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Am I right in the assumption that if you are married to a Thai national you are only required to have 440,000bht seasoned in a Thai bank.....can you use a combination of Pension and money in the bank for the 440,000bht too to obtain a retirement visa. Ken smile.png

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The financial requirements for based on marriage are:

a (gross) income of 40,000 THb per month (which can be from abroad)

OR

having 400,000 baht in a bank account in Thailand in your name only for at least 2 months.

The combination is not possible, only when going for retirement can you use a combination. But then the total must be 800,000 baht.

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(6) In case of marriage with a Thai lady, the husband who is an alien must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit in a local Thai bank of not less than 400,000 baht for the past 2 months for expenses within a year.

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I've got a question. Just what is the difference between a one year OA visa and a retirement visa. I'm from the US.I have a one year, second year by the way OA multiple entry visa w of course 90 day reporting.

I have always been told. Obviously misinformed, that no such thing as a retirement visa. Canadian friend though said he did, I looked at his passport and sure as heck its stamp reads Retirement Visa. Was I just misinformed, is this a US thing. And what is the difference as he, like everyone has to do the 90 day reporting?

Thanks in advance for any clarity I can get in this.

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Sawadeka,

The O/A visa is officially a "long stay" visa and not normally called a retirement visa. With a multiple entry visa you can get up to 2 years in Thailand if you use it correctly. Each entry will give you 1 year permission to stay. If you do a border run on the last day that the visa is valid (must enter by date) you will get another 1 year permission to stay. However if you want to leave during that year, you must purchase a reentry permit to keep your "permission to stay" valid. single-1000 baht, multiple- 3800 baht. If you're on your second year, don't leave without the reentry permit. With this type of visa you do not have to transfer money to a bank in Thailand, you can keep it in your home country. You will have to get a medical checkup and police clearance and can only apply for the visa in your home country.

A "retirement" visa, is not a visa, it is a 1 year extension of stay for retirement purposes. You can only extend an Non-O or O/A visa. To qualify for this extension you must have either 800000 baht in a Thai Bank in your name only seasoned for 2 months (first extension) and 3 months thereafter. OR, have a letter from your embassy stating that you receive at least 65000bhat/month from overseas. Or, a combination of both. You do not need a police or medical check at this time. If you want to leave and keep your permission to stay valid you must purchase a reentry permit as above. The extension costs 1900 baht and is applied for by fileing a TM7 form.

In both cases, if you remain in Thailand for a consecutive 90 days you must report your address using a TM47 for, no cost.

One of the largest ares of confusion regarding visas is the terminology used which is really difficult for some to understand.

If you are in your second year of your O/A visa you can apply for a 1 year extension during the last 30 days of your permission to stay keeping in mind the financial requirements. Hope this clears it up for you and doesn't add more confusion.

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Good explanation except you extend you permission to stay, not you visa, and the requirement is that the stay started with a non immigrant entry.

Sent from my i-mobile i-note WIFI3 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

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Might also be worth mentioning that, in addition to the police check and medical check-up, O-A visa applicants are also required to produce evidence of sufficient funds (equal to 800,000 THB in the local currency) in their home country bank account.

And are O-A visa applicants in the USA also required to get all documents supporting their application notarised (as I was when applying for an O-A visa from the London Embassy 5 years ago)?

Edited by OJAS
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Getting an OA has the same financial requirement as an extension of stay but money in bank can be in your home country.

Income of 65k baht is also allowed for OA but there is no difference because that is proven for extensions in home currency by way of document from embassy.

A combination of income and money in bank is also allowed for OA.

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I notice on a regular basis that when people are applying in their home country for a NON OA they receive a normal NON O visa.

I don’t know the reason why that happened in those cases.

But the bad thing is that they tell the people not to worry as according to the embassy the NON-O is the same as the NON-OA visa.

Off-course they are upset when they find out what the difference are between those two visa’s and that they have to do the visa runs for example.

I never really found out why many embassies are reluctant to issue the “real” NON-OA visa’s.

