How safe is the retirement visa as a strategy to live in Thailand permanently?

[LALes]

17 years without a prompem.  Of course, I have the money in the bank and have never used an

agent.  After all this time, I know exactly what is needed and it takes half a day to get it all together and git 'er done.  Jomtien.

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

If you're looking for safety you shouldn't use Thailand as a destination. Nothing is safe here.

As long as the authorities are getting their palms greased you will be safe enough.

[Wrwest]

22 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I have been in Chiang Mai now coming up on 8 years.  I have been on Non Imm OA Visa (combo of extending an OA and lately just getting a new OA) and have never said the words permanent or the dreaded "my forever home".  Things can change from year to year. Currently meeting the requirements for the OA Visa for me has not been difficult but I do not know what the future holds.  I plan and live in the "land of smiles" based upon on an annual basis and alwasy have a plan to go elsewhere or go back home.  I am reminded by the local people that this is not my home but a place where I stayed for the last 8 years.  

Only reason I changed from the OA was the medical insurance requirement. Now no such requirement for me on non_O,

[Conrad65]

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Do not understand.

The medical certificate is irrelevant.

Samui specific.

Regarding "first application" that using agent is to obtain a Non O retirement+ 12 month extension.

That should cost 25-35k

Ongoing extensions approx 13-17k 

OR ....if funds in bank not an issue.

Non O 2k + extension 1900b 

 

I'm not sure it is irrelevant. Yes, it seems to be Samui specific. My point was to cite an example of changes in requirements from one year to another. It seems to be the case that the requirements often change or are fluid depending on Immigration Office, Officer, and amendments to immigration law.

[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, Cameroni said:

I understand it has to be renewed, you have to do 90 days reporting and you need permission to leave and re-enter. I am also concerned if the agency I used goes under or disappears how that will affect things.

 

You don't need permission to leave, but if you want to re enter on that visa you need a re entry permit or it is cancelled when you leave.

The visa is not renewed- you extend it yearly.

There are plenty of agencies.

Your agency should also do your 90 day reports- if not change your agency.

 

Best way is to have 800,000 in a separate bank account and never touch it. That seems to cause most problems

[KhunLA]

Knocking on 25 years, and long term '0 non' visa have been flawless for myself.  Used marriage, support of Thai national (orphan ish kid), retirement, marriage, retirement.  Retirement now, for less paperwork than marriage, and instant approval.

 

Never a major issues, and do my 90 day pulse checks online now, since they sorted out the site, and works nicely.

[Cameroni]

23 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Knocking on 25 years, and long term '0 non' visa have been flawless for myself.  Used marriage, support of Thai national (orphan ish kid), retirement, marriage, retirement.  Retirement now, for less paperwork than marriage, and instant approval.

 

Never a major issues, and do my 90 day pulse checks online now, since they sorted out the site, and works nicely.

 

Great to hear these success stories, really appreciate the feedback. 

 

Just out of interest, why did you change from marriage visa to retirement visa?

[Hummin]

6 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

Great to hear these success stories, really appreciate the feedback. 

 

Just out of interest, why did you change from marriage visa to retirement visa?

Less documentations provided, and done same day if provided correct necessary documents. 

[oldcpu]

On 1/30/2025 at 12:04 PM, Cameroni said:

So I followed the advice of the resident visa guru here and obtained a retirement visa. My initial euphoria was that everything was now sorted out. But is this really the case, what problems have you encountered with the retirement visa?

 

I understand it has to be renewed, you have to do 90 days reporting and you need permission to leave and re-enter. I am also concerned if the agency I used goes under or disappears how that will affect things.

 

Anyway, have you found any problems that surprised you with the retirement visa?

 

Interesting thread.

 

Of course this is Thailand. There are always surprises at some times, and no surprises at other times.  It would not be Thailand if that not the case.

 

IMHO you can always find an agent if you are willing to pay for an agent.  Problems might only come up if you decide to not go for an agent and then you need to learn for the first time how to do this yourself (potentially cheaper dependent on how your financial assets structured).

