Retirement visa in Thailand, how little time can spend in country?

[callcharlie2001]

USA citizen, 65 years old, if I get a retirement visa for Thailand, how little time do I need to spend in Thailand? Example, what if I'm in country for less than 90 continuous days, then I might not file a 90 day report if I'm re-entering the country at the airports.  Might I be viewed as a tourist? Guidelines?

[ubonjoe]

There is no minimum time you have to stay if you have a OA long stay visa for retirement from an embassy or consulate or an extension of stay based upon retirement applied for at immigration.

You can leave and re-enter the country as many times as want to. Your visa or extension of stay indicates you are not a tourist.

[realenglish1]

You can leave the day after you get a Retired extension then come back 1 day before it expires as long as you have a re entry permit

There is no time limit on it other than the one year it is in force

[sammieuk1]

Don't forget you need a 3800 baht multi entry visa along with your retirement visa.

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Don't forget you need a 3800 baht multi entry visa along with your retirement visa.

What is that?

If you have a OA visa it is already a multiple entry visa.

If you have an extension of stay based upon retirement you can get a multiple re-entry permit for a fee of 3800 baht.

[Tanoshi]

16 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Don't forget you need a 3800 baht multi entry visa along with your retirement visa.

You would only need a re-entry permit (not a Visa) if you obtained an extension of stay based on retirement (also not a Visa).

 

I think the OP is asking about the Non Imm O-A ME Visa from the USA that they wrongly refer to as a 'retirement visa'.

That allows 1 year multiple entries up until the 'enter before' date.

If the OP re-enters just before that expiry date he will be given permission to stay for another year.

Only then would he need to obtain a re-entry permit(s) to keep his 1 year stay valid if he wanted to exit and re-enter during that 2nd year period.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Tanoshi

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post.

[anfh]

I have an extension of stay based on retirement, gained from Chonburi Immigration in may this year, this is an extension of an O visa etc.

 

you MUSt get a re-entry permit if leaving the country, either multi or single, otherwise the extension is invalidated as soon as you leave the country from any route --  air or land.

 

you do not need to do reports if you leave before 90 days is up on any trip . You can come and go as you please for the full year with a multi-entry re-entry permt, and therefore if only staying for 30 days each time etc you never need to do 90 day report. 

[rwill]

When I got my retirement visa from Los Angeles the first year was multiple entry.  Once you are in Thailand and go to extend the visa you pay the fee 1,900.  Plus you can at that time get either a single or multiple re-entry permit.  Single use is another 1,000 baht and Multiple entry another 3,850 baht.  So choose which you want based on how many times you are going to be exiting/entering the country in that year.

[superglue]

After a few years the yearn to travel/return to your own country will wear off.

To prepare for this is important as you establish a new 'home' & social acquaintances.

[Tanoshi]

40 minutes ago, anfh said:

I have an extension of stay based on retirement, gained from Chonburi Immigration in may this year, this is an extension of an O visa etc.

 

you MUSt get a re-entry permit if leaving the country, either multi or single, otherwise the extension is invalidated as soon as you leave the country from any route --  air or land.

 

you do not need to do reports if you leave before 90 days is up on any trip . You can come and go as you please for the full year  with a multi-entry re-entry permt, and therefore if only staying for 30 days each time etc you never need to do 90 day report. 

 

You cannot extend a Visa. Your O Visa finished when you got the extension based on retirement.

Your extending your permission to stay, not the Visa. 

It's a 'permit' with no entries attached, which is why you need to separately purchase re-entry permits.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Tanoshi

[Nemises]

There is no minimum time you have to stay if you have a OA long stay visa for retirement from an embassy or consulate or an extension of stay based upon retirement applied for at immigration.
You can leave and re-enter the country as many times as want to. Your visa or extension of stay indicates you are not a tourist.

What is/are the difference/s between ...

OA long stay visa for retirement from an embassy or consulate

and

an extension of stay based upon retirement applied for at immigration?

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Gregster said:

What is/are the difference/s between ...
OA long stay visa for retirement from an embassy or consulate
and
an extension of stay based upon retirement applied for at immigration?

Other than the obvious differences.

The OA visa allows unlimited one year permit to stays on entry to the country for a year from the date of issue. It is also possible to get a total stay of almost 2 years by doing and entry just before the visa expires.

A extension of stay is valid for one year from the end of a non immigrant visa entry and can be renewed every year after that by meeting the financial requirements.

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, Gregster said:

What is/are the difference/s between ...

OA long stay visa for retirement from an embassy or consulate

and

an extension of stay based upon retirement applied for at immigration?

With an O-A visa, you can enter and exit Thailand whenever you like up to the date it expires ... one year from when it was issued (issued, not from when it was first used). Each time you enter Thailand using the visa you get a fresh one year permission to stay.

 

If you exit and return just before the visa expires, you will still be given a fresh one year permission to stay (i.e. remain in Thailand), but because the visa will then expire, if you wish to travel out of the country and return you will need a re-entry permit. When entering with a re-entry permit, your current permission to stay will be maintained, not extended.

 

Towards the end of the second year permission to stay you can either apply at immigrations for a one year extension of stay (not a visa) based on retirement or you could go back to your home country to obtain a new non-imm O-A visa and start the above all over again.

 

If you apply for an extension of stay based on retirement you do not have a visa so a re-entry permit is required if you wish to exit and return.

 

Whether you are here on a visa entry or an extension of stay, if you remain in the country for 90 consecutive, uninterrupted days, you must do a 90 day report at your immigrations office. That is only required for stays of 90 days or more. Each time you exit and return to Thailand the 90 day count restarts from day one.

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2017 by Suradit69

[Foozool]

Get a "multiple reentry permit" if you'r planning to get out of Thailand more than 3 times annually. Otherwise pay 1000B per exit. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, Gregster said:

What is/are the difference/s between ...

OA long stay visa for retirement from an embassy or consulate

and

an extension of stay based upon retirement applied for at immigration?

 

Another difference beyond those mentioned above is:

 

--the O-A visa typically requires both a police clearance and a medical/health clearance as part of applying in your home country at the local Thai consulate.

 

--the extension of stay based on retirement applied for at Thai Immigration has no police or medical clearance requirements.

 

And for those planning to use bank deposits as the means of meeting financial requirements:

 

--for the O-A visa, the bank deposit and bank letter must be/will be from your home country.

 

--for the extension of stay based on retirement, the bank deposit and bank letter must come from a bank in Thailand.

 

[novo58]

`In answer to the original question.....there is no requirement to spend any amount of time in Thailand once you have obtained the permission to stay ( or extended your permission to stay) based on retirement. Early this year I returned to Thailand on May 3rd ( purpose to re-new my permission to stay). My existing permission to stay expired on 6th may. On entry at Swampy the IO gave me a 3 day entry stamp ( correctly as my existing permission to stay expired in 3 days). On 5th may I went to my local Immigration office and obtained a new permission to stay AND a re-entry permit. I left thailand on 10th May........as Im not in Thailand for 90 or MORE consecutive days ---no need for 90 day report.

 

I had previously spent 3 yrs continuously in Thailand but returned "home" to work again ....3yrs of doing nothing at all in Thailand can become very boring.

 

What I do outside of Thailand is none of their business( as long as it is not illegal). My " right" to re-enter Thailand is not affected by my time away from Thailand.