How long for in-country NIV?

[10years]

Came in yesterday at DM with a 30-day visa exemption.

 

Am thinking of converting the stamp into a non-imm visa based on retirement, but seem to remember that after you submit all the documents at CW,  they will hold onto them and your passport for a certain period and tell you when to come back.

 

Does anyone know how long it takes for the approval? I already have bought a ticket to fly back to the US on April 17 and would need my passport by then.

 

Also, what are the current requirements for the "retirement visa?" I have a Thai bank account with 800,000 in it.

 

TIA

[ubonjoe]

It takes 2 weeks from when you apply at to get a non immigrant visa and 90 day entry stamps.

They give your passport back to you but you would lose your application if you left the country before it was completed.

The general  requirements for the visa application is here. https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_80

Note you will need proof that the 800k baht was transferred from abroad.

[overherebc]

If you have had the 800,000 baht in the bank for 2 or 3 months you can apply for an extension based on retirement when you're over 50 after you convert to an O at Immigration.

Don't think you can do it all before the 17th. Wait till you come back.

Non Immigrant visas are not the same thing.

[Tanoshi]

Is your intention to remain in Thailand in the future, or just regular visits?

[10years]

Follow up

 

Yeah, I didn’t have enough time to convert, especially with 4 govt holidays in that period.

 

I wish this was a April Fool’s joke but it wasn’t. it was one of biggest shocks in my life.

 

This happened at DMK.

 

My mistake was to line up in imm in the priority lane. Turned out that it was right next to the imm desk where they take passengers for further questioning.

 

The male IO at the booth flipped through my passport, asked me if I was working. Told him I had retired. His eyes brightened up, like he had caught a big fish. He went over to this older female IO who seemed to be the superior there. She looked at me and shouted “Out”. Actually don’t remember exactly what she said but she repeated that many times over the course of my interrogation in a furious voice.

 

At one point she looked at me and said something like “You know about visas!” I said I didn’t and she basically called me a liar. She said “I don’t believe you!”

 

She also yelled at me that I wasn’t a tourist, so I needed a visa, and to come back again with a visa. Don’t know what she meant by that. If she meant that I don’t go around looking at temples all day, that’s right, but I stay at hotels, eat at restaurants, go to shopping malls, and enjoy the vibrant nightlife.

 

I was also shocked at her attitude and demeanor. She was in a total rage. Other male IOs tried several times to talk to her but she pointed her finger out of airport and vehemently told them he’s out. How can she address a bona fide visitor like that?

 

There were other, male IOs around the desk and other passengers. I was told to sit down by the desk. One officer after another would take my passport and look at it.

 

This took me totally by surprise. I had just retired in Thailand and figured I would make 3-4/yr trips back to Thailand from my home in the US, staying about 2 months each time. I figured I didn’t need to do anything, just use 30-dy visa exemptions, since I would be making side trips. I also hated going to CW and wanted to avoid that at all costs. This was only my second trip to Thailand post-retirement.

 

Since I hadn’t been looking at the TV forum, I had no idea what would happen next after entry denial.

 

They asked me what I do when I’m in Thailand and I told them I go see the doctor and refill my medicine supply. They wanted to see my appt slip but it was in a suitcase stored at my Bangkok hotel, so I couldn’t show them. I was in a stage of panic and couldn’t think. Much later I realized that I could have shown them my medicine as it had the date when I got it and when it would run out. Better yet, it had my patient number and the phone number of the hospital, so they could’ve called and confirmed my appts.

 

This all seemed to take an eternity but after almost an hour I noticed that everyone seemed to have left the area around the desk. Finally the male IO who was holding my passport motioned me to go around to the front of the desk. He had a terminal at the desk and took my photo, then stamped me in, saying the next time I needed to have a visa, and mentioned a medical tourist visa.