confirming. It's weird that in the documentation you find on the web regarding non-O requirements it basically says nothing regarding the retirement route. Below is copied from the Thai consulate website in DC. 

I suppose Thai immigration would prefer prospective retirees take the O-A route perhaps because of the medical and criminal background checks. Not sure. 

Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O”

Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O”

Purpose of Visit: Applicants who wish to stay with family in Thailand (Thai Family)
Applicants who wish for volunteering work with the state enterprises or social welfare organizations in Thailand  (Volunteering)

Documents Required for Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O” (Thai Family):
1. Your actual Passport or Travel Document. (Passport or Travel Document must not expire within 6 months and contain at least ONE completely empty visa page).
2. One original visa application form completely filled out (black and blue ink only) (Download)
3. Two passport-size photographs (2″x2″) (photocopy or photo taken from Photostat will not be accepted). Photographs must have a light color background with a full- face view of the person without wearing a hat or dark glasses and covering up shoulders. Photos must be taken within 6 months.
4. A copy of flight confirmation/reservation , showing going from US to Thailand and leaving from Thailand (The name of the applicant must indicated clearly)
5. A copy of recent bank statement  ($700 per person and $1,500 per family) (The name of the applicant must indicated clearly) , In case of submitting family bank statement a proof of relationship (i.e. birth certificate, marriage certificate) must be provided.

6.For non-US citizen, a copy of permanent resident alien card or a copy of valid US visa with a letter proof of employment ( **we don’t accept pay stubs**)
7. If you are a former Thai citizen, proof of Thai citizen such as Thai passport or Thai identification card
8. If you want to visit as a spouse or family member (spouse, son or daughter), proof of relationship such as a photocopy of marriage license or birth certificate with a proof that your spouse or family member is a Thai citizen such as as a photocopy of Thai passport or Thai identification card

9. For minor under 20 years old, please provide following documents
– Notarized copy of a birth certificate
– Notarized copy of marriage certificate , In case of sole custody notarized copy of court order must be provided.
– Notarized copy or original passports or ID of mother and father/ legal guardian
– Original letter of notarized consent for the minor to travel abroad from mother and father/ legal guardian

***All supporting materials that are not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations and certified by an embassy only ***

I thought having the 800k in a thai bank for 2 months was only for the retirement extension step, which presupposed you'd already have the non-O or non-O-A. But you're saying that before applying for the non-O in Thailand, I'd already have the 800k in a Thai bank for 2 months, and the application for the non-O conversion would be based on that (the 800k for 2 months)? Having this 800k for 2 months would then be the main requirement for obtaining the non-O once I'm 50 years old. And then, say, a month before the 3-month non-O runs out, I'd then apply for an extension based on retirement. Do I finally have this figured out? Thanks!

For a non-O are the immigration officers going to ask me for some proof of volunteer work or Thai family residing in the Kingdom? Are westerners still routinely being granted non-O visas without such proof?

The 800K in a Thai bank shouldn't be  a problem for me. I can let that sit and season indefinitely if need be. My main concern is whether, once I'm in Thailand, the non-immigrant O visa will prove difficult to obtain, since this visa seems to be reserved for applicants who plan to do volunteer work in some official capacity or have Thai family in the Kingdom. 

There seem to be many westerners who have gotten non-O visas, regardless of the intent of this visa, who have subsequently used them as a valid basis for a retirement extension. But Thailand has been plugging up so many loopholes of late, I'm wondering if the non-O is now one of them or will soon become one. Thanks!

Thanks for all replies! How hard are the non-immigrant O visas to obtain? Are they getting any stricter with these of late? Can they be obtained from within Thailand? 

Thanks for the reply. I am looking into the METV. 

Basically what is referred to as a "retirement visa" is simply a non-immigrant O visa with an annual extension based on retirement, correct? I've heard that you must apply for the non-immigrant o (or A, or O-A?) from your own country. Does that mean that I would need to fly all the way back to America in order to apply for the O-A? I really hope not. I read somewhere you could apply for a 90-day O visa from, say, Laos, and then apply for the annual extension based on retirement? I'm trying to make sense out of this. 

I'd was wondering if I could some advise on the best visa strategy for my situation. Thanks in Advance!

I will be retiring to Pattaya perhaps as soon as July of 2019, and will be turning 50 years of age on January 13th of 2020, at which time I'll be eligible for a retirement visa. I'm confused as to what I should in the roughly 6 months before I turn 50 in Thailand, as far as visas go. I've thought about trying to get an education visa (6-month, I believe) as I genuinely would attend the classes and would like to learn Thai. So perhaps that's a possibility. Any potential issues with this? 

What would be the standard procedure for these 6 months? I assume I would need to make visa runs.