Like i said maybe it is in most cases they did not qualify ( financially or something else ) and the embassy issued the NON-O instead or that they are just reluctant to issue the NON-OA visa.

Do other immigration offices see this also happening ?

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I notice on a regular basis that when people are applying in their home country for a NON OA they receive a normal NON O visa.

I don’t know the reason why that happened in those cases.

But the bad thing is that they tell the people not to worry as according to the embassy the NON-O is the same as the NON-OA visa.

Off-course they are upset when they find out what the difference are between those two visa’s and that they have to do the visa runs for example.

I never really found out why many embassies are reluctant to issue the “real” NON-OA visa’s.

Like i said maybe it is in most cases they did not qualify ( financially or something else ) and the embassy issued the NON-O instead or that they are just reluctant to issue the NON-OA visa.

Do other immigration offices see this also happening ?

I think those cases where a OA was not done it would be because they were trying to get it at a honorary consulate which cannot do OA's.

Home country embassies and official consulates will not issue non-o visas for retirement. They will only do OA'a.

You might also be thinking of the spouse of a OA visa holder doing border runs because immigration will not do dependent extensions for OA visa entries.

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Income of 65k baht is also allowed for OA but there is no difference because that is proven for extensions in home currency by way of document from embassy.

A combination of income and money in bank is also allowed for OA.

While this is certainly true for subsequent extensions of stay, it is not the case for original visa applications made in your home country AFAIK. At least it wasn't when I applied for my OA visa in London 5 years ago - when the Thai Embassy website made no mention of statements confirming monthly income equal to at least 65,000 THB being acceptable in lieu of (or in tandem with) bank statements.

However, things may well have changed since then - and, in any event, the OA visa requirements for UK citizens may always have been different to those for US citizens.

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Income of 65k baht is also allowed for OA but there is no difference because that is proven for extensions in home currency by way of document from embassy.

A combination of income and money in bank is also allowed for OA.

While this is certainly true for subsequent extensions of stay, it is not the case for original visa applications made in your home country AFAIK. At least it wasn't when I applied for my OA visa in London 5 years ago - when the Thai Embassy website made no mention of statements confirming monthly income equal to at least 65,000 THB being acceptable in lieu of (or in tandem with) bank statements.

However, things may well have changed since then - and, in any event, the OA visa requirements for UK citizens may always have been different to those for US citizens.

It certainly mentions income now. http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/51

It does not mention combination but that could be an error.

MFA website does have combination http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html

Edited by ubonjoe
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All this sounds very confusing to me.....if I say what I want to do can someone explain what would be the best option?

I'm from the UK..if I come to Thailand and get my 30 day visa on entry ....marry my lady legally while I'm there....go back to the UK on my own.

(within the 30 days) Come back to Thailand to live 12 months (when retired from my work I will be 65 then) and live with my now Thai Wife...

What visa would I need to get to come back and what would I need to have in the bank.. and would I need Police and medical check....I don't really want an agency to arrange the visa for me...if it can be done easily enough by myself. I have just come back form Thailand where I spent the last 6 weeks on a 60 day single entry tourist visa purchased from the Hull Consul.

Thanks guys.smile.png

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You just come first to Thailand without a visa, as you don't need a visa with a ticket out within 30 days of arrival.

Next time you return to Thailand you apply for a non-O visa, based on your marriage or based on retirement. A single non-O will be easy to get op proof of marriage or proof of pension/being over 50. Just apply at one of the consulates in Thailand.

After 60 day in Thailand, you apply for an extension of stay for 1 year. Again either based on marriage or being over 50.

based on marriage you either show an income of 40,000 baht a month (can be from abroad) OR 400,000 for 2 months in a bank account in Thailand your name only. (Plus a bunch of papers to proof your marriage and relationship)

based on retirement you show:

- an income of 65,000 baht a month (can be from abroad)

OR

- 800,000 baht in a bank account in Thailand in your name only for at least 2 months (first time) and next years at least 3 months)

OR

- a combination of yearly income and money in the bank in Thailand totaling at least 800,000.

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You have two options

1. Applying for an extension of stay based on retirement

2. Applying for an extension of stay based on marriage

Both of these applications can be secured from a single entry "O" visa which you should be able to easily obtain from Hull.

