Extending Visa Based On Retirement, Advise On Dates Please.

[desertdog]

yes... believe it or not it happen to me at airport in Mar. 2011 but was my fault I forgot to write in the visa # on the entrance card but caught the date as I walked away and went back and he corrected it then...thank L.J.

[vistana]

Just to confirm TallGuyJohninBKK, Lopburi is correct the date on my retirement extension is 12 January 2013.

Thanks to everyone who gave helpful advice.

[Maestro]

Ahh.... but not where I come from, Lopburi... Problem is... how to know....

Easy. If you have ever travelled to Thailand, look at the arrival stamp in your passport and you see that the month is given in a three-letter abbreviation, eg in vistana's passport it is 12 JAN 2013 but he erroneously wrote in the OP "My current retirement visa states in my passport that I am permitted to stay in Thailand up to 12/1/2013".

If where you come from is North America, your country's immigration stamps dates as, for example, JUN 10 2010 to avoid ambiguity.

[kraxlhuber]

abroad, than it is OK to go across the bo

Confirmed! One month early will be no problem. That is normal and expected. Waiting until the last few days is actually not advised.

Don't bother getting the bank letter until soon before you go in for your extension application. If it isn't fresh enough, it may be rejected. Rules for how fresh is fresh enough vary between offices.

True, but Mae Sai Immigration office stated previously, the Thai bank-letter about the 800K baht 2 or 3 months in the account

should not be older than 1 month.

If you extending your 1 year R. visa the second time I think the money should be in the bank for 2 months?

If you walk, fly, swim on a visa run makes a difference, as when entering by air the immigration is stamping you a 3 months visa (extension) , IF you have a re-entry permit, S or M, you can leave any time.

BUT the re enry permit expires along with your 1 year visa?

So if you walk across he border and re-enter Thailand, you MUST have a re-entry -permit, if you leaving again or your (remaining) 1 year visa is kaput?

A time ago the re-entry permit could be issued at the airport when leaving, but as soo many things in the land of smiles change for better or for worse, the service is no longer available??

Pls notice the ? marks as i am not so sure about he procedure.

I have adobe in Thailand since 1980 and have seen pigs flying, looks like the immigration supervisors have meetings, where hey can discuss what can make the life of us poor fellows harder.

The 90 days reporting by EMS is sure a helpful thing

[Lite Beer]

I very much doubt that Immigration will accept a bank letter that is one month old.

The money has to be in the bank for 3 months for retirement extensions apart for the first time.

Re Entry Permits are available at the airport.

[Mario2008]

Money in the bank for retirement is 2 months for first extension and 3 months for every extensions after that.

1 month bankletters are normally not accepted, immigration prefers the same day or the day before.

Yes, without a re-entry permit your permission to stay ends.

re-entry permit at the airport is available again, between 06:00 and 24:00 hours only!

[hml367]

when I got this O-A I didn't know it could be extend at all until immigration told me...L.J.

A very good point in your post....." Immigration told me...."... No matter what posts on ThaiVisa tell you, whether right or wrong, Immigration has the final say. Why don't you ask them?

MSPain

[Jingthing]

when I got this O-A I didn't know it could be extend at all until immigration told me...L.J.

A very good point in your post....." Immigration told me...."... No matter what posts on ThaiVisa tell you, whether right or wrong, Immigration has the final say. Why don't you ask them?

MSPain

That's rather an over generalization. Anyone can come on here 24 hours a day and be told correctly that someone holding an expiring O-A visa can apply for new annual extensions based on retirement in Thailand (for life). We can also tell anyone that if you hold a currently valid O-A multiple entry visa you can get an extra years stay through travel without dealing with immigration at all.

Alternatively, it wouldn't surprise me at all if immigration officers at offices weren't familiar with how an active O-A visa MULTIPLE works in regards to getting an extra year without dealing with their office. Also over the years many times we have read reports of staff at Thai embassies and consulates giving out very incorrect info about what happens/is required LATER at Thai immigration offices in Thailand

Edited August 26, 2012 by Jingthing

[skipper]

My current retirement visa states in my passport that I am permitted to stay in Thailand up to 12/1/2013. So if I understand the replies I will have to re-apply for another 1 year extension on or up to one month before the 12/1/2013, along with the proof of 800,000 baht etc.. etc..

