42, Married To A Thai, No Work

[BuPattaya]

Maybe it is not a Thai Wife Visa. I had to get a Non-O when I married. Then afterwards they changed it to say Thai Wife. on the Visa. So maybe best to check with immigration as to what type of Visa it is?

Edited September 26, 2010 by BuPattaya

[lopburi3]

Off-topic post removed - please keep hospital discussion in the medical section. Thanks.

[BuPattaya]

just check your bill on check out. Ask for itemized bill. Then you will know the truth about Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. Care is not excellent either.

Edited September 26, 2010 by BuPattaya

[lopburi3]

Marriage to a Thai makes a non immigrant O (other reasons) visa available. Extension of those married to a Thai woman may be marked "Thai Wife" but that is the extension of stay reason (which is not a visa).

For first extension of stay the money only has to be in bank for two months.

[jfchandler]

Re the advice below, I believe, there are two different procedural ways someone married with a Thai can approach this:

1. Apply for a Non-Imm O visa at a Thai consulate outside Thailand, based on marriage to a Thai citizen, and then enter Thailand using that visa.

2. For someone already residing in Thailand, apply for an extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai citizen at your local Immigration Office inside Thailand.

To apply for such an extension of stay, you need to already have some variety of non-immigrant visa (which is the easiest way), or at least in Bangkok and some other locations, you can start from a tourist visa and then have that converted at Immigration to a non-immigrant status, and then be issued an extension of stay, in sort of a two-step, all-in-one-visit process.

Of course, someone who's already on a different kind of extension of stay, such as retirement, can have that converted at renewal time to extension of stay based on marriage, assuming they meet the requirements

If you are married to a Thai. No problem you can stay in Thailand on a marriage visa. Just keep 400,000 baht in a bank account for 3 months. Make sure it does not go below 400,000 at any time in this 3 month period. The you go apply for a Non-O Visa. Tell them you have a Thai wife. After you have your Non-O Visa. You can apply for Marriage Visa. 1st time is the hardest, but after that each year. Just keep 400,000 in 1 account for for your marriage visa 3 months prior to renewal.

[TechnikaIII]

Seems to me like I will never be able to feel at home in Thailand, which is a burden of stress I do not wish to carry. Surely others too must consider the same, and in fact reconsider the whole exercise.

(We haven't married yet, me and mine, and considering having the wedding in Australia.)

Juggling visas at 50, ok. at 60 a bit tiresome, 65 to 70? Come on ....

[asiawatcher]

Maybe a daft question, but, must you go on the retirement visa when you hit 50 or can you continue on the yearly extension?

Answer is no, if you are on an extension of permission to stay based on a case other than retirement, then you are not required to go on a retirement extension at 50.

Depends if you want to legally work.

[Estrada]

You can get 12 month extensions if you have 400,000 Baht in a Thai Bank.

Out of interest, can this be foreign currency equivalent held at a Thai bank?

Yes.

Yes.....BUT......Beware that the Thai Baht could easily go back to B25 = 1$ and B35 = £1. If you have B800,000 equivalent now in Dollars ($26,500) this will eventually only be worth B662,500. If I were you I would change to Baht.

Estrada

[jfchandler]

Turning age 50 or above doesn't require you to do anything...

Once you've reached 50, you can apply for retirement extension if you qualify. You can apply for marriage-based extension if you qualify. You can apply for visas, non-immigrant or tourist, outside Thailand if you qualify.

Legal employment is not generally permitted for folks on retirement extensions.

It all depends on what approach best fits your personal circumstance, and what things you can qualify for.

Maybe a daft question, but, must you go on the retirement visa when you hit 50 or can you continue on the yearly extension?

Answer is no, if you are on an extension of permission to stay based on a case other than retirement, then you are not required to go on a retirement extension at 50.

Depends if you want to legally work.

[Gonsalviz]

Marriage to a Thai makes a non immigrant O (other reasons) visa available. Extension of those married to a Thai woman may be marked "Thai Wife" but that is the extension of stay reason (which is not a visa).

For first extension of stay the money only has to be in bank for two months.

I read that is 2 months. Never mentions 3 months whether first, second or more extensions. It was an excerpt and may have been misquoted.

[Lite Beer]

Marriage to a Thai makes a non immigrant O (other reasons) visa available. Extension of those married to a Thai woman may be marked "Thai Wife" but that is the extension of stay reason (which is not a visa).

For first extension of stay the money only has to be in bank for two months.

