Who's confused? Me, or immigration?

[Johnny99]

The 15 day stamp entry by land, or, the 30 day entry by air (whatever you want to call it) can be upgraded to a Non-Imm retirement visa at Phuket immigration without leaving the country as long as all other requirements are fulfilled.

These are the 800K for two to three months and a letter from your bank, plus photocopies of pages from your passport and your bank-book.

Almost KB. It will ( entry stamp for 30/15 day stay ) allow you to obtain a non-immigrant "O" visa which will support your application

for an visa extension ( valid for 1 year ) on the grounds of retirement, in my case without leaving the country.

Yep..From embassy site;

Application for an initial non-immigrant visa from the Thai embassy or consulate in your home country or country of residence. Once you have entered Thailand you will have to apply for the one year extension of your visa at the immigration office of your location. Please note that you will have to wait to be in Thailand for 60 days before to file your retirement application at the immigration office or you must have at least 21 days left in your current permit to stay. Providing that you fulfill all the conditions and provide all the documents required (including a proof of address in Thailand) you will be granted by the Immigration a one year extension and permitted to stay in Thailand for 1 year.

The foreigner on a visa exemption stamp or a tourist visa can obtain a retirement visa given that the foreigner already met the requirements for the non-immigrant O visa and for the one year extension application. The visa applications can be done at the immigration office in Thailand.

Well, it does look nice on paper but at Chaeng Wattana they were ADAMANT about not accepting the entry stamp on a visa exempt entry and it kinda did make sense when they explained that I didn't actually have a visa. Anyway, I'm planning to never let this happen to me again.

[terak]

I had to leave Thailand and go to a Thai embassy to get a 60 day tourist visa in order to start the process with a proper VISA. As luck would have it I had a short trip planned just before my 30 day VISA EXEMPT STAMP expired.

In stead of applying for a tourist visa you could of course also have applied for a retirement visa.

I was in Singapore and the only visa they would issue was a tourist visa, no non-immigrant O and no retirement visa. Besides, I thought you could only apply for a retirement visa in Thailand. Isn't that correct?

You can convert a TR Visa into a retirement extension in the same way as a 15/30 day stamp

[andreandre]

Yes , but you are changing what you said [as usual]..firstly you said..; He could have applied for a retirement in stead of 'the first step is a tourist visa'.

And my reply was that you can not apply for retirement visa with only as he had,..''a visa exemption stamp''.

Which is 100% correct. Yes? I was correct!

Now as usual you twist and add things..now to appear correct you have changed to "could have skipped that step and applied for non-immigrant O-visa and extended on basis of retirement.'

Your new version is correct... Yes he can apply for this visa and then extend on retirement, but not as you first said .

I have not changed anything.

And yes, you are 100% wrong, "my reply was that you can not apply for retirement visa with only as he had,..''a visa exemption stamp''" is not true.

And yes, I give up on you as well. You're not reading the answers, have no clue about immigration procedures, so this discussion is way over your level.

One thing you're good with is the insults and name calling huh!! You really should desist.

Way over my head???Pot, kettle, black...good grief man!!

Mate wake up to yourself..one cannot simply apply for a retirement visa with a ''visa exemption stamp''..this is undeniable fact!!

One must initially apply for a non immigrant O visa to support an application for a one year retirement extension [wrongly called retirement visa]..got it now?

This 'retirement extension'' is as it implies ..ie an extension of your non immigrant O visa....Without first having the O visa you can not in any way get an extension, can you?

I really hope you can now come to terms with this and accept that you are indeed wrong......The End....

[terak]

"Mate wake up to yourself..one cannot simply apply for a retirement visa with a ''visa exemption stamp''..this is undeniable fact!!

One must initially apply for a non immigrant O visa to support an application for a one year retirement extension [wrongly called retirement visa]..got it now?"

This can all be done in country if you qualify

[andreandre]

"Mate wake up to yourself..one cannot simply apply for a retirement visa with a ''visa exemption stamp''..this is undeniable fact!!

One must initially apply for a non immigrant O visa to support an application for a one year retirement extension [wrongly called retirement visa]..got it now?"

This can all be done in country if you qualify

I can only gather that you are agreeing with the facts of my post..? your added sentence is true... and AFAIK you can apply for your non imm O either in your own country

or here, but to apply for the one year retirement extension you have to have been in Thailand , at least to open the bank acc to hold the 800,000baht...for the seasoning period.

[pagallim]

or here, but to apply for the one year retirement extension you have to have been in Thailand , at least to open the bank acc to hold the 800,000baht...for the seasoning period.

As an alternative, the Embassy/Consul letter showing minimum income of 65,000 baht/month doesn't require any residency background or seasoning period.

[andreandre]

or here, but to apply for the one year retirement extension you have to have been in Thailand , at least to open the bank acc to hold the 800,000baht...for the seasoning period.

As an alternative, the Embassy/Consul letter showing minimum income of 65,000 baht/month doesn't require any residency background or seasoning period.

True...

[phuketjock]

or here, but to apply for the one year retirement extension you have to have been in Thailand , at least to open the bank acc to hold the 800,000baht...for the seasoning period.

As an alternative, the Embassy/Consul letter showing minimum income of 65,000 baht/month doesn't require any residency background or seasoning period.

And, unfortunately, if you are British that will cost you another 2500baht on top of all the other charges for your

visa extension. Every year!!, and that is if it hasn't gone up since I last enquired??

Edited July 18, 2013 by phuketjock

[pagallim]

or here, but to apply for the one year retirement extension you have to have been in Thailand , at least to open the bank acc to hold the 800,000baht...for the seasoning period.

As an alternative, the Embassy/Consul letter showing minimum income of 65,000 baht/month doesn't require any residency background or seasoning period.

And, unfortunately, if you are British that will cost you another 2500baht on top of all the other charges for your

visa extension. Every year!!, and that is if it hasn't gone up since I last enquired??

It's actually 2160 baht (plus 100 baht if you do it by mail with the Embassy in BKK to cover the EMS postage for return). I actually did it yesterday as Martin Carpenter is on holiday at the moment. There is then the 1900 baht to Immigration for the visa itself of course, and considerably cheaper than a lifetime of visa runs.

Edited July 18, 2013 by pagallim

[phuketjock]

or here, but to apply for the one year retirement extension you have to have been in Thailand , at least to open the bank acc to hold the 800,000baht...for the seasoning period.

As an alternative, the Embassy/Consul letter showing minimum income of 65,000 baht/month doesn't require any residency background or seasoning period.

And, unfortunately, if you are British that will cost you another 2500baht on top of all the other charges for your

visa extension. Every year!!, and that is if it hasn't gone up since I last enquired??

It's actually 2160 baht (plus 100 baht if you do it by mail with the Embassy in BKK to cover the EMS postage for return). I actually did it yesterday as Martin Carpenter is on holiday at the moment. There is then the 1900 baht to Immigration for the visa itself of course, and considerably cheaper than a lifetime of visa runs.

Sorry Pagallim it was a while ago and I am no youngster, my point was that you can save that 2260 a year if you have the 800k in the bank

which I find a bit of a comfort for any possible emergencies. But each to their own.

[craigt3365]

OK, no more bickering. Please abide by forum rules.