Investment Visa

[disqplay]

I am a US citizen who is 52 years of age with approximately 750,000 US dollars in the bank. I would like to retire in Thailand. I am really curious as to what exactly an investment visa is and what will it do as far as staying full time in Thailand. Also is this the best options to take to retire in Thailand? I really do not want to get married again so what other options if any are there to retire in Thailand.

Disqplay

Any and all help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

[visa runner]

get 30 day visa on arrival then do border hops every 30 days. I do it. I love it. no paper work. no embassies. a cakewalk

VR

[cutethaigirl]

Retirement visa is the way to go.

You need to apply for a 60day? visa from over there then process the retirement one once here.

Running up to the border each 30 days is NOT the way to go.

Search the main pages of thai visa to find the details

[visa runner]

I beg to differ

[llso]

disgplay,

If you got 3/4 Mil USD, Over 50. Drop 20 K USD in a Thai bank account and apply for retirement Visa.

Then don't go crazy! Sit back and enjoy the ride.

You're laughing.

LL

[mbkudu]

I am not sure if it is the best option for you, but it may be. It is not technically a

visa, but a yearly extension on an existing non-O for example. In order to qualify,

you must have one of the following invested in Thailand: 1.Condominium investments totaling not less than 3 million Thai Baht. 2. Three million Baht invested in a government bank. 3. Three million Baht in government bonds.

You could also have a combination of two or all three of the options. For example,

Joe Schmoe has a condo worth 2.3 million baht and 700,000 baht in a government

bank savings account. He would get a one year renewable extension on his 90 day

non-imm O visa. To get the non-O visa, all you have to do is show your documents of your investments and you will be issued the visa. I will go this route when I am ready because of my age, 37, and I already have the investments there. For a retired person, a retirement visa may be better, because you don't have to tie up nearly as much money in the country.

Go to www.imm3.police.go.th for more information. The man who gave me this information is Pol.Lt.Col.Chalermpong as recently as May 18, 2004.

[unbiasbob]

Looks pretty clear that a retirement visa is way to go here

[RDN]

I am not sure if it is the best option for you, but it may be. It is not technically a visa, but a yearly extension on an existing non-O for example. In order to qualify,you must have one of the following invested in Thailand: 1.Condominium investments totaling not less than 3 million Thai Baht. 2. Three million Baht invested in a government bank. 3. Three million Baht in government bonds.You could also have a combination of two or all three of the options. For example, Joe Schmoe has a condo worth 2.3 million baht and 700,000 baht in a government bank savings account. He would get a one year renewable extension on his 90 day non-imm O visa. To get the non-O visa, all you have to do is show your documents of your investments and you will be issued the visa. I will go this route when I am ready because of my age, 37, and I already have the investments there. For a retired person, a retirement visa may be better, because you don't have to tie up nearly as much money in the country.  Go to www.imm3.police.go.th for more information. The man who gave me this information is Pol.Lt.Col.Chalermpong as recently as May 18, 2004.

mbkudu, do you know you can get a retirement visa at age 50 now? (Used to be 55). I was going down the investment route at the same age and same funds as 'disqplay'. Then I found out they'd dropped the retirement visa age to 50 - and that visa is a lot cheaper (800,000 baht) than the visa with investment (3,000,000 baht).

disqplay - search the forum, lots of threads on retirement visas. I would recommend that route for you

These threads discuss retirement and investment. Some are very long, but well worth the read:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=12251

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10126

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9966

[dr_Pat_Pong]

get 30 day visa on arrival then do border hops every 30 days. I do it. I love it. no paper work. no embassies. a cakewalk

VR

Ignore this turkey.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I am a US citizen who is 52 years of age with approximately 750,000 US dollars in the bank. I would like to retire in Thailand. I am really curious as to what exactly an investment visa is and what will it do as far as staying full time in Thailand. Also is this the best options to take to retire in Thailand? I really do not want to get married again so what other options if any are there to retire in Thailand.

Disqplay

Any and all help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Get a non-immigrant O class visa at a Thai Consulate in the USA as you are eligible for a retirement visa on age grounds. All you need to do is to put 800,000 Thai baht in a bank in Thailand, and then extend that visa for a year at a time at the Immigration Department in Thailand. Good luck.

[cutethaigirl]

QUOTE (visa runner @ Sat 2004-07-24, 20:24:01)

get 30 day visa on arrival then do border hops every 30 days. I do it. I love it. no paper work. no embassies. a cakewalk

VR 

Ignore this turkey.

Mr Visa Runner

You beg to differ with me and the great Dr PP has spoken.

Please justify the 30 day, bordering on dangerous reasoning?

CT

[dr_Pat_Pong]

QUOTE (visa runner @ Sat 2004-07-24, 20:24:01)

get 30 day visa on arrival then do border hops every 30 days. I do it. I love it. no paper work. no embassies. a cakewalk

VR 

Ignore this turkey.

Mr Visa Runner

You beg to differ with me and the great Dr PP has spoken.

Please justify the 30 day, bordering on dangerous reasoning?

CT

He belongs to that great unwashed class of foreigner's just existing in the LOS Cute

Not enough money in the pocket to do it any other way than walk across borders

[cutethaigirl]

Thought similar Dr P

Will await the 'truth' from Visa Runner.

Will their name change to Visa Extreme Slow Crawl in a square room in the future?