I read that is 2 months. Never mentions 3 months whether first, second or more extensions. It was an excerpt and may have been misquoted.

The rule says 2 months but a lot of Immigration Offices require 3 months apart from the first application.

[Arkady]

Making frequent travel as you do the visa entry is best. Only if you were considering permanent residence application would the extension of stay method be required.

Extension of stay based on marriage is not going to qualify you to apply for permanent residence, unless you also have a job and work permit and three complete years' of salary tax receipts. In that case you don't need to drag your wife into the equation as you can get a non-immigrant B without her. Extension of stay based on retirement doesn't qualify for PR at all.

[thequick7]

He flies back to the UK from Thailand every two months...and you think the question to ask is if he can afford an annual 1900 baht fee, which roughly is $60 U.S.???

I think the more pertinent question is whether the op has the B 1900 annually to apply for either the marriage or retirement extensions.

that statement was referring to OP... to assume is to make an ass out of u and me ;-)

[lopburi3]

Making frequent travel as you do the visa entry is best. Only if you were considering permanent residence application would the extension of stay method be required.

Extension of stay based on marriage is not going to qualify you to apply for permanent residence, unless you also have a job and work permit and three complete years' of salary tax receipts. In that case you don't need to drag your wife into the equation as you can get a non-immigrant B without her. Extension of stay based on retirement doesn't qualify for PR at all.

And I did not say it would; but if that was his goal there would be a reason to use extensions of stay.

[boatguy]

Seems to me like I will never be able to feel at home in Thailand, which is a burden of stress I do not wish to carry. Surely others too must consider the same, and in fact reconsider the whole exercise.

(We haven't married yet, me and mine, and considering having the wedding in Australia.)

Juggling visas at 50, ok. at 60 a bit tiresome, 65 to 70? Come on ....

You know I feel this same way at times.

I'm 67 and looking at retiring to Thailand, and I've read, and reread, and reread these visa subjects over and over and I'm still confused at times. It seems as though there are 100's of variations, interpretations. First I became confused about the funds required and where they were to be placed. I didn't really want to just place funds in a Thailand bank to just sit there earning no interest when I could have them in the markets (I would chose USA markets as I looked upon the SE Asian markets as a 'gambling table' extraordinaire). So I discovered if I applied for retirement visa in my home country of USA I would only have to show I have the required funds there.

I assumed that the retirement visa was a bit more like the long-term visitor visa I secured for my wife to come back and forth to the USA. Very easily I obtained a 10 year unlimited visa for her to come and go....cost zero I believe or maybe 10-25 dollars, can't remember. Now I assumed that after I jumped thru all of the hoops to get my retirement visa it might have some lasting power. Well I think I'm wrong. Now it appears that I have to reapply and pay $175 or so ever two years to reinstate my retirement visa??...and do I have to go thru the same hoops all over again??....and then I have to have funds in Thailand banks rather than my home country's markets??

Then comes another sticky point. If I get the retirement visa there appears to be a restriction on my coming and going to and from Thailand. If I leave within a certain period of time on a trip I may have to start the whole procedure again to get my retirement visa? If this is true, it might restrict my travel back to the USA or to some other country to visit for pleasure or consulting. This would make me feel like a prisoner of Thailand. What Thai visas offer unlimited access to come and go during the life of the visa... like the one I obtained for my Thai wife to visit the USA??

This restriction on travel has me seriously thinking about other countries to consider in retirement. I truly didn't realize that Thailand was going to be that restrictive on a retiree that showed he had the funds to retire here.

Edited September 27, 2010 by boatguy

[lopburi3]

As for the 10 year visa your wife has it did cost and only allows a limited period of stay (normally not more than six months) in the US.

If you obtain a multi entry non immigrant O-A visa in home country it allows full entry/exit for one year with a one year permitted to stay on each entry. If you enter near the end of validity you still get a one year entry but travel after expiration of visa would require a re-entry permit to keep current permitted to stay. If you obtain a new such visa in home country they funds would not have to be in Thailand but you would require the same paperwork each time. If you obtain extension of stay in Thailand for one year the cost is 1,900 baht per year. For travel a re-entry permit costs 1,000 baht.

[sidjameson]

Thanks, its much easier than I thought!

400,000 bht in a bank for 3 months, then run it down over the year and top up the following year.

400,000 bht is about what I will spend a year too. Property paid for.

[jfchandler]

Boatguy, despite your reading, you seem to be laboring under some misconceptions about retirement stays in Thailand....

