UK To Thailand - Pre 50 Advice Required

[Carrbhoy]

Hi folks - hope you can assist. I'm 49 living in UK and looking to retire to Thailand. I've read through various posts on the forum and London Thai Embassy website etc which have been very useful. I've also contacted a couple of Visa agencies and want to make sure the finalised plan is the best course of action for my circumstances and budget.

 

1) Aged 49 (Turn 50 Nov 2021)

2) Reside in Scotland

3) Not married to Thai / children

 

I want to travel to Chiang Mai in May / June 2021 & spend a few years in Thailand and potentially retire longer term. Happy to jump through the various hoops (CoE / ASQ / Covid Insurance / PCR etc) to achieve this. Hopefully I will have received a vaccine in the UK by then - if not I will delay travelling.

 

Best Option appears to be the following. My Budget doesn't stretch to Elite options until after 50:

 

1) Enter Thailand on Tourist Visa 60 days (possible 30 day extension)

2) Transfer to Non-Imm (3 month visa)

3) Transfer to 1 Year Volunteer visa (Or Education visa)

4) Transfer to Elite or Retirement options during Q2 2022

 

This gets me beyond my 50th birthday & I can then transfer to Elite (5 / 10 year) or Retirement visa (different options) in first half of 2022. I have read the Elite v Retirement thread on here and at the moment I will go down the Retirement visa route but can make a final decision nearer the time.

 

Is this the best option for my situation?

 

Thanks for taking the time to review / respond. Much appreciated.

 

[fishtank]

You can only change to Non Imm O Visa once you become 50.

[mlkik]

Why waste money on the Elite visa? Get an STV and extend then do a border run and come back in and convert to a non 0.

[fishtank]

2 minutes ago, mlkik said:

Why waste money on the Elite visa? Get an STV and extend then do a border run and come back in and convert to a non 0.

On what ground?

[asiacurious]

There are some problems.....

 

1. This is fine
2. You need to exit Thailand and re-enter.  A quick trip to a neighboring country is all that is needed.  (Note some agents will "help" you convert to an education or volunteer based visa in country for a huge fee, but you should know that this is against the rules and could impact you down the road when applying for the retirement visa.)
3. Assuming you did 2 correctly, you can apply for an extension of your permission to stay.  This isn't a new visa, but an extension of your permission.
4. Sure, this is fine.

 

If you can't leave Thailand at that point, then you'll be stuck paying 40-50K baht to an agent to do #2.

 

If you CAN leave Thailand then you can and should avoid the agent mess. 

 

I think you might find the following to be a better plan......

 

Assuming countries are back open for travel by May/June (or at least open to those who have been vaccinated), just get a single 6 Month Multi-Entry Tourist Visa (METV).  You can use this visa for multiple 60 visits in Thailand.  Every 59th day simply take a trip out of the country and come back to get another 60 days.  Your last trip should be done a few days before the visa expires so you can get that last 60 days.  If needed, you can extend the last 60 days one time for an extra 30 days.

 

The end result is you can get nearly 9 months in Thailand on a single visa, and it'll carry you until you can apply for the retirement visa.  And if you can't leave Thailand to do the 60 day runs, the government will probably still be letting those already here do in country 60 day extensions (as they are currently doing).

 

Here is a hypothetical itenerary:

1. May 15 - Apply for METV.  Assume effective date is May 16.  You can now enter Thailand an unlimited number of times through about November 12 (actual end of the visa depends on how they calculate the 6 months).
2. June 1 - Arrive Thailand
3. July 30 - Take a trip to another country (can come right back or spend some time exploring!)
4. August 1 - Return to Thailand
5. Sometime in August - Open a bank account and transfer in 800,000 THB (best to do a little more than that).  Best bank to use is Bangkok Bank, and best transfer method is Transferwise.  Mark the transfer as being for retirement purposes, so Bangkok Bank will mark the funds as coming from outside the country.
6. September 29 - Another trip to another country
7. November 9 - Take another trip to another country.
8. November 11 - Come back by the last day on your METV (or to be safe, the day before your last day).  You can now stay in Thailand for 60 more days.
9. The day after you turn 50 (and at least 15 days BEFORE your last 60 days expire), apply for your the retirement visa.

 

That's it.  You definitely do NOT need an agent to apply for the retirement visa.  You can easily do it yourself.  People on these forums will gladly help you.

 

 

 

 

[mlkik]

51 minutes ago, fishtank said:

On what ground?

