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[scoutman360]

 

I have been working in Thailand many years with Work Permit and Non-B, and now it's time to retire. Can my VISA be converted inside Thailand? Or, must I leave and re-enter on VISA Exempt? Can One-Stop in Bangkok do the conversion, since they currently do my Non-B extensions? I need someone to walk me through the process. I understand the Non-O requirements, just don't know the conversion process. Thanks much.

[BritTim]

It is possible to change the reason for your permission to stay from working to retirement. I do not think the One-Stop office can give you the retirement extension. You might need to cancel your permission to stay at the One-Stop office in the morning, and apply for the new extension of your permission to stay based on retirement at Chaengwattana in the afternoon. If you contact the One-Stop office, they can hopefully advise you.

[Tod Daniels]

You need to understand that you don't have any Non-B visa right now and you will NOT be applying for a Non-O visa either ????

You are on a yearly extension of stay (or sometimes a 2 year one as you get your extensions at Cham Churi Square's One Stop Service Center)

As I said you will not apply for a Non-O visa inside the country.  All you are doing is changing the REASON for your extension from one based on employment to one based on retirement.
 

You will take documentation from your employer to C/C Square a few weeks before your termination date, cancel the current extension you're on <- they will give you a new stamp allowing you to stay until the termination date.

Then you meet the requirements and go to Chaengwattana to apply for a yearly extension of stay based on being over 50 (retirement) <- in Section L-1 at the main immigration office for 1900baht.

Cham Churi Square only cancels your current extension, they won't issue a new extension based on retirement, that's done at Chaengwattana.

I would say well before you're going to do this cancel extension/apply for a new one you slog on out to Chaengwattana and get the hand out listing the requirements for the yearly extension of stay from the first cubbyhole on the right as you walk in to Section L-1 (it has a sign that says "Document Check" on the entry.
 

That way you can have everything ready for when you do go to apply. Remember you need the 800K baht banked in a thai bank account in your name only for 2 months before you APPLY for the extension.

People change the reason for extensions all the time, and going from an extension based on employment to one based on being over 50 (retirement) is pretty straightforward even though you are dealing with two different offices

[arithai12]

yes, it's possible - I did that.

First, go with your employer (or possibly alone, I had my employer's representative) to the Labor office, cancel your WP. Note from this day your extension is also invalid, so in principle you'd be on overstay from the next day. Same day then, go to immigration with the right papers (eg 800k deposit, passbook and letter from bank, it must have been seasoned already for 3 months I believe).

I did the immigration part with the help of an agent, not really necessary but he will check all before you cancel WP and zoom you through the immigration queue.

Enjoy your retirement.

 

edit: this was CM in 2016.

Edited August 29, 2023 by arithai12

[sandyf]

2 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

You need to understand that you don't have any Non-B visa right now and you will NOT be applying for a Non-O visa either

You are wrong on the first point and making assumptions on the second.

Visas do not go away, they only expire but remain on your travel history. Your most recent visa can dictate options.

The OP can apply for a Non O visa if he so chooses, but would have to be done outside Thailand to supersede the Non B.

[arick]

Such a drama .... This country needs an overhaul 

[scoutman360]

3 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

You will take documentation from your employer to C/C Square a few weeks before your termination date, cancel the current extension you're on <- they will give you a new stamp allowing you to stay until the termination date.

Then you meet the requirements and go to Chaengwattana to apply for a yearly extension of stay based on being over 50 (retirement) <- in Section L-1 at the main immigration office for 1900baht.

 

Just wondering if it all must be done the same day. I have read from other posts that CW wants a bank deposit letter written the same day as the visit. It seems crazy to do if one must be at C/C Square early in the morning.

[Expat4life66]

25 minutes ago, scoutman360 said:

Just wondering if it all must be done the same day. I have read from other posts that CW wants a bank deposit letter written the same day as the visit. It seems crazy to do if one must be at C/C Square early in the morning.

I did this in same conversion  (OSS > CW) in 2022.   I assume you are on an extension.  My official retirement date was 30 June and I was in the middle of a 4 year BOI extension .  My employer HR person wrote a post dated termination letter on 22 June with a date in the letter of 30 June.  HR sent this letter to our regular corporate visa agent (does extensions and 90 day reports) and they went to OSS on my behalf on June 23 with my PP (I did not have to attend). 

 

Agent got both the cancelation stamp dated 30 June and the additional 7 day stamp to leave the country at the same time.  That gave me a week to sort out the over 50 (retirement) extension documents.   CW allowed a bank letter from previous day,  bank book updated same day with activity (e..g., 100THB) showing proof of 800K for two months prior.  Suggest you talk to your local HR and agency if you are using OSS and have them help you bulid a timeline and do the conversion.   You will have to attend CW.  Agent not required, but helpful if CW asks for a document related to your previous working extension not part of the regular retirement requirements.  