The question of seeking a new visa every year or two vs. getting an original visa and then doing annual extensions of stay is one that, in my view, depends in large part on your intended travel plans back to the U.S. If you plan to return at least once a year, then getting an ongoing visa makes more sense. If you plan to stay in Thailand and not travel back regularly, a single visa followed by annual extensions of stay makes more sense.

The requirements to obtain a retirement visa in the US are more demanding than to obtain a retirement based extension inside Thailand. The U.S. issued visas require a police check and medical checkup.... The extension inside Thailand requires neither.

Visas require you to travel back to your home country (or other visa issuing country) for each new application. Extensions of stay are done at the local Thai Immigration Bureau office.

For people on extension of stay, if you also obtain a multiple entry re-entry permit (3800; baht) on the same visit to Immigration, that entitles you to unlimited entries/exits from Thailand during the year's validity of your extension. That process usually takes 10-15 minutes extra during one's annual visit to Immigration.

And re your finances, there are options for meeting the retirement extension of stay that DON"T require you to keep any large amount of funds in Thai banks... 1 is to satisfy the requirement thru a Consulate income letter showing at least 65,000 baht per month of ANY income.... The 2nd is to use the combo method, which involves perhaps only a small Thai bank deposit and then the remaining amount in Consulate documented income, as long as the combination of the two equals 800,000 baht...

Income funds can be held on deposit anywhere, and be earned anywhere. Only funds used to satisfy the Thai banks deposit requirement must be transferred to and held in Thailand.

Lastly, though, it is true that both the extension approach and the visa approach basically are requiring every year or two renewals. Neither of them promises a permanent stay. That said, many farang do indeed live their lives here on annual extensions of stay, whether based on retirement or marriage....

You know I feel this same way at times.

I'm 67 and looking at retiring to Thailand, and I've read, and reread, and reread these visa subjects over and over and I'm still confused at times. It seems as though there are 100's of variations, interpretations. First I became confused about the funds required and where they were to be placed. I didn't really want to just place funds in a Thailand bank to just sit there earning no interest when I could have them in the markets (I would chose USA markets as I looked upon the SE Asian markets as a 'gambling table' extraordinaire). So I discovered if I applied for retirement visa in my home country of USA I would only have to show I have the required funds there.

I assumed that the retirement visa was a bit more like the long-term visitor visa I secured for my wife to come back and forth to the USA. Very easily I obtained a 10 year unlimited visa for her to come and go....cost zero I believe or maybe 10-25 dollars, can't remember. Now I assumed that after I jumped thru all of the hoops to get my retirement visa it might have some lasting power. Well I think I'm wrong. Now it appears that I have to reapply and pay $175 or so ever two years to reinstate my retirement visa??...and do I have to go thru the same hoops all over again??....and then I have to have funds in Thailand banks rather than my home country's markets??

Then comes another sticky point. If I get the retirement visa there appears to be a restriction on my coming and going to and from Thailand. If I leave within a certain period of time on a trip I may have to start the whole procedure again to get my retirement visa? If this is true, it might restrict my travel back to the USA or to some other country to visit for pleasure or consulting. This would make me feel like a prisoner of Thailand. What Thai visas offer unlimited access to come and go during the life of the visa... like the one I obtained for my Thai wife to visit the USA??

This restriction on travel has me seriously thinking about other countries to consider in retirement. I truly didn't realize that Thailand was going to be that restrictive on a retiree that showed he had the funds to retire here.

[rotary]

You can get 12 month extensions if you have 400,000 Baht in a Thai Bank.

Out of interest, can this be foreign currency equivalent held at a Thai bank?

I suggest u look at the "rules" for foreign accounts at your Thai bank....walk in with foreign cash and they charge 2% deposit fee, withdraw in foreign cash no matter that you account in is foreign money they charge another 2% to with draw. Anyway thats the way my bank is. I would check these rules out before a large deposit was made.

[prepress]

You can get 12 month extensions if you have 400,000 Baht in a Thai Bank.

Sorry, one more question

Does this apply only to farrangs above 50 married to Thais?

[lopburi3]

No it applies to all - for above 50 another option is for retirement and would require 800k or 65k per month income.

[jfchandler]

The 400,000 baht in annual income is the Thai immigration requirement for extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai.

If the application is extension of stay based on marriage, the age of the farang applicant is irrelevant, assuming they're an adult and legally married to the Thai citizen.