Retirement as over 50.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, mlkik said:

Why waste money on the Elite visa? Get an STV and extend then do a border run and come back in and convert to a non 0.

Think you mean a SETV. Big difference to STV.

[Upnotover]

Unless there is some pressing reason to be in Thailand earlier I'd hang on till November 2021, get an O-A from the UK which then gives you at least one full year, likely nearer two, in Thailand.  No border runs (in year 1), extensions, conversions or other messing about needed.  With luck the entry requirements might also be less onerous by then.

[fishtank]

7 hours ago, mlkik said:

Retirement as over 50.

He is not 50 yet.

[mlkik]

34 minutes ago, fishtank said:

He is not 50 yet.

If you read my post it says to get an STV , extend ,do a border run and re enter and then apply for a non o.

He will be 50 then !

[Carrbhoy]

20 hours ago, asiacurious said:

There are some problems.....

 

1. This is fine
2. You need to exit Thailand and re-enter.  A quick trip to a neighboring country is all that is needed.  (Note some agents will "help" you convert to an education or volunteer based visa in country for a huge fee, but you should know that this is against the rules and could impact you down the road when applying for the retirement visa.)
3. Assuming you did 2 correctly, you can apply for an extension of your permission to stay.  This isn't a new visa, but an extension of your permission.
4. Sure, this is fine.

 

If you can't leave Thailand at that point, then you'll be stuck paying 40-50K baht to an agent to do #2.

 

If you CAN leave Thailand then you can and should avoid the agent mess. 

 

I think you might find the following to be a better plan......

 

Assuming countries are back open for travel by May/June (or at least open to those who have been vaccinated), just get a single 6 Month Multi-Entry Tourist Visa (METV).  You can use this visa for multiple 60 visits in Thailand.  Every 59th day simply take a trip out of the country and come back to get another 60 days.  Your last trip should be done a few days before the visa expires so you can get that last 60 days.  If needed, you can extend the last 60 days one time for an extra 30 days.

 

The end result is you can get nearly 9 months in Thailand on a single visa, and it'll carry you until you can apply for the retirement visa.  And if you can't leave Thailand to do the 60 day runs, the government will probably still be letting those already here do in country 60 day extensions (as they are currently doing).

 

Here is a hypothetical itenerary:

1. May 15 - Apply for METV.  Assume effective date is May 16.  You can now enter Thailand an unlimited number of times through about November 12 (actual end of the visa depends on how they calculate the 6 months).
2. June 1 - Arrive Thailand
3. July 30 - Take a trip to another country (can come right back or spend some time exploring!)
4. August 1 - Return to Thailand
5. Sometime in August - Open a bank account and transfer in 800,000 THB (best to do a little more than that).  Best bank to use is Bangkok Bank, and best transfer method is Transferwise.  Mark the transfer as being for retirement purposes, so Bangkok Bank will mark the funds as coming from outside the country.
6. September 29 - Another trip to another country
7. November 9 - Take another trip to another country.
8. November 11 - Come back by the last day on your METV (or to be safe, the day before your last day).  You can now stay in Thailand for 60 more days.
9. The day after you turn 50 (and at least 15 days BEFORE your last 60 days expire), apply for your the retirement visa.

 

That's it.  You definitely do NOT need an agent to apply for the retirement visa.  You can easily do it yourself.  People on these forums will gladly help you.

 

 

 

 

 

Appreciate the detailed reply - thank you.

 

The challenge with the plan is step 5 - unfortunately, I don't have c. £20k to place in the Thai bank account. My funds are tied up in Property and I won't have access to my pension funds until early Dec 2021.

 

I was trying to find a way to enter Thailand and avoid the need to do the 14 day quarantine more than once. I think I will need to enter on the STV next year (use the 270 days), return to UK Feb 2022 and apply for the Retirement O-A from there. Hopefully by then the quarantine / documentation etc is more straightforward.

 

[Carrbhoy]

21 hours ago, fishtank said:

You can only change to Non Imm O Visa once you become 50.

 

Didn't know that! Both visa agencies were steering me down this route. Will now avoid the Volunteer / Education visa options as I don't want to face issues down the line when looking to obtain the Retirement / longer term visas.

 

[Carrbhoy]

18 hours ago, Upnotover said:

Unless there is some pressing reason to be in Thailand earlier I'd hang on till November 2021, get an O-A from the UK which then gives you at least one full year, likely nearer two, in Thailand.  No border runs (in year 1), extensions, conversions or other messing about needed.  With luck the entry requirements might also be less onerous by then.

