easiest way to stay 6 months in thailand

[tdah]

Hi all, I am 55 year old aussie,  happily married to 47 year old thai lady for many years now, we have house in Thailand and visit every year only for one month, now is the time in our lives to do the 6 month Thailand, six months Australia. I am wondering the best way to do this?   Thanks for advice in advance.

[samsensam]

 

i'd use a metv; easy to apply for and obtain, in the uk at least.

[steve187]

multi entry non immigrant 'O' visa if not available in Aus,  then you can get from Savannakhet Laos with no financials

[jackdd]

If it's probably always the same 6 months (so you are in Thailand to do your yearly extension) you could get a non-o visa and then the extension for being married (requires prove of income or money at a bank in Thailand). Get a re-entry permit before you leave Thailand so that you can continue using it when you come back.

[tdah]

Yep, its going to be the same 6 months every year, we leave OZ in November, and come back the end of April, get out of our hot summers in OZ and get out of Thailands hot summers. I already have a bank account in Thailand, so will have money in that, Thanks again for the advice.

[Crossy]

If you're going to go the extension route (seems sensible), I'd go for retirement rather than marriage, faster and less hassle at most immigration offices.

 

[Tracyb]

4 hours ago, tdah said:

Yep, its going to be the same 6 months every year, we leave OZ in November, and come back the end of April, get out of our hot summers in OZ and get out of Thailands hot summers. I already have a bank account in Thailand, so will have money in that, Thanks again for the advice.

Just want to be sure that the bank account is in your name only if you plan to “season the funds” and use that for your “proof of income” on an extension of stay for retirement/marriage....  800k vs 400k respectively. I don’t think Immigration will accept a joint account for this.  Agreed that the retirement route is easier than the marriage route.

[tgeezer]

I stay from mid Oct to mid March using ‘retirement’ as the reason. I am ‘single’ so only 800,000 Bt needed as proof of funds. I have always assumed that if using ‘marriage’ as the reason one needed to be married to a Thai and wonder what the requirements are in the case of a retired couple.


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[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I have always assumed that if using ‘marriage’ as the reason one needed to be married to a Thai and wonder what the requirements are in the case of a retired couple.

The foreign spouse could get an extension based upon retirement if they could qualify (financial proof and etc) or a extension based upon being the spouse of the one with a the extension based upon retirement.

[soinowinbkk]

Retirement visa is about the easiest to get even though the renewal process IN BANGKOK is a bit tedious. Hopefully, you won't be renewing in Bangkok.

If you own property back home, might be easier to get thru the Thai embassy or consulate, I have heard although I am not directly knowledgeable of Australia.

[lanng khao]

That's almost a copy of what my plans are except my wife is already here.im getting a 60 day tourist visa in england, extend that for 30 days, then have a trip to savvanakhet in lao to obtain a non o multiple entry visa based on marriage, hopefully the 90 days before I have to leave the country will see me to my return home, can anybody tell me if I get a re entry visa will the extension still be in use when I return 6 months later.?

Hi all, I am 55 year old aussie,  happily married to 47 year old thai lady for many years now, we have house in Thailand and visit every year only for one month, now is the time in our lives to do the 6 month Thailand, six months Australia. I am wondering the best way to do this?   Thanks for advice in advance.

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[ThaiBunny]

Surely the most straightforward way in Australia is to apply for a multiple entry Thai spouse/family visit visa. The requirements are set out on the form itself, which can downloaded from the Thai Embassy Canberra site. You’d then apply for a new one each year. Total cost AUD275 plus evidence of funds. The Melbourne site even suggests this doesn’t have to be cash but a credit card with $8,000 available credit


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[jimn]

You are getting many options suggested. However the easiest as you are over 55 is the extension based on retirement coupled with a re entry permit as suggested by UJ. However it does depend on what office you will be dealing with. If its Jomtien ( near Pattaya) its a peice of cake. Others with experience of other offices will no doubt disagree with me and tell you how hard it may be at their location.

[mirage]

Hi I am looking at doing the same. If you reduced your stay to 5 months. You could take a 90 day non O visa and then extend by 60 days on visit wife extension. However you would have to apply for a new 90 day non O visa every year. I have decided to go the retirement extension route. Start with a 90 day non O then the take a year extension. Get a re-entry when leaving. Hopefully you will never have to do the 90 day report. When you return after 6 months your extension will be valid for 3 months still. Then you renew and 3 months later you leave again and get a re-entry. I think that should work, as that is what I am planning to do. Unless some one knows why it would not work ?.