 

Many of us do not use an agent - and there are some very knowledgeable people on this forum - so IMHO keep checking and asking from time to time if there are things you do not understand.

[Sheryl]

It has happened over the years that  a few visa agents have been cracked down on by immigration. Just a few, but to the detriment of those using those agents. 

 

It has also occadinally occurred that agents have lost passports.

 

If you must use an agent, make sure it is a well established one with good reputation. 

 

Financial requirements were significantly revised some 5-10 years back  which affected many of those using the lump sum in the bank method. Documentation requirements for some nationalitlies using the monthly income method were also revised,   affecting those people. 

 

Main thing you need to understand - which I frankly did not when I first retired here -- is that obtaining a retirement extension one year, or even many many years in a row, does not ensure you can obtain it the next year. Aside ftom the LTR,  there is no way to get a long term retirement status here.  Each year you apply anew. Requirements can change, and from time to time do. 

 

It is wise to maintain connections to your home country and to always have s "Plan B". 

 

 

[cheerz]

So many here bitch over what other do, mind your own business, it's their life your not paying there way. If they use a agent to complete their 12 month visas it's their business, spend your money not theirs.

[KhunLA]

28 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

Great to hear these success stories, really appreciate the feedback. 

 

Just out of interest, why did you change from marriage visa to retirement visa?

A little less paperwork, no photos, and no waiting for approval (30 days), and saves a return trip to Imm Office, 100 kms away.

[Hummin]

3 minutes ago, cheerz said:

So many here bitch over what other do, mind your own business, it's their life your not paying there way. If they use a agent to complete their 12 month visas it's their business, spend your money not theirs.

Just understand you take an calculated risk by using any agent. 

[Jonathan Swift]

Let me correct a half truth. You have been issued a retirement visa, based on  which you are granted 1 year extension of stay every year. The extension and the visa are separate, but you most certainly have a retirement visa. If you didn't there would be nothing to extend from. 

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

A little less paperwork, no photos, and no waiting for approval (30 days), and saves a return trip to Imm Office, 100 kms away.

On the downside, fail a drug test, get caught DUI, working without a permit, or any other minor crime and you'll be deported if on retirement, but not if on marriage.

[youreavinalaff]

On 1/30/2025 at 5:22 AM, NoDisplayName said:

 

Depends...........

 

Did the agency get you a visa/extension in the district where you are registered using legitimate financials, or did they bribe some corrupt official off in some backwater province and only stick 800K in a bank account for long enough to get a statement?

Backwater province?

 

I would say the majority of agents deal with immigration in Pattaya and Bangkok.

[KhunLA]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

On the downside, fail a drug test, get caught DUI, working without a permit, or any other minor crime and you'll be deported if on retirement, but not if on marriage.

No worries there, as I color within the lines.  

[Jonathan Swift]

Unless you're rich and have money to burn I highly recommend you learn to do everything yourself. It's not hard once you get past the learning curve, no harder than the paperwork for registering a car in your home country. You book your immigration appointments online. There are staff at every immigration office that are very helpful. The extension is 1900 baht. You can get a single reentry or multiple reentry permits. I think the multiple entry is about 3800 baht, I never get just a single reentry because I like to travel around. 

[Hummin]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

On the downside, fail a drug test, get caught DUI, working without a permit, or any other minor crime and you'll be deported if on retirement, but not if on marriage.

I think most of us we should manage to stay clear of the above mentioned 

[Hummin]

6 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Unless you're rich and have money to burn I highly recommend you learn to do everything yourself. It's not hard once you get past the learning curve, no harder than the paperwork for registering a car in your home country. You book your immigration appointments online. There are staff at every immigration office that are very helpful. The extension is 1900 baht. You can get a single reentry or multiple reentry permits. I think the multiple entry is about 3800 baht, I never get just a single reentry because I like to travel around. 