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

No pressing reason as such. Just looking to travel next year, preferably to Thailand and wanted to avoid doing 14 day quarantine more than once if possible. 

 

Based on the usual replies on here so far, I think I will avoid the agency options (Volunteer / Education) to ensure I don't face issues down the line. This means travelling on the STV during 2021 and returning to the UK to then start the O-A process. Hopefully by Q1 2022 access to Thailand, if vaccinated, is less onerous as you have said.

 

This would work budget wise for next year and the 9 month stay would allow me to finalise if Thailand is the country I want to retire to.

 

[Carrbhoy]

21 hours ago, mlkik said:

Why waste money on the Elite visa? Get an STV and extend then do a border run and come back in and convert to a non 0.

 

As I said in my original post, I'm not convinced Elite is the best option having read the specific thread on here which was very useful.

 

I was trying to find a way of avoiding doing quarantine more than once. What you have suggested requires 2 quarantine stays - hopefully by early 2022 that won't be the case. My only concern is that the vaccine significantly reduces the risk of you getting seriously ill but doesn't remove the risk of you catching Covid and more importantly spreading the disease to others. I think Thailand may have quarantine in place for sometime.

 

[KhaoYai]

13 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

I think Thailand may have quarantine in place for sometime.

Just hang fire a couple of months.  There's no guarantee but Thailand is making new announcements every week - looking to ease the financial burden of the missing tourist trade.  There's a possibility (just a possibility) that they may allow those who have been vaccinated to enter without quarantine before long.

 

If not, apply for a STV - that can be extended to achieve a 9 month stay by which time, hopefully, quarantine will be over.

[Carrbhoy]

3 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Just hang fire a couple of months.  There's no guarantee but Thailand is making new announcements every week - looking to ease the financial burden of the missing tourist trade.  There's a possibility (just a possibility) that they may allow those who have been vaccinated to enter without quarantine before long.

 

If not, apply for a STV - that can be extended to achieve a 9 month stay by which time, hopefully, quarantine will be over.

 

Yes, things are moving quickly. I'm not travelling until May next year so hopefully my options improve in the coming months.

 

Re quarantine, I think the removal / shortening will depend more on the % of the population within Thailand who have been vaccinated rather than individual travellers into Thailand who have been vaccinated. As I've said on an earlier reply, vaccination of course reduces your risk of getting seriously ill but doesn't stop you from catching Covid / spreading the disease.

[KhaoYai]

8 hours ago, Carrbhoy said:

As I've said on an earlier reply, vaccination of course reduces your risk of getting seriously ill but doesn't stop you from catching Covid / spreading the disease.

The jury is still out on that - tests are being carried out.  Thailand desperately needs to get its tourist going again - should a vaccine be shown to prevent transmission, they may well make concessions to those that have been vaccinated.

 

I know Thailand has orders in for the Oxford Vaccine but I know nothing of others.  Some companies are entering into agreements that allow their vaccines to be made elsewhere under licence - I think that's likely to increase as the scale and logistics of vaccinating entire populations sinks in.  A lot can change in a short time...................maybe I'm being overly hopefull ????.

[Carrbhoy]

On 12/10/2020 at 2:01 PM, asiacurious said:

There are some problems.....

 

1. This is fine
2. You need to exit Thailand and re-enter.  A quick trip to a neighboring country is all that is needed.  (Note some agents will "help" you convert to an education or volunteer based visa in country for a huge fee, but you should know that this is against the rules and could impact you down the road when applying for the retirement visa.)
3. Assuming you did 2 correctly, you can apply for an extension of your permission to stay.  This isn't a new visa, but an extension of your permission.
4. Sure, this is fine.

 

If you can't leave Thailand at that point, then you'll be stuck paying 40-50K baht to an agent to do #2.

 

If you CAN leave Thailand then you can and should avoid the agent mess. 

 

I think you might find the following to be a better plan......

 

Assuming countries are back open for travel by May/June (or at least open to those who have been vaccinated), just get a single 6 Month Multi-Entry Tourist Visa (METV).  You can use this visa for multiple 60 visits in Thailand.  Every 59th day simply take a trip out of the country and come back to get another 60 days.  Your last trip should be done a few days before the visa expires so you can get that last 60 days.  If needed, you can extend the last 60 days one time for an extra 30 days.

 

The end result is you can get nearly 9 months in Thailand on a single visa, and it'll carry you until you can apply for the retirement visa.  And if you can't leave Thailand to do the 60 day runs, the government will probably still be letting those already here do in country 60 day extensions (as they are currently doing).

