Retirement Visa for Australians

[Razuu]

Hello. 

Great if Australians on Retirement visa can advise on:

1. The min bank deposit 800,000THB, how long do you have to leave in the bank and any restrictions on using or withdrawing?

2. The proof of income document. What would the Thai authorities accept and how do you get the letter from the Australian embassy?

 

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers

[ubonjoe]

1. The 800k baht has to be in a Thai bank for 60 days on the date you apply for the first extension of stay (it is not a visa) and then 3 months after that. After your application is approved and you have the extension stamp you can do whatever your want to with the money until 3 months before you do the next application.

2. You will do a statutory declaration at the Australian embassy to prove your income. The embassy does not ask for any proof. Some immigration office may want backup proof of your income.

[Razuu]

Thanks.

So for each year, you can use the 800K for 9 months?

Cheers

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, Razuu said:

So for each year, you can use the 800K for 9 months?

Yes you can.

[Tanoshi]

The financial requirement for an extension of stay based on retirement are as follows;

800,000 baht deposit in a Thai bank for 60 days prior to the date of your first application, then 3 months for further extensions, 

OR

A letter from your Embassy proving funds of 65,000 per month,

OR

A combination of funds in the bank and income totalling not less than 800,000 baht per annum.

 

 

[Razuu]

Thanks for replies. Cheers

 

Are these figures for ONE person, what about a married couple?

 

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, Razuu said:

Are these figures for ONE person, what about a married couple?

They are for one person.

Your spouse can get an extension based yours with no financial proof required.

[Razuu]

Just to be clear, we as a married couple only need either 800K total or 65000K income per month?

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Razuu said:

Just to be clear, we as a married couple only need either 800K total or 65000K income per month?

That is correct. One applies for the extension based upon retirement and the other applies for an extension as their family member.

[Razuu]

Thanks

 

Do you suggest using a Visa agent in Thailand or applying yourself in Australia?

[ubonjoe]

20 minutes ago, Razuu said:

Do you suggest using a Visa agent in Thailand or applying yourself in Australia?

No need to use a visa agent here to do the extensions. Easy to do yourself.

You can apply for a OA long stay visa in Australia at the embassy or the official consulate in Sydney. You will need a medical certificate plus criminal background to apply for it. Financial requirements are the sam but the money can be in a bank there.

[Razuu]

understood, but what about the retirement visa, etc?

[giddyup]

4 minutes ago, Razuu said:

understood, but what about the retirement visa, etc?

The retirement visa can be obtained from Immigration in Thailand easily enough as long as you have the correct paperwork and meet the financial requirements for a cost of 1900 baht. I have been doing it every year for the last 9 years. Info on what paperwork, photos etc you need can be found easily enough with a Google search.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Razuu said:

understood, but what about the retirement visa, etc?

What retirement visa? The only visa close to being one is the OA visa.

To apply for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry at immigration based upon qualifying for an extension for retirement it is about the same as applying for an extension.

[giddyup]

33 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

What retirement visa? The only visa close to being one is the OA visa.

To apply for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry at immigration based upon qualifying for an extension for retirement it is about the same as applying for an extension.

 

[Phuket Man]

4 minutes ago, giddyup said:

 

That is not a Visa.

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, Phuket Man said:

That is not a Visa.

The visa is for the purposes of Retirement.

[ubonjoe]

I see nothing that says visa on that stamp.

Only this.

[Swimman]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

The visa is for the purposes of Retirement.

Much confusion is caused by those who do know (or refuse to acknowledge) the difference between a Visa and an Extension of Stay. The 'photo in post 16 is of an extension of stay  issued on the basis of retirement

[Razuu]

thank you..

 

[snawa]

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

1. The 800k baht has to be in a Thai bank for 60 days on the date you apply for the first extension of stay (it is not a visa) and then 3 months after that. After your application is approved and you have the extension stamp you can do whatever your want to with the money until 3 months before you do the next application.

2. You will do a statutory declaration at the Australian embassy to prove your income. The embassy does not ask for any proof. Some immigration office may want backup proof of your income.

Joe, do you still need a Stat Dec letter from the Australian Embassy confirming your address as well as from your landlord?

[ubonjoe]

17 minutes ago, snawa said:

Joe, do you still need a Stat Dec letter from the Australian Embassy confirming your address as well as from your landlord?

The stat declaration only confirms your income.

You still need proof of residence when applying for the extension. A rental agreement with signed copies of the owners house book registry is needed at many immigration offices for the proof.

[Tanoshi]

8 hours ago, giddyup said:

The visa is for the purposes of Retirement.

You obtain a Visa from a Thai Embassy / Consulate to enter Thailand.

Towards the end of validity of said Visa, you apply to extend you 'your permission to stay' (an extension) from your original Visa.

An extension based on marriage or retirement is a 'permit' not a Visa. It does not allow entry into Thailand.

 

Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay.  Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand.  In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years.  The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker. 

 On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa.  For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date.  The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp.  Travellers who wish to stay longer than such period may apply for extension of stay at offices of the Immigration Bureau

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15405-General-information.html  

 

Edited April 19, 2018 by Tanoshi

[onera1961]

9 hours ago, giddyup said:

The visa is for the purposes of Retirement.

As others have pointed out millionth times in this board that it is not a visa. It is a permission to stay based on retirement.

A visa is entitled to the holder the permission to enter the country at any entry port if immigration officer guarding the port does not find any issues.

 

With the permission to stay stamp alone you cannot enter the country if you go out of Thailand.

Hence, you need an reentry permit.

 

Technically speaking there are no retirement visa in Thailand.

There are long-stay visas. Non O-A allows you entry and reentry  into Thailand for up to one year from the date of the issue. At each entry, you are permitted to stay for one year.

Similarly, there are long stay Non O-X visa that allows entry and entry into Thailand up to five years. I guess it will allow permitted to stay for 5 years (an O-X visa holder can confirm it.)

 

When you enter Thailand, your passport is stamped with a permission to stay date based on the visa type you use to enter

 

For tourism purposes, you can enter Thailand without a visa depending on your passport issuing country. It is generally refereed to as Visa Exemption

 

There are procedures, discussed extensively in this forum, to extend permission to stay once you are inside Thailand at an immigration office.

The duration of extension and the type of extension depends on the visa type you use to enter Thailand.

Edited April 19, 2018 by onera1961

[Odysseus123]

It you are worried (or even a tad concerned) about the amounts that are required..ie..65,000 (month) or 400,000 or 800,00 in the bank then please do yourself a favour and DON'T DO IT.

[Razuu]

Thanks..