Are You Retired And Living In Thailand

[samuigit]

If you are a person over 50 years old and living in Thailand with a non-immigrant retirement visa, are you having problems every year with visa renewel?

The rules state that if a person retired before 1998 they needed to be 60 years old and have an income of 200,000 per year or 20,000bt per month.

If a person retired after 1998 and before 2001 they needed to be over 55 years old and have an income of 500,000bt or 50,000bt per month. After 2001 the person needs to be over 50 years old and have an income of 800,000bt or 65,000bt per month.

These changes to the immigration rules appear to be encouraging more people and younger people to retire in Thailand.

The problem is that without a "grandfather clause" if the rules keep changing how will people be able to change their incomes?

Now imagine a person age 55 years who retired after 1998 and they had an income from UK of 1000 GBP this may have been 65,000bt per month but now with the exchange rate at 48bt =1GBP it would only be 48,000bt

The new rules from 2006 state that the money required 800,000bt needs to be in the bank 3 months prior to the issue of the visa. What happens to the people with income or yearly transfers that are transfered into their banks from abroad at the current exchange rates.

[Lite Beer]

The new rules from 2006 state that the money required 800,000bt needs to be in the bank 3 months prior to the issue of the visa. What happens to the people with income or yearly transfers that are transfered into their banks from abroad at the current exchange rates.

Actually the latest Police Order reguarding extension was on November 25th 2008.

The money in the bank has to be there for 2 months for the first applications and 3 months from then on.

If applicants so not meet the financial requirements they do not get the extension. Simple as that.

[PhilHarries]

The fact is that you don't actually have to be retired to qualify for the visa extension. You merely have to meet the age and financial requirements. As far as I can gather you can even carry on working provided you don't work in Thailand, you maintain the 800k in the bank and return at least once a year to apply for the extension.

[silverhawk_usa]

The fact is that you don't actually have to be retired to qualify for the visa extension. You merely have to meet the age and financial requirements. As far as I can gather you can even carry on working provided you don't work in Thailand, you maintain the 800k in the bank and return at least once a year to apply for the extension.

Interesting............I never heard this viewpoint before, but I think you are correct, at least in theory. I have been here 6 years on a retirement visa, and I have never really been asked "Are you retired?"! They just say that working in Thailand is prohibited.

[Lite Beer]

Interesting............I never heard this viewpoint before, but I think you are correct, at least in theory. I have been here 6 years on a retirement visa, and I have never really been asked "Are you retired?"! They just say that working in Thailand is prohibited.

Some areas do issue Work Permits if you are on a Retirement Extension. It all depends where you are.

[topi]

Can anyone explain how the following is applied?

"If the alien is ill, or has weak health and is sensitive to colder climates or has resided in Thailand for a long period, and is 50-59 years old, special circumstances may be given. The applicant must also submit medical certificates and proof that he/she lived in Thailand for a long time. For info: Tel: (02) 287-3905 or 287-3101-10 (ext 2259-61) or ask us."

For example what is the criteria for weak health? has resided for long time (how long) etc

I took this info from the Forum web site. thanks

[ignis]

you maintain the 800k in the bank and return at least once a year to apply for the extension

Myself and most that I know on the 800k route have this money in a fixed rate account, therefore the money is always there, for me there has never been a problem with extensions, just got my 5th one, so good till 26th March 2010.

Yes other I know on the monthly route have now a problem as they do not meet the required 65k per month, 2 in the passed month have had to go outside of Thailand to get a Multi Entry Visa = now they will have to do 4 x 90 day boarder runs = 15 months, then if things have not changed go out of Thailand again for another Visa.

[Maestro]

Can anyone explain how the following is applied?

"If the alien is ill, or has weak health and is sensitive to colder climates or has resided in Thailand for a long period, and is 50-59 years old, special circumstances may be given. The applicant must also submit medical certificates and proof that he/she lived in Thailand for a long time. For info: Tel: (02) 287-3905 or 287-3101-10 (ext 2259-61) or ask us."

