Retirement Visa

[oswaldcassidy]

We are coming to the end of our multy entry o visas on 21 june and wish to consider and alternative such as retirement as we are not married i placed 800,000 baht in my partners scb account which has been in the account for over 3 months, we are both UK citizens I have a UK service pension as well as savings in scb i believe that i have to go to brit emb to get letter of proof of pension can some one out there give me an idea of procedures of application and costs. we have also heard that an extension can be sought whilst the application is being processed we are both over 50. thanks for all help and ideas.

[Krub]

We are coming to the end of our multy entry o visas on 21 june and wish to consider and alternative such as retirement as we are not married i placed 800,000 baht in my partners scb account which has been in the account for over 3 months, we are both UK citizens I have a UK service pension as well as savings in scb i believe that i have to go to brit emb to get letter of proof of pension can some one out there give me an idea of procedures of application and costs. we have also heard that an extension can be sought whilst the application is being processed we are both over 50. thanks for all help and ideas.

If you have each 800k baht for over 3 months in your account, this should be enough to get a 1 year extension.

If you need the income letter from theUK EMbassy, you need to present them wit evidence of your income. They will give you a letter the cost for this service is 2.448 baht. Apply morning pick-up next day or have it sent to you (+40 baht)

You know that if you do a last run just before the end of your visa you get a last 90 days ? (I am not sure if June 21 is the end of validity of your visa or the end of validity of your last entry stamp)

[oswaldcassidy]

We are coming to the end of our multy entry o visas on 21 june and wish to consider and alternative such as retirement as we are not married i placed 800,000 baht in my partners scb account which has been in the account for over 3 months, we are both UK citizens I have a UK service pension as well as savings in scb i believe that i have to go to brit emb to get letter of proof of pension can some one out there give me an idea of procedures of application and costs. we have also heard that an extension can be sought whilst the application is being processed we are both over 50. thanks for all help and ideas.

If you have each 800k baht for over 3 months in your account, this should be enough to get a 1 year extension.

If you need the income letter from theUK EMbassy, you need to present them wit evidence of your income. They will give you a letter the cost for this service is 2.448 baht. Apply morning pick-up next day or have it sent to you (+40 baht)

You know that if you do a last run just before the end of your visa you get a last 90 days ? (I am not sure if June 21 is the end of validity of your visa or the end of validity of your last entry stamp)

Thanks for that jack we took advantage of the extra 3 months so its the end of our visa although we could get 60 day visa what other costs are involved in getting a retirement visa and if we do get the retirement visa what are the rules on leaving thailand ie do you get a re-entry included

[altman]

You know that if you do a last run just before the end of your visa you get a last 90 days ? (I am not sure if June 21 is the end of validity of your visa or the end of validity of your last entry stamp)

ok, i've seen references to this in other posts but haven't been in a position to pay much attention. can you clarify?

this is my situation. currently on a tourist visa. age qualify for retirement visa, but have not yet put the 800,000 in the bank. i intend to change the tourist visa to a non-'o' visa within this month.

my questions:

1) when i get the non-'o' it will be valid for 90 days and at that time i do not need to have the 800,000 in the bank. correct?

2) will the new non-'o' begin from the expiration date of the tourist visa or from the date the non-'o' is issued?

3) if i need to leave the country within that 90 days, (which i do indeed need to do), i should get a re-entry permit at immigration before leaving. correct?

3a) should i be trying to get a multi entry non-'o'? is there such a thing? or just re-entry permits on regular non-'o'?

4) when i re-enter, using the same non-'o' with re-entry permit, i will get another 90 days. correct?

5) sometime during all this, and at least 90 days before i apply for the one year extension of the non-'o', i must have placed 800,000 in a thai bank.

before i first came here i tried to get a non-'o-a' from the los angeles consulate and left a field in their form blank. that disqualified me and i have been doing runs since then. i would try los angeles again, as the trip i need to make is back to the states, but i think i'd rather not. so this is my next best plan.

[Krub]

We are coming to the end of our multy entry o visas on 21 june and wish to consider and alternative such as retirement as we are not married i placed 800,000 baht in my partners scb account which has been in the account for over 3 months, we are both UK citizens I have a UK service pension as well as savings in scb i believe that i have to go to brit emb to get letter of proof of pension can some one out there give me an idea of procedures of application and costs. we have also heard that an extension can be sought whilst the application is being processed we are both over 50. thanks for all help and ideas.

If you have each 800k baht for over 3 months in your account, this should be enough to get a 1 year extension.

If you need the income letter from theUK EMbassy, you need to present them wit evidence of your income. They will give you a letter the cost for this service is 2.448 baht. Apply morning pick-up next day or have it sent to you (+40 baht)

You know that if you do a last run just before the end of your visa you get a last 90 days ? (I am not sure if June 21 is the end of validity of your visa or the end of validity of your last entry stamp)

Thanks for that jack we took advantage of the extra 3 months so its the end of our visa although we could get 60 day visa what other costs are involved in getting a retirement visa and if we do get the retirement visa what are the rules on leaving thailand ie do you get a re-entry included

Aslong as you have the cash in the bank for 3 months prior to application you only need 1.900 baht at immigration for a 1 year extension.

