Tourist visa to "o" to extension of stay "retirement" Chiangmai

[Thailand]

17 minutes ago, EricTh said:

No. It doesn't say that in the photo.

Because the info in the photo refers to transferring from a tourist visa to an "o" visa which requires proof of funds source, not applying for a "retirement" status which does not require source of funds.

 

[Dante99]

So the guy complaining about other people's writing has a reading problem?  That just can not be happening on this forum.

[NancyL]

Actually it seems pretty clear to me and it's a helpful service that the document was posted here.

[Superoo]

Well,

 

It appears that in order to apply for "retirement" status one has to first transfer over to an 'O' visa.

 

So, in any case to apply for "retirement" status everyone must first have proof of

foreign remittance.

 

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Superoo
grammar

[Dante99]

9 minutes ago, Superoo said:

Well,

 

It appears that in order to apply for "retirement" status one has to first transfer over to an 'O' visa.

 

So, in any case to apply for "retirement" status everyone must first have proof of

foreign remittance.

 

Please correct me if I am wrong.

I got an O and never proved any foreign remittance nor was I asked to.

[NancyL]

2 hours ago, Dante99 said:

I got an O and never proved any foreign remittance nor was I asked to.

It may very well have been obvious to look at your bank record that the money was a foreign remittance, the banks use three digit codes to indicate the origin of a transaction.  

 

And, if you were using an Income Letter from an Embassy/Consulate, then there is no need to prove the source of funds.

[Thailand]

5 minutes ago, NancyL said:

It may very well have been obvious to look at your bank record that the money was a foreign remittance, the banks use three digit codes to indicate the origin of a transaction.  

 

And, if you were using an Income Letter from an Embassy/Consulate, then there is no need to prove the source of funds.

FTT in the case of Bangkok Bank

[EricTh]

23 hours ago, NancyL said:

It may very well have been obvious to look at your bank record that the money was a foreign remittance, the banks use three digit codes to indicate the origin of a transaction.  

 

And, if you were using an Income Letter from an Embassy/Consulate, then there is no need to prove the source of funds.

No. I brought cash over in two trips (exchange it at money changer) and there is no indication that it was a foreign remit.

[NancyL]

1 minute ago, EricTh said:

No. I brought cash over in two trips (exchange it at money changer) and there is no indication that it was a foreign remit.

How long ago was this.  The need to show foreign sourcing for visa conversion may be new.  I know I wasn't asked for it when I converted ten years ago and indeed some of the money was brought over in cash.  But that was ten years ago.

[Bill97]

No. I brought cash over in two trips (exchange it at money changer) and there is no indication that it was a foreign remit.

Declare the cash when you enter with it and get a form showing foreign remit. No declare, out of luck.


Sent from my iPod touch using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[EricTh]

4 hours ago, NancyL said:

How long ago was this.  The need to show foreign sourcing for visa conversion may be new.  I know I wasn't asked for it when I converted ten years ago and indeed some of the money was brought over in cash.  But that was ten years ago.

Two years ago.

[Kohsamida]

MAKING APPOINTMENTS FOR METV > NON-O VISA...Can somebody provide details on how to make these appointments?  I read NancyL's posts but I am confused.  She says they only make 3 or 4 appointments a day???  You need to show up at 8am but if 3 or 4 people are in front of you, you need to come back the next day???  There is no queue for doing this; how are you supposed to know Where to line up?

 

I mean, I know this is Thailand, but the process for making an appointment to apply is already sort of redundant and inefficient, but it can't be THIS poor.  I must be missing something.  Is there a CM Immigration web link that covers this, or somebody who really can provide the details.  I never heard of anything so confusing or convoluted before.

[Kohsamida]

On 5/15/2018 at 9:37 AM, Thailand said:

Update.

 

The office for making the appointment is the 2nd floor office where the TM30's are submitted but at the rear,there is a sign saying q to make appointment for change of visa 9~10am.

Went in at 8.50am this morning,officers very helpful.The lady walked out at 9.10am with an appointment for Friday next week.

 

Thanks for the useful posts,18,000 baht cheaper than Tian! ☺

 

Thanks for clearing up this incredibly confusing subject :)

[Kohsamida]

Does anyone have clarification on what constitutes "proof of foreign remittance"?  In my case I did an online transfer of funds from my US bank to my Thai bank.  Would the Thai bank have some sort of record of this (I assume they would) and be able to verify this in a "Letter from the Bank"?

 

I think I saw someone post something about a "3-digit" code that shows up in some sort of bank record in connection with this but I can't find it now.

 

Bureaucratic nonsense...Grrrr!

[Kohsamida]

TOURIST VISA > NON-O > NON-AO PROCEDURES:  Can a "Visa Guru" post a sticky on the precise procedures, as of 2018, for converting a Tourist Visa to a Retirement Visa, or comment on my post so I can make necessary corrections and post my own sticky? 

 

I know there is a ton of information posted here on ThaiVIsa about this, but it is all spread across numerous threads and posts.  What's more, there is a lot of contradictory and/or outdated information.  For instance:

 

FROM NANCYL

The Immigration office opens at 8:30 am.  She should go to the Info desk in front of the Immigration office and there is a spot for people to queue who have business with the second floor Immigration office.  This is where they book the appointments, along with other business like filing TM30s.  

