Retirement : Pension / Income ?

[bledu]

Sorry, but I 'am not English native so what do I must understand by the posts which spoke about pension/income to get Retirement visa ? Pension, I understand is money given back to you by any retirement organisation on a monthly base usually. But Income ? What type of prove do you need ? from wich type of organisation ?

Thanks you for any detail and informations about Income.

[Jingthing]

Sorry, but I 'am not English native so what do I must understand by the posts which spoke about pension/income to get Retirement visa ? Pension, I understand is money given back to you by any retirement organisation on a monthly base usually. But Income ? What type of prove do you need ? from wich type of organisation ?

Thanks you for any detail and informations about Income.

There are many types of income: dividends from investments, interest from investments, royalties from your hit records, rents from real estate overseas, income from a business you still own overseas (though you can't work in Thailand on a retirement visa).

[bledu]

Sorry, but I 'am not English native so what do I must understand by the posts which spoke about pension/income to get Retirement visa ? Pension, I understand is money given back to you by any retirement organisation on a monthly base usually. But Income ? What type of prove do you need ? from wich type of organisation ?

Thanks you for any detail and informations about Income.

There are many types of income: dividends from investments, interest from investments, royalties from your hit records, rents from real estate overseas, income from a business you still own overseas (though you can't work in Thailand on a retirement visa).

Thanks Jingthing.

Do you really mean that you can be President of a small company in Europe, receiving a montlhy revenue for that "job" and get a retirement visa if you are older than 50 and you do not have any visible activity in Thailand (other than a permanent Internet connexion) ?

[Jingthing]

Yes, I think so, assuming your embassy will give you a letter acceptable to immigration. Immigration looks at the letter, not your income documentation, although it is always good to have that documentation just in case. I am pretty sure about this, but I bet you will find people who disagree and say you would need a work permit (which you can't get usually with a retirement visa). So it is a slightly gray area, but if it was me, I would be confident enough to do it.

Edited September 24, 2007 by Jingthing

[bledu]

Yes, I think so, assuming your embassy will give you a letter acceptable to immigration. Immigration looks at the letter, not your income documentation, although it is always good to have that documentation just in case. I am pretty sure about this, but I bet you will find people who disagree and say you would need a work permit (which you can't get usually with a retirement visa). So it is a slightly gray area, but if it was me, I would be confident enough to do it.

"your ambassy"… you mean the French Consulate in Bangkok ? So I should have to come first in Thailand on the normal Tourist Visa (60 days) I use each time I come until now then go the the French consulate get that "letter of income" then go the the Thai immigration to get the Retirement visa .

Wouldn't be possible to do everything in Europe ?

And in this cas which French ou Thai authorities in Paris, you think should be able to deliver the "letter" of income ?

Thanks for thos precious details.

[Jingthing]

What you need to do is check the Thai embassy in Paris and ask them if they issue O-A retirement visas. The US and the UK do. If so, you need to ask them what they wil require for the visa. Usually, that process is more involved and difficult than doing it in Thailand.

OR ...

You can enter Thailand on a 30 day stamp, single entry O visa (state your reason: exploring retirement) although for this you might be better trying a Thai consulate in France rather than the embassy), or tourist visa, and get your one year extension based on retirement at Thai immigration in Thailand. If you don't enter on an O, you must first convert that to an O in Thailand, another form and fee. In Thailand, you go to the French embassy and buy an income letter. If you are using the company income as income, you need to find out about whether your embassy asks for income documentation and will issue a letter for Thai immigration based on that kind of income. Americans just have to state income, no source or documentation is needed, so this varies by your nationality. So you still could encounter issues with this, but worth looking into it. BTW, you should also open a Thai bank account and transfer some money into it as they want to see that. The combo of income and bank must be over 800K baht.

Edited September 24, 2007 by Jingthing

[bledu]

What you need to do is check the Thai embassy in Paris and ask them if they issue O-A retirement visas. The US and the UK do. If so, you need to ask them what they wil require for the visa. Usually, that process is more involved and difficult than doing it in Thailand.

OR ...

You can enter Thailand on a 30 day stamp, single entry O visa (state your reason: exploring retirement) although for this you might be better trying a Thai consulate in France rather than the embassy), or tourist visa, and get your one year extension based on retirement at Thai immigration in Thailand. If you don't enter on an O, you must first convert that to an O in Thailand, another form and fee. In Thailand, you go to the French embassy and buy an income letter. If you are using the company income as income, you need to find out about whether your embassy asks for income documentation and will issue a letter for Thai immigration based on that kind of income. Americans just have to state income, no source or documentation is needed, so this varies by your nationality. So you still could encounter issues with this, but worth looking into it. BTW, you should also open a Thai bank account and transfer some money into it as they want to see that. The combo of income and bank must be over 800K baht.

OK. Yes Thai Consulate in Paris issues O-A visa. I got from it the requirements, but it was not very detailed, just the two normal ways : 800 000 BTHS on a Thai Bank account (account that I have for many years now at UOB) or prove of 65 000 BHTS/month, but no detailing any thing for this last case.

I will investigate now in France.

I have no idea of what the French Consulate in Bangkok ask for the Income letter. I will try to discover that also, but I never stopped in Bangkok for many years now, I always fly almost immediately to Chiang Mai, same on the return fly. If some French visitor here has any idea about that, welcome.

Anyway, thank you very much for your help.

[Jingthing]

In the US, you don't need to show any money in Thai bank for the O-A visa. You just have to show the money in your home country bank, so that may be an option for you also. You move the cash to Thailand much later on when extending and alot of people go for the OA for that very reason. I would be concerned that the money in your Thai bank account has been transferred from outside Thailand and you can prove it; otherwise you might have problems down the road with that. Sounds like have a number of possible ways to get started with this, so best of luck.

Edited September 24, 2007 by Jingthing