Retirement Visa

[Ian Dunn]

Hi fellas!

 

Please advice me, many thanks.

 

I am teaching at a college. My employment contract and work permit will end the same on the 30th of September 2018 and I am due to report the 90 days on the 21st of September 2018. 

 

I  wish to apply for a retirement visa, can I apply for it  now or apply it at the 90-day reporting on the 21st of September at the immigration centre. When do I have to leave the country for the visa run to convert it to tourist visa? 

 

What do I need in terms of documentation for the retirement visa application and how much would it cost?  

 

Finally, when I obtained the retirement visa, do I have to renew it every year. 

 

I would appreciate your wise advice and guidance. Thank you very much. 

[lopburi3]

As you are doing 90 day reports it appears you are on an extension of stay and that will end the day your employment ends and you will need to exit Thailand then.  You need to make that Sep21 90 day report.  It appears you want to obtain a tourist visa and then convert to non immigrant O visa and then extend for reason of retirement.  You are over age 50 and meet the financials.  Yes the retirement extension of stay needs to be applied for every year and financials met.  To convert to non-immigrant O visa will cost 2,000 baht and all extensions cost 1,900 baht.  Basically financial proof 800k in bank or 65k per month income of combination to meet 800k per year; some proof of residence/map (varies by office used), filling out required forms at immigration office.  Normally one or more 4x6cm recent photos are required for each form.  Not normally very hard but exact paperwork varies by location.

[Ian Dunn]

Lopburi3

 

Sorry, I want to make it doubly sure - 

1) Do I leave the country on the day (21st of September ) after I have done the 90-day reporting or

2) leave before or on the 30th of September, the end of work permit

 

In regards to the retirement visa, when exactly do I submit the application for the retirement visa?

 

Cheers ☺

[ubonjoe]

If you can meet the financial requirements of 800k baht in the bank for 3 months or 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht you could change the reason for current extension of stay based upon teaching to retirement at immigration on the date your current extension is canceled by using a termination letter from your employer. No need to leave the country if you can do this.

If not it would be best to get a single entry non-o visa in Penang or Savannakhet for being 50 or over if you can meet the financial requirements. The 800k baht would only have to be in the bank on the date you apply. Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry from the visa you could apply for the extension based upon retirement.

 

[Tanoshi]

10 hours ago, Ian Dunn said:

In regards to the retirement visa, when exactly do I submit the application for the retirement visa?

It isn't a Visa, it's an extension of your permission to stay.

 

You can apply for an extension based on retirement 30 days before your current permission to stay expires, which according to the dates given you could apply on Monday 3rd Sept. To qualify you must;

1. Have held a Non Imm Visa (some offices insist on a Non Imm O)

2. Be 50 or over.

3. Have an income of 65,000 per month, or 800,000 deposited in a Thai bank for 3 months on the date of application, or a combination of Income and a deposit in a Thai bank totalling 800,000 per annum.

[lopburi3]

14 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

You can apply for an extension based on retirement 30 days before your current permission to stay expires, which according to the dates given you could apply on Monday 3rd Sept. To qualify you must;

I seriously doubt an application for retirement extension will be accepted by immigration while working.  He needs to have ended his work.  

[Tanoshi]

13 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

I seriously doubt an application for retirement extension will be accepted by immigration while working.  He needs to have ended his work.  

Very possible, which means he would have to make the application on 30th Sept.

They may even insist he has a Non Imm O Visa, which then reverts to plan B.

 

Unless the OP can confirm he's 50 or over and can meet the financial requirements, then any further advice to obtain a retirement extension is pointless.

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Very possible, which means he would have to make the application on 30th Sept.

They may even insist he has a Non Imm O Visa, which then reverts to plan B.

As I wrote earlier he would need a termination letter from his employer to cancel his current extension so he could apply for the one based upon retirement. No need to wait for the last day and even then immigration would want proof he is no longer working.

Most offices will change the reason for the extension to retirement if he can meet the financial requirements.

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

As I wrote earlier he would need a termination letter from his employer to cancel his current extension so he could apply for the one based upon retirement. No need to wait for the last day and even then immigration would want proof he is no longer working.

Most offices will change the reason for the extension to retirement if he can meet the financial requirements.

 The OP stated his contract and WP won't expire until 30th Sept, so one assumes he will be working until that date.

[overherebc]

11 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

 The OP stated his contract and WP won't expire until 30th Sept, so one assumes he will be working until that date.