If you want to keepit alive a re-entry permit single entry is 1.000 baht a multi I think 3.800. But remember if you do not leave Thailandthere is no more need to do runs as the extension is for a full year andis given immediately upon application

[lopburi3]

oswald:

You will both have to meet the requirements for extension of stay individually. So your partner needs a 3 month age for the deposit and you will need to meet the income plus deposit. As the money has not been in the bank long enough you can not apply until it has been and I do not know of any "extensions" to cover that period - you already have the required visa so you can not change that. Expect you may have to obtain a tourist visa and then apply to change that to obtain the non immigrant to cover the time period. But you might be able to obtain a non immigrant O visa from a Consulate if you explain why (waiting for retirement extension of stay).

altman:

1. You need to meed the requirements for change and 800k have to be in bank before you can do anything.

2. Believe it will be valid upon application but also believe most people do this when they qualify for extension of stay and do not use the entry period - you really should talk with immigration directly as the change of visa still seems to use old criteria from most reports but they might not want to do it unless you meet the extension of stay requirements.

3. To keep a stay alive requires a re-entry permit. You will not receive a multi entry visa from Immigration.

4. No. You get to stay until the previous permitted to stay date.

5. You must have the money in the bank first.

[oswaldcassidy]

oswald:

You will both have to meet the requirements for extension of stay individually. So your partner needs a 3 month age for the deposit and you will need to meet the income plus deposit. As the money has not been in the bank long enough you can not apply until it has been and I do not know of any "extensions" to cover that period - you already have the required visa so you can not change that. Expect you may have to obtain a tourist visa and then apply to change that to obtain the non immigrant to cover the time period. But you might be able to obtain a non immigrant O visa from a Consulate if you explain why (waiting for retirement extension of stay).

altman:

1. You need to meed the requirements for change and 800k have to be in bank before you can do anything.

2. Believe it will be valid upon application but also believe most people do this when they qualify for extension of stay and do not use the entry period - you really should talk with immigration directly as the change of visa still seems to use old criteria from most reports but they might not want to do it unless you meet the extension of stay requirements.

3. To keep a stay alive requires a re-entry permit. You will not receive a multi entry visa from Immigration.

4. No. You get to stay until the previous permitted to stay date.

5. You must have the money in the bank first.

Thanks for that my partners money has been in her own account for over the 3 months so she should have no problem with visa due to recent high levels of spending my account shows only 400 baht although immigration would see that over the last 2 years the account has been to the level of 1 million plus hence why I was thinking of going to the embassy to get a qualifying letter of proof of pension although I have ofshore accounts when I went to samui immigration last week the guy I spoke to said just make sure that I had 800 k in my account on the day i apply hence why i am confused

[astral]

1. As long as your pension is over 65K per month that will suffice for your visa.

You do not need the 800K, it is an either/or situation, but can be a combination if the pension alone is insufficient.

2. As I understand it, your partner has to show the 800K has been in the account for 3 months

[lopburi3]

OK. So your partner is all set and can apply for retirement extension of stay immediately (and best to do with a few weeks remaining in case something is not right). For the extension the bank passbook/copies, letter of account balance from bank (200 baht most banks and obtain same day or within a couple of visit), passport/copies, arrival card/copy, 4x6cm photo taken within six months and fill out form TM.7 and pay 1,900 baht.

For you if they say 800k on day of visit I suspect they are going to provide you a non immigrant visa under the old change of visa rules which does not require the 3 month wait. But if they do that you will probably later have to do the extension after the 3 months are up so would recommend you have it in the bank at least a few days before your visit to give you breathing room at the other end. So I suspect you will pay 2,000 baht now and then do the above procedure later. I believe you can use the pension or combination but officer probably did not mention as assumed you would use deposit. The old rules are below and believe they are still what is being used.

In case of overstaying in Thailand, application could not be submitted.

Application for Visa Status Alteration. (TM.86)

Application for visa. (TM.87)

Copy of passport entries.

4 X 6 cm. Photograph.

Application fee of 2,000 baht.

• A guarantee letter from bank in Thailand showing that the applicant has an account of not less than 800,000 baht, and

• Copy all pages of bank passbook and

• A document proving foreign remittance(SWIFT) Or

A guarantee-letter from The Embassy or Consulate, proving the monthly pension or income of the applicant not less than 65,000 baht per month. Or

The total amount of money from the pension and bank account as stated above not less than 800,000 baht.

Your mention of short extension made me believe you would not be able to meet the requirements now but if you get letter of 65k you will qualify for immediate extension. There is no need for temporary extensions of stay on retirement as the local office can approve them immediately. So if you get the letter from embassy and have enough in bank to offset any shortfall you may indeed both be able to obtain your extensions at the same time.