[mbkudu]

I am not sure if it is the best option for you, but it may be. It is not technically a visa, but a yearly extension on an existing non-O for example. In order to qualify,you must have one of the following invested in Thailand: 1.Condominium investments totaling not less than 3 million Thai Baht. 2. Three million Baht invested in a government bank. 3. Three million Baht in government bonds.You could also have a combination of two or all three of the options. For example, Joe Schmoe has a condo worth 2.3 million baht and 700,000 baht in a government bank savings account. He would get a one year renewable extension on his 90 day non-imm O visa. To get the non-O visa, all you have to do is show your documents of your investments and you will be issued the visa. I will go this route when I am ready because of my age, 37, and I already have the investments there. For a retired person, a retirement visa may be better, because you don't have to tie up nearly as much money in the country.  Go to www.imm3.police.go.th for more information. The man who gave me this information is Pol.Lt.Col.Chalermpong as recently as May 18, 2004.

mbkudu, do you know you can get a retirement visa at age 50 now? (Used to be 55). I was going down the investment route at the same age and same funds as 'disqplay'. Then I found out they'd dropped the retirement visa age to 50 - and that visa is a lot cheaper (800,000 baht) than the visa with investment (3,000,000 baht).

disqplay - search the forum, lots of threads on retirement visas. I would recommend that route for you

These threads discuss retirement and investment. Some are very long, but well worth the read:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=12251

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10126

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9966

RDN, I'm only 37 and by the time I'm ready to completely move to Thailand I'll be about 40; still well under 50. I'll go the investment route because I've already got the investment there. For retirement age folks, the retirement visa is better because there is much less money tied up there like you said. Much better to have only 800,000 there than 3,000,000 baht for sure. I have other reasons for my decision as well, but it just happens to work out for a one year extension on a visa.

I would also say that this investment thing would work for someone who is too young to retire and does not wish to marry a Thai. So, I guess you are right that for the original poster hear, a retirement visa would be the best alternative because of his age.

[astral]

Retirement or investment is up to you.

The 800K in the bank, you can spend over the coming year and then top up when the next visa renewal comes up.

The 3M in a condo may be much harder to realise and repatriate later.

Just remember the golden rule,

"Do not invest more money in Thailand, than you are prepared to walk away from."

[Kwai]

Retirement or investment is up to you.

The 800K in the bank, you can spend over the coming year and then top up when the next visa renewal comes up.

The 3M in a condo may be much harder to realise and repatriate later.

Just remember the golden rule,

"Do not invest more money in Thailand, than you are prepared to walk away from."

That advice is sound and some of the best I've read in this forum. I second it

[RDN]

Retirement or investment is up to you.

The 800K in the bank, you can spend over the coming year and then top up when the next visa renewal comes up.

The 3M in a condo may be much harder to realise and repatriate later.

Just remember the golden rule,

"Do not invest more money in Thailand, than you are prepared to walk away from."

Just a small point: I don't believe the 800,000 has to be in a Thai bank - it can be in your home country's bank for the first year. You just have to show that you have the money - not that it's in Thailand.

For the one year extensions, you do have to show that it's in Thailand. So if you spend 500,000, you must transfer in 500,000 to get back to the 800,000 level in order to qualify for the extension.

The investment money (3,000,000) does have to be transferred to Thailand within 6 months of the visa approval.

(I hope all the above is still current )

[Bizz]

I also agree with Kwai some of the best information I have read so far in other words the thread stayed to the point.

I am 50 now and will be returning to Los in the next few months. Will be applying for a non-immigrant visa first year with multiple entries to do some business as I have seen some opportunities for a business I have at home. After this year is up, I propose to apply for a retirement visa, as by then I will have topped up my retirement funds.

As I will not have nearly as much in bank as disqplay this is my reason for first applying for non-immigrant visa.

The retirement visa requires 800000bart in Thai bank are there any other stipulations there i.e. do I have to have a separate income what this IV read about 65,000 Bart per month. Reading all the threads it can get a bit confusing, as some people do not stay to the point.

[RDN]

I also agree with Kwai some of the best information I have read so far in other words the thread stayed to the point.

I am 50 now and will be returning to Los in the next few months. Will be applying for a non-immigrant visa first year with multiple entries to do some business as I have seen some opportunities for a business I have at home. After this year is up, I propose to apply for a retirement visa, as by then I will have topped up my retirement funds.

As I will not have nearly as much in bank as disqplay this is my reason for first applying for non-immigrant visa.

The retirement visa requires 800000bart in Thai bank are there any other stipulations there i.e. do I have to have a separate income what this IV read about 65,000 Bart per month. Reading all the threads it can get a bit confusing, as some people do not stay to the point.

Either 800,000 baht in a bank OR 65,000 baht per month pension income OR any combination that adds up to the same yearly income, will satisfy the requirements.

I tried to find out more about where the money must be for the first year, and think it's simpler to put it in a Thai bank (which is what I did - but other posters on this forum said it wasn't necessary, but I can't find the links to that).

Also, getting proof of monthly pension income is probably more difficult than getting a Thai bank statement showing 800,000. So if you've got 800,000 put it in a Thai bank. And then, if you are getting a pension, keep that outside Thailand and don't touch it, and transfer it into your Thai bank just before the yearly extension is due.