I have been living and working in Thailand for the past 4+ years; under an employment visa obtained by my employing company.

Later this year I will be retiring and plan to remain in Thailand by means of a retirement visa.

I would be grateful for any guidance on how I would apply for such a visa from within Thailand; for example do I need a police report from the Thai police as I would require from another country I was coming from?!!

In summary, where do I go to apply and what do I need to provide?

Many thanks

Hugh

I just went through this process.  You must:

-- 'resign' your work permit.  This took about 5 minutes at

the Labor Ministry near the Thai-Japan Stadium off Din Daeng.

No special paperwork or forms were required.

-- bring an extra copy of the slip they give you.

-- bring a copy of your previous year's tax form 91 (this is part

of the packet submitted as part of your yearly work permit

application.  I had no trouble providing a copy of a copy.

I also had to comply with the ordinary written and unwritten

rules:  retirement income affadavit (from my embassy), and

bank book (account opened the week before; I was told that

50K baht would be enough, but deposited 100K just in case).

No police report required.  Also, you must wait at least one

day after your 50th birthday.

 Good luck!

If you are in Bangkok you apply at Immigration Police Hqs on Soi Suan Prau (off S. Sathorn Road just past Oz Embassy).  You will need 800k in a Thai bank and/or a combination that shows income of 65k per month (this [retirement income] must be verified by your Embassy in a letter).  For your bank account you must also provide a letter from the bank of the amount in your account dated within the last week as well as passbook/copies.  You will also need a medical certificate that your are alive.  Probably also need proof of where you live but not sure on that.

Gents

Thanks for the advice. One more question if I may: After I cancel my work permit; do I have to apply for my visa on the same day, or is there some form of grace period?

Cheers

Hugh