Also if his employer is ending the contract he needs to check what severence pay might be due. If he has resigned then of course that means he gets nothing.

[Ian Dunn]

Thank you chaps, your advice is all indeed useful. 

 

A point for consideration, I  wondered, say, after a year's of retirement visa and I decided to go back to teaching at university or college, would I be allowed to do so? 

[Phuket Man]

7 hours ago, Ian Dunn said:

Thank you chaps, your advice is all indeed useful. 

 

A point for consideration, I  wondered, say, after a year's of retirement visa and I decided to go back to teaching at university or college, would I be allowed to do so? 

You would if you had the correct Visa/Extension and work permit.

[heretostay]

Just to reiterate and reassure you, OP, that the switch from NON-B to NON-O, and from extension based on working to extension based on retirement is doable at immigration without leaving the country.  I did it a few years ago.  I thought I had it all prepared, with dotted "i's" and crossed "t's", but hadn't been aware of the necessity of the letter from my (former) employer. I remained polite and calm with the immigration officer, who said, no problem, go to your employer, get the letter, and come back tomorrow.  Which I did.  And presto, the whole process was completed.

 

Good luck to you.

[scottiejohn]

The OP is obviously being paid for his services in Thailand.  Will he have to prove that ALL the 800,000Baht has come into the country from abroad or does it not matter?
I only ask as there has been a protracted discussion on another forum as to  whether the 800,000Baht MUST come from outside Thailand for the first extension based on retirement or not.

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

The OP is obviously being paid for his services in Thailand.  Will he have to prove that ALL the 800,000Baht has come into the country from abroad or does it not matter?
I only ask as there has been a protracted discussion on another forum as to  whether the 800,000Baht MUST come from outside Thailand for the first extension based on retirement or not.

Proof the funds came from abroad is not required to apply for an extension of stay. It is only need to apply for a non immigrant visa at immigration based upon qualifying for an extension based upon retirement.

With proof all or part of the 800k baht was earned here legally it would be accepted for the visa application.

[scottiejohn]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It is only need to apply for a non immigrant visa at immigration based upon qualifying for an extension based upon retirement.

Sorry, I am not trying to hijack this topic but where is that laid down that the money MUST come from abroad?  It is not mentioned in the police order re; extensions based on retirement. Nor could I find it in the UK Visa application section.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Sorry, I am not trying to hijack this topic but where is that laid down that the money MUST come from abroad?  It is not mentioned in the police order re; extensions based on retirement. Nor could I find it in the UK Visa application section.

As I wrote it is not required to apply for an extension of stay.

It is only needed to a apply for a non immigrant visa at immigration to get the 90 day entry to apply for an extension.

That requirement is 5.3 here. https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_80

[Ian Dunn]

Breaking news . . .

 

The college has refused to give me a letter of termination, what shall I do now?

[heretostay]

Wow, sorry to hear that the college is being uncooperative.  They surely have to issue the termination letter according to the labor laws here.  Your next move may be to seek help from the Ministry of Labor.  They can be very helpful.  Let us know how it goes.

In the meantime, it would be interesting to know the circumstance of your termination - is there some serious (or even not-so-serious) reason why they would be unwilling to issue the termination letter?  (The letter simply states that, as of a given date, you are no longer employed by the college; no additional explanation is required.  Why wouldn't they want to issue that letter??)

Good luck!

 

[lopburi3]

4 hours ago, heretostay said:

Wow, sorry to hear that the college is being uncooperative.  They surely have to issue the termination letter according to the labor laws here.  Your next move may be to seek help from the Ministry of Labor.  They can be very helpful.  Let us know how it goes.

In the meantime, it would be interesting to know the circumstance of your termination - is there some serious (or even not-so-serious) reason why they would be unwilling to issue the termination letter?  (The letter simply states that, as of a given date, you are no longer employed by the college; no additional explanation is required.  Why wouldn't they want to issue that letter??)

Good luck!

 

Probably because he is still employed - expect a letter will be issued when his employment is terminated.  

[zydeco]

On 8/8/2018 at 3:42 PM, Ian Dunn said:

Breaking news . . .

 

The college has refused to give me a letter of termination, what shall I do now?

What is the college? I retired from Mahidol under the very same circumstances you described. My contract ended at the end of September and my visa extension required renewal on 16 September. I received a letter of resignation/retirement from Mahidol and everything was carried out as UJoe describes above. Don't understand their reluctance to give you a letter. Again, which college.