oldcpu

For reason of retirement

Latest up date for myself ... I arrived in Thailand early October, obtaining a 45-day Visa Exempt entry permission to stay. Unfortunately I immediately came down with COVID symptoms (fortunately mild and it cleared up quick) so it was not until 18-October that I was able to go to immigration to apply for a non-immigrant 90-day Type-O Visa. My permission to stay on the Visa exempt was until Sunday 20-Nov, and I was told to show up at immigration today 21-November, which I did bright and early this morning. The visa office was crowded as is the norm, although I have seen it worse. My Passport and the blue receipt for the TM87 application (that I made on 18-October) were both kept by the Immigration. After about 35 minutes I was advised my Visa application was not approved, and told that next week, if approval ready, an IO would call me to come to the office. I was given the 'blue receipt for a TM87 application" back, but they kept my passport. So its not just agents who keep one's passport for a number of days (albeit next week, if I get my passport back, is not 100 days as reported in this thread). So all the proof I have now for my being allowed in Thailand, is an image I took of my passport page that has my 'expired' (yesterday) permission to stay in my passport, images (and paper copies) of my passport main page ... and a 'pink-Thai-ID card' (for what that's worth ?? ) and a hope that I get my 90-day approved next week. In defence of Phuket immigration, they were all very very polite - and they appear to work quite hard. If I would have any recommendation, it would be to grant Phuket immigration the power to approve such Visa's themselves, and not be forced to send the immigration applications to another province (??) to approve. I have suspect by being forced to send the Visa applications to another province, overall Thai immigration might be doubling their paperwork. ... Anyway, with no passport, I can't legally leave the country ... so all I can do now is wait ... which is not such a bad thing, as the weather is nice and I obviously like Thailand.

Thank-you! That is very interesting to learn.

I absolutely agree there. If entering Thailand on a 45-day Visa Exempt, with the intention to apply for a 90-day Type-O Visa, go to immigration as soon as possible to apply for the visa. ASAP ! In my case I arrived on a Friday (45-days Visa Exempt) and I was planning to show up on Monday with all the needed paperwork. Sunday night I came down with COVID symptoms (likely caught COVID on the aircraft or airport on Thurs/Friday the previous week on my way to Thailand). It was two weeks later before I could safely (legally after having COVID ?? ) go to immigration (fortunately COVID was mild, fever broke after 2 nights, after which it was only necessary to wait for Thai doctor recommended time frame before I was safe to come out of COVID isolation - actually I obtained 2 different Thai doctor's opinions as to when I could go to immigration). So I went to immigration with 30days left in my permission to stay (which expires tomorrow - Sunday). Immigration told me to show up on Monday (one day after the permission to stay expires) and I have only a blue receipt in my passport to show why I am on what on the surface appears to be an 'overstay' (but I believe it is not such an overstay as I did apply for the Type-O). I will find out on Monday if I need to wait longer for the Type-O.

Be that as it may, many DO have the paper work and they still have a big wait. I have waited 5 hours on one occasion, and 4 hours on a totally different occasion, in a hot sweaty over crowded environment where there was insufficient seating and standing room only. I am happy to read for 20 years you have had good experiences, but the fact is not everyone has been as fortunate as you, DESPITE having all the necessary paperwork. The simple fact is your mileage may vary. The reason why many who meet all the requirements, and who have all the paperwork, still go for an agent, is because they do not want risk a 5 hour unpleasant experience in a hot sweaty environment with inadequate sitting. Myself? I will risk that, as I prefer to save the money, but I fully understand those who don't want to risk such. Your refusal to admit not everyone has had easy experiences like yourself (despite their having ALL necessary paperwork) is what is boring.

They were NOT sick on the day. Rather sitting at the immigration office for hours weakened them and they became sick. As I stated YMMV. Not everyone has the same easy experience as yourself.

True, there was a report back date stamp in my passport, but when I reported on the noted date, they advised me to come back again in a week, and there was no update to the reporting date. And a week later, they told me to again come back in a week. So for two weeks, for anyone looking at the paper, it appeared I had exceeded my report back date. Of course a chat with immigration should nominally sort any misunderstanding, but this could if stopped (by police and had one's permission to stay checked) lead to some uncomfortable minutes/misunderstandings until all was sorted. I have a similar situation now for my 90-day Type-O Visa application, except in this case NO stamp in my passport, ONLY a blue piece of paper. I applied just over 3 weeks ago and I am to report to immigration on Monday next week (my "permission to stay expires on "Sunday", one day prior to my being told to report to immigration). There is no under consideration stamp in my passport, BUT there is a blue receipt for the 1900 THB which I assume doubles as an 'under consideration' proof for the Visa. I will see on Monday if I get the 90-day Type-O Visa stamp into my passport, or if I am told to return again. Fortunately this is not the '100-days' in "passport-less limbo" that has been reported that some encountered with agents.

