Latest info on retirement visa

[aveabeeror2]

What photo copies are required to renew retirement visa , Pattaya. ( Dont bother correcting my terminology,read a book or something instead)

[OMGImInPattaya]

Who cares...just go to the copy shop next door and they will make all necessary copies; and thry even fill out the extension form for you for free (but I always tip the Filipino gal B 100).

[aveabeeror2]

Who cares...just go to the copy shop next door and they will make all necessary copies; and thry even fill out the extension form for you for free (but I always tip the Filipino gal B 100).

I own a condo, do I need copy of house book or will bank statement with my address do?

[OMGImInPattaya]

Who cares...just go to the copy shop next door and they will make all necessary copies; and thry even fill out the extension form for you for free (but I always tip the Filipino gal B 100).

I own a condo, do I need copy of house book or will bank statement with my address do?

You could take the house book to copy or any utility bill with your name and address on it.

[ThaiBob]

Who cares...just go to the copy shop next door and they will make all necessary copies; and thry even fill out the extension form for you for free (but I always tip the Filipino gal B 100).

I own a condo, do I need copy of house book or will bank statement with my address do?

Go to the Pattaya City expat club website for details unique to your situation:

http://pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/visa.html

[banglay]

What's wrong with people on here the guys just asking for some advice/help.

Did mine 2 months ago ..Copies of :-

(1) ..main photo page of passport.

(2)..copy of every/all Thai visa stamps in your passport.

(3).. copy TM departure card

(4) ...copy proof of residence ie house book ect

(5) ...proof of income in bank or letter of proof of income from your embassy

(6) ...copy of bank statement for the last 90 days where monies are deposited.

(7) ...filled out retirement form/application

this is what I used in and out with 20 minutes and picked up passport next day

[Khun David]

How much money do you need to have in your Thai bank account when applying please ?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[banglay]

How much money do you need to have in your Thai bank account when applying please ?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

฿800.000 in a thai bank account 90 days before you apply for the retirement visa

[Rimmer]

Post and reply suggesting an illegal activity removed

[blackman]

How much money do you need to have in your Thai bank account when applying please ?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

฿800.000 in a thai bank account 90 days before you apply for the retirement visa

first timers 60 days

renewals 90 days

[Tolley]

How much money do you need to have in your Thai bank account when applying please ?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

฿800.000 in a thai bank account 90 days before you apply for the retirement visa

I didnt need anything.

Filled out a stat dec at the Oz embassy and that was that.

Maybe it depends on your nationality?

[KittenKong]

How much money do you need to have in your Thai bank account when applying please ?

฿800.000 in a thai bank account 90 days before you apply for the retirement visa

I didnt need anything.

Filled out a stat dec at the Oz embassy and that was that.

Maybe it depends on your nationality?

No, it depends on whether you go the deposit route or the declaration of income route.

1) It is an extension of stay, not a visa. You do not need an actual retirement visa to do this, just any long visa. In fact they will even do it from scratch on a short visa with one extra step and one extra fee. They may even do it from a visa-waiver entry.

2) You can either deposit 800K or show income of a similar amount, or any combination of the two.

3) Along with your passport you also need a photo, the fee, the filled-in form, some proof of your address (utility bill, rental contract etc), either a letter from your bank confirming the cash deposit or a letter from an embassy/consulate confirming your income, and to be over 50. And photo-copies. It should take about 2 minutes to fill in the form and I see no point paying anyone to do it for you.

It must be one of the easiest and cheapest immigration procedures in Thailand.

There must be thousands of posts on this topic in the main visa forum.

[BB1950]

^ If you show a combination of income and bank deposit there isn't a requirement for how long the money was deposited before applying.

[blackman]

^ If you show a combination of income and bank deposit there isn't a requirement for how long the money was deposited before applying.

correct, no seasoning on a combo

[tropo]

1) It is an extension of stay, not a visa. You do not need an actual retirement visa to do this, just any long visa. In fact they will even do it from scratch on a short visa with one extra step and one extra fee. They may even do it from a visa-waiver entry.

(The OP specifically asked not to be corrected on terminology)

Well, most of us will call it a "retirement visa". It is a visa. It's a non-O visa which can be extended a year at a time if you satisfy the requirements. If someone asks you what visa you have, what do you tell him?.... "I have an extension of stay on a non-Immigrant - O visa based on retirement"?

