Obtaining a retirement visa from Washington DC......with the 800K....

[Thighlander]

I'm near the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC. I just turned 50, and would like to get a long term visa. I would qualify using the 800K. THe problem is that it is not yet in a Thai Bank account. I do have an account at BKK Bank, and could transfer the money in, but how will the embassy treat this? I would prefer to wait and do the transfer once I am there, for a variety of reasons. Can they just verify it on my 90 day reporting? How long would it have to be in the bank, when I made my first 90 day check in? Thanks in advance.

[Maestro]

For the visa application, the 800k Baht or equivalent in another currency does not need to be in a bank account in Thailand. It can be in a bank in your home country or anywhere in the world.

From the embassy's website:

- A copy of bank statement or evidence of adequate finance showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht

- In the case of submitting a bank statement, a letter of guarantee from the bank (an original copy) is required

[wayned]

You will be applying for an O/A visa at the embassy. As said the money for this type of visa does not have to be in a Thai Bank. When you come you can open an account and transfer the funds as you need them, but you don't have to have 800k in a Thai bank.

To get this visa, you will also need a medical certificate and a police clearance.

This visa is a "long-stay" visa is pre-approved so it might take a couple of weeks. It is a multiple entry visa, is valid for 1 year from date of issue and every time you enter Thailand you get 1 year permission to stay. So if you leave and re-enter and the day that the visa expires you get another 1 year permission to stay, effectively making the 1 year visa valid for 2 years. During that second year you would have to purchase a re-entry permit to keep your permission to stay valid if you wanted to travel outside of Thailand, cost: single entry, 1000 baht, multiple, 3800 baht.

During the last 30 days of your permission to stay on your last entry you can apply for a 1 year extension, cost 1900 baht. At that time you have to have had the 800k baht (current requirement) in a Thai bank in your name only for at least two months prior to the application. So you do bot have to have to money in a Thai bank for 21 months and can just transfer the funds that you need as required - one advantage of the O/A visa.

[ubonjoe]

If you don't want to go through the process