 

Hope this helps,

Edited August 29, 2023 by Expat4life66

[khunPer]

20 hours ago, scoutman360 said:

Can my VISA be converted inside Thailand? Or, must I leave and re-enter on VISA Exempt?

To my knowledge, you just need to change the reason for extensions of stay – your visa has long time expired – but you need a bank deposit of 800k baht matured for two month to do so.

 

Some of the rules might be slightly different from province to province, so ask your local immigration office for the list of their requirements for extension of stay based on retirement.

 

It my impression, that you cannot use the monthly transfer of pension method, when changing from work permit, perhaps others can confirm if that's also a possibility.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, sandyf said:

You are wrong on the first point and making assumptions on the second.

Visas do not go away, they only expire but remain on your travel history. Your most recent visa can dictate options.

The OP can apply for a Non O visa if he so chooses, but would have to be done outside Thailand to supersede the Non B.

As usual Tod is accurate. Once you are on an extension of your permission to stay, in the vast majority of cases (including the one discussed in this thread) the type of visa used to enter Thailand (or applied for at Immigration) is of purely historical interest. The important points are the expiry date of your permission to stay, and the current basis of your extended temporary permission to stay in Thailand.

[sandyf]

37 minutes ago, BritTim said:

As usual Tod is accurate. Once you are on an extension of your permission to stay, in the vast majority of cases (including the one discussed in this thread) the type of visa used to enter Thailand (or applied for at Immigration) is of purely historical interest. The important points are the expiry date of your permission to stay, and the current basis of your extended temporary permission to stay in Thailand.

No, it is not accurate but you are free to make any intepretation you want.

You cannot get a long term extension without having had a visa and any application to immigration will reference that visa.

To change that visa would normally mean leaving the country and re-enter with a different visa. I have changed a Non B visa to a Non O visa at the MFA visa office but I do not think that option is open to all.

You may be right that the OP does not know the difference between an extension and a visa but just like Tod you are making assumptions.

This is what was posted, the term "visa" in first sentence and the term "extensions" in the last, acknowledging the difference. Also the reference to visa exempt entry indicates an awareness of a route to Non O visa status.

 

"Can my VISA be converted inside Thailand? Or, must I leave and re-enter on VISA Exempt? Can One-Stop in Bangkok do the conversion, since they currently do my Non-B extensions?"

[Tod Daniels]

6 hours ago, sandyf said:

You are wrong on the first point and making assumptions on the second.

Visas do not go away, they only expire but remain on your travel history. Your most recent visa can dictate options.

The OP can apply for a Non O visa if he so chooses, but would have to be done outside Thailand to supersede the Non B.

How about you stick with what you know (here's a hint it is NOT entry/visa/extension stuff)
The O/P is on an extension of stay, they can cancel that up to 3 weeks early at Cham Churi Square and that gives them plenty of time to apply for the year extension at Chaengwattana

[Tod Daniels]

12 minutes ago, sandyf said:

No, it is not accurate but you are free to make any intepretation you want.

 

You just won't give it a rest, they are not here ON a visa <- they are on an extension of stay and there is no issue AT ALL with changing the reason for an extension. people do it all the time
Employment to marriage, marriage to retirement, retirement to marriage, education to marriage, employment to retirement <- those are REASON CHANGES. and have nothing to do with changing a visa type at the MFA or leaving the country.

 

[Tod Daniels]

6 hours ago, scoutman360 said:

Just wondering if it all must be done the same day. I have read from other posts that CW wants a bank deposit letter written the same day as the visit. It seems crazy to do if one must be at C/C Square early in the morning.

You can cancel your extension at Cham Churi Square up to three weeks before your actual termination date on the paperwork from your employer <- they will cnacel the work permit/extension and give you a stamp letting you stay until the termination date, 

That gives you plenty of time to go get the bank letter, the documents, and go apply at Chaengwattana for your extension.

The Bank LETTER can be up to 7 days old at C/W although your bank book must be updated the date you apply for the extension, and you need a 3 month print out of the detail transaction report which most banks can do on the spot.
 
You DO need to have the funds fully seasoned the 2 months before you apply for the new extension as well as have all the documents required but it's pretty straight forward.

Believe me people do "reason changes" for extensions all the time. ESPECIALLY employment to retirement or employment to marriage ???? those are done the most.   

One final time so sandyf catches on, you're NOT doing anything VISA-wise. An extension of stay is NOT a visa, it's exactly what the stamp says, an extension of stay, (you got it FROM a visa, but that visa expired long ago) You're just changing the reason for your extension is all.  