The age 50 or more issue only applies to extensions of stay based on retirement.

You can get 12 month extensions if you have 400,000 Baht in a Thai Bank.

Sorry, one more question

Does this apply only to farrangs above 50 married to Thais?

[lopburi3]

Actually it is 40k per month income or 400k in bank account two months.

[jfchandler]

Lop, regarding marriage extensions, you meant 40,000 baht in required MONTHLY income... not annual

But I boo-boo'd too... I should have said 400,000 baht on deposit in a Thai bank account (not annual income)....if someone can't meet the monthly income requirement.

We're getting loopy today...

Actually it is 40k annual income or 400k in bank account two months.

Edited September 27, 2010 by jfchandler

[lopburi3]

Yes I do and was trying to edit but lost circuit. Thanks.

[SymS]

I thought after 3 years on non immigrant visa, you could apply for residency without the need to ever apply for extension of stay lateron. So there is no need to worry having to do this over and over again even at 50, 60 and 70 years old.

[Mario2008]

I thought after 3 years on non immigrant visa, you could apply for residency without the need to ever apply for extension of stay lateron. So there is no need to worry having to do this over and over again even at 50, 60 and 70 years old.

You first have to get permanent residency, which is not so easy. A lot of people don't qualify.

[boatguy]

The requirements to obtain a retirement visa in the US are more demanding than to obtain a retirement based extension inside Thailand. The U.S. issued visas require a police check and medical checkup.... The extension inside Thailand requires neither.

Okay you say the 'extension' of the retirement visa in Thailand does not require police report and medical checkup. How about when someone is converting an O visa into an O-A visa within Thailand, does this process require police records from home country and medical checkup?

And if it does then wouldn't this involve translations into each language and multiple visits to Thai officials and US Embassy officials to get these various 'reports on file'??

I have a reason in asking this question, as the Thai Embassy in Wash DC is trying to encourage me to get an O visa from them, and then apply for an O-A visa when I arrive in Thailand on a more permanent basis. I'm asking why should I put myself into a position of doing the application for the O-A visa after I get to Thailand, when I should be able to do it from the USA?? It would seem to me to be much more involved getting that first O-A visa here in Thailand, verses the USA??

And re your finances, there are options for meeting the retirement extension of stay that DON"T require you to keep any large amount of funds in Thai banks... 1 is to satisfy the requirement thru a Consulate income letter showing at least 65,000 baht per month of ANY income.... The 2nd is to use the combo method, which involves perhaps only a small Thai bank deposit and then the remaining amount in Consulate documented income, as long as the combination of the two equals 800,000 baht...

Income funds can be held on deposit anywhere, and be earned anywhere. Only funds used to satisfy the Thai banks deposit requirement must be transferred to and held in Thailand.

In other words even though I can show monthly income from Social Security, and American Bank accts, and stock investments that total more than the 800k baht requirement, ...that is still not enough for the retirement visa?? I must also show a cash deposit in Thai bank that sits there earning nothing??...and that deposit must be a minimum of least 400k baht??

[lopburi3]

You can not obtain a non immigrant O-A visa in Thailand. Not now. Not ever. To stay for retirement in Thailand requires a non immigrant visa entry and then you extend that stay for one year with a TM.7 and proof of financials in Thailand. You would do this between 60-90 days after arrival in Thailand. So if using money in account it would have the two months required. The amount required if using bank deposit is 800k. Once extension is issued you can use they money as you wish but remember next year it will have to be at that level for 3 months prior to re-issue of extension of stay.

Under current requirements you do not need to show any funds in bank if you have income of 65k per month or more. You just present a letter from your embassy showing that amount as being your pension/income.

[jfchandler]

Of course, what Lopburi says above is exactly correct..

And to add, there are NO police or medical clearances required for converting from a retirement visa issued in the USA to, once you're staying in Thailand until just before the visa expires, an annual extension of stay based on retirement. And nothing that requires any translation by anyone.....

To satisfy the income requirement for a retirement based extension...you have 3 alternatives available

--the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for 2 months before the first time, and three months before subsequent extensions.

--65,000 baht in monthly income, as certified by a consular income letter, or

--any combination of the two above, consular documented income and Thai bank deposits, together equaling 800,000 per year.... no seasoning required.

Visas are ONLY issued by Thai consulates outside of Thailand. Extensions of stay are only issued by Thai Immigration inside Thailand.

Edited October 4, 2010 by jfchandler