Jason44

Just to follow up on this initial topic. After sending a copy of my brokerage statement, which documented my income for the past three months, I received a second request for documentation. That request was to send a copy of my most recent income tax return. I forwarded a copy of my tax return, after redacting my social security number, and received my visa approval the same day. It most likely would have been easier to just have gotten the 60-day Tourist visa and then apply for the extension once I arrived in Thailand. But I do feel more secure knowing that I have a visa for the full 90 days, and do not need to worry about changing my flight and hotel reservations, or navigating the immigration process once I am already in Thailand. Thank you to all who provided feedback about this process.

With the switch to eVisa I do not believe that they do phone calls any more. For better or worse, it is all done online and through e-mail. The e-mail that I received does not identify a specific individual nor have contact information for a particular agent. And if you want to follow up, you apparently cannot call, but instead need to send an inquiry to a bulk mailbox, to which they will respond within five business days. Unfortunately, I do not have a choice as to which embassy to submit my visa, unless of course I decide to move. ???? It is frustrating that the documents being asked for don't match the documents listed on any of the Thai web site, but I think that this is just a matter of a bureaucrat trying to check a box. I went ahead and sent my supporting documents this morning, and we will see how that works out. Thanks for the feedback. This was a lot more helpful than the suggestions to just apply for a different kind of visa. ????

Three things. First, as someone who has never visited Thailand before, counting on an extension or a border bounce seems risky (to me). Many in the forum mention these items as if they are nothing, and they may very well be. I was just looking to do the approach that provided the least amount of hassle, once I had entered Thailand. This may be one of those things that once I have done it, it is such an easy process that it becomes a no-brainer. But for someone who has spent a frustrating day or two at the DMV in the US, the idea of trying to navigate a foreign bureaucracy in a language I don't speak, while in the middle of my vacation, sounds problematic. Second, currently I have both flight and hotel reservations for 90 days. Immigration probably won't care if I have a hotel reservation for the full 90 days, but they might cause issues if my outbound flight is longer than the initial amount of time I am allowed to stay in the country. Not saying that they would, but since entry is often at the "sole discretion of the officer", I was not looking for anything which would cause the officer to deny my entry. (Someone above mentioned the Onward Ticket option, which is something that I might consider.) Finally, as I understand it, That immigration requirements change all the time. Up until September, I believe that they were offering 60 days when you arrived, but then that suddenly changed. And I believe that the 45-day stay itself is a modification of a policy which used to be 30 days. Whereas with a visa, it is "locked in".

Is that accurate? There appear to be many sub-categories of the Non-Immigrant O visa, many of which do not deal with retirement, but rather family relations (marriage, relatives, or children). But one of the categories is for Retirement visits of no more than 90 days. I believe that what you are describing is the Non-Immigrant O-A Retirement visa, which allows stays of up to one year, but also has the requirement that you deposit funds into a Thai bank. You have to get further into the application process. On the web site they list one collection of categories, but if you actually start the application, then one of the sub-categories that you can apply for is the Non-Immigrant O Retirement, which allows for stays of no more than 90 days. Members appear to be split, as I initially took this approach based on the suggestion(s) from other members, who have used this approach several times in the past.

Thanks that is an idea that I am considering. If you generate a Proof of Retirement from SSA today, it will merely tell you that you are not collecting funds. But they do send an annual statement that show what your expected benefits are intended to be. Not sure if they would accept that as proof, but perhaps I can include that as well as showing my current "pension" (i.e. dividends).

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When you applied for this visa, were you asked to provide "proof of retirement"? I submitted the same application two weeks ago, and yesterday received a request for additional documents. One of the requests was for "Proof of Retirement (SSA supporting letter)". (SSA is the Social Security Administration, which is our "pension" system in the US.) I am questioning how to respond, because most Americans don't collect SSA until they turn 65, yet you can apply for the retirement visa in Thailand once you turn 50. And when I submitted my financial evidence, I included a report from my broker to show the expected investment income that I would have for the year. In any case, this was not a requirement when I completed the application, and I was just curious if you ran into something similar, when you applied in Denmark. Thanks.

I appreciate the response. Yes, I double checked, and it is the Non-Immigrant O Visa which I applied for, so I do not understand why I am being asked for a SSA letter, when that is not mentioned anywhere in the requirements. ????‍♂️

I get what you both are saying. However, getting the Non-O removes any hassle about having to navigate my way through getting an extension. I can see on the forum that people mention getting an extension as if it is nothing. Pay 1900 baht and you are done, no problem. But I also see mention of travelers who have had difficult immigration officers who cause issues. So, I also see the possibilities for a ton of different complications. Right now I have airline and hotel reservations that are 90 days in duration. I would need to change those to match 45 or 60 days accordingly, or else risk the immigration officer asking why my itinerary does not match. For me, the 90-day Non-O visa appeared to be a perfect fit. But now the visa official is asking for documentation that is not required. (Guess I am not avoiding further complications after all. ????)

I plan on visiting Thailand for three months. I followed the suggestion of another forum member, because I am over 50 years of age, and decided to apply for the Non-Immigrant O Retirement visa. Under Financial Evidence, I uploaded my brokerage statement for the past three months, which shows more than enough income to satisfy the income requirement. However, today I received a request for further documentation, one of which was my "Proof of retirement (SSA supporting letter)". I searched through the forum, and cannot find mention of anyone else who has had to provide this letter. Because , I am not yet collecting Social Security (most in the US don't until they are between 65 and 70), I am confused as to what the agent actually wants me to provide? Should I just resend the financial evidence which I have previously provided, and reiterate that that is my income (i.e. dividends from my investments)? (One theme that I have noticed from forum posts, is that the visa applications will often ask for the same information more than once, and members suggest merely pointing the representative to look at the documents provided to another question on the application. For example, one question where you have to provide proof of residency and then a later question being asked to verify your current residency, in which other forum members simply submit their passport for both.) It seems bizarre that the agent should ask for documentation that is not listed as one of the requirements (https://thaiembdc.org/2020/11/17/nonoretirement/) and even more so, since I had already provided proof of income. Has anyone seen this happen to them before or a suggestion as to how I should respond?

@Big FranK, thank you very much for this answer. I was struggling with how to have a stay of 90 days without having to apply for the full blown retirement visa (O-A?) The Thai E-Visa web site is particularly confusing, as it describes a Non-Immigrant O, specifically as "Visiting friends and family". However, I was able to see that there are many different sub-categories within the O Visa, one of which covers "Retirement (pensioner aged 50 or above with a state pension who wants to stay in Thailand for no longer than 90 days)". As you mention getting this type of visa two to three times a year, can I assume that you are doing your application through the Thai E-Visa web site? If so, do you just select Type O and then there is a secondary list to specify the sub-type (i.e. over 50)? I see that you need to upload documentation for "Financial Evidence, Confirmation of Legal Residence, and Copy of Health Insurance". It appears that for the financial evidence, all they are looking for, is to see inflows come into your bank account, and don't really care about the source. So are you just sending them 1 to 3 months of bank statements? Do you know if they would just accept a statement from one's brokerage account? (Since I am retired, my income is the dividend and interest received on my assets.)