lem

I receive a UK State Pension plus a Civil Service Pension from 40 years employment with the British Government. One of my many postings was to Bangkok 1992-1997 before I retired. What is the problem with issuing a letter confirming my official UK Govt pensions from the Embassy, as supplied in the past.

Similarly for myself yesterday. My British Embassy pension letter with confirmation of address was not now sufficient to renew my 'Retirement Visa' as they call it.

I had to retreat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Chaeng Wattana, Legalisation Division on the 3rd floor. At the 6 booth reception area you tell them that you want a 'Certified Genuine Signature' stamp to confirm the authenticity of the Embassy letter. You get a number, wait for a call on this number and hand in the form which you have been given and filled in together with the original Embassy letter.You pay B400 and wait. Sometimes up to four hours but in my case I was called back by name after 3 hours to receive the receipt for my payment and collect the original Embassy letter with the Thai MFA stamp on the back.

As you say, it's an added burden, but I believe that because the Thai MFA have an up to date record of stamps and signatures from various Embassies (and the signatures certainly change over time), Thai Immigration is less likely to be fooled by a fake letter - and surely this has happened in the past.

I was very lucky with parking as someone pulled out just in front of me when I arrived. But I think the ideal method is to get dropped off by taxi, otherwise you could be travelling the length of Chaengwattana looking for a parking space and then a taxi to get back to where you were.

I had added burden this year of providing a TM30 'Notification for House Master ... of the residence where the alien has stayed', completed by my landlady together with a copy of her Thai ID and a copy of the Tabien Ban'. Both signed.

I did not know of these changes before I turned up at Non' Immigration and it's probably too much to ask that they put up new information on their website.

So are there any positives from this? Yes. You have a month before your 'Retirement VIsa' expires which leaves plenty of time to conform to the latest edicts and secondly you can read on Thai Visa of other recent experiences at your local Immigration Office.

In other words - forewarned if forearmed.

Lem

Suan Yai, Nonthaburi

Or Cha Am Athletic

What about Muang Thong Thani United. Same red colours, location very close !!!

Lem

Location information in this thread.

Location map here

#62 Moo 7

Tambon Bang Rak Pattana

Amphur Bang Bua Tong

Nonthaburi

many thanks for this information taiphoon and also to lopburi3

90 day reporting:

Apart from paying a parking fine at the Non' Police station on Rattanathibet I have never used a Nonthaburi Govt Office!

Is this in the Government OFfices travelling East just before Teso?

The suggestion is to move from Laksi/Rangsit if you want to live closer to S'PUM airport.

I live on the Chao Phraya in Nonthaburi, very easy to access DM, but I'm buggered if I would move

to any area near S'PUM!! A little longer commute when travelling is no big problem. Without an airport

close by it's remarkably quieter too!!

Sounds good, let's hope that they can make it happen!

Why what is wrong with having two aiports?

Didn't they re-open Don Muang so the General's could recoup some of their losts income. Expect another coup detat if this goes ahead.........

Actually Don Muang is more convenient, but 2 airports anywhere are a real screwup. Paris/Orly what a stupid balls-up. London/Gatwick, who knows which way to go, where to stay etc....

So what is wrong with 2 airports! Well somehow Singapore and Hong Kong both have exceptional airports with capacity higer than Don Muang, AND they manage to do it in small island states with limited land area! Just coz you have plenty of land, which it not really the case in BKK, do you have to have 2 airports (unless of course your house is in RangSit or Laksii, in which case..... MOVE)

Thanks vm for both helpful replies. I'll play it safe and go in three weeks before planned! However improbable, I won't mind being turned away and told to come back in a week or so!!

I read lopburi 3 response re 21 days remaining...etc and although this may not be the same situation, this has raised an element of doubt in the timing of my renewal of my Retirement Visa valid from 3 May 2007 to 24 May 2008. I had planned to renew this for the second time a few days before 24 May. Should I plan to do this earlier?

BE = Brit Emb I guess. In my case it was more useful to me for the BE to quote a gross income, which they did. I dont think Thai immig scrutinise the accompanying pension document to look for the difference between net and gross.

Lem

OK, the big five-oh is rapidly approaching (I remember my dad being 30, I thought that was really ancient)

I don't anticipate giving up work just yet but 99% of my work is outside Thailand, I'm employed by a Hong Kong company.