[wpcoe]

2) will the new non-'o' begin from the expiration date of the tourist visa or from the date the non-'o' is issued?

altman:

2. Believe it will be valid upon application but also believe most people do this when they qualify for extension of stay and do not use the entry period - you really should talk with immigration directly as the change of visa still seems to use old criteria from most reports but they might not want to do it unless you meet the extension of stay requirements.

I'm not clear on whether altman is planning to leave Thailand when he "changes" his tourist visa to a Non-Immigrant O, but if he isn't then there may be a parallel to my experience.

This is not an exact apples-to-applies comparison, but last September I entered on a visa-waiver stamp, converted it to a Non-Immigrant Visa and then extended for one-year for Retirement as follows:

Sept. 3, 2006 - entered on visa-waiver stamp (admitted until Oct. 2, 2006).

Sept. 22, 2006 - "converted" (i.e. "was issued") Non-Immigrant O visa, and given Retirement extension same day.

The one-year Retirement extension expires Sept. 2, 2007 ... one year from my entry to Thailand, NOT one-year from the date the extension was issued, nor from date of issuance of the Non-Immigrant O visa.

I have never seen a Non-Immigrant O visa issued outside of Thailand, but suspect the one that I received in Thailand (at Jomtien Immigrations) is different. It states "This visa must be utilized on the date of its issuance." It does not have an "expiration" date. It does not have a permitted-to-stay period indicated.

So, I would suspect that altman's one-year Retirement extension would expire one year from the date he entered Thailand on his tourist visa. I also suspect that if his Non-Immigrant O visa will be the same as mine, I don't think he will be beginning a new 90-day permission of stay.

If it would help, I could scan/upload a copy of my visa and passport stamps.

[Krub]

2) will the new non-'o' begin from the expiration date of the tourist visa or from the date the non-'o' is issued?

altman:

2. Believe it will be valid upon application but also believe most people do this when they qualify for extension of stay and do not use the entry period - you really should talk with immigration directly as the change of visa still seems to use old criteria from most reports but they might not want to do it unless you meet the extension of stay requirements.

I'm not clear on whether altman is planning to leave Thailand when he "changes" his tourist visa to a Non-Immigrant O, but if he isn't then there may be a parallel to my experience.

This is not an exact apples-to-applies comparison, but last September I entered on a visa-waiver stamp, converted it to a Non-Immigrant Visa and then extended for one-year for Retirement as follows:

Sept. 3, 2006 - entered on visa-waiver stamp (admitted until Oct. 2, 2006).

Sept. 22, 2006 - "converted" (i.e. "was issued") Non-Immigrant O visa, and given Retirement extension same day.

The one-year Retirement extension expires Sept. 2, 2007 ... one year from my entry to Thailand, NOT one-year from the date the extension was issued, nor from date of issuance of the Non-Immigrant O visa.

I have never seen a Non-Immigrant O visa issued outside of Thailand, but suspect the one that I received in Thailand (at Jomtien Immigrations) is different. It states "This visa must be utilized on the date of its issuance." It does not have an "expiration" date. It does not have a permitted-to-stay period indicated.

So, I would suspect that altman's one-year Retirement extension would expire one year from the date he entered Thailand on his tourist visa. I also suspect that if his Non-Immigrant O visa will be the same as mine, I don't think he will be beginning a new 90-day permission of stay.

If it would help, I could scan/upload a copy of my visa and passport stamps.

Yes please scan the stamps and can you let us know the other requirements you provided ? (bank 800k and or income letter from Embassy) Also the fees (2.000 for chnage of visa and 1.900 for etxension ?)

Thanks

[wpcoe]

Yes please scan the stamps and can you let us know the other requirements you provided ? (bank 800k and or income letter from Embassy) Also the fees (2.000 for chnage of visa and 1.900 for etxension ?)

Bear with me on the scan, I just realized my scanner is not compatible with Windows Vista, and I'll need to work around that.

But, for the fees and process, you can refer to: http://www.wpcoe.com/visa/ for a summary of what I did.

[wpcoe]

Yes please scan the stamps and can you let us know the other requirements you provided ? (bank 800k and or income letter from Embassy) Also the fees (2.000 for chnage of visa and 1.900 for etxension ?)

After I scanned, I realized there are an entry or two that I don't understand, so maybe someone can explain?

The red square is my visa-exempt entry stamp dated 03 Sep 2006.

The blue square is my "converted" Non-Immigrant O visa issued at the Jomtien Immigrations office showing "This visa must be utilized on the date of its issuance."

The yellow square I honestly never noticed before. I guess it is simply there to contain the information about a 90-day permit to stay that would be on a "normal" Non-Immigrant O? <shrug>

The green square I have no idea what it says, either.

The second scan is of the stamp permitting me to stay until 02 Sep 2007, one year from my original entry into Thailand on the visa-exempt stamp. (There is a hand written note clarifying the actual date, as the Immigrations Officer had originally stamped the wrong dates.)

I used a combination of (a) pension income verified by the US Embassy in Bangkok, plus ( a verified balance in a Siam Commercial Bank account to meet the B800,000 requirement.

[wpcoe]

Only one scan got attached to the previous message. <sigh....>

Here is the one with the colored boxes: