Retirement visa

[7321]

I have a non immigrant 'O' visa as a precursor to applying for a retirement visa -i can satisfy all the conditions. My visa expires on May 19th 2003. My problem is although i am English i have a house in Cyprus which i am going back to on April 26th for three months to sort out the inevitable problems which crop up. If i obtain a retirement visa before my departure am i in breach of the visa conditions in leaving the Kingdom? I cannot sort anything out in Cyprus - such as another non 'O' for my return as there is no Thai consulate on the island. Any suggestions would be appreciated

[Roger13]

Hi 7321

Can you please clarify

"My visa expires on May 19th 2003"

Do you mean the arrival validity expires then

(ie you have not yet arrived in Thailand)

OR - you are in Thailand and that is your leave by date.

When you apply for a "Retirement Visa" - what you will

be given is a 9 month extension to your Non-Imm O Visa.

You can then Obtain a Re-Entry Permit

(Single Entry Bht 500 - Multiple Entry 1,000)

and are free to leave The Kingdom and return before your

9th Month Extension Expires.

Within one month of the Expiry you should apply for

an annual extension.

Roger

[7321]

Roger, Many thanks for your help. I am in Thailand at the moment and my non ' O ' expires on May 19th.

[Roger13]

Hi 7321,

In my experience you will not be able to obtain your full extension before 26th April.

I normally process my extensions personally.

It is very easy to do - handing over the documents takes

only minutes - but they always give me a one month extension

first - then i have to go after one month for the balance (8 months the first time)

However I have seen adverts by Visa Agents

who will do this for a very high fee - MAYBE they get the

full extension immediately - but I do not know - does any other member know?

I just noticed the Title of your Post.

If you are refering to the Reporting of your Address every 90 days - this is every 90 days that you are actually IN the Kingdom. If you leave the country before the next 90 day report is due - the surrender of your TM Card to emmigration

at departure covers the situation.

And you start counting affresh upon re-entry.

Roger

[7321]

I posted a question recently about a retirement visa and received a helpful response from Khun Roger. Armed with his opinion I plodded off to Singkhon with all the necessary documentation. Roger was not confident that given my ' O ' visa had a month to run I might not be successful. I received a most courteous response from the immigration and, in possession of  my ticket to Cyprus, they were satisfied with the reason for my early application and gave me an extension to 19/02/04. One note of caution however for anyone who is 'nomadic'. If you change your address you must notify the nearest immigration dept. and obtain that certification to accompany your application for an extension.