My apologies, there might well already be a topic for this but I can't find it.

I want to switch from a media visa to a retirement visa but not very sure whether this can be done incountry. I did ask at Samut Prakan immigration who said they thought I had to just cross the border to invalidate my visa and they could then issue a non-immigrant visa for retirement visas then added that I should check. I meet all the other requirements and will take out health insurance if I need to do so.

Does anyone have experience of this with the Samut Prakan office?

 

Do you actually have a visa entry or an extension of stay issued by a immigration office?

Will you be applying for an extension of stay based upon retirement at the Samut Prakan immigration office?

 

At the moment I have a valid media visa and work permit but want to retire in August for family reasons. I get my media visa from Chamchuri but live in Samut Prakan, which will issue me with a retirement visa but doesn't seem sure what the procedures are!

I intend to go to Chamchuri to ask but was wondering was other people might have done. And yes, I will be applying for an extension of stay at Samut Prakan.

 

Edited July 19, 20196 yr by campbell

I think you have an extension of stay not a visa.

Before you could change the reason for your extension to retirement your current extension would have to be canceled.

sorry, yes you are right, it is an extension of stay based on a media visa, and one of the reasons for going to Chamchuri next week will be to ask exactly what documents they need from my employer to cancel the visa. My question is therefore can I be issued with an extension  of stay without having to leave the country and apply for a new non-immigrant outside Thailand or if I do have to leave the country, can I just fly out and fly back in the same day and ask for an extension of stay to be issued here on that basis? I've lived here legally for more than 35 years  I've been looking at various embassy websites and it seems almost impossible to get a non-immigrant visa without all sorts of documents ( criminal record by my home country, for one, which should be fun, especially as it will only account for 11 years of adulthood!). A former colleague had no problem going from an extension of stay based on a media visa to an extension of stay based on a marriage visa at Chaeng Wattana, so wondering if that also applies to retirement.  

Any idea? 

After your extension is canceled at Chamchuri you would have to go to Samut Prakan immigration to apply for the extension based upon retirement. You need to check with Samut Prakan immigration as to whether or not the will do it.

If you were not able to do it you could do a border run for a 30 day visa exempt entry and then go to immigration to apply for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry at immigration. See: https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_80

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry apply for an extension based upon retirement.

No need for a medical check, police clearance or insurance for any of the above.

thank you, that's exactly what I wanted to know.