Edited September 17, 2018 by mirage

[steve187]

10 hours ago, lanng khao said:

That's almost a copy of what my plans are except my wife is already here.im getting a 60 day tourist visa in england, extend that for 30 days, then have a trip to savvanakhet in lao to obtain a non o multiple entry visa based on marriage, hopefully the 90 days before I have to leave the country will see me to my return home, can anybody tell me if I get a re entry visa will the extension still be in use when I return 6 months later.?

 

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a tourist visa 60 days plus a 60 day visit Thai wife extension will give you a total of 120 days, a trip to Lao to obtain a multi entry non imm 'O' visa will give you a 90 day permission to stay stamp on each entry, that will give you a total stay in Thailand of 210 days plus the 1 night in Laos = 211 days, each 90 day entry can be extended by 60 days. no need for a re-entry permit as you will have a non imm visa which will still be valid, as it lasts for 1 year from issue, so on return you will still have 4 months or so left on the visa, so this visa + extension(s) if used correctly, will give you another 6 months in Thailand the 2nd year

Edited September 17, 2018 by steve187

[lanng khao]

Cheers fella, thanks for that.

a tourist visa 60 days plus a 60 day visit Thai wife extension will give you a total of 120 days, a trip to Lao to obtain a multi entry non imm 'O' visa will give you a 90 day permission to stay stamp on each entry, that will give you a total stay in Thailand of 210 days plus the 1 night in Laos = 211 days, each 90 day entry can be extended by 60 days. no need for a re-entry permit as you will have a non imm visa which will still be valid, as it lasts for 1 year from issue, so on return you will still have 4 months or so left on the visa, so this visa + extension(s) if used correctly, will give you another 6 months in Thailand the 2nd year

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[tgeezer]

I suppose that the basis for all the fiddling around with visa runs, multientry visas rtc. is to avoid the financial implications of getting extensions based on retirement.
If you can afford or are prepared to show a balance in a bank acount of 800,000 Bt for three months before extending then the 'retirement route' was designd for you.
1. Non-Imm visa from home country.
2. Permission to stay for 90 days on landing.
3. Before 90 days has past, apply at Immigration for an extension of stay for one year. (counts as a 90 day report.)
4. Obtain a re-entry permit or multiple re-entry permits (same visit to Immigration)
5. Go and come as you please during the validity of your extension provided for by your re-entry permit/s.
6. Renew your extension annually and obtain re-entry permits as required in subsequent years with the addtional requirement of making a 90 day report which can be done by mail or coordinated with your visit to Immigration.
I have been doing this in Bangkok since 2005.




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[lanng khao]

I suppose that the basis for all the fiddling around with visa runs, multientry visas rtc. is to avoid the financial implications of getting extensions based on retirement.
If you can afford or are prepared to show a balance in a bank acount of 800,000 Bt for three months before extending then the 'retirement route' was designd for you.
1. Non-Imm visa from home country.
2. Permission to stay for 90 days on landing.
3. Before 90 days has past, apply at Immigration for an extension of stay for one year. (counts as a 90 day report.)
4. Obtain a re-entry permit or multiple re-entry permits (same visit to Immigration)
5. Go and come as you please during the validity of your extension provided for by your re-entry permit/s.
6. Renew your extension annually and obtain re-entry permits as required in subsequent years with the addtional requirement of making a 90 day report which can be done by mail or coordinated with your visit to Immigration.
I have been doing this in Bangkok since 2005.




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I can't be bothered fiddling round getting the non o in England, police checks, medical certificates, everything notirised, bank statements, all I have to show is my marriage certificate and wifes I'd card, and that's it to get the 90 day non o , and £50...

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[tgeezer]

I can't be bothered fiddling round getting the non o in England, police checks, medical certificates, everything notirised, bank statements, all I have to show is my marriage certificate and wifes I'd card, and that's it to get the 90 day non o , and £50...

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The poster did ask for the easiest way to stay for six months. I am recommending my way of doing that, it's ' horses for courses' and he needs all the information that he can get. He might need to know what your method entails because 90 days is not six months is it?



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[lanng khao]

The poster did ask for the easiest way to stay for six months. I am recommending my way of doing that, it's ' horses for courses' and he needs all the information that he can get. He might need to know what your method entails because 90 days is not six months is it?



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Sorry, I thought you were implying that the ones who use the visa runs etc were only doing it because the didn't have a pot to piss in,sorry my mistake fella.

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[tgeezer]

I had to do visa runs once when I was under fifty and took a year off work, I flew to Singapore once and took the train to Pedang Besa once, it had to be done but I would rather it was not necessary. If a chap has attained the magic age of fifty there is no need for it anymore but I understand why some people might not want to tie up cash in excess of requirements if they can avoid it. I haven’t got my bank books with me but it seemed that I make more interest in Thailand, the latest I was offered for a fixed deposit in UK was 0.55%!



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