 

Here is a hypothetical itenerary:

1. May 15 - Apply for METV.  Assume effective date is May 16.  You can now enter Thailand an unlimited number of times through about November 12 (actual end of the visa depends on how they calculate the 6 months).
2. June 1 - Arrive Thailand
3. July 30 - Take a trip to another country (can come right back or spend some time exploring!)
4. August 1 - Return to Thailand
5. Sometime in August - Open a bank account and transfer in 800,000 THB (best to do a little more than that).  Best bank to use is Bangkok Bank, and best transfer method is Transferwise.  Mark the transfer as being for retirement purposes, so Bangkok Bank will mark the funds as coming from outside the country.
6. September 29 - Another trip to another country
7. November 9 - Take another trip to another country.
8. November 11 - Come back by the last day on your METV (or to be safe, the day before your last day).  You can now stay in Thailand for 60 more days.
9. The day after you turn 50 (and at least 15 days BEFORE your last 60 days expire), apply for your the retirement visa.

 

That's it.  You definitely do NOT need an agent to apply for the retirement visa.  You can easily do it yourself.  People on these forums will gladly help you.

 

 

 

 

 

Hi AC - can you please assist. I'm reading your detailed post again and trying to come up with a hypothetical itinerary based on my situation (Desire to travel next year after vaccination & financial situation).

 

If by May the METV is available & the max. period I can stretch out of this visa type is c. 9 months, would it be possible to deposit the 800000 Baht (slightly more as advised) on Dec 3rd 2021 (Reached 50 years & pension funds now available) and apply for the Retirement visa? Essentially move Step 5 to Step 9. Reason I ask is I seen on another thread that the funds only need to be in place at the time of application for the Retirement visa & not a couple of months before. Is that correct?

 

If not, could I leave Thailand at the end of the c. 9 months on the METV and travel elsewhere in Asia for a short period. Use this time to explore and sort out a Retirement visa (Other visa) to enter Thailand again and move to a Retirement visa without the need to return to UK. Is there other / better options? As above, I would have access to more funds and have greater flexibility to travel and cover visa costs. This would allow me to tie up loose ends in the UK before May 21 rather than having to return end of 2021 / early 2022 to sort out the Retirement visa from the UK.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to review and respond. Much appreciated.

 

CB

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

is I seen on another thread that the funds only need to be in place at the time of application for the Retirement visa & not a couple of months before. Is that correct?

OP, a suggestion..,stop thinking using term Retirement Visa. No such thing. If you enter Thailand on visa exempt or tourist visa you can later obtain a Non O visa based on retirement. You are correct that when you apply the 800k only needs to be in Thai bank at the time of your application. Note you need to show this money came from O/S. The non O give you 90 day permission of stay. In the last day 30 days or less of the POS you can apply for annual extension. When you do that you need to have had the 800k in bank for 2 months. This of course is all done when your 50+.

Regarding the non O-A visa.....that needs to be applied for in the UK. Some folk prefer that visa as the funds do not need to be in Thai bank. If planning to live on going in Thailand my thinking is the non O with annual extensions best option.

[Carrbhoy]

12 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, a suggestion..,stop thinking using term Retirement Visa. No such thing. If you enter Thailand on visa exempt or tourist visa you can later obtain a Non O visa based on retirement. You are correct that when you apply the 800k only needs to be in Thai bank at the time of your application. Note you need to show this money came from O/S. The non O give you 90 day permission of stay. In the last day 30 days or less of the POS you can apply for annual extension. When you do that you need to have had the 800k in bank for 2 months. This of course is all done when your 50+.

Regarding the non O-A visa.....that needs to be applied for in the UK. Some folk prefer that visa as the funds do not need to be in Thai bank. If planning to live on going in Thailand my thinking is the non O with annual extensions best option.

 

Thanks for the suggestion & clarification.

 

Using the hypothetical itinerary kindly provided by AsiaCurious in an earlier reply. Would this amended itinerary work?

1. May 15 - Apply for METV.  Assume effective date is May 16.  You can now enter Thailand an unlimited number of times through about November 12 (actual end of the visa depends on how they calculate the 6 months).
2. June 1 - Arrive Thailand
3. July 30 - Take a trip to another country (can come right back or spend some time exploring!)
4. August 1 - Return to Thailand
5. September 29 - Another trip to another country
6. November 9 - Take another trip to another country.
7. November 11 - Come back by the last day on your METV (or to be safe, the day before your last day).  You can now stay in Thailand for 60 more days.
8. Dec 3 - Open a bank account and transfer in 800,000 THB (best to do a little more than that).  Best bank to use is Bangkok Bank, and best transfer method is Transferwise.  Mark the transfer as being for retirement purposes, so Bangkok Bank will mark the funds as coming from outside the country.
9. Dec 4 - Shortly after you turn 50 (and at least 15 days BEFORE your last 60 days expire), apply for your Non O visa based on retirement.

