Which Visa Please

[BillBilous]

Can you please advise me on which visa is best for me and the procudures ?

I am a British guy and next year ( September 2012) Intend to move to retire to Thailand to live with my girlfriend

my question is . I intend to visit Thailand 3 or 4 times from now until August 2012 which visa is best for me ? and will i be able to convert the visa to a retirement visa ?

Your help and advise is appreciated

[InterestedObserver]

We need your age at retirement to adequately answer the question.

[lopburi3]

You do not need a visa if visits will be less than 30 days and you have tickets. The questions is if you are age 50 or over now? Having a GF does not provide any reason for visa issue. When ready to retire you will need a non immigrant visa entry (which could be obtained inside Thailand if required) and meet the requirements for that extension of stay.

[IMA_FARANG]

Not really enough information there, but here's are some basics anyhow.

First, as a British national you will not need a visa, you can get a entry stamp on arrival as a British national if this is true:

1. Each visit is no more than 30 days....and....

2. Before you travel to Thailand you purchase a return ticket or a ticket exiting Thailand no later than your 30th day in Thailand.

(This is not actually a requirement of Thai immigration, but the airlines are often very touchy about allowing passengers to board a flight to Thailand if that passenger has no Thai visa and no outbound ticket from Thailand to show them).

If you intend to stay longer than 30 days for any visit your choices are:

1. A single entry tourist visa...there is a fee for this visa and you get it at a Thai consulate or embessy in Britan... which is good for 60 days and can be extended for another 30 days in Thailand at your local immigration office for a fee. With the extension in Thailand that will give you a maximum of 90 days.

2. A double entry Tourist visa... again obtained at a Thai consulate or Embessy... which is basically two single entry Tourist visas. Again each one of these may be extended in Thailand for a fee for 30 days which could give you a total of (60 day visa plus 30 day extension) plus (60 days plus 30 days) for a total of 180 days. However you have to be careful here. If you get a double entry tourist visa there will be a date stamped that will say something like this, "Must be used before (date stamped here)". Both entries of this visa must be used before that stamped date...so in fact, you seldom actually get to use the maximum 180 days possible on a double entry tourist visa.

Since you didn't ask about retirement visas, I'll assume that you already know about the requirements for that. Anyhow, that's another topic.

Anyhow, contact your local Thai consulate or the Thai embessy, and they should be able to advise you on exatly what visa to get and the fees required.

Edited September 23, 2011 by IMA_FARANG

[BillBilous]

We need your age at retirement to adequately answer the question.

Sorry for not giving enough initial information,

my age is 54. Next year on 55 birthday my UK based pension increase enough for me to meet the Thai financial reqquirements for retiring in Thailand ( + 65k bht per month ?)and then i plan to move over and retire in thailand. i hope this is sufficent info for you to help / advise me ? many thanks

[lopburi3]

Yes that 65k per month or 800k or combination to meet 800k is the requirement so sounds as if you will be fine. If you have this available in the UK now (combined to meet 800k) you could qualify for a non immigrant O-A visa long stay now from London.

http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/51