After some good advice from Forum members my wife and I ( 65 and 62 respectively ) intend to apply for a Retirement extention to our O visas next week at Chaeng Wattana. It will be a combined pension/ bank cash application for each of us. We think that the documents required are as listed below :

Form TM7 with photo

Copy of passport/visa

Embassy letter confirming pension income

Bank letter confirming cash in bank

Copies of bank passbooks

Visa Fee

I would be grateful for Forum advice on whether the above is correct, are other documents required, will we be interviewed separately or as a couple,how many copies of documents are needed, do copies have to be notarised,do we need proof of address,medical certificate or police clearance? For a combined pension/bank cash application does the cash have to be in the bank for 60 days ( some posts I have read suggest it only has to be in the bank on the day of application ) If all is in order will the visa extention be granted at the interview?

Many thanks in advance for advice particularly from any members who have recently made a similar application.

Are you both going to obtain retirement extension or the more common one obtains and the other obtains dependent with no financial requirements? That would require copy of marriage certificate.

If each obtaining on there own financial paperwork would need to be in there names alone. If using combined the bank account would not need to be 2 months old.

Only one copy of documents is required in Bangkok and you have to sign them. You should have some proof of address as that is required to determine where you may apply.

Separate retirement extensions will require both retirees to have their own bank depisot and/or pension income. That could amount to as much as 2 X 800,000 baht in the bank for a minimum of 2 months for the cash on deposit method. Medical certificate, police clearance, or notarization not required for retirement extensions.

If you are using income, (pension) to meet the financial requirement then the money does not need to be in the bank for seasoning. You will need to show some money to make up the shortfall if your income is less than 65,000 Bt per month.

Thanks to all who replied - very useful comments. To answer Lopburi 3, we are applying separately for retirement extentions ( with separate bank accounts and pensions ) as we thought with the dependent method the wife only gets another O visa meaning she has to renew it with visa runs? We'll take along the marriage certificate anyway just in case. Cheers again!

If you apply for the extension your Wife can apply for the same 12 month extension.

Only you will have to show the required financial evidence.

Your Wife can apply as your dependant.

She will not have to do border runs. She will be the same as you.

Sounds like the OP has his ducks all lined up. I expect they will be walking out of immigration doors with retirement extensions of stay about an hour after they walk in. My retirement extension of stay a few weeks ago took only about 20 minutes....I almost felt rushed through the process. Would recommend they fill out TM8 re-entry permit forms and each get at least a single reentry permit (1000 baht) right after the get the extension of stay....a person never knows when they may have to leave the country quickly like on an emergency and that re-entry permit would keep they extension of stay valid upon exit/reentry.

Ducks all lined up if they both intend on applying in their own right.

They can apply with only one of them satisfying the requirements if they wish.

Just another question!

I am a UK married to Thai wife.

I would have the a pension letter to extend my O Retirement visa.

What happens when I am 99 years old and can't make it to the nearest immigration office ?

Can my wife request extension on my behalf ?

Can it be done by post?

One of those questions we would all wonder, is anyone in this situation

Best Wishes to all

The normal answer is arrangements will be made; but that can really only speak for the present. Currently some seem to have been told they no longer need to report but in the future expect more will have to be on the books so expect family/caretakers will be able to take care of the paperwork. Most things seem to work out without exact plans here.

After some good advice from Forum members my wife and I ( 65 and 62 respectively ) intend to apply for a Retirement extention to our O visas next week at Chaeng Wattana. It will be a combined pension/ bank cash application for each of us. We think that the documents required are as listed below :

Form TM7 with photo

Copy of passport/visa (the face page of your passport, most recent visa stamp, and any travel stamps since the date of that visa)

Embassy letter confirming pension income

Bank letter confirming cash in bank

Copies of bank passbooks

copy of your airport entry/departure card

Visa Fee

I would be grateful for Forum advice on whether the above is correct, are other documents required

will we be interviewed separately or as a couple

Probably depends on whether you apply separately, or as an applicant and dependent

how many copies of documents are needed

one copy

do copies have to be notarised

nothing needs to be notarized

do we need proof of address

they sometimes ask for a map showing the direction/location to your residence

I always bring a utility bill and/or copy of a lease, just in case

medical certificate or police clearance?

only required for outside Thailand retirement visas, not inside Thailand extensions of stay based on retirement

For a combined pension/bank cash application does the cash have to be in the bank for 60 days ( some posts I have read suggest it only has to be in the bank on the day of application )

for the combined monthly income/bank deposits method, no seasoning of funds required.

For bank deposits only, it's 60 days for the first extension, and 90 days for all subsequent extensions.

If all is in order will the visa extention be granted at the interview?

Yes, after your officer hands the documents to their supervisor for final signature.

Once you get called to see an officer, usually the entire interaction is maybe 15 minutes. But it's not really an interview, with the officer asking questions and you answering... It's really mostly he/she reviewing your documents, and asking for anything that may be missing or not clear/correct. And asking you to pay the 1,900 baht per person application fee.

You should get re-entry permits (1000 baht for single entry, 3800 baht for multiple entry) for you and your wife during the same visit... Those require an additional passport photo for each of you on the separate re-entry permit application form. Do the retirement extensions first, then submit the re-entry app in the same department but at a different counter...using the new extension issued and permission to stay until dates given on your extension.

Edited September 19, 201015 yr by jfchandler

A big thanks to all who offered advice on application procedure for a retirement visa. Went to Chaeng Wattana last Tuesday and apart from being dropped at the wrong building by the taxi all went well and both wife and myself received visas after a 3 hour wait ( including lunch hour )

My only further comment is that immigration insisted that we got a same day entry on our bank books from the branch on the lower floor but this was no problem ( our bank letter and book entries were dated for previous Friday)

Cheers again!