I suspect this is the crux of the matter. The expats who I know (in Pattaya) who use an agent are not trying to circumvent any requirements. They meet the requirements. But contrary to what was posted , they have experiences in Pattaya where they spend hours in crowded conditions in Pattaya, which was very tiring for them - one ended getting sick afterward due to the excess fatigue. Perhaps the saying YMMV (your mileage may very) is applicable here. I know for my extension in Phuket (marriage) it took hours in a hot sweaty uncomfortable environment. I was there for a good 5 hours and I was the last person to leave the immigration office long after it closed. The extension (retirement) I did the year prior on my Type-OA, was easier, but given insurance changes, that was no longer a course of action that I wished to follow (given my superior European health insurance was rejected by Thai immigration) so I tried the marriage extension route. Even thou successful THAT was painful for me. (So I am now going for a Type-O visa). As for my Pattaya friends, after their uncomfortable lengthy experiences in Pattaya immigration, they said NO MORE. They would pay an agent, and they told me they were very selective in choosing an agent (purportedly with a good reputation else they would not keep going back to the same agent). In essence, all they do is sign limited power of attorney to the agent, pass to the agent the appropriate documents, and since they meet the requirements it perfectly legal. It takes them minutes. As for the agent horror stories on being technically on overstay (while waiting for a passport to return), I can relate to that and I DON'T USE AN AGENT. The last time I renewed my Type-OA visa (marriage extension), I was told to return over 3 weeks later to have my extension stamped in the Passport, when my "Permission to stay expired". I showed up (at Phuket immigration) and Phuket immigration was not ready. I was told to come back in a week. A week later I came back, and again, immigration still was not ready. For two weeks I was technically on an overstay, with the only thing to show was the paper in my passport indicating I had applied/paid for an extension that was not yet approved. So its not just going with agents that technical 'overstay' can happen. Still, having typed the above, I recommend anyone who does not meet the requirements for staying in Thailand, should look for another country to live in, even thou that may be a painful approach. Finding a different country, as an expat, to live may be better than deportation from Thailand if an illegal immigration activity should fail.

I have never used an agent myself. Having typed that, I have friends in Pattaya, who always use an agent. They easily meet the requirements for a retirement 1-year extension on their permission to stay (on a Tupe-O visa) and they still always use an agent. They are both in their 70s, and they would rather pay 12,000 to 15,000 Thai baht to an agent, than for them to do the waiting themselves, to suffer in a crowded immigration office all day. I am a decade younger than them, so I am more able than them to put up with the crowded masses in the immigration office while waiting to be processed - but I can understand why they would rather spend the money, than suffer for a day at immigration. .

A follow up to this old thread. I had the Dupuytren's condition in my left hand conducted by Dr.Kanit late last week using "Percutaneous Needle Fasciotomy" (PNF) procedure. Prior to the procedure there was about a 60-degree bend in my left ring finger (when I was trying to keep the finger straight). Currently, 4 days after the procedure, the bend is only about 10-degrees. While not perfectly straight, this is the closest to being straight my hand has been in over 10 years. I searched, and I could not find another clinic in Thailand that would conduct "Percutaneous Needle Fasciotomy" (PNF) . This procedure is very common in North America and in Europe. All the other Thai Hospitals/clinics that I called to treat the Dupuytrens in my hand wanted to conduct full scale surgery, which is very intrusive and takes 1/2 year or more to recover from. In contrast, one recovers from PNF in less than a week. The "Collagnenase injection" ("Xiaflex injection") procedure is NOT available outside of USA, as the company that makes Xiaflex no longer will ship the drug outside of the USA (and also Xiaflex, even if allowed to be shipped outside of USA, is not approved for use in Thailand).

Thus was in Phuket. We were married in Canada, however our marriage was registered in Thailand.

I had to produce/provide my proof of marriage to a Thai citizen for my Yellow Book.

I wish Type-OA visa allowed $100K US$ in account (as proof of 'self insurance') but I do not believe it does allow. The LTR visa does allow. If the Type-OA visa allowed $100K US in an account, I would not have started the process of changing to a Type-O visa (by leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit on the Type-OA and then applying for a 90-day Type-O visa not long after arrival back in Thailand). Hopefully in the future, the $100K US self health insurance is applied to Type-OA visa holders who are looking for 1-year extensions.

