Benefits Of Getting The Retirement Visa If "Gaps" In My Retirement

[gk10002000]

I easily could qualify for the Thai Retirement Visa by either the monthly income or funds deposit in Thailand. I am 55, a USA citizen. No criminal or drug or health issues etc. My question is about is it worth it for me to get the Retirement Visa if I will not be in the country the entire year or if I take a break from Thailand for 6 months or so. I envision me staying 6 months at a time or even two times in a year for a bout 90 days each time. If I stay 9 months or so, then I am sure the visa is worth getting.

If I stay maybe 1/2 of the year, is it more beneficial to get the Retirement Visa? My concerns would be all the paperwork and then how it is continued if interrrupted? Do I have to start at square one and get the Retirement Visa all over again? Another example is if I stay in Thailand the first year. But the second year, I decide to go back to the USA for a juicy Contract Engineer position (keep my brain exercised, work on an aerospace project I like, make money of course), what happens? Do I lose the Visa?

Thanks,

GK

[wayned]

Given your situation, I would apply for a Multiple Entry O/A visa in the US. Some will say that it's a hassle (criminal background check, medical certificate and BS from the Embassy that you use) but I think that it fits your situation and you din't have to transfer any funds to Thailand.

A multiple entry visa will give you 1 year with unlimited entrances to Thailand. Each time you enter you will be given 1 year permission to stay. If you enter the day before the visa expires, you will be given 1 year permission to stay, however, to be able to do multiple entries during this period you would have to purchase a multiple reentry permit, 3800 baht.

I just see it as less hassle, get the initial visa, make sure you enter Thailand on the day before the visa expires, purchase a reentry permit and avoid all the hassle of opening a Thai bank account and transferring money to Thailand or getting letters from the embassy and dealing with getting multiple visas to cover your stay.

I'm sure others will see it differently!

[gk10002000]

What I am hoping for is to be able to go back and forth as needed, and have little to no hassles returning to Thailand. Keep the residence there (long term rental expected), then come back to Thailand and stay as long as I want. Trying to avoid re-applying or or re-qualifying anytime I return to the states to work. Can one do the 90 day in Thailand reporting if not there? does the Non O Visa expire?

[Darrel]

Can one do the 90 day in Thailand reporting if not there?

If you're not in Thailand you don't have to report.

If I were in your shoes I would deposit the 800K or get the income certificate from the US consulate (yours is cheap compared to what Brits have to pay) and get the retirement extension (not the retirement visa) in Thailand. No medical/criminal checks required.

The only thing you need to worry about is being here once a year around the renewal time, otherwise it will lapse.

[gk10002000]

Can one do the 90 day in Thailand reporting if not there?

If you're not in Thailand you don't have to report.

If I were in your shoes I would deposit the 800K or get the income certificate from the US consulate (yours is cheap compared to what Brits have to pay) and get the retirement extension (not the retirement visa) in Thailand. No medical/criminal checks required.

The only thing you need to worry about is being here once a year around the renewal time, otherwise it will lapse.

I think I like what you wrote. "If not in Thailand then don't have to report." Maybe I was looking at this from the wrong perspective. I get the Retirement Visa. If I stay in the country for more than 90 days, I of would do the extension paperwork to stay in the country past 90 days. If I leave the country, I don't have to file the 90 day paperwork. Then, as long as I come back to Thailand before the original one year was up, I just renew the Visa extension then without having to apply for the Retirement Visa all over again. That seems pretty straight forward. What am I missing?

Thanks much!!

Edited May 13, 2012 by gk10002000

[Langsuan Man]

Get a Multiple Entry O-A Visa (Long Stay) in the US and you can get two years out of the visa by timing you entries and exits correctly. I spend 8 months in Thailand and 4 months in the US. During the first year of visa validity you can enter and leave Thailand any number of times and your permission to stay will be adjusted to one year every time you re-enter the kingdom. As long as you return one day before the visa expires you will get another year of permission to stay, even though the visa expires. To keep the permission to stay alive during the second year you will have to get a re-entry permit at Immigration and of course either leave Thailand before your permission to stay expires or apply for a Retirement extension in country

[lopburi3]

You would not extend using the O-A visa as each entry allows on year stay - so if longer than 90 days you just report address. And each new entry during the one year validity gets a new one year stay from that date (so likely you could use for more than just one year). You would not be required to extend - you could obtain a new O-A visa and do again. There is no advantage to extension of stay if you travel often (other than perhaps being grandfathered at current financial levels - which does not seem to be a concern).

[Darrel]

There is no advantage to extension of stay if you travel often....

It seems to me that not all people in all countries find it very easy to get a 1 year visa issued these days. And you may not happen to be near a suitable Thai consulate when the visa expires.

The retirement extension is very easy to get here with an absolute minimum of paperwork and expense, as long as you are fairly sure to be in Thailand around the same time every year to extend it. Even if you miss it you can easily get another.

I could have gone the route of getting the 1-year visa every year as the OP was considering, but the retirement extension seemed much easier/cheaper all round to me, and all other ways of doing it seemed unnecessarily complex and demanding.