 

UPDATE FROM THAILAND

The office for making the appointment is the 2nd floor office where the TM30's are submitted but at the rear,there is a sign saying q to make appointment for change of visa 9~10am.

Went in at 8.50am this morning,officers very helpful.The lady walked out at 9.10am with an appointment for Friday next week.

 

From what I have read on here, the Immigration Office in Chaing Mai is perhaps the most confusing and convoluted IO in all of Thailand!  A up-to-date sticky on this subject from a trusted source would be of immense value to many besides myself.

 

From what I've been able to piece together, this is how I understand the procedure:

 

REQUIREMENTS:

STEP ONE: Apply for conversion of Tourist Visa to Non-O Visa

1) 800,000 baht in a Thai Bank; The bank must furnish two letters:  1) to verify the account, 2) to verify that the funds come from a foreign source.  Also required, original bank book plus photo copies of all pages.  The funds do not need to be in a Thai Bank account for any length of time (whereas when applying for the Non-OA visa they do need to be in the bank for at least TWO MONTHS, and for renewing an existing NON-OA they need to be in the account for THREE MONTHS.

 

2) A copy of a TM-30 for your place of residence. (not sure if you need to have actual copy of TM-30 or the receipt that the landlord gave me??)  Anyone care to comment on this??????

 

4) A completed TM-86 Form (for conversion of Tourist Visa to Non-O; or a TM-87 if you entered Visa-Exempt)

 

5) Your original passport along with photocopies of all pages, and one 2x2 photo on a white background.

 

6) A visit to Promenada Immigration Office (in-person) to make an appointment for submitting the application.  The office for making the appointment is the 2nd floor office where the TM30's are submitted but at the rear, there is a sign saying q to make appointment for change of visa 9~10am. (Poster noted: ...went in at 8.50am this morning, officers very helpful.The lady walked out at 9.10am with an appointment for Friday next week.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Chiang Mai Immigration Office (IO) requires that application be filed 21 days before "permission to stay" expires (not 14 days, as in most other Thailand IO's).  Furthermore, since Chiang Mai IO only issues a few appointments a day, it can take more than one trip to Promenada just to get an appointment date, and that date could be beyond the 21 day rule if you wait too long to apply for the appointment.

 

So, to my knowledge those are the only steps required to convert a tourist visa to a Non-O visa in Chiang Mai.  AM I MISSING ANYTHING ???  Any useful tips to ensure a successful and uneventful conversion?

-------------------------------------------------------

STEP 2:  NON-O > NON-AO VISA

The Non-O Visa is good for 90 days.  45 days before its' expiration, you need to apply for the NON-AO Visa.

 

In order to apply for the one year NON-OA visa, the steps are basically the same as above (so you should have duplicates of all submitted stuff like TM-30, passport photocopies, and you will need new photocopies of bank book, and new letters from the bank.  The main distinction is that you MUST have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for at least 2 MONTHS prior to submitting application (3 months if renewing an existing Non O-A visa), and as with the Non-O visa application, those funds must be from a source outside of Thailand.

===========================================================

So, can anyone tell me if I have this correct?  Have I missed anything?

 

I just think it would be nice to have ALL the requirements and procedures in one place because I have had to go through dozens of posts, and post a lot of questions to arrive at these conclusions, and I'm still not sure if I have it correct.

 

Apparently Chiang Mai Immigration is quite different than any other Thai immigration office.  I have been told that applying for visa changes in Jomtien (Pattaya), for example,  is a breeze compared with CM!

Edited May 19, 2018 by Kohsamida

[NancyL]

3 minutes ago, Kohsamida said:

TOURIST VISA > NON-O > NON-AO PROCEDURES:  Can a "Visa Guru" post a sticky on the precise procedures, as of 2018, for converting a Tourist Visa to a Retirement Visa?  I know there is a ton of information posted here on ThaiVIsa about this, but it is all spread across numerous threads and posts.  What's more, there is a lot of contradictory and/or outdated information.  For instance:

 

FROM NANCYL

The Immigration office opens at 8:30 am.  She should go to the Info desk in front of the Immigration office and there is a spot for people to queue who have business with the second floor Immigration office.  This is where they book the appointments, along with other business like filing TM30s.  

 

UPDATE FROM THAILAND

The office for making the appointment is the 2nd floor office where the TM30's are submitted but at the rear,there is a sign saying q to make appointment for change of visa 9~10am.

Went in at 8.50am this morning,officers very helpful.The lady walked out at 9.10am with an appointment for Friday next week.

 

From what I have read on here, Immigration Office in Chaing Mai is perhaps the most confusing and convoluted IO in all of Thailand!  A up-to-date sticky on this subject from a trusted source would be of immense value to many.