I have applied for a 90-day Type-O visa in Phuket, after having entered Visa Exempt. Previous I was on a Type-OA visa, that was invalidated when I left Thailand without a re-entry permit on that Type-OA Visa's permission to stay. Previously, for my Type-OA visa I was using proof of funds (800K) in Bangkok Bank which came from abroad (and I have proof of that). But for the Type-O I transferred funds from Bangkok Bank (that came abroad to Bangkok bank) to Krungsri bank, and I applied using the funds in Krungsri as proof of the 800K THB. When applying, I was not (yet) asked for proof of the 800K THB coming from abroad. I probably could have provided that, but it would have been a complex trail of money from abroad to Bangkok Bank (transferred a few years ago) to Krungsri bank (6 months ago). So it would have been complicated. Fortunately I was not (yet) asked to produce. This was 2 weeks ago and I am to show up at immigration in 3rd week of November, hopefully to pick up my 90-day Type-O Visa. But its still possible I could get a phone call between now and then, asking me to come in to immigration, to show that convoluted paper trail. I will know presumably in 3rd week of November.

Thanks. I will contact Boi.

No one says that, as far I know. The problem is, how can one buy such? The banks I went to will not assist in doing such.

The conversations at these banks were in Thai language with my Thai wife translating. I asked for more detail as to why K Bank didn't allow foreigners to buy bonds on the secondary market and my wife said she was told by the bank that there was a limitation with their trading app. The bank requires secondary market bond purchasers to use the app " G wallet" and purportedly one can only register on that app with a Thai citizen ID card number.

I went to KBank in Phuket. They stated the opposite of what you posted. They claimed they would only sell to foreigner on primary market (ie at issue) and not at secondary market. .. Maybe every branch is different. I also visited Bangkok Bank, GSB bank, and Krungthai bank and I was told the same from each bank. Krungthai will only allow Thai to buy in secondary market. Further I was advised it typically difficult to buy bonds at issue time as there is a mad scramble to buy and they are typically sold out in seconds. So if I don't come up with another investment approach that is satisfactory to me then I may pass on the LTR. .. I don't want to buy more real estate than what I already have. Another different LTR story. The Phuket KBank I went to had a foreigner with a new LTR Visa show up, and try to open an account. The KBank ( assistant bank manager) was advised by her management to not allow an account to be opened for the foreigner with the LTR Visa as the Bank procedures had not yet been updated to allow accounts to be open with that LTR Visa. Those on the cutting edge of getting this Visa may encounter issues that will take time to go away.

I agree completely with the above if 2.5-million baht is a significant/majority of one's finances. In my case, I like to have a certain % of my portfolio in bonds (I believe in diversification) in addition to stocks, real estate and other investments. So if I am going to own bonds, it might just as well be Thai bonds, as long as the amount is not too large. Hence 2.5-million Thai baht in bonds is fine for me. But 9.5-million in Thai bonds is a greater % in bonds than I would like given other potential global investments for my portfolio. As you say, its the choice of each of us, as to how we invest our hard earned money.

This will be a necessary point to clarify for me. I am ok with purchasing ~2.5 million Thai baht in Thai Government bonds (as I like to carry a limited % of my portfolio in bonds), but I don't want to invest any more than that together with the current condo that I own in Thailand (for investments in Thailand) , else the Type-O (with its constant 1 year extensions) will start to look more appealing to me at present time.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will go to my Bangkok Bank branch, and see what options I have.

Thanks for the suggestion. I see now (from another post) that Bangkok Bank may have possibilities, so given I have an account there, I will try that first, and failing that, go to KBANK.

I will need to obtain clarification on that. I could but I have no desire to purchase $250K US$ equivalent (9.4m THB) in Thai bonds (nor purchase any more real estate than what I already own). So if I had to buy more bonds than the 2.5m THB, it would change the ball game for me. 2.5m THB would be ok ... but much more than that and I prefer to have the money more fluid to use elsewhere. That's interesting. This will be my first non-imm Type-O. Previous I had a Type-OA. Hopefully the 90-day Type-O expiry won't complicate my travel plans (to leave Thailand with a re-entry stamp on the permission to stay, leaving for 2 weeks) in the 2nd/3rd week of February-2023. If I don't go for the 10-year LTR then I am probably going for a 1-year extension of the Type-O based on retirement, applying end-January-2023. I'm not using an agent ... and I have no desire to do so, BUT I have friends in Pattaya who always use an agent. An agent saves them the hassle of a long day or two at immigration, where Murphy's Law says without an agent, one could be unlucky to be at immigration for many hours on a crowded and hot day. The older one gets, the more unpleasant that becomes. From what they tell me, they pay closer to 15K.

Correct me please if I am wrong, but Thai Government bonds are NOT being purchased for their interest, although obviously that is a secondary consideration, but rather to show an investment in Thailand. Bonds issued in other countries are simply not accepted to qualify for a Wealthy Pensioner (who uses the $40K US pension criteria) as part of the $250K US equivalent investment in Thailand.

No - my substantial savings are outside of such a plan.