Retirement Visa

[beobob]

I have an Ed. visa that expires on 17 Oct 10......I have a multiple entry ED. visa now, it expires on 17 Oct. ......I will be flying to BKK on 23 Sept.......

I have 800,000 baht in Siam Bank. ....Can I fly in on my visa and convert to Retire visa in Thailand? Or do I have to go through the process here? And the criminal check...can that be done in Thai as I have been there most of time? Thanks

[Jingthing]

The 800K needs to be in the Thai bank account for at least two months (not one baht under) before the date of application for your first retirement extension. There is NO NEED for a police report whatsoever when applying for a retirement extension in Thailand. I haven't answered the part about converting ED to a retirement extension as I am unclear on that one. Cheers.

Also note, retirement visas are NEVER available in Thailand. A retirement visa is an O-A visa, only available from your home country and that does require a police report. However, you do NOT ever need the O-A visa. You can do everything IN Thailand using retirement extensions.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Jingthing

[beobob]

The 800K needs to be in the Thai bank account for at least two months (not one baht under) before the date of application for your first retirement extension. There is NO NEED for a police report whatsoever when applying for a retirement extension in Thailand. I haven't answered the part about converting ED to a retirement extension as I am unclear on that one. Cheers.

Also note, retirement visas are NEVER available in Thailand. A retirement visa is an O-A visa, only available from your home country and that does require a police report. However, you do NOT ever need the O-A visa. You can do everything IN Thailand using retirement extensions.

you say you can do everything in Thailand for a retirement visa, using retirement extensions? Is a retirement extension available from another type of visa? For instance, can I let my Educational visa run out, then go to Vientiene and come back in with a tourist visa.... then aplly for the retirement visa? Thanks

[Jingthing]

Maybe you can start with the ED visa, I don't know, someone expert on that will confirm.

If not, you can enter on a 30 day stamp or tourist visa and with at least 21 days left on the stay (possibly more, that rule is in flux) you can convert to an O in Thailand as part of the two step process, with the second step being the retirement extension. This can be done in Bangkok or Pattaya, not all offices. If your local office doesn't do that, you can do the first part in Bangkok and the extension at your local office. Or you can get a single entry O quite easily in Laos or Malaysia just for being 50 years old or older. Assuming you are at least 50, otherwise no deal.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Jingthing

[beobob]

Maybe you can start with the ED visa, I don't know, someone expert on that will confirm.

If not, you can enter on a 30 day stamp or tourist visa and with at least 21 days left on the stay (possibly more, that rule is in flux) you can convert to an O in Thailand as part of the two step process, with the second step being the retirement extension. This can be done in Bangkok or Pattaya, not all offices. If your local office doesn't do that, you can do the first part in Bangkok and the extension at your local office. Or you can get a single entry O quite easily in Laos or Malaysia just for being 50 years old or older. Assuming you are at least 50, otherwise no deal.

Thanks for the help, i will arrive on my type O ED. visa and sort it out then....am 57

[lopburi3]

For retirement extension of stay a non immigrant visa entry is required which you will have so after 60 days here on your entry visit Immigration with proof of 800k in bank 2 months/letter of account balance/passbook copies and passport/copies, departure card/copy, TM.7 with 4x6cm photo and some proof of where you live and apply for retirement extension of stay for 1,900 baht.

For someone without a non immigrant visa entry an extra step to obtain/convert for 2,000 baht is required and might involve a trip to Bangkok to do.

[wolfgangbkk]

You will need a letter from your language school as well stating that you ended your language course because your visa is related to Education.

for the rest, follow Lopburi 3's instructions.

WG

[harrry]

You will need a letter from your language school as well stating that you ended your language course because your visa is related to Education.

for the rest, follow Lopburi 3's instructions.

WG

I do not think this is correct. You are permited to study on a Retirement extension however working is not permited.

[Tod Daniels]

I was on an ED visa (getting in country 90 day extensions of stay), and when I tried to convert it into an extension of stay based on retirement at Suan Plu, I was unable to do it, no matter how I tried to go about it.

I couldn't even get the Non-Immigrant Type-ED extension of stay converted into a single entry Non-Immigrant Type-O at Immigrations. Although I have seen NOTHING official (as in written in thai or english), which states this; I believe the Type-ED visa is the only one which can't be converted to an extension of stay based on retirement.

Now, as an aside and unrelated to the O/P’s question; a coupla months ago, I DID see a foreigner who was on an ED visa, cancel that visa, secure a Non-Immigrant Type-O, for reasons of being married to a thai national, get his '30 day under consideration’ stamp. He returned to Changwattana last month and received the balance of his yearly extension of stay stamped into his passport, BUT this was for marriage, NOT retirement.

In my situation, the Immigrations Official I dealt with TWICE, first at Suan Plu, then at Changwattana after they moved offices, said I had to go out of the country and secure a single entry 90 day Non-Immigrant Type-O visa, and then when there was a month left on it, apply in country for a yearly extension of stay based on retirement.

I went to Vientiane Lao, and although I wasn't even 50 years old at the time I applied for the visa; seeing as I would be 50 BEFORE the 90 day would run out, they issued it with no problem. They didn't even take the health certificate, or the verification of sufficient funds. (I had all that documentation but the thai consulate in Vientiane returned it to me as un-needed). I received a single entry Non-Immigrant Type-O visa without any hitch there in Vientiane.

IF any poster knows of someone who’s converted a Non-Immigrant Type-ED visa into a yearly extension of stay based on retirement inside the country please post your info. By that, I mean if someone has had first-hand experience of this, not the normal b/s conjecture post of "I heard from someone that someone else, blah, blah, blah...").

Now maybe other immigrations offices handle things differently but this was my experience at Suan Plu/Changwattana in Bangkok.

It would also appear the O/P secured a Multi Entry Year Long Non-Immigrant Type-ED visa in his home country and is leaving every 90 days rather than using the 'in-country 90 extensions" (although that is just what I gleaned by reading his post, and I freely admit I could be wrong). On that type of visa a person can stay almost 15 months, by running for the border before the "must be used by" date (or expiration date) stamped on the visa itself; (which is NOT the same date as the 'permitted to stay until stamp" you get when you enter thailand).. This would lead me to believe that IF the o/p were to border run around Oct 16th, he'd get stamped in for another 90 days.

Good luck. Let us know how it all washes out for you. ..