For example what is the criteria for weak health? has resided for long time (how long) etc

I took this info from the Forum web site. thanks

I believe you refer to this page on thaivisa.com:

http://www.thaivisa.com/318.0.html

That information is outdated. For current information, for the retirement extension please refer to clause 2.22 of Police Order No. 777/2551 and clause 2.22 of Order of the Immigration Bureau No. 305/2551

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Maestro

[antony77]

If you are a person over 50 years old and living in Thailand with a non-immigrant retirement visa, are you having problems every year with visa renewel?

The rules state that if a person retired before 1998 they needed to be 60 years old and have an income of 200,000 per year or 20,000bt per month.

If a person retired after 1998 and before 2001 they needed to be over 55 years old and have an income of 500,000bt or 50,000bt per month. After 2001 the person needs to be over 50 years old and have an income of 800,000bt or 65,000bt per month.

These changes to the immigration rules appear to be encouraging more people and younger people to retire in Thailand.

The problem is that without a "grandfather clause" if the rules keep changing how will people be able to change their incomes?

Now imagine a person age 55 years who retired after 1998 and they had an income from UK of 1000 GBP this may have been 65,000bt per month but now with the exchange rate at 48bt =1GBP it would only be 48,000bt

The new rules from 2006 state that the money required 800,000bt needs to be in the bank 3 months prior to the issue of the visa. What happens to the people with income or yearly transfers that are transfered into their banks from abroad at the current exchange rates.

The Thai authorities set a standard of residential requirements as to what they consider beneficial to the country. They want foreigners who live here to contribute to the economy by spending money and employing domestic staff etc.. If the declining decrease in the value of your home currency makes it impossible to meet the requirements you can not expect them to reduce the requirements. This would defeat the whole purpose of the idea. In fact if there had been high inflation they would have increased the amount required. They do reduce the requirements for those who have been here a long time so as not to cause undue hardship.

[Jingthing]

Well said. The foreigner retirement program here is designed to benefit Thailand. It is not designed to benefit foreigners. If we do find it does benefit us, that is a happy coincidence.

In other words. Think Thai. Know your place in society.

Edited March 16, 2009 by Jingthing

[topi]

Maestro

I read the two references as you are probably aware there is no reference to health reasons as extenuating circumstances. I take it from this that they no longer exist. Either you meet the financial criteria or you're out!

[Maestro]

There is still a separate extension of stay for medical treatment if the patient is unable to travel, but there is no clause that the financial requirements for a retirement extension are reduced or waived if the applicant is in poor health or needs to live in a warm climate for health reasons.

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Maestro

[Mario2008]

There now is the following provision in police order 777/2551:

5. If the applicant does not fully meet the qualifications as prescribed by this order or other cases not stipulated herein, the competent official holding a rank of police inspector and higher will consider if there are sufficient reasons to stay in the Kingdom. If so, the competent official shall submit the application to the Command-General or authorized person to consider an alien applicant.

That is for exceptional casses.

[Maestro]

Yes, I agree, this can be also used to apply for special consideration when a retiree cannot meet the financial requirements for some reason, eg high expenses due to ill health.

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Maestro

[TaoNow]

Just a reflection on Jinthing's comment that the immigration rules are to benefit Thailand. I see it differently, at least in the case of retirees. It is more of a zero-sum propostion. Immigration says retirees can stay in the country as long as they have the means to clean up any mess that they create. Somewhat arbitrarily, they've estimated the high-end cost of a typical mess to be 800,000 baht in one year. There have probably been cases in the distant past in which ex-pats had unpaid medical bills or legal costs which had to be absorbed by the local institutions when the ex-pat left (or was deported).

So I view the financial requirement as sort of a bond, or guarantee that you can clean up your own mess. No use of the 800,000 baht in Thailand is required by the immigration law; you could take it all with you when you leave or transfer it back out of the country at any time, hence no real benefit to Thailand. And the Thai bank doesn't gain much if you put the 800K in a current account.