 

From what I've been able to piece together, this is how I understand the procedure:

 

REQUIREMENTS:

STEP ONE: Apply for conversion of Tourist Visa to Non-O Visa

1) 800,000 baht in a Thai Bank; The bank must furnish two letters:  1) to verify the account, 2) to verify that the funds come from a foreign source.  Also required, original bank book plus photo copies of all pages.  The funds do not need to be in a Thai Bank account for any length of time (whereas when applying for the Non-OA visa they do need to be in the bank for at least TWO MONTHS, and for renewing an existing NON-OA they need to be in the account for THREE MONTHS.

 

2) A copy of a TM-30 for your place of residence. (not sure if you need to have actual copy of TM-30 or the receipt that the landlord gave me??)

 

4) A completed TM-86 Form (for conversion of Tourist Visa to Non-O; or a TM-87 if you do not have a tourist visa)

 

5) Your original passport along with photocopies of all pages, and one (1) 2x2 photo

 

6) A visit to Promenada Immigration Office (in-person) to make an appointment for submitting the application.  The office for making the appointment is the 2nd floor office where the TM30's are submitted but at the rear, there is a sign saying q to make appointment for change of visa 9~10am.

Went in at 8.50am this morning, officers very helpful.The lady walked out at 9.10am with an appointment for Friday next week.

 

NOTE:  Chiang Mai IO requires that application be filed 21 days before "permission to stay" expires (not 14 days as in most other Thailand IO's).  Furthermore, since Chiang Mai IO only issues a few appoints a day, it can takes several weeks to get an appointment so it's important to get an appointment as early as possible IN ADVANCE OF THE 21 day timeframe.

 

So, to my knowledge those are the only steps required to convert a tourist visa to a Non-O visa in Chiang Mai.  AM I MISSING ANYTHING ???

 

The Non-O Visa is good for 90 days.  45 days before its' expiration, you need to apply for the NON-AO Visa

 

NON-O > NON-AO VISA

In order to apply for the one year NON-OA visa, the steps are basically the same as above (so you should keep copies of all submitted stuff like TM-30, passport photocopies, and you will need new photocopies of bank book, and new letters from the bank.  The main distinction is that you MUST have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for at least 2 MONTHS prior to submitting application (3 months if renewing an existing Non O-A visa), and as with the Non-O visa application, those funds must be from a source outside of Thailand.

 

So, can anyone tell me if I have this correct?  Have I missed anything?

 

I just think it would be nice to have ALL the requirements and procedures in one place because I have had to go through dozens of posts, and post a lot of questions to arrive at these conclusions, and I'm still not sure if I have it correct.

 

Apparently Chiang Mai Immigration is quite different than any other Thai immigration office.  I have been told that applying for visa changes in Jomtien (Pattaya), for example,  is a breeze compared with CM!

Oh dear, there are a few problems with what is posted above.  

 

For starters, the photo size requirement is 4 cm x 6 cm, not the size of the little square on the forms.  Also, Imm. has been known to enforce requirements for specific color background, but doesn't seem to be doing that now.  In fact, the problem in having a up-to-date sticky about EXACTLY what is required is that there are no EXACT requirements; they change from time-to-time and person-to-person, just to keep the customers confused.

 

Basically, other than the description of the photo requirements, the description of the process of visa conversion is correct.  However, there is no such thing as moving from a "Non-O to a Non-OAVisa"  Instead, the correct name is applying for a one year extension of permission to stay due to retirement.  What you obtain is a one year permission to stay, not a new visa.  Your 90-day visa will expire and be dead, but you will extend your permission to stay from year-to-year, due to retirement, just as other people may extend their permission of stay of their Non-O visa  due to marriage to a Thai national.  You do not "renew" your visa each year (it is long since dead) but rather you're applying for a new extension of stay or extension of permission to remain in the country.

 

Also, you don't have to use 800,000 baht in the bank to justify financial requirements for a retirement visa/extension.  You can obtain a letter from your Embassy/Consulate attesting that you have income of at least 65,000 baht/month.  Or you can have a combination of both income and money in the bank in Thailand.  If you use an Income Letter, then you will need a new income letter when you apply for your extension at the end of life of your 90-day non-imm O visa and with each subsequent extension application.

[Kohsamida]

10 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Oh dear, there are a few problems with what is posted above...

Thanks for your input.  I am going to edit my post with corrections and suggestions I receive, and then when everything is correct, I will create a brand new post with the PRECISE, CORRECT details.  I realize the rules and procedures are constantly in a state of flux with when it comes to this stuff, but it would still be nice to have all the details in one place here on ThaiVisa, and they could just be edited as things change.

 

I spent days trying to piece together all the information needed to apply for my 6-month METV from the USA.  The US based Thai embassies were of little help and it was almost impossible to get straight answers over the phone from them.   It seems that the same is true with IO's here in Thailand, but there's such a wealth of accurate information on the subject here on ThaiVisa; It just would be nice to have it all in one post.

Edited May 19, 2018 by Kohsamida

[ubonjoe]

A off topic post has been removed.

[Thailand]

Our friend had her appointment at 3pm today. She provided TWO copies of all documents including lease agreement for proof of address. Officers very pleasant and helpful.

 

She will receive her "o" visa in 3 weeks 1 day before her tourist visa expires.

 

Home by 4.05pm.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

Topic closed at OP's request by way of a report.