Need advice on which visa to get

[Billpro785]

Need advice on which visa to get, as there seems to be ever changing rules from Thai Immigration. I'm US citizen with a US passport age 56. For the next year will be working in Middle East\Asia area for 21 days on, and have the rest of the month off. Plan on renting a small house in Koh Chang for the year. So in effect, will be retuning to Thailand every 21 days for 10 days. Which visa should I get ? 

[Gweiloman]

Need advice on which visa to get, as there seems to be ever changing rules from Thai Immigration. I'm US citizen with a US passport age 56. For the next year will be working in Middle East\Asia area for 21 days on, and have the rest of the month off. Plan on renting a small house in Koh Chang for the year. So in effect, will be retuning to Thailand every 21 days for 10 days. Which visa should I get ? 

Retirement visa for the least hassle (some posters will tell you there is no such thing as a retirement visa as the correct terminology is permission to stay on the basis of retirement. But for most normal thinking people, and immigration in particular, saying retirement visa is understood)


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[BritTim]

If you are going to be in your home country soon, and able to make the application, a Non O-A (long stay) visa provides peace of mind. The suggestion of the Non O visa, augmented with a one-year extension of stay on the basis of retirement at the local immigration office is going to be tricky to fit in with your schedule.

 

The convenient solution is using visa exempt entries. Up until a few years ago, there would have been no reason to do anything else. Unfortunately, even for people like yourself, there is no guarantee that you will be allowed monthly visa exempt entries. If denied entry, you may well be forced back to where you boarded the aircraft to come to Thailand. If you want to fly elsewhere, this will likely be permitted, but only if it is on a flight leaving within the next day or so on the same airline that carried you to Thailand. Immigration will usually baulk at allowing your airline to shift responsibility to another airline.

[elviajero]

As you're only staying 10 days per visit you’d probably get away with Visa Exempt entries.

 

A Multiple Entry Non-Immigrant ‘O’ would be the best visa option, but it’s very hard to get these days.

 

A Multiple Entry Non-Immigrant ‘O-A’ would be the best option if you can’t get a ME ‘O’. Only available in your home country or country of legal residence. 

 

If you’re prepared to transfer 800K to a Thai bank and keep it there, OR transfer at least 65K every month, you could; first enter with a Single Entry Non ‘O’ which would give you a 90 day stay, then within the last 30 days apply for a 1 year extension of stay, You need to buy single entry re-entry permits (1,000 baht) for any trips out during the 90 days and a multiple entry re-entry permit (3,800 baht) to cover the trips during the 1 year extension.

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by elviajero

[Billpro785]

Thanks for all the replies, the retirement visa might be the key. There are services on the web, and here that advertised getting visas, they even provide the 80k in the bank. Are they legitimate ? 

[steven100]

9 minutes ago, Billpro785 said:

Thanks for all the replies, the retirement visa might be the key. There are services on the web, and here that advertised getting visas, they even provide the 80k in the bank. Are they legitimate ? 

As Elviajero mentioned .... 

A Multiple Entry Non-Immigrant ‘O-A’ would be the best option if you can’t get a ME ‘O’. Only available in your home country or country of legal residence. 

If you’re prepared to transfer 800K to a Thai bank and keep it there, OR transfer at least 65K every month, you could; first enter with a Single Entry Non ‘O’ which would give you a 90 day stay, then within the last 30 days apply for a 1 year extension of stay.

[Anythingleft?]

Thanks for all the replies, the retirement visa might be the key. There are services on the web, and here that advertised getting visas, they even provide the 80k in the bank. Are they legitimate ? 

I find the last sentence nothing short of astounding......

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[steven100]

10 minutes ago, Billpro785 said:

Thanks for all the replies, the retirement visa might be the key. There are services on the web, and here that advertised getting visas, they even provide the 80k in the bank. Are they legitimate ? 

Just get a Multi entry Non-O-A from your home country. As posted above.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

Either enter visa exempt, or get a METV if you want to play it safe. Either way it's highly unlikely any IO will deny you based on a pattern of only 10 days a month in country. The people they target at DMK are those that have been in country 200-300 days a year. I've never heard of anyone with ~100 days a year getting denied.

[elviajero]

55 minutes ago, Billpro785 said:

Thanks for all the replies, the retirement visa might be the key. There are services on the web, and here that advertised getting visas, they even provide the 80k in the bank. Are they legitimate ? 

No. At best they exploit loopholes in a lax system, but most are out and out fraud in association with a corrupt IO.

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, Billpro785 said:

Thanks for all the replies, the retirement visa might be the key. There are services on the web, and here that advertised getting visas, they even provide the 80k in the bank. Are they legitimate ? 

You probably mean a retirement extension and 800k baht. 

The services you talk of we refer to as 'agents', and they do indeed obtain the retirement extension for you at a cost. Here on this forum you will hear many speak in favour and many against them. I do my own extension, I have friends who are adverse to keeping the money in Thailand who have lived here for many years on agent obtained retirement visas/ extensions.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by jacko45k

[Billpro785]

Again thanks for all the replies. Another issue is I will not be able to go back to the states before my new job assignment. So my plan now is to try the visa exempt. Would like to buy my own motor bike, keep it at the rental house, so I will need to apply for tourist visa maybe in Laos ? Would like buy new Kawi 250 from a dealer.