Can I reduce visa hassles by getting a retirement extension using my overseas income (rather than a pension) as the funding source? I can easily exceed the 65000 per month requirement but I don't have (or anticipate having) 800k tied up in a local account.

I've been using multi non-o (married) visas but these seem to be getting less easy to obtain in the area and the extension requires a considerable waiting period (I can be required to jet off somewhere at a moments notice).

I got my (pension) letter from the BE a few weeks ago. They asked me if I wanted my rental income included included..I said not necessary. My letter from them showed nett pension. They are very helpful...costs nothing to go and see them with your paperwork.

What is 'BE' ?

Thanks for that info. I will try that.

Lem

So how did you get past the 'work permit' requirement if you didn't have a work permit?

I have never had a work permit in Thailand and have 3 accounts with Siam Commercial ... and am on post pay with AIS

walked in ... with passport and banking records for the AIS ... and just walked in to the bank

So how did you get past the 'work permit' requirement if you didn't have a work permit?

I have never had a work permit in Thailand and have 3 accounts with Siam Commercial ... and am on post pay with AIS

I have never had a work permit in Thailand and have 3 accounts with Siam Commercial ... and am on post pay with AIS

Firstly ... You can have a bank account if you are on a retirement visa ...

You don't really think all the tens of thousands of retirees here keep their

money under the mattress do you

I would suggest you try Kasikorn.

When you open the account then also apply for cyber banking.

With this you can top up your One 2 Call (etc.) prepaid phone from anywhere in the world.

(or are you saying that a prepaid is more expensive that a postpaid ?)

Naka.

I didnt know that you could top up One 2 Call via cyber banking. I just want to avoid carrying around spare top up cards when travelling, or having to call someone back here and ask them to buy a card and send me the numbers! I dont know if Post paid is cheaper, but I thought it might have been more convenient. However, I will look at the cyber banking option. It seems out of place to me that I can pay my UBC/True monthly TV and my True internet via 'post paid' bills, ie after the event, but I cant with a mobile phone bill because of the "work permit" stipulation.

Well, I guess I shouldnt lose sleep over it!

Thanks for the replies. Appreciate it.

Lem

I wanted to move from pre-paid to post-paid AIS, mainly because I found travelling outside Thailand uses up an awful lot of pre-paid cards!! But AIS insist that I must have a current work permit in order to apply for a post-paid account. DTAC also has a similar requirement. I don't have a current work permit, I have a retirement visa.

Is there anyway around this, or should I just give up and remain happy with my pre-paid card?

On a secondary matter: how does a retired person open a bank account in Thailand if he/she does not have a work permit? I used to have a work permit and so retained a bank account even though I have a retirement visa now.

Lem

Thanks very much for that useful info Maestro.

I am still in Thailand and my Non "O" visa (dependent) expires on 1 March. However I just happen to be doing a two week trip to Cambodia this Sunday and hope to apply for a Non "O" visa (retirement) while I am passing through Phnom Penh. My family will be back together in Bangkok at the same time I am in Cambodia (and it would be very difficult for me to break my journey and return to Bangkok to apply with them as a group. Also the MFA insist on communal application) and this is why I hope to get the Non "O" visa independent of their applications. In any case, my eventual aim is in any case to get a retirement visa, so I thought this could be an appropriate opportunity.

On the consulate's visa application form there is a field "Purpose of visit". If you are visiting relatives in Thailand you write "visit family". If you have no relatives in Thailand, write "explore retirement possibility"

In Thailand, if you wish to apply for an annual extension of stay, on the application form there is a field "Reason for extension". Seeing that you want to retire in Thailand, write "retirement" here.

You say that you have had a non-O visa with dependent status for the past 6 years. If you mean that you are currently in Thailand and already have an annual extension, for the reason of being a dependent, then you do not have to travel abroad to get a new non-O visa. On your next application for extension, simply indicate "retirement" as the reason for extension. In other words, you visa status non-O remains unchanged, only the reason for extension changes.

--

Maestro

Has anyone knowledge of what an applicant states on the Non "O" form at a Thai Consulate abroad when the Non "O" visa was an 'dependent' status (I've had this for 6 years) and needs to be changed to a 'retirement' status.

Or does this not matter at the Thai Consulate stage? i.e. is it that an umbrella Non "O" visa is approved and then the particular sub-status of - others, including dependents and retired persons - added later in Bangkok?

confused just a bit...