I have the most expensive agent you can get for your money, my wife

[Jonathan Swift]

Bear in mind that much of what agents do is illegal and they rely on a system of payoffs and falsified bank statements to streamline the process. Every once in a while they get prosecuted, or the customer has the agent run off with their money. You are legally required to appear and apply in person with photographs and forms in hand. The agent who tells you you don't have to is breaking the law. Most get away with it but I would never place any of my personal affairs in the hands of anyone who has a profit motive.

[Jonathan Swift]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

I have the most expensive agent you can get for your money, my wife

No doubt you get what you pay for (I hope) haha. Cheers. 

[Sheryl]

24 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Let me correct a half truth. You have been issued a retirement visa, based on  which you are granted 1 year extension of stay every year. The extension and the visa are separate, but you most certainly have a retirement visa. If you didn't there would be nothing to extend from. 

To my understanding one can get a retirement extension with any non-Imm visa.

[Upnotover]

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

To my understanding one can get a retirement extension with any non-Imm visa.

I think that's correct. And once you're on the extension you HAD a visa, you no longer HAVE one.

[Hummin]

17 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

No doubt you get what you pay for (I hope) haha. Cheers. 

Soon 10 years, so far so good

[The Fugitive]

48 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Backwater province?

 

I would say the majority of agents deal with immigration in Pattaya and Bangkok.

Agree. First time I applied for retirement extension myself (instead of via a Visa Agent) the immigration officer looked at my passport saying; 'Ah! Chonburi, how much did you pay your Visa Agent?'. 

[Cameroni]

57 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

It has also occadinally occurred that agents have lost passports.

 

 

I was paranoid about this. I told the local Visa associate girl I will come to pick up my passport in person in Pattaya. We exchanged Line details and agreed to meet when the passport was ready.

 

When Immigration finalised the visa/extension in record time I was told "It is done" by Mr Big. Mr Big also told me that my passport had been sent from Pattaya to himself in Bangkok.

 

He had not been informed by the local Visa associate girl in Pattaya that I had arranged with her to pick up my passport in person with her in Pattaya.

 

The Visa Associatge girl, terrified of Mr Big, just sent him the passport. When I contacted her "But we agreed that I pick up the passport" and explained I now had to stay in Bangkok 2 more days (the time it took for the passport to travel from Pattaya to Bangkok) she just replied "We don't trouble with the agency". Mr Big must be a dangerous man.

 

So fast forward 3 days later, it took not one but 3 days for my passport to travel from Pattaya to Bangkok because Visa Associate girl had omitted to put Mr Big's address at the post office.

 

When Mr Big finally received my passport I was already back in CM. Mr Big then arranged for my passport to be dropped by Grab (!) at the reception of a well known hotel where one of my associates then retrieved my passport into safety.

 

I was sweating blood sweat and tears knowing my passport was being sent via Grab and Thai Postal service. I am still amazed it was not lost.

 

If anyone does this, make it very clear to all parties you will pick up the passport from the 1st point of contact to avoid your passport going on a Chevy Chase vacation.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Let me correct a half truth. You have been issued a retirement visa, based on  which you are granted 1 year extension of stay every year. The extension and the visa are separate, but you most certainly have a retirement visa. If you didn't there would be nothing to extend from. 

No.

You had a Non immigrant visa. That visa was "used" upon entry and provided a 90 day permission of stay.

Prior to expiry of that permission of stay expiring you obtain a 12 month extension.

You certainly do not have a "retirement visa" 

[youreavinalaff]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Let me correct a half truth. You have been issued a retirement visa, based on  which you are granted 1 year extension of stay every year. The extension and the visa are separate, but you most certainly have a retirement visa. If you didn't there would be nothing to extend from. 

No. Visas are not extended. They are stamped "used" and you then have permission to stay. It is that permission which is extended. Not the visa.

[Hummin]

4 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

No. Visas are not extended. They are stamped "used" and you then have permission to stay. It is that permission which is extended. Not the visa.

Can't you guys just agree we are allowed to stay another year based on retirement visa. Not that complicated?