You are incorrect about the procedure. They can do it from a tourist visa or a visa-exempt entry, but first you pay 2000 baht for a non-O visa which they then give you a one year extension on based on retirement.

My wife had to leave the country to get a non-O visa from a neighboring Thai consulate as they do not complete the process in Thailand for dependents.

Keep it simple,.. for all intents and purposes it's a retirement visa.

Edited November 2, 2013 by tropo

[tropo]

How much money do you need to have in your Thai bank account when applying please ?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

฿800.000 in a thai bank account 90 days before you apply for the retirement visa

I didnt need anything.

Filled out a stat dec at the Oz embassy and that was that.

Maybe it depends on your nationality?

Yes, this process does vary a lot depending on your country of origin. Only a few countries do it by Statutory Declaration... other countries require more hard proof of income before they (The Embassy) provide a "letter".

[KittenKong]

(The OP specifically asked not to be corrected on terminology)

I dont care. Wrong terminology is just wrong and needs correcting. The OP can call his visa a turnip if he wants and he will still be wrong.

Well, most of us will call it a "retirement visa". It is a visa. It's a non-O visa which can be extended a year at a time if you satisfy the requirements. If someone asks you what visa you have, what do you tell him?.... "I have an extension of stay on a non-Immigrant - O visa based on retirement"?

I say I have a retirement extension which is correct. My visa is not renewed or reissued every year and it has nothing to do with retirement as it was a simple tourist multi-entry. My permission to stay is extended every year for purposes of retirement.

You are incorrect about the procedure. They can do it from a tourist visa or a visa-exempt entry, but first you pay 2000 baht for a non-O visa which they then give you a one year extension on based on retirement.

I am not incorrect.

This is precisely what I was referring to when I specifically mentioned "an extra step and an extra fee".

Keep it simple,.. for all intents and purposes it's a retirement visa.

No, it isnt. A retirement visa is something that you obtain from a Thai consulate outside of Thailand and it requires a lot more documentation than the extension does.

If there was no such thing as a real retirement visa then it might be acceptable to call the retirement extension a visa. But there is so it isn't.

[tropo]

I dont care. Wrong terminology is just wrong and needs correcting. The OP can call his visa a turnip if he wants and he will still be wrong.

I say I have a retirement extension which is correct. My visa is not renewed or reissued every year and it has nothing to do with retirement as it was a simple tourist multi-entry. My permission to stay is extended every year for purposes of retirement.

I am not incorrect.

This is precisely what I was referring to when I specifically mentioned "an extra step and an extra fee".

No, it isnt. A retirement visa is something that you obtain from a Thai consulate outside of Thailand and it requires a lot more documentation than the extension does.

If there was no such thing as a real retirement visa then it might be acceptable to call the retirement extension a visa. But there is so it isn't.

As I said, most of us call it a retirement visa. I'll continue to call it this despite what the "terminology nazis" have to say.

Please tell me about a real retirement visa. I've never heard of such. If there is such a thing I'm sure it's pretty rare as no one ever discusses it.

You say you needed an "extra step" to get your retirement extension. What do you think this "extra step" is? The extra step is buying a non-O visa for 2000 baht which is then extended. I'm pretty sure your extension is not on your original tourist visa.

If you're going to be anal about this, better get your facts straight.

[KittenKong]

As I said, most of us call it a retirement visa. I'll continue to call it this despite what the "terminology nazis" have to say.

Fine. But you will be wrong, as will anyone else who calls it by the wrong name. It is not a visa and that's all there is to it.

Please tell me about a real retirement visa. I've never heard of such. If there is such a thing I'm sure it's pretty rare as no one ever discusses it.

Not rare at all and commonly discussed in the visa forum. Try searching there for the info. Or on a Thai consulate website. I already know what that visa is and so I don't need to look.

That said, I think that most people who get a retirement visa outside the country before coming here do so because they don't realise how much simpler it is to get a retirement extension once here instead.

Before I retired here I also investigated getting a retirement visa rather than a regular tourist visa but thankfully others had taken the trouble to point out on here and elsewhere that this was neither necessary nor desirable, nor in any way advantageous to me.

You say you needed an "extra step" to get your retirement extension. What do you think this "extra step" is? The extra step is buying a non-O visa for 2000 baht which is then extended.

And that is indeed what I said. Which part of "in fact they will even do it from scratch on a short visa with one extra step and one extra fee" isn't clear?

It's certainly seems much clearer to me than incorrectly calling an extension a visa.

If you're going to be anal about this, better get your facts straight.

Nothing anal about it. It is simply a question of being right or being wrong. All my facts were correct and no amount of petty name-calling will change that.

[tropo]

Fine. But you will be wrong, as will anyone else who calls it by the wrong name. It is not a visa and that's all there is to it.

Not rare at all and commonly discussed in the visa forum. Try searching there for the info. Or on a Thai consulate website. I already know what that visa is and so I don't need to look.

That said, I think that most people who get a retirement visa outside the country before coming here do so because they don't realise how much simpler it is to get a retirement extension once here instead.

Before I retired here I also investigated getting a retirement visa rather than a regular tourist visa but thankfully others had taken the trouble to point out on here and elsewhere that this was neither necessary nor desirable, nor in any way advantageous to me.

And that is indeed what I said. Which part of "in fact they will even do it from scratch on a short visa with one extra step and one extra fee" isn't clear?

It's certainly seems much clearer to me than incorrectly calling an extension a visa.

Nothing anal about it. It is simply a question of being right or being wrong. All my facts were correct and no amount of petty name-calling will change that.

You are totally confused. You don't have a clue about this....

The "retirement visa" you're referring to is a non-O visa, which is what is extended once a year. You can get them before you come to Thailand, or get one in the immigration office here. You got yours here - no difference. My wife had to get hers out of the country as they don't offer them to dependents in the Immigration office.

So there is no "retirement visa" as such, only a non-O visa extended on the basis of retirement, so calling it a retirement visa will cause no confusion whatsoever.

Yes, that has been discussed on many threads, unfortunately you didn't understand the process.

[Paul3456]

I obtained a "retirement" visa, now called a "long stay" visa at the Chicago Thai Consulate before I came over. It is an Non-Immigrant "O-A" visa and I had to provide a police report, medical report, proof of pension income and/or proof of money in a bank (not necessarily a Thai bank) and pay US$200.

The visa is multiple entry and is valid for one year, but the trick is to leave Thailand and return just before the visa expires and you get a new stamp date of another year, so effectively it is good for almost two years. During the second year you must buy re-entry permits or a multiple re-entry permit however.

The visa "start" date is the date they issue the visa at the consulate, not the date you enter Thailand, so it is best to obtain the visa as close to the date you plan on entering Thailand.

[Rimmer]

Inflammatory post removed

[KittenKong]

You are totally confused. You don't have a clue about this....

OK. Let's see.

The "retirement visa" you're referring to is a non-O visa,

Hmm. Nearly. See below.

which is what is extended once a year.

Any visa can be extended (or more accurately, the stay resulting from any visa can be extended). It does not have to be a retirement visa. Just in case you are still confused, a retirement visa is a long visa issued for retirement purposes. See below.

A short visa can be first converted into a longer visa, and then used for an extension of stay as I mentioned.

You can get them before you come to Thailand, or get one in the immigration office here. You got yours here - no difference.

No, I didnt. I just got a multiple-entry tourist visa in Hull. Hull being in the UK and hence outside of Thailand. This was extended here for retirement. I could have gone for retirement visa in Hull (see below) but it would have been more difficult to obtain (much more paperwork) and would have gained me nothing. So I didn't.

The important part to understand is that I am still in Thailand based on that initial tourist visa. I do not have any other type of visa. I have never had a retirement visa or other long visa of any type issued. All I have is a straightforward retirement extension of stay of that original multiple-entry tourist visa. This is what the local immigration office does. The local immigration office does not issue visas.

So there is no "retirement visa" as such, only a non-O visa extended on the basis of retirement, so calling it a retirement visa will cause no confusion whatsoever.

In case you still don't get this, have a look at this link: http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/44

Amongst the descriptions of the various types of visa, note in particular the line mentioning "retirement/long-stay visa O-A"

Follow that link: http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/51

That is a retirement visa, as explicitly described by the Thai Embassy (who, after all, should know what they are talking about).

Note the similarity of the financial requirements needed compared to a retirement extension obtained locally. Note also the extra paperwork needed for the visa as compared to the extension.

Compare the above with the requirements for other visa types on that main page of the website.

This visa, being a long visa, can also be used for an extension of stay for retirement by the local immigration office and if this is done the requirements are exactly the same as for any other extension based on retirement. This has to be done every year.

