I have searched high and low through TV to find an answer to this question:  can a retiree extend his visa annually while not living here continuously?  What if the retiree lives in his home country for 9-10 months a year and then returns in time to perform an annual extension?  I am contemplating doing this...living away from Thailand to spend more time in my homeland...and coming back to maintain my visa based on retirement reasons. I will maintain a permanent address in Thailand throughout the year but only live in it for those one or two months, and visit our local provincial immigration office near the end of my visit to coincide with the normal earliest extension date of 45 days prior to visa expiration. Is this legal and permitted?  This means leaving the Kingdom for 9-10 months and then bringing my paperwork to the office 45 days in advance of visa expiration to extend my visa for another year.  Just wondering.,,

There are no minimum residency requirements whatsoever to be eligible to apply for continuos extensions.

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You still need to comply with financial requirements such as having 800k/400k in a Thai bank or transferring 65k per month, every month even when you're not in Thailand.

Edited October 14, 20196 yr by BertM

Good answers.

 

Hey, if that is your golf swing Fore Man, you must be darn good player. ????

No problem

7 minutes ago, BertM said:

You still need to comply with financial requirements such as having 800k/400k in a Thai bank or transferring 65k per month, every month even when you're not in Thailand.

Even more easy if you are not American, Australian or British, as then you only have to proof that you have the equivalent of monthly  65000 ThB in homeland.

So no need to transfer money when you are not in Thailand.

21 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Good answers.

 

Hey, if that is your golf swing Fore Man, you must be darn good player. ????

Hah!  I wish!  I maintain that avatar as a constant reminder of how I should be swinging the club.

The downside of no residency requirements is that there is never any chance for an upgrade in residency status based on retirement extensions. So a first year person has the same status a person that has done several years of extensions.

To add not all offices allow 45 days early but probably all allow 30 days early.

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Posted 25 minutes ago (edited) by BertM

You still need to comply with financial requirements such as having 800k/400k in a Thai bank or transferring 65k per month, every month even when you're not in Thailand.

Edited 23 minutes ago by BertM

————————-
Yes, I understand this, and will lock up THB 800K continuously. Who knows, someday I may want to live in LOS full-time and maintaining a visa due to retirement reasons would make my eventual transition much easier.  Of course if visa extension requirements keep becoming more onerous, I always have the option of staying the course elsewhere. 

Edited October 14, 20196 yr by Fore Man
Properly cite a previous post that my response applies to...

I am not a specialist of the visas, but in my case i have a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement

and each time i have to go back to europe (I did it 4 or 5 time in 4 years) i need to ask a reentry permission at the immigration office before leaving Thailand, and it's clearly writed on the form the time period staying out of Thailand can not exceed 90 days, or i lose the benefit of the 1 year extension of stay. 

 

2 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

I am not a specialist of the visas, but in my case i have a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement

and each time i have to go back to europe (I did it 4 or 5 time in 4 years) i need to ask a reentry permission at the immigration office before leaving Thailand, and it's clearly writed on the form the time period staying out of Thailand can not exceed 90 days, or i lose the benefit of the 1 year extension of stay. 

 

This might be the real sticking point here.  I appreciate this response, kingofthemountain.  It seems I need to look into this aspect in more depth.  I normally obtained a multiple re-entry permit each time I extended my visa and in some years only used it once, making it a poor investment. But then I spent most of my time in Thailand.  My idea for the future may not work if a visa holder is compelled to return within 90-days after traveling abroad. 

8 minutes ago, Fore Man said:

This might be the real sticking point here.  I appreciate this response, kingofthemountain.  It seems I need to look into this aspect in more depth.  I normally obtained a multiple re-entry permit each time I extended my visa and in some years only used it once, making it a poor investment. But then I spent most of my time in Thailand.  My idea for the future may not work if a visa holder is compelled to return within 90-days after traveling abroad. 

I just came back after more than 6 months out of the country (retirement extension / multi re-entry)... absolutely no issue.

 

4 minutes ago, kilt said:

I just came back after more than 6 months out of the country (retirement extension / multi re-entry)... absolutely no issue.

 

Thanks for this input; perhaps the ME permit is the useful discriminator bearing on this issue.

This might be the real sticking point here.  I appreciate this response, kingofthemountain.  It seems I need to look into this aspect in more depth.  I normally obtained a multiple re-entry permit each time I extended my visa and in some years only used it once, making it a poor investment. But then I spent most of my time in Thailand.  My idea for the future may not work if a visa holder is compelled to return within 90-days after traveling abroad. 

Surely you jest. You can afford to maintain the Thb800k in a Thai bank perpetually, I’m sure the extra Thb3,900(?) for the multiple re-entry is really no skin off your nose.
Don’t forget, there are folks much poorer than you who are paying agents Thb15k or more every year.