If METV isn't available in May 2021, would the above itinerary work using an STV? Appreciate that steps involving leaving / entering not required & would be replaced with applying for 90 day extensions to max. 270 days.

 

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

 

Thanks for the suggestion & clarification.

 

Using the hypothetical itinerary kindly provided by AsiaCurious in an earlier reply. Would this amended itinerary work?

1. May 15 - Apply for METV.  Assume effective date is May 16.  You can now enter Thailand an unlimited number of times through about November 12 (actual end of the visa depends on how they calculate the 6 months).
2. June 1 - Arrive Thailand
3. July 30 - Take a trip to another country (can come right back or spend some time exploring!)
4. August 1 - Return to Thailand
5. September 29 - Another trip to another country
6. November 9 - Take another trip to another country.
7. November 11 - Come back by the last day on your METV (or to be safe, the day before your last day).  You can now stay in Thailand for 60 more days.
8. Dec 3 - Open a bank account and transfer in 800,000 THB (best to do a little more than that).  Best bank to use is Bangkok Bank, and best transfer method is Transferwise.  Mark the transfer as being for retirement purposes, so Bangkok Bank will mark the funds as coming from outside the country.
9. Dec 4 - Shortly after you turn 50 (and at least 15 days BEFORE your last 60 days expire), apply for your Non O visa based on retirement.

If METV isn't available in May 2021, would the above itinerary work using an STV? Appreciate that steps involving leaving / entering not required & would be replaced with applying for 90 day extensions to max. 270 days.

 

Thinking that you have put a lot of planning into this and it's a good plan.

The big IF is to the situation with vaccine and the effect it will have on borders and quarantine etc.

Everyone has an opinion and time will tell. I'm far less optimistic than many folks I read on TV. 

 

[Carrbhoy]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Thinking that you have put a lot of planning into this and it's a good plan.

The big IF is to the situation with vaccine and the effect it will have on borders and quarantine etc.

Everyone has an opinion and time will tell. I'm far less optimistic than many folks I read on TV. 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. Agree the position is very fluid but I'm looking at the situation with the vaccine / effect it will have on borders / quarantine etc as potential improvements to this draft plan.

 

If the plans works today using an STV to enter Thailand say May 21 & use the 2x 90 day & extensions then transfer funds / apply for your Non O visa based on retirement in Dec 21 once I reach 50 years of Age that is fantastic news! Given the importance, when you said 'a good plan' above, do you mean the METV itinerary & STV? The STV information I have read on the London Thai embassy website specifically says no transfer to another visa so wanted to be 100% certain this is a valid option.

 

 

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

 

Thanks for the feedback. Agree the position is very fluid but I'm looking at the situation with the vaccine / effect it will have on borders / quarantine etc as potential improvements to this draft plan.

 

If the plans works today using an STV to enter Thailand say May 21 & use the 2x 90 day & extensions then transfer funds / apply for your Non O visa based on retirement in Dec 21 once I reach 50 years of Age that is fantastic news! Given the importance, when you said 'a good plan' above, do you mean the METV itinerary & STV? The STV information I have read on the London Thai embassy website specifically says no transfer to another visa so wanted to be 100% certain this is a valid option.

 

 

STV cannot be used to obtain a non O (retirement) you would need to enter on tourist visa or visa exempt.

Currently visa exempt not clear.

I would obtain a SETV. Once inside Thailand you would be in same situation as many others after your permission of stay ends. If situation does not change can't imagine that the current "covid extensions" 60 day would not continue. Didn't Germany go into lockdown recently. The vaccine is no silver bullet and may be long time before significant change. Also keep in mind that any vaccine will have a priority list. 

[Carrbhoy]

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

STV cannot be used to obtain a non O (retirement) you would need to enter on tourist visa or visa exempt.

Currently visa exempt not clear.

I would obtain a set. Once inside Thailand you would be in same situation as many others after your permission of stay ends. If situation does not change can't imagine that the current "covid extensions" 60 day would not continue. Didn't Germany go into lockdown recently. The vaccine is no silver bullet and may be long time before significant change.