Yes, that has been discussed on many threads, unfortunately you didn't understand the process.

I did. You didn't. Now you should too.

Others may also benefit.

Those who still prefer to call a visa a turnip are welcome to do so, but I think it makes them appear very stupid.

[KittenKong]

I obtained a "retirement" visa, now called a "long stay" visa at the Chicago Thai Consulate before I came over. It is an Non-Immigrant "O-A" visa and I had to provide a police report, medical report, proof of pension income and/or proof of money in a bank (not necessarily a Thai bank) and pay US$200.

This is much more onerous than getting an extension here. More expensive too. I think that most people would be better off getting a simpler tourist visa and extending their stay here.

The visa is multiple entry and is valid for one year, but the trick is to leave Thailand and return just before the visa expires and you get a new stamp date of another year, so effectively it is good for almost two years.

That makes it a better deal, though presumably you can also just apply for the standard retirement extension for the second and subsequent years?

[Tolley]

Well the easiest option for me as an Australian over 50 was to transfer my entry visa into an O visa using the stat dec proof of income statement stamped by the Embassy.

If you can do it that way that is the easiest way to go.

I think that is what the poster was looking for not a long winded explanation of visas in Thailand.

BTW That O visa rightly or wrongly is most often called a retirement visa.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Tolley

[Paul3456]

That makes it a better deal, though presumably you can also just apply for the standard retirement extension for the second and subsequent years?

When the Embassy/Consulate issues the Non Immigrant O/A visa it has a "enter before" date that is one year later from the date of issue.

For example lets say the visa was issued on 1 July 2013. The "enter before" date on the visa would be 30 June 2014. Every time you enter Thailand before 30 June 2014 they will stamp "admitted until" one year from entry. Example, you enter on 25 August 2013, your stamp date is 24 August 2014.

After 30 June 2014, every time you enter Thailand your "admitted until" stamp date will be the last stamp date that you received before the visa expired. Example, you return on 28 June 2014. Your new "admitted until" date is 27 June 2015 and every time you return prior to 27 June 2015 the new stamp date will remain 27 June 2015. You need re-entry permits during this second year after the visa has expired.

You then request an extension of stay from immigration about 30 days prior to the "admitted until" date of 27 June 2015.

So effectively this visa is good for almost two years if you plan and leave/return just before the "enter before" date on the visa.

[Rimmer]

Moved to Visa Forum

[lopburi3]

You require a re-entry permit for any entry after the expiration date of a multi entry non immigrant O-A visa or you will lose your current permitted to stay. And only a multi entry can be used for more than one entry during the validity of visa - if you get a single entry visa you must have a re-entry permit for any return to continue using current stay.

[TheWizardofRnR]

Well the easiest option for me as an Australian over 50 was to transfer my entry visa into an O visa using the stat dec proof of income statement stamped by the Embassy.

If you can do it that way that is the easiest way to go.

I think that is what the poster was looking for not a long winded explanation of visas in Thailand.

BTW That O visa rightly or wrongly is most often called a retirement visa.

Ok ,I been here for 26 years and retired over 10 years ,it is wronglly by most people referred to as a retirement Visa ,when as someone else said it is NOT , they are completely right too! It is an extension of stay in the Kingdom that you are applying yearly for . It just kind of easier although wrong it be to call it a Retirement VISA , so lets grow up guys and stop what is foolish to try to win your point ,when a point in every direction , is the same as no point at all !

From the Point by Harry Nilsson ! TYVM

My Aussie Bro Wayde ,had a Retirement Visa he got in Australia , which he screwed up and did not use by or before Date of Exp. ,not the Date of Entry. Allot of folks do that with other visas all the time , Date of Visa Stamp Expiring ,not your Date of Entry, is where you need to re-new by or before! He said it is very expensive to go that route and a lot of paperwork! I don't remember if it was an O with an A , but like I said before !!! One person or another will call it a retirement visa ,whether right or wrong on the terminology. Is it a Soi or a Road?

Are you a Farang or a Falang? I remember when before anyone who stayed in-country more then 6 months a year had to get a Tax Clearance Stamp before you could leave , just be glad that pain in your pocket got discarded by the Powers that be!!!

Edited November 4, 2013 by lopburi3
correct font

[almodeller]

Retirement extension is the 65,000 baht a month income required before tax deductions or after?