Retirement Visa Renewal Foreign Couple At Suan Plu

[mojaco]

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Our experience as USA couple extending our Non-O visas for "retirement" as we have done for several years at Suan Plu.

Yesterday I did the following preparation:

1)

Went to USA Immigration to get the combination proof of monthly income and address verification letter. This is a single form you fill out by hand and the USA Consul worker then notarizes your affirmation that it is true. You don't need any kind of financial or address proof to do this. It cost 1,020 Baht (or $30) for the signature notarization. You only need one affidavit as the spouse will "follow" the retiree as the "dependent"

2)

Went to my local Bangkok Bank branch in Bangkok to:

- update my passbook

- pay 100 Baht for them to certify my bank balance with July 20 date

- they let me know my account would be frozen until tomorrow as a result

- got remaining receipts for international wire transfers into Bangkok Bank

*Note* - because I was going to use the affirmation letter of more than 65,000 Baht per month I got from the US Embassy, *theorectically* there is no need for any of this supplemental bank information. But, as the immigration officers have discretion to ask for anything extra they want, I just get this information anyway in case it is asked for.

3)

Went to area hospital to get genuine medical certificates for both of us. This costs 500 Baht each at a good hospital and about 50 Baht at a local clinic, but again I just pay this extra (little amount) each year so the officer has no doubt and avoids the possibility that he/she would require us to get it anyway.

*Note* - this medical certificate is "no longer required" at Suan Plu, but because of my age, 4 years ago they asked for it anyway.

4)

I downloaded the TM-7 form and filled them out in advance for my wife (reason for extension - "dependent of husband on retirement extension") and me ("retirement")

5)

I made certain I had my previous original marriage certificate, the original translation into Thai, and signed copies of both.

Today I went to Suan Plu arriving there about 8:15 AM

1)

I had the local shop make required copies from our passports, copies of the bankbook (in my name only as the "retiree") and enough photographs for the extensions and for re-entry permits.

2)

At 8:30 AM I picked up my queue number which was 16th in line for this type of extension, and waited in Room 101. (This year the two Suan Plu waiting areas downstairs were much less crowded than in the past. I suppose this is because of the new requirement that only Bangkok people can use the Suan Plu office. Anyway it was pleasant as we had room to sit in air conditioned rooms with far fewer people. Still mostly full, but not crowded to havoc proportions as before.)

3)

Our queue number was called at 9:15 and the officer only wanted the following:

- signed copies of our passports

- the signed TM-7 Forms with photos attached

- signed copy of our marriage certificate in English and Thai (she didn't look at originals)

- the original financial statement from the US Embassy

- The only question she asked was if our address was the same as last year ("yes")

- She had me (the "retiree") fill out an address verification affidavit and sign it

- She had me fill out an affidavit affirming my extension was for "retirement" purposes

- She took digital photos of both of us into her computer

- She took digital fingerprints of both of our left and right index fingers into her computer

- She filled out various information on us into her computer

- She stamped our passports as initially approved

- We then were directed to another lady who checked everything and signed off

And we were done at 9:30 AM for our visas. By this time the room 101 we were in was pretty full of people waiting.

4)

We took a queue number for re-entry permits (we downloaded the TM-8 form and had it filled out before going to Suan Plu) and waited in the other large waiting room by window #7 for our number to be called. This was only 2 minutes later and we submitted our passports and permit application forms we had already prepared from the day before and paid our money. We were #952 and #943 was showing to pick up completed re-entry permits. About 15 minutes later we walked out of Suan Plu with everything completed at about 9:45 AM. MUCH BETTER than the 4-1/2 hours it took last year (including having to wait for their lunch break to be over.)

I didn't ask about the coming move by immigration because the lady helping us seemed not to be the type to engage in non-mandatory conversation with visa applicants.

Edited July 21, 2009 by mojaco

[abdulrahman]

You are an example of a good citizen,Mojaco,for all the whining Farangs in TV,as I'm sure you were an upstanding citizen in the U.S.of A.

Why can't I like your kind of people?Must be something wrong about me!

[xylophone]

Nice work Mojaco and thanks for posting this as I will send a copy to some people I know who are looking to retire here from New Zealand. As they say, planning are preparation are everything.

[Tod Daniels]

The moral of this story is that he went PREPARED for almost any contingency that could have arisen. He had his forms filled out, photos and proper copies of pertinent items. It is no surprise it went smoothly.

The ONLY times I have seen things go “un-smoothly” is when people go unprepared, no copies, wrong forms, and then have the nerve to get irate at the Immigrations Officer that they are not treated as a “sa-pecial case”.

When I take people to Suan Plu, I make sure everything is already done, and if there is the slightest chance their documentation about income and/or financial requirements aren’t quite up to par, I decline, and let them do it for themselves.

This experience mirrors countless of my own at Suan Plu, go prepared, and things go well.

Congratulations to you and your wife. ..