HKexpat

I am currently 57 and based in HK as a permanent resident and a UK national. I am planning to relocate to Bangkok by entering with my uk passport as visa exempt and then apply for the O-retirement visa using the bank transfer method as I already have a thai bank account and own a condo in Bangkok. Some things I am unclear on however is that I understand I have to show proof that the THB800,000 was from an overseas transfer. As I plan on sending more than this amount to cover some initial living costs do I just keep a copy of the Telegraphic Transfer from my bank in HK as proof of this or do I need something from my thai bank instead? Also I read that I need a bank guarantee letter could someone clarify what this is for if I have my thai bank book that already shows a balance of at least THB before I make the application won’t this suffice? Also I read that you may get asked for rental slips but as I will do this within the first few weeks of my arrival and will stay at my condo do I just show them a copy of the title deed or is something else required for this? I’m also unclear on what insurance I should be applying for as I understand it needs to be for the period of the visa but as this will be in different steps, ie 30 days, 90 days, and then will apply for a 12 month extension what period of insurance should do I apply for initially? Am assuming this will be 30 days and I should then apply for another policy for 90 days and again for 12 months but could someone please clarify this too? Just trying to be clear on what I need to prepare to bring with me to immigration. Thank you.

Thank you ????

Hi Simon, thanks for your posts re Mauritius. Can you share more about how to find suitable long term accommodation too please? Enjoy your time there.

Sounds like a great retirement spot. I have visited Seychelles which are only a 2 hour flight from you many times and love going there too.

Thank you. Seems simple enough to just take the test.

Thanks for your comments. If it’s required will just take the thai driving test.

Thanks for the comments all, it’s a pink paper licence and the date is still valid. I’ll look into whether I can apply to get it updated on line using my old uk address as I still own the property maybe it can be sent there and forwarded on to me. I’m not really wanting it to drive in Bangkok but just want the option of legally hiring a car whenever I go to Phuket, Koh Samui etc. I’m also not needing it done in the first 90 days as am 57 and applying for a O-Retirement Visa anyway so am fine with it being issues after 3 months if I can use my condo as my permanent address. The other option is I could possibly get an IDP issued in Hong Kong as I am currently a permanent resident here however I think this is likely to become invalid after I leave Hong Kong in a few months so not sure if it’s worth the hassle. Thank you for the insights and will consider further.

I already own a condo in Bangkok so could I therefore just give them a copy of my title deed as proof of address assuming you mean a thai address? Thank you.

That’s good to hear. Do you know where in Bangkok I can apply on this basis? Thank you.

I am a UK national and a permanent resident in Hong Kong planning to retire to Thailand. As I have not needed a driving licence in Hong Kong I never obtained an International Driving Permit here and as I am planning to leave anyway to move to Bangkok in a few months I am wondering if it’s easier to apply for this in Thailand. I am non resident in the uk for tax purposes and have the paper licence still which hasn’t expired although it still has my old UK address on it as I haven’t updated my address with DVLA as they do not allow you to register an overseas address anyway. Any guidance re how to obtain a Thaj driving licence would be appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you for the suggestion. Will look into what time deposits my thai bank offers as well.

It does seem as though the O-Retirement visa is the simplest approach given the additional insurance requirements etc. Will look into using a time deposit for the THB800k. I presume that there are no restrictions regarding that? Longer term after being there a few years I might look into the proposed 5 year retirement visa option if it’s an option but prefer to wait until I have renewed my Uk passport which will be due after the next 3 years.

Thank you.

Thank you for clarifying Dr Jack, it is much appreciated!

Dr Jack, as I have a UK passport I understand I can enter on a visa exempt basis for 30 days and then I I could just apply for the Retirement O-Visa for the initial 90 days at Bangkok Immigration office. This would it seems be more efficient to me than applying for the O- retirement visa first via my local Thai consulate in Hong Kong as I will likely go to Singapore for up to 3 weeks before I fly to Bangkok. I think therefore it would maximize my visa use if I waited until I am actually in Bangkok using a 30 day visa exempt stamp to then apply for this. Once the initial 90 days is close to expiring I can then go apply for the 12 month extension using the funds in the thai bank account. Do you believe that 30 days is enough time to obtain the initial O-retirement visa Bangkok immigration myself without using an agent? Thank you.

Thanks Dr Jack, that’s now understood.

Hi Dr Jack, you mention in your earlier post that I can obtain a O-Retirement Visa in Thailand by entering on a 30 day visa exempt. I am contemplating using an agent to go this route where they may be able to fast track this process for me to obtain the 90 day plus 12 month extension on the same day. Whilst I can wire the ThB to my account for the 800,000 if I go the route of using an agent do I have to wait until the 3 months is up with regards to the requirement for funds yo be in my thai bank account or do they somehow address this differently in this case? Thank you.

Thank you for clarifying.

Thanks Dr Jack, this is very helpful and I appreciate your assistance.

Thank you for clarifying.

Ahh thank you Dr Jack. I have just read up on the O- retirement visa. As I already have a thai bank account open it seems the most efficient thing to do is to do a wire transfer to my thai bank account and in the meantime apply for the O - retirement visa. Then I can apply to extend for another 12 months in Thailand. I will check this out with my local thai consulate. Thank you for pointing it out.

My insurance covers Covid and cover is unlimited. The only caveat is the GBP10,000 policy excess. However from what I have seen of thai policies they allow you to select a policy excess too. How is this different? Thanks.

I thought I could only obtain a non O retirement visa if I am actually already in Thailand. Is this correct? Also what’s the benefit of doing this instead of going the O-A route. The benefit I see of the O-A route is I can use the funds in my main HSBC account as the THB800,000 requirement. Thank you.

Hi, I am in the process of getting the relevant documents required for my O-A long stay visa application via my local thai consulate in Hong Kong. I am currently 57 and a HK permanent resident as well as a UK national. With regards to the insurance requirement part of the application there are potentially 2 ways I can approach this and I am trying to decide which way will give me the maximum length of stay given that the amount of time I am stamped in for seems to be the amount of time remaining on my insurance document. The first approach is I could try to use my existing UK health insurance policy with AXA that I pay for on a monthly basis that covers me worldwide (ex US) for any claims subject to a policy excess of GBP10,000. I understand there is a form I could ask AXA to complete to make this acceptable to the immigration dept however the policy renews each January and the earliest I expect to get my visa issued once all the paperwork is received is March or possibly as late as April. This would however save me having to buy additional insurance coverage to submit with my visa application paperwork. My thoughts are that once the visa is issued I could then choose to apply for an additional long stay insurance policy via the participating insurers list on the thai immigration website. This would then be able to be specific to my likely arrival date in Thailand. The other option is to buy the additional Thai long stay insurance now and submit with my paperwork however I am then incurring two insurance costs as I will still maintain my uk AXA policy either way. Any member guidance on this would be appreciated. Thank you.

Ok, thank you.