Thanks everyone for your help.....from a novice old pensioner.....

There is no such thing as a RETIREMENT VISA , that is an extension to stay you eider have non O-A or non O visa. The 90 day report is not depending of the retirement extension it is what you have to do 90 days after you arrive in the country an after that every 90 day or the date they stamp in the passport slip. I have Extension to 18 of february 2013 and arrive in Thailand 31 of Oct 2012 so I do my 90 day report the last days in January 2013.

[laislica]

I arrived in BKK on 2nd Feb and got a 30 day tourist visa.

I have an address in Chiang Mai and got a NON-O 30 day visa using a finance letter from the Brit Consul CM.

On 26th May with a new finance letter from the Brit Consulate CM, I got a 1 year retirement visa good till 26th May 2013, and a single re-entry visa type NON-IMM, good til 26 May 2013.

I left Thailand on 4th July so cannot make the first 90 day report to CM, but I think this is no problem.

I plan to return in October and leave in April/ May 2013.

Should I apply 30 days prior to it's expiry for another year and will I need the letter for proof of income?

Another newbie OAP lol

Thanks

[Lite Beer]

You arrived and got a 30 day Visa Exempt Entry.

It looks like you then converted to a 90 day Non Imm O Visa.

You then applied for a 12 Month Extension of Stay which expires 26th May 2013.

You also obtained a Re Entry Permit at the same time.

When you return in October you will get a permission to stay until 26th May.

You need to apply for another 12 Month Extension within the final 30 days of this stay.

You will need the same as you needed last time including a new proof of income letter.

[laislica]

Super, many thanks Lite Beer, nice and straight forward.as you have explained it so well.

If I had the correct funds in my Thai bank (800,00 Baht I think), would just showing the book be sufficient?

If so it would save the 2,250 Baht Consul fee and taxi to get it.

Edited August 27, 2012 by laislica

[Lite Beer]

If you have 800,000 Baht in the bank you need a letter from the bank showing the balance plus the bank book showing the same balance.

Get the letter preferably on the day or day before application.

Photo copy every page of the bank book.

[Jingthing]

At Jomtien, they want a copy of the last three month's activity from the bank book plus the name id/account number front page. NOT the entire bank account. If you give them more, they push it back.

[laislica]

If you have 800,000 Baht in the bank you need a letter from the bank showing the balance plus the bank book showing the same balance.

Get the letter preferably on the day or day before application.

Photo copy every page of the bank book.

Many thanks, also to Jingthing

[mysticpaki]

For Nancy L

Dear Nancy i plan to retire to Phuket being over 50 years old.Im Pakistani (non muslim)

Do i read correctly that its best to apply for an O-A Visa Multiple Entry ??? after complying with police and medical report and having 800 thousand baht in thai bank account???

What is the cost of this visa and just before this visa expires i just go to Mae Sai without any documents and they will give me another O-A visa multiple entry OR just extend this prevailing visa ?? with what documents???

Im totally confused Nancy so please help me out.

Also do i apply in Pakistan for my first O-A Multiple Entry Visa???

Many thanks

[lopburi3]

If you want a personal conversation please feel free to use the PM function - the if you are planning to live in Phuket you would not be using Mai Sai as you must use the immigration office serving the area you live.

The multi entry non immigrant O-A visa costs 5,000 baht in local exchange currency and provides one year stay on each entry so can actually be used for almost two years of stay before extensions required inside Thailand (or another visa required). It requires a police check and medical in home country but money can be in home country (does not need to be in Thailand).

But this is not required for retirement extension of stay as any non immigrant visa entry can be extended within Thailand if the financials are here and even a tourist visa entry can be converted at an added cost of 2,000 baht to the required non immigrant entry.