Totally can be done, totally can be done over a period of a couple weeks if you cancel your employment extension early like I mentioned

[scoutman360]

Thank you all for the great comments. I do understand my original Non-B has expired and I am here on an extension. I had included it in my post to summarize background info and help explain what I want to do. Very good feedback. 

 

Expat4life66 offered solutions to give one a few more days to prepare for the CW visit. Any other suggestions are welcome!

[Eff1n2ret]

3 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

You just won't give it a rest, they are not here ON a visa <- they are on an extension of stay and there is no issue AT ALL with changing the reason for an extension. people do it all the time
Employment to marriage, marriage to retirement, retirement to marriage, education to marriage, employment to retirement <- those are REASON CHANGES. and have nothing to do with changing a visa type at the MFA or leaving the country.

 

The snag with changing off employment is that your permission to stay lapses when the work permit is cancelled. Whether you can put your application in for retirement whilst your WP is still active, I don't know, but a dozen years ago I got my WP cancelled at Chonburi then the Non-B at Jomtien, then was given a retirement extension at Rayong the following day, at the cost of a fine for an "overstay"  - so it can be done in-country, but you have to get your ducks in a row.

[TaoNow]

Tod and Khunper are correct -- at least in my experience.

 

I entered Thailand with a "Non-B" visa in December, 2007.  Then, I did a 60-day extension of "permit to stay" for reason of visiting a Thai spouse. 

 

Having established the financial requirement of the 800K baht in the bank, I was then granted a new extension for the purpose of "retirement."

 

Nothing has changed since my experience in terms of Immo regulations.

 

This all seems quite logical and clear-cut. 

 

Not sure where the confusion is.

[scoutman360]

4 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

You can cancel your extension at Cham Churi Square up to three weeks before your actual termination date on the paperwork from your employer <- they will cnacel the work permit/extension and give you a stamp letting you stay until the termination date, 

That gives you plenty of time to go get the bank letter, the documents, and go apply at Chaengwattana for your extension.

The Bank LETTER can be up to 7 days old at C/W although your bank book must be updated the date you apply for the extension, and you need a 3 month print out of the detail transaction report which most banks can do on the spot.
 
You DO need to have the funds fully seasoned the 2 months before you apply for the new extension as well as have all the documents required but it's pretty straight forward.

Believe me people do "reason changes" for extensions all the time. ESPECIALLY employment to retirement or employment to marriage ???? those are done the most.   

One final time so sandyf catches on, you're NOT doing anything VISA-wise. An extension of stay is NOT a visa, it's exactly what the stamp says, an extension of stay, (you got it FROM a visa, but that visa expired long ago) You're just changing the reason for your extension is all.  

Totally can be done, totally can be done over a period of a couple weeks if you cancel your employment extension early like I mentioned

Tod, thank you kindly. Excellent info. I know what to do now. BTW: the funds have been seasoned in the bank for months already. I can't wait to get this done. Cheers!

[BritTim]

12 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

The Bank LETTER can be up to 7 days old at C/W although your bank book must be updated the date you apply for the extension, and you need a 3 month print out of the detail transaction report which most banks can do on the spot.

It has recently been reported that CW at least in most cases now wants a 12 month statement for retirement extensions (other than the first). They might waive that requirement if your bank passbook has no consolidated entries, but they are definitely asking for the 12-month statement as one of the standard documents. It is very annoying if your account is at Bangkok Bank where they require five working days to give you a 12-month statement.

[sandyf]

16 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

How about you stick with what you know (here's a hint it is NOT entry/visa/extension stuff)
The O/P is on an extension of stay, they can cancel that up to 3 weeks early at Cham Churi Square and that gives them plenty of time to apply for the year extension at Chaengwattana

How about you try and read posts as they are posted rather than making assumptions.

[sandyf]

16 hours ago, scoutman360 said:

I do understand my original Non-B has expired and I am here on an extension.

If you want to convert reason for extension rather than the visa itself as posted in OP, fair  enough. I would  rather be wrong on the interpretation than join the arrogant that just assume people do not know what they are talking about.

Your Non B may have expired but it has not gone away, gets quoted on the TM7. A change in visa would mean a clean slate but there are many on here that will advocate all sorts to avoid such a move. Generally it is a fairly simple option if you don't mind leaving the country and something I have done regulrly for one reason or another over the last 15 years.

 

[sandyf]

16 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

One final time so sandyf catches on, you're NOT doing anything VISA-wise. An extension of stay is NOT a visa, it's exactly what the stamp says, an extension of stay, (you got it FROM a visa, but that visa expired long ago) You're just changing the reason for your extension is all.  