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Retirement extensions no need to come back after 90 days! Yes you need reentry permits one at a time of multiple. Up to you.

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1 hour ago, kingofthemountain said:

I am not a specialist of the visas, but in my case i have a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement

and each time i have to go back to europe (I did it 4 or 5 time in 4 years) i need to ask a reentry permission at the immigration office before leaving Thailand, and it's clearly writed on the form the time period staying out of Thailand can not exceed 90 days, or i lose the benefit of the 1 year extension of stay. 

 

 

No such thing mentioned on the TM.8 form 'Re-Entry Permit' and I have it right in front of me.

That said, I wouldn't put it past them to have some homemade forms (meaning by your local immigration profit center) with different text circulating in this fair kingdom ...

Anyway, I too stayed out for 5 months this year without any issues on return.

8 minutes ago, jollyhangmon said:

 

No such thing mentioned on the TM.8 form 'Re-Entry Permit' and I have it right in front of me.

That said, I wouldn't put it past them to have some homemade forms (meaning by your local immigration profit center) with different text circulating in this fair kingdom ...

Anyway, I too stayed out for 5 months this year without any issues on return.

i thought you get the re-entry permit from the airport, not the local immigration department, or am i wrong

For the last 4 years I have spent about only 5 months of every year in Thailand with no problem.

Re entry permits are issued at IO office , I doubt they would issue it at the airport.

i thought you get the re-entry permit from the airport, not the local immigration department, or am i wrong

 
No such thing mentioned on the TM.8 form 'Re-Entry Permit' and I have it right in front of me.

That said, I wouldn't put it past them to have some homemade forms (meaning by your local immigration profit center) with different text circulating in this fair kingdom ...

Anyway, I too stayed out for 5 months this year without any issues on return.

I always have a multi re-entry permit which doesn't stipulate the 90 days maximum out of the country , maybe the single re entry is only 90 days.

Re entry permits are available at IO 's and both International airports in Bangkok. Probably at other air ports that have Immigration clearances.

12 minutes ago, gaviny said:

Re entry permits are issued at IO office , I doubt they would issue it at the airport.

Wrong

23 minutes ago, gaviny said:

45 minutes ago, jollyhangmon said:

 
No such thing mentioned on the TM.8 form 'Re-Entry Permit' and I have it right in front of me.

That said, I wouldn't put it past them to have some homemade forms (meaning by your local immigration profit center) with different text circulating in this fair kingdom ...

Anyway, I too stayed out for 5 months this year without any issues on return.

I always have a multi re-entry permit which doesn't stipulate the 90 days maximum out of the country , maybe the single re entry is only 90 days.

 

Nope, the form (well, the one I have here, lol) is both for single- & multiple re-entries with check-boxes to choose ... also mine was a single one ... 
 

Edited October 14, 20196 yr by jollyhangmon

1 hour ago, Gweiloman said:

Surely you jest. You can afford to maintain the Thb800k in a Thai bank perpetually, I’m sure the extra Thb3,900(?) for the multiple re-entry is really no skin off your nose.
Don’t forget, there are folks much poorer than you who are paying agents Thb15k or more every year.


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Never said I was wealthy; I just want to maintain both my mobility and ease of movement between two countries...without enduring a lot of drama.  

So what you are saying is that I can travel out of the country without a re entry permit and when I arrive back I could just pay for a re entry at at airport ? Would that be at the queue why they process incoming passengers ?

Wrong

Ok just googled it and yes I can get a re entry permit at the airport , but it has to be before flying out on the same day.

9 minutes ago, gaviny said:

Ok just googled it and yes I can get a re entry permit at the airport , but it has to be before flying out on the same day.

That’s the impression I had too...but where at Swampy is this done?

50 minutes ago, Fore Man said:

Never said I was wealthy; I just want to maintain both my mobility and ease of movement between two countries...without enduring a lot of drama.  

I don't mean to be critical , simply trying to understand for my own purposes, . After all the Visa nonsense, and medical insurance (maybe maybe no) 90 day reporting , TM30 etc I have decided that a similar to you regiment might be better for me for now,, we will see what happens later.  

So my question is, why a long stay extension if you are only planning to stay a short time? isn't the hustle of getting an extension worst, than the hassle of getting a  visa every time you go there? what are the advantages of maintaining an extension over to just getting a visa every time you go there or goin visa exempt?

I have being going to Thailand for 13 years, married to a Thi for 10, own a house there, and go there every year sometime two times a year, I never had an extension to stay.

I am looking forward to the answers .If there is a better way I want to know.

Thank you

Yes, you can do that but wouldn't it be better to get a tourist visa if you are going to stay for such a short time per year?

i thought you get the re-entry permit from the airport, not the local immigration department, or am i wrong

Either

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