Retirement Visa Extention

[UmpaLumpa]

my friend needs to extend a reiterement visa soon in Chiang Mai.

do you need to bring a certificate of no criminal record?

(it was a requirement when obtaining the visa in the first place)

thanks

[Sparkles]

No.

[DavidOxon]

A letter from your friend's probation office should do it

[mcgriffith]

We're mixing terms here. A Visa is a visa. An Extension To Stay (based on a Visa) is something else

A retirement visa is issued outside Thailand at a Thai Embassy or Consulate. A police report is one of the things required.

If your friend is seeking an extension of the above, while inside Thailand- that is an extension of stay, for reason of retirement, based on the retirement visa.

The 2 are legally speaking identical for permission to stay, but a little different in terms of the paperwork required.

An extension of stay based on retirement, issued here, doesn't require a police report from your home country, because you don't live in your home country anymore, you live here in Thailand now, right? Or your friend does; you know what I mean.

Being able to show financials (simple bank statements, property assets, etc.) from your home country (as with a retirement visa) won't work in country for an extension- you need to show a bank account here, or proof of income, or a combination of the above two things to qualify.

Moved to the Visa forum with a live link remaining on CM.

[Jingthing]

Yes, but people using annual retirement extensions don't actually ever NEED to obtain an O-A retirement visa, which is actually called a long stay visa now. (It's an option though.) They do need to start the process with some kind of O visa, but it doesn't need to be an O-A. The police report is required for the O-A. It is not required for an O visa that many people start with, obtained either from the home country, a third country, or even in Thailand itself as the first step of a two step process (second step, an extension).

Edited March 27, 2012 by Jingthing

[Lite Beer]

Police report or Medical report is not needed for an Extension of Stay based on Retirement.

[mcgriffith]

Yes, but people using annual retirement extensions don't actually ever NEED to obtain an O-A retirement visa, which is actually called a long stay visa now. (It's an option though.) They do need to start the process with some kind of O visa, but it doesn't need to be an O-A. The police report is required for the O-A. It is not required for an O visa that many people start with, obtained either from the home country, a third country, or even in Thailand itself as the first step of a two step process (second step, an extension).

The OP was inquiring about a friend who already has a retirement visa (O-A) issued at a Thai Embassy or Consulate.

He wants to know if to extend it here inside Thailand, for reasons of retirement......if a police report is required.

We're not discussing how one starts out on the retirement extension option.

One can have any kind of visa (tourist, missionary, business, entertainment, etc.) issued outside Thailand, even a category other than "O", and apply for an extension of stay based on retirement, here inside Thailand at a local Immigration office.

Just fill out the form (TM7), meet the parameters and voila!

[Jingthing]

Fair enough. I agree not all threads are about everything. Its just that I thought you had expanded the topic quite a bit already in your initial post. Actually, you do not actually KNOW the friend of the OP actually ever had an O-A visa. It is very common for people to say they have a retirement visa (which on the visa forum that is seen as an O-A even though on embassy websites they now call it a long stay) and are actually talking about retirement extensions or an O visa that isn't an O-A, obtained for the PURPOSE of later extending based on the reason of retirement. Because of this, unless people explicitly refer to an O-A visa, we really don't know for sure what they have. You sound a bit cross with me, but you know, once you open up these topics, they have a way of expanding.

I also believe your assertion that you can start with retirement extensions without a non-immigrant O visa of any kind is incorrect. Many people (CM supports this, not all offices) start the process with an O visa obtained at a Thai immigration office as part of "two step" process with the retirement extension being the second step. You cannot just go from no O visa of any kind to a retirement extension. At some point you DO need an O visa of some kind. Maybe you are more cross now. Sorry.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Jingthing

[UmpaLumpa]

hi and thanks for the replies. i am getting a bit confused between this o and o-a stuff

i would like to clarify that the visa in question is a Non Imm 0-A

does it still mean that no clear criminal record paper and no medical certificate is necessary for the extension?

Edited March 27, 2012 by UmpaLumpa

[Jingthing]

hi and thanks for the replies.

i would like to clarify that the visa in question is a Non Imm 0-A

does it still mean that no clear criminal record paper and no medical certificate is necessary for the extension?

Thanks for the clarification. A police report that was needed to get the initial O-A most definitely will NOT be required at immigration for annual retirement extensions. Nor will medical forms.

Case closed ... next ...

Edited March 27, 2012 by Jingthing

[Lite Beer]

It makes no difference what the original Visa was.

When applying for an extension of stay at Immigration, Medical and Police reports are not needed.

Don't let some of the posts above confuse you.

[Jingthing]

Agreed, the police or medical forms are not need for retirement extensions in Thailand ... period, end of story.

[moe666]

Have your friend ask his own questions next time eliminates confusion

[personchester]

It makes no difference what the original Visa was.

When applying for an extension of stay at Immigration, Medical and Police reports are not needed.

Don't let some of the posts above confuse you.

Hear, hear,