You do not need police/medical reports.

Each of the "extensions" have different requirements.

Help will be freely available here once you decide which option to go for.

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All this sounds very confusing to me.....if I say what I want to do can someone explain what would be the best option?

 

I'm from the UK..if I come to Thailand and get my 30 day visa on entry ....marry my lady legally while I'm there....go back to the UK on my own.

(within the 30 days) Come back to Thailand to live 12 months (when retired from my work I will be 65 then) and live with my now Thai Wife...

What visa would I need to get to come back and what would I need to have in the bank.. and would I need Police and medical check....I don't really want an agency to arrange the visa for me...if it can be done easily enough by myself. I have just come back form Thailand where I spent the last 6 weeks on a 60 day single entry tourist visa purchased from the Hull Consul.

 

Thanks guys.Posted Image

It would be best if you got a single entry non-o visa for being over 50 for retirement from one of the honorary consulates before you return. You should be able to get it with no financial proof.

If not you could get a single entry from any nearby consulates or embassies for marriage or for retirement. No need to go back home.

Which extension do you want to get retirement or marriage?

Marriage the financials are 40k baht income or 400k in the bank.

Retirement is 65k income or 800k baht in the or a combination of the two to reach 800k.

Marriage requires a little more paperwork and a 30 wait for extension to get final approval after application.

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When I did it, we got married and I came back to UK. Then I went to Thai Consul in Birmingham (who are very helpful on the phone) took my Thai Marriage Cert and my passport (and £100) to get a 1 year Visa (this allows you entry to Thailand during the year and the right to stay for 90 days at a time). No police, medical etc.

On arrival in Thailand you're given the right to stay by way of a stamp in your passport for 90 days. At the end of the 90 days you go to Immigration and ask for an Extension of Stay (two ways 1 = marriage B400,000k or B40k p.m. or 2 = Retirement = B800k or B65k p.m.). Then you just do the same every year. Easy.

By the way, if you've got the money going the B800k retirement route is easier - less paperwork.

Good luck.

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Might also be worth mentioning that, in addition to the police check and medical check-up, O-A visa applicants are also required to produce evidence of sufficient funds (equal to 800,000 THB in the local currency) in their home country bank account.

And are O-A visa applicants in the USA also required to get all documents supporting their application notarised (as I was when applying for an O-A visa from the London Embassy 5 years ago)?

To answer your question. No, I received my O-A Visa a little over a year ago, in the US, through the Thai Embassy in Los Angeles, and I did not have to have anything notarized.

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Thanks again..I'm not going to have 800.000 bht so I will have go the marriage route and persevere with the paperwork...do you go to immigration for the extension to stay every 90 days until you "pop your clogs" or do you have to do border runs?

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Thanks again..I'm not going to have 800.000 bht so I will have go the marriage route and persevere with the paperwork...do you go to immigration for the extension to stay every 90 days until you "pop your clogs" or do you have to do border runs? 

You just make a address report every 90 days to immigration. These can be mailed in at most immigration offices. They are not extensions.

You will have a one year permit to stay.

If you want to leave you will need a re-entry permit. Cost is 1000 baht for a single or a multiple for 3800 baht they both will be valid up to your permitted to stay date.

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When I did it, we got married and I came back to UK. Then I went to Thai Consul in Birmingham (who are very helpful on the phone) took my Thai Marriage Cert and my passport (and £100) to get a 1 year Visa (this allows you entry to Thailand during the year and the right to stay for 90 days at a time). No police, medical etc.

On arrival in Thailand you're given the right to stay by way of a stamp in your passport for 90 days. At the end of the 90 days you go to Immigration and ask for an Extension of Stay (two ways 1 = marriage B400,000k or B40k p.m. or 2 = Retirement = B800k or B65k p.m.). Then you just do the same every year. Easy.

By the way, if you've got the money going the B800k retirement route is easier - less paperwork.

Good luck.

An observation that only a single entry visa would have been required if you are going to extend your stay yearly during the first entry.

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