1st Renewal Of Retirement Visa

[Kaojai]

I am an American, and I got my retirement visa two months ago. .

Waitasec. Are you saying that two months ago you went to a Thai Immigrations office in Thailand for a retirement extension and were required to submit a medical certificate?

I thought that the medical certificate was eliminated last October?

I think there is some confusion between people talking about getting the visa for the first time and people renewing it. Not the same process.

[Kaojai]

First, it isn't a "letter" that you need, it is a statement which you fill out regarding your monthly income which the consular officer notarizes. The US embassy provides the form. .

Semantics really. The form is a convenience, but if you do have a letter/statement from your pension source, you can verify it in a letter/statement that you have written, sign that in front of the consular officer and it serves the same purpose.

While the form/statement apparently suffice in most cases, the immigrations officer can still ask for evidence that you have been bringing money into the Kingdom. If you apply for the extension at the last minute and additional banking information is requested, you may not have allowed yourself much time to get it. Assuming you're not trying to cover up something, it's probably better to err on the side of caution, rather than create a problem and then write a rant on TV blaming everyone in Immigrations for a problem you could have avoided.

[IAMSOBAD]

for my first try at a retirement visa in bangkok the following happened...

i was made to show proof of income...bank letter and proof of passbook activity from outside monies. the thai officer i had laughed at my letter from the us embassy. they said it meant nothing. i showed them i paid over 30 dollars for it and they told me i was ripped off by the us. i was told to come back with more proof. after all this i was aked to leave or they would call the big boss and have me arrested. all because i said..."i have all that you require from your posted document on your bulletin board. they refused to look at their own board so i pulled the page off and showed them. they called for back up. the police colonel that showed up totally took my side. he told the thai officer to take the day off without pay and sent her home. he then asked me to his office. he stamped all my paperwork and said he was really sorry about how his staff reacted to me taking the document off the bulletin bpard. i showed him it was up with two sided tape and that i didnt destroy property like she had reported. ALL ENDED WELL...WHAT A DAY!

[IAMSOBAD]

anyone need me to help you i will gladly introduce you to the colonel in charge. he is very honest and hates the hint of a thai officer trying to make a little under the table or any other kind of unprofessional activity of his staff. since that day last year i have wondered what would have happened to me if another policeman had shown up instead of the head man. i was lucky. seems that each officer makes their own rules.

p.s. i would try going to the window of a male officer instead of a female next time. some of the male officers told me that the female really overreacted. T.I.T.

[Maestro]

I would like to add a few snippets of wisdom to this topic.

1. The reports of yugobrian – “never had immigration ask for supporting information” – and IAMSOBAD – “...last year...” – relate their experience in the past and I have no reason at all to doubt the veracity of their reports. It is good of them to have reported their experience. However, there has been a lot of talk on this forum about “shifting goal posts” and there have been several reports over the past six months of US citizens being required by Immigration to show supporting documents in addition to the US embassy letter. This additional requirement goes under the listed requirement “3. Evidences of having income, such as pension or interest of saving money, or dividends etc.” in paragraph 7.21 of National Police Order 606/2549.

2. There has been speculation that the Immigration Bureau has figured out that contrary to the embassies of other countries the US embassy asks for no supporting documents when certifying the income letter and that this is the reason why US citizens are singled out by Immigration with a request for supporting documents.

3. It is entirely at the discretion of the Immigration officer whether or not to ask for this additional documentation. Some US applicants have been asked for it, others not. The useful thing to know is that Immigration has the right to ask for it, and sometimes does require it. The general advice, to applicants of any nationality, is to bring any available supporting documentation along to the Immigration office but produce it only upon request.

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Maestro

[mahjongguy]

I always take the form letter from my Thai bank, but I actually have no idea what it says. What I think is helpful is that I also bring along a Transfer Details report from each of my incoming wire transfers during the past year. You can obtain these from your "home" bank branch two days after the transfer completes. The key thing is that they show the originating foreign bank.

Still, on my last renewal, because the bank letter was already 26 hours old, the Immigration oficer made me run 4 blocks down the street and get a balance slip from my bank's ATM. That clearly was uncalled-for, but I guess it made her day. Next time I will be "forearmed".

[Maestro]

I always take the form letter from my Thai bank

Lest anybody be confused now, let me make this clear: the letter form the Thai bank is not a substitute for the letter from the consulate when applying for an annual extension based on foreign income.

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Maestro

[JimGant]

I am an American, and I got my retirement visa two months ago. .

Waitasec. Are you saying that two months ago you went to a Thai Immigrations office in Thailand for a retirement extension and were required to submit a medical certificate?

I thought that the medical certificate was eliminated last October?

I think there is some confusion between people talking about getting the visa for the first time and people renewing it. Not the same process.

What's the straight skinny to wpcoe's question? Are medical certificates still required for first-time extension applicants?

Lopburi? Maestro?

[lopburi3]

I can only say with certainty that it is not required for a renewal but was also of the opinion it was not required for any. The poster mentions "which I paid 80 baht for at the first "clinic" sign I saw on Rajaprarop Road." which seems strange if he was at Suan Plu that he would travel across town to the first clinic he sees. Or was he talking about a different Immigration office?

Anyone with recent first retirement extension experience?

[WalterTP]

I understand what you're saying. I was just hoping that somebody could give me an idea of how many months back the paperwork must go.

But I take your point, it's a bit of a crapshoot

I just renewed my retirement visa in Bangkok today and this is the fourth time doing so. I have never been asked for any proof of income other than the notarized statement from the US embassy. Even the embassy doesn't ask you to prove this income. I go with a combination of monthly income and money in the bank to reach 800,000 baht so I do need a statement from my bank to verify my funds. They photocopy the last few pages of the passbook and certify it.

I hope this is helpful.