Highlights how single minded you are, along with many others on this forum.

Extensions are based on a visa and everyone has the option of changing that visa if they so choose.

Those that never change their visa want to think their way is the only way.

[Tod Daniels]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

It has recently been reported that CW at least in most cases now wants a 12 month statement for retirement extensions (other than the first).

That is usually requested for the year extension of stay, and when someone is applying for the initial first yearly extension using banked money method because their seasoning requirement is only 2 months <- that's why I said get a 3 month print out 
BUT
There is no harm in having a year transaction print out although as you mentioned some banks can't print any more than 6 months on demand and the year has to be ordered taking about 4 or 5 days to get

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

Highlights how single minded you are, along with many others on this forum.

Extensions are based on a visa and everyone has the option of changing that visa if they so choose.

Those that never change their visa want to think their way is the only way.

If you are saying that people have the option, rather than getting an extension of stay, of leaving Thailand and returning with a visa, then you are, of course, correct. No one is forcing you to get a fresh extension of stay if you prefer to leave Thailand instead. Indeed, there are some who exclusively use entries from visas, never getting extensions in Thailand.

[Tod Daniels]

18 hours ago, scoutman360 said:

Tod, thank you kindly. Excellent info. I know what to do now. BTW: the funds have been seasoned in the bank for months already. I can't wait to get this done. Cheers!

I finally found a cancellation of extension from Cham Churi Square based on employment. As you can see from the dates the person went IN to the office to cancel the extension on July 1st, and their termination date was the 21 of July. The officer cancelled their extension on the first of July and gave them permission to stay until the 21st <- if you go a few weeks before the date on your termination paperwork they'll do the same thing to you and that should give you plenty of time to get to Chaengwattana to apply for the year extension based on retirement

Sincerely good luck with it, and as I might have mentioned GO to Chaengwattana before you cancel your current extension.

Go to Section L-1, the first cubby hole on the right in that section has a sign that says "Document Checking" and you can get the hand out from them that lists all the requirements to get the year extension. That way you can pull it off in one try..  

Also helps to book an appt with the online booking system (which you can do up to a month ahead) because then you just show up 20 minutes before the appt, get your documents checked in that first cubby and go straight to Counter 32 in Section L-1 without needing to get a queue number from the front counter 
Here's the online link ONLINE APPT FOR BANGKOK you want this choice 

[foreverlomsak]

On 8/29/2023 at 6:38 AM, Tod Daniels said:

going from an extension based on employment to one based on being over 50 (retirement) is pretty straightforward

Did it a few years ago, not at CW though, presented pack of papers as required for retirement, was requested to write a letter to explain why I wanted to stay in Thailand as a retiree, easy in my case family, no problems.

[bigt3116]

18 hours ago, TaoNow said:

I entered Thailand with a "Non-B" visa in December, 2007.  Then, I did a 60-day extension of "permit to stay" for reason of visiting a Thai spouse. 

 

Having established the financial requirement of the 800K baht in the bank, I was then granted a new extension for the purpose of "retirement."

That would be very strange, as the first long term extension should marry with the reason for issuance of the initial visa, in your case employment.

[bigt3116]

19 hours ago, sandyf said:

I have changed a Non B visa to a Non O visa at the MFA visa office

Really? I have only ever heard of them correcting spelling etc or replacing lost visas, never issuing them

 

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

Really? I have only ever heard of them correcting spelling etc or replacing lost visas, never issuing them

If the wrong visa type was issued (for instance, tourist visa rather than Non O) then they are able to correct this after liaising with the issuing embassy.

[sandyf]

21 hours ago, BritTim said:

If you are saying that people have the option, rather than getting an extension of stay, of leaving Thailand and returning with a visa, then you are, of course, correct. No one is forcing you to get a fresh extension of stay if you prefer to leave Thailand instead. Indeed, there are some who exclusively use entries from visas, never getting extensions in Thailand.

Wasn't the point, The OP asked if his visa could be converted and that can be done with nothing wrong in doing so. Many jumped to the conclusion that he had got it wrong and didn't want to convert a visa. That is not the way things should be done but very much the norm leading to all kinds of response. Posts should be treated as they are posted and if there is any doubt on what is being asked then clarification should be sought.

Where there are choices that should be addressed but there are those that seem to think it is wrong to have a choice.

Indeed there are many on visas, I spent the first 6 years in Thailand on visas, forced into an extension by the UK passport fiasco in 2014. Why it it is quite important that the term "visa" be used in the correct context. The OP had put the term in upper case as if trying to make a point, something that just got ignored by most.