Visa Options

[wheelyking]

Hi chaps, having completed my P85 ex pat tax form and having stable income coming from the uk, i need to know what my options are for staying in Thailand

Status is as follows:-

- 32 Years old

- British National

- Have Signed 6 month lease for property in Phuket

- No Thai company.

- No Thai Bank Account as yet, but fully prepared to add funds.

- Not Married & no plans to?

Please advise my options, return back to UK 1st May, return mid May, so can go see Thai Embassy in Hull if need be.

Alex

[lopburi3]

Hull would appear to be your only real option as you do not qualify for any extension of stay or normal non immigrant visa issue. Very few places will issue what Hull does and there are less each year.

If you can invest 10 million baht it might open up an extension of stay.

If you wish to study at an approved school it might also open up options.

[Stjohnm]

If you enrol at a Language School and get them to issue you the paperwork for a one year ED visa, go to a Bank, Kasigorn or Krung Thai seam to be the ones that ask the fewest questions, open up an account using your Phuket home as a mailing address, if you can put 800,000 baht (400,00 if you get married to a Thai) and leave it there for a minimum of 90 days. After 90days you can then look into what options you have re work, etc and then ask immigration to change your visa classification from ED to the relevant one for your activities, B for Business O for Others including Spousal or araikodai.

[lopburi3]

He is not over 50 so the 800k in bank is a non starter.

He clearly said there was no marriage to be so that (400k) is also out of the question.

It appears he does not want to work so that method is not applicable.

Immigration does not change non immigrant visa category in any case.

Retirement and Thai wife money in account is 60 days for first application rather than 90 days.

[wheelyking]

Thanks for you feedback Guys, putting 800K into bank is fine, was planning to do this tbh.

Noted that ex pat status will have no bearing on Visa, and tbh, i didnt think it would.

More than happy to work, a lot of my time here will be researching into different business's however, so holding down a 9 - 5 job 6 days a week maybe a little impractical.

Plus, i also need to return back to the uk at least once every 3 months to perform my directors responsibilities back in the uk (max 20 days at any one time)

I may have to look into the approved Schooling basis, any suggestions?

:-)

Al

[monty]

You have only 2 options for longer stays.

Study Thai language. You have to enroll in an approved language school, take a 1 year course (and pay upfront usually). Then the school will send your paperwork to the ministry of education, which in turn will return paperwork which enables you to get a on immigrant ED.

Only problem is that it can take a bit before you get those papers, certainly not before May 1st!

You can get this visa later on in Penang as well. With this visa you need to get a 90 day extension at immigration every 90 days (1900 Baht), and to get the extension you need to show papers from the school proving your class attendance (minimum 4 hours/week).

Actually considering the fact that you can visit Hull, your best/easiest option is to apply for a multiple entry non- immigrant O visa, based on visiting friends. This gives you 90 days on each entry in Thailand, and the visa can be used 1 year. So do a border run every 90 days, and time the last border run just before your visa expires, for a total of almost 15 months...

You do not qualify for any 1 year extension at all at the moment, regardless of financials. Unfortunately Thai immigration does not consider young early retired/financial secure people for long term stays!

If you would obtain full time employment, you could get an extension based on employment if both you (minimum salary) and your employer (Thai employees/capitalization/audited book keeping) qualify...

[wheelyking]

Many thanks for all your help chaps, O visa aquired.

It was really easy to get, lasts for 15 months and as its multi-entry can come and go as i please.

Great

Alex