[NancyL]

You can avoid bringing funds into Thailand (or getting an income letter from your embassy) for two years with an O-A Visa. You apply in your home country and the funds don't have to be in Thailand. Obtain a 12-month multi-entry O-A visa and you can leave the Thailand (at any border) during that first year and when you return, your passport will be stamped with a new 12-month permission to stay. The only document you need when leaving Thailand toward the end of your O-A multi-entry visa is your passport. No need for re-entry permit.

After receiving that second year of permission to remain, you will need to get a re-entry permit from your local Immigration office if you want to leave Thailand during that second year and return using that new permission to remain. At the end of the second year, you can extend the permission to remain for a year using the "traditional" method of either showing funds in Thailand and/or producing an income letter from your embassy.

[Jingthing]

For Nancy L

Dear Nancy i plan to retire to Phuket being over 50 years old.Im Pakistani (non muslim)

Do i read correctly that its best to apply for an O-A Visa Multiple Entry ??? after complying with police and medical report and having 800 thousand baht in thai bank account???

What is the cost of this visa and just before this visa expires i just go to Mae Sai without any documents and they will give me another O-A visa multiple entry OR just extend this prevailing visa ?? with what documents???

Im totally confused Nancy so please help me out.

Also do i apply in Pakistan for my first O-A Multiple Entry Visa???

Many thanks

If you are interested in the O-A visa, the first thing you need to do is the verify that the Thai embassy in Pakistan actually offers O-A visas by contacting them directly:

http://www.thaiembassy.org/islamabad/th/home

If not, not a problem, as the O-A visa is NOT required to retire in Thailand.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Re Mystic's question, folks 50 and over who meet the income requirements typically can proceed a couple of different and somewhat similar ways, all of which lead to residing in Thailand.

1. as mentioned is to apply for an O-A visa based on retirement at the local Thai consulate in your country. The advantages as mentioned above are that your funds can remain in your local bank account, and the initial visa can be good for almost two years, doing as described above. The disadvantages include having to obtain a police and medical reports in your country to submit to the Thai consulate.

2. The alternative approach is to just get a usually easily obtained tourist visa, come to Thailand, and then convert that at Thai Immigration to a Non-Immigrant visa based on retirement and then a retirement extension -- all of which can be done at the main Bangkok Immigration office. The advantages include avoiding the police and medical report. The disadvantages include the retirement extension only being valid for a single year at a time, and then having to renew annually.

The first approach involves more time, effort and expense at your local Thai consulate, assuming as Jing mentioned that they actually will issue O-A visas... The second approach skips your local home country Thai consulate altogether, and involves more time, effort and expense at the main Thai Immigration Office.

Under the second approach at Thai Immigration, if you're relying on Thai bank deposits, you'll need those to be "seasoned" on deposit at the Thai bank for at least two months before finalizing your retirement extension. On the other hand, if you're relying on a consulate letter showing at least 65,000 baht per month in income from any/all sources inside or outside Thailand, then you don't have to worry or wait about the seasoning period for Thai bank deposits. Just get consulate income letter and go.

[Mario2008]

You can also just get a non-O visa abroad, instead of the O-A. Only some embassies insist that you apply for an O-A visa, in such case simply apply at a honorary consulate as these are ot allowed to issue an O-A visa.

[Anon999]

I did my 90 day reporting today at Khon Kaen office. ( In and out in 10 minutes or a little less!)

But, as my extension to stay expires on 26th October my '90 day' extension turned out to be about 68 days

as it was also given to expire on 26th October.

So don't be surprised if when you go on the 13th December you only get a '90 day' until the 12th January 2013 and you have to do both your 90 day and visa extension on the same day.

The two are indeed independent, but they may well run together.

I think you may be don't understand what you are getting. You don't get "an extension"--the 90 days report is not extending anything. It is not a permission to stay, you are just reporting your presence in the country!

They may have been asking you to come back to ensure that your VISA was extended...but the 90 day report by itself is not giving you permission to stay so I don't understand why they told you to do the 90 day report earlier than 90 days after the one you've just done??

Firstly the 90 day report will be 5 days out of sync with the annual extension to stay as there's 365 or 366 days/year, if done at the same time. I have been asked (told) to complete a TM47 when applying for my annual extension to stay, depending on the officer even though my last one was only a month previously.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Anon999