[moe666]

I have the retirement extension of stay. I spend 8 months in Thailand and then back to the states for 4 months to visit family and to take care of some business. I donot have to preform 90 day reporting while outside of the country and have a multiply re-entry permit for trips out of Thailand. I always return in November as that sets me up to complete new extension of stay in Feb.

[lopburi3]

As O-A is easily available in any home country (we are not talking about multi entry non immigrant O visa) and this poster will be returning to home country often it fits with his lifestyle but if he ever changes mind can easily be extended within Thailand.

[californiabeachboy]

I am in a similar situation - living in the US, but wish to spend 6 months or so in Thailand.

After looking at the options, I decided to do the O-A here in the US. The main reason for me is that it delays the necessity to bring the 800,000 baht over to Thailand for a year or so - you still have to show you have the equivalent of 800,000 baht but you can leave it here in the US, at least for a while.

The main hassle for me is the medical certificate. If you go to the Thai Consulate website in your area and see it, it looks like something from the turn of the century (elephantiasis?). My doctor wants a TB test, syphillis test, and drug test to sign it, so it can be expensive, depending on your insurance.

I am in the middle of the process, but so far I am comfortable with choosing the O-A.

Good Luck.

Edited May 14, 2012 by californiabeachboy

[ubonjoe]

Can one do the 90 day in Thailand reporting if not there?

If you're not in Thailand you don't have to report.

If I were in your shoes I would deposit the 800K or get the income certificate from the US consulate (yours is cheap compared to what Brits have to pay) and get the retirement extension (not the retirement visa) in Thailand. No medical/criminal checks required.

The only thing you need to worry about is being here once a year around the renewal time, otherwise it will lapse.

I think I like what you wrote. "If not in Thailand then don't have to report." Maybe I was looking at this from the wrong perspective. I get the Retirement Visa. If I stay in the country for more than 90 days, I of would do the extension paperwork to stay in the country past 90 days. If I leave the country, I don't have to file the 90 day paperwork. Then, as long as I come back to Thailand before the original one year was up, I just renew the Visa extension then without having to apply for the Retirement Visa all over again. That seems pretty straight forward. What am I missing?

Thanks much!!

The 90 report is not an extension it is merely to report your address if you stay more than 90 days in the country. It means filling out the form and turning it into an immigration office. They will give you back the bottom portion of the form that serves as receipt which will have your next report date stamped on it. If you leave before the next report date your next report date would be 90 days from the day that you are stamped back into the country.

If you do an extension the only date you have be in the country for is your annual extension which can be done 30 days early or longer at some immigration offices.

If have the income of 65,000 baht a month you can do an income affidavit ($50) at the US consulate. You don't don't don't have to show any proof of income to them because you will be swearing an oath that what is on the affidavit is true and correct (info here http://bangkok.usemb...affidavits.html). Otherwise you need to deposit the 800K baht a Thai bank for 60 days before applying for the first application and have it in the bank for days your next extensions.

If you choose the extension route you should a get single entry non immigrant O visa from one of the Honorary Thai Consulates (contact info here http://thaiembdc.us/wordpress1/).

The non immigrant OA visa might also be agood option for you (info here http://www.thaiembdc...on-Imglong.aspx ) as other have mentioned.

Edited May 14, 2012 by ubonjoe

[Darrel]

After looking at the options, I decided to do the O-A here in the US. The main reason for me is that it delays the necessity to bring the 800,000 baht over to Thailand for a year or so - you still have to show you have the equivalent of 800,000 baht but you can leave it here in the US, at least for a while.

You do not need to deposit 800K in Thailand to get a retirement extension. You can just go the route of the income letter from your consulate if you wish (though this may be tedious and expensive for some nationalities). Personally it doesnt bother me at all to deposit 800K here so that's what I did, but it is always optional.

So a retirement extension is basically the same as a retirement visa but without the extra certification requirements. So to me it seems much easier to do it that way, especially as in Jomtien at least it can be done quickly on the same day with minimal hassle and expense. I just dont understand why anyone bothers with the retirement visa method at all.

[gk10002000]

My issue with the 800k method is the paperwork. The US requires that silly form if one has more than $10,000 USD in any foreign account. Not a deal breaker, but I hate the idea of having to file any additional paperwork with the feds.

Thanks all for the comment exchange

[Darrel]

My issue with the 800k method is the paperwork. The US requires that silly form if one has more than $10,000 USD in any foreign account. Not a deal breaker, but I hate the idea of having to file any additional paperwork with the feds.

Fair enough. But as I mentioned several times you do not need to deposit any large sums in Thailand to get the retirement extension. You can just get the USD50 certification letter from your consulate showing income of 65KBaht/month or more. And you wont need medical or police certificates either.

[kraxlhuber]

My issue with the 800k method is the paperwork. The US requires that silly form if one has more than $10,000 USD in any foreign account. Not a deal breaker, but I hate the idea of having to file any additional paperwork with the feds.

Fair enough. But as I mentioned several times you do not need to deposit any large sums in Thailand to get the retirement extension. You can just get the USD50 certification letter from your consulate showing income of 65KBaht/month or more. And you wont need medical or police certificates either.

not to be seen ignorant to previous post's, but just what do I need to show to the immigration officer for my upcoming retirement visa extension which expires (first year) in September.

Do I have to proof again the deposit of 800K Baht for 3 month's in the bank?

Have now received my Yellow Tabian Baan from the Amphur ( Amphoe), without too much hassle.

That is the proof of my residency here in LOS.

It is unclear to me how I can proof the 65 K monthly income (in lieu of the 800K deposit)

Do I have to proof of the source ( monthly pension) or can I advise my bank overseas to remit 65K or above monthly, drawn from my checking account there into my current or savings account with a Thai bank here, and than use the

savingsbook entry as proof?

Income can be anything isn't it, pension, remittal on a monthly basis etc.

[lopburi3]

Yes 800k in cash bank account your name only for 3 months.

Yellow book fine but not required if have other proof - but take and copy if asked.

Copy of passport data/visa/extension(s) and departure card. 4x6cm photo taken within six months for TM.7 form and 1,900 baht for fee.

65k not required if using cash in account. If you want to use 65k rather than bank account you need a letter confirming income from your Embassy. What they require may be sworn statement or simple paperwork proof or extensive documentation and confirmation taking a long period of time. You need to check with your Embassy for there specific requirements. It has nothing to do with remitting money to Thailand but only your financial condition.

[kraxlhuber]

My issue with the 800k method is the paperwork. The US requires that silly form if one has more than $10,000 USD in any foreign account. Not a deal breaker, but I hate the idea of having to file any additional paperwork with the feds.

Fair enough. But as I mentioned several times you do not need to deposit any large sums in Thailand to get the retirement extension. You can just get the USD50 certification letter from your consulate showing income of 65KBaht/month or more. And you wont need medical or police certificates either.

not to be seen ignorant to previous post's, but just what do I need to show to the immigration officer for my upcoming retirement visa extension which expires (first year) in September.

Do I have to proof again the deposit of 800K Baht for 3 month's in the bank?

Have now received my Yellow Tabian Baan from the Amphur ( Amphoe), without too much hassle.

That is the proof of my residency here in LOS.

It is unclear to me how I can proof the 65 K monthly income (in lieu of the 800K deposit)

Do I have to proof of the source ( monthly pension) or can I advise my bank overseas to remit 65K or above monthly, drawn from my checking account there into my current or savings account with a Thai bank here, and than use the

savingsbook entry as proof?

Income can be anything isn't it, pension, remittal on a monthly basis etc.

forgot the certification letter from the embassy in Bangkok, for a 65 k or more monthly income.

[lopburi3]

Actually he was asking what was required for using 65k method. It is not required if using bank deposit only.

[kraxlhuber]

Yes 800k in cash bank account your name only for 3 months.

Yellow book fine but not required if have other proof - but take and copy if asked.

Copy of passport data/visa/extension(s) and departure card. 4x6cm photo taken within six months for TM.7 form and 1,900 baht for fee.

65k not required if using cash in account. If you want to use 65k rather than bank account you need a letter confirming income from your Embassy. What they require may be sworn statement or simple paperwork proof or extensive documentation and confirmation taking a long period of time. You need to check with your Embassy for there specific requirements. It has nothing to do with remitting money to Thailand but only your financial condition.

thanks for the advise

It is always advisable to have a proof of income, anytime, in case of a legal dispute, divorce or a liability case.

Can any member advise what they experienced in their consulates when asking for a 65K income proof and certificate, British, German, USA, Aussie.

Sworn affidavit, moneytransfer?

[lopburi3]

Proof for immigration extension of stay would not necessarily be the same as required for other purposes. This is a specific requirement of immigration.

[ubonjoe]

Yes 800k in cash bank account your name only for 3 months.

Yellow book fine but not required if have other proof - but take and copy if asked.

Copy of passport data/visa/extension(s) and departure card. 4x6cm photo taken within six months for TM.7 form and 1,900 baht for fee.

65k not required if using cash in account. If you want to use 65k rather than bank account you need a letter confirming income from your Embassy. What they require may be sworn statement or simple paperwork proof or extensive documentation and confirmation taking a long period of time. You need to check with your Embassy for there specific requirements. It has nothing to do with remitting money to Thailand but only your financial condition.

thanks for the advise

It is always advisable to have a proof of income, anytime, in case of a legal dispute, divorce or a liability case.

Can any member advise what they experienced in their consulates when asking for a 65K income proof and certificate, British, German, USA, Aussie.

Sworn affidavit, moneytransfer?

U|SA and Australia do it by way making an oath and no proof is required. UK asks for proof of income or bank deposit showing enough to equal the 65K X 12 from my understanding.

Edited May 15, 2012 by ubonjoe

[Darrel]

UK asks for proof of income or bank deposit showing enough to equal the 65K X 12 from my understanding.

And an obscenely large contribution to the Pimms fund.