 

Ok so STV cannot be used in this way - thanks for clarifying.

 

Re obtain a 'set' - can you please expand? Is this a SETV (Single Entry visa)?  I didn't think I would be able to make this type of visa stretch from May / June 21 to Dec 21 when I would be able to progress the Non O visa based on retirement part of the plan.

 

So if the METV isn't available in May / June 21 when I intend to travel, your suggestion is to follow the same plan and hopefully instead of having to leave the country / re-enter every 60 days during July to Dec21, I would use the ongoing Covid extensions 60 days available to people on the SETV. 

 

I agree with your comments re the vaccine - I think it will be 12-18 months before any significant changes to borders / quarantine rules etc but hopefully things relax sooner.

 

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, Carrbhoy said:

 

Ok so STV cannot be used in this way - thanks for clarifying.

 

Re obtain a 'set' - can you please expand? Is this a SETV (Single Entry visa)?  I didn't think I would be able to make this type of visa stretch from May / June 21 to Dec 21 when I would be able to progress the Non O visa based on retirement part of the plan.

 

So if the METV isn't available in May / June 21 when I intend to travel, your suggestion is to follow the same plan and hopefully instead of having to leave the country / re-enter every 60 days during July to Dec21, I would use the ongoing Covid extensions 60 days available to people on the SETV. 

 

I agree with your comments re the vaccine - I think it will be 12-18 months before any significant changes to borders / quarantine rules etc but hopefully things relax sooner.

 

Again it's only my opinion. 

Think if you can travel to Thailand with a SETV then if in time not much changes you could obtain "covid extensions" if on the other hand borders open and there is no quarantine requirements you could do border bounce visa exempt reentry and extend each one. 

Your allowed 2 per calendar year. 

Think that the first outcome more likely.

The other option is once inside Thailand with the SETV is to use agent to obtain a non O based on volunteering along with 12 month extension. Not cheap but trouble free. Perhaps ~ 35k

[Carrbhoy]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Again it's only my opinion. 

Think if you can travel to Thailand with a SETV then if in time not much changes you could obtain "covid extensions" if on the other hand borders open and there is no quarantine requirements you could do border bounce visa exempt reentry and extend each one. 

Your allowed 2 per calendar year. 

Think that the first outcome more likely.

The other option is once inside Thailand with the SETV is to use agent to obtain a non O based on volunteering along with 12 month extension. Not cheap but trouble free. Perhaps ~ 35k

 

I appreciate your opinion & will of course weigh up the pros & cons before my making my final decision next year. Just building up my understanding of the options / pitfalls and processes to make a more informed decision at this stage.

 

I was steered away from the non O volunteering route from earlier replies - reference to problems down the line with obtaining Retirement going down this route made me think twice. Not concerned re the costs of 35k+ (been quoted 66000 by Thai Visa Centre - 28 for Non-IMM & 38 for volunteer). I just want to avoid any longer term issues if possible.

 

Just coming back to STV for one more query - the STV does get me into Thailand for 270 days (with 2x extensions) and is less hassle than the METV. Potentially I could do a border bounce & re-enter visa exempt Dec21 (or Feb22) which I think is a realistic possibility by then & then progress the Non O visa based on retirement part of the plan at that time. As a fallback option, does that work? What would be the issues with this approach?

 

Thanks again for allowing me to pick your brain. Really helpful - thank you.

 

 

[DrJack54]

16 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

Just coming back to STV for one more query - the STV does get me into Thailand for 270 days (with 2x extensions) and is less hassle than the METV. Potentially I could do a border bounce & re-enter visa exempt Dec21 (or Feb22) which I think is a realistic possibility by then & then progress the Non O visa based on retirement part of the plan at that time.

Yes that would work. Only requirement would be that reentry visa exempt towards end of 2021 to enable you to apply for non o.

We all would hope borders open without quarantine by end next year. 

[BringMeSunshine]

I think that for UK citizens it's 55 years old for a retirement visa, not 50.  They upped it when the (domestic) UK retirement ages were hiked a few years go. 

 

Double-check, that, tho'

 

[DrJack54]

13 minutes ago, BringMeSunshine said:

I think that for UK citizens it's 55 years old for a retirement visa, not 50.  They upped it when the (domestic) UK retirement ages were hiked a few years go. 

 

Double-check, that, tho'

 

Nup

[BringMeSunshine]

13 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Nup

Yer, the London Embassy site says 50.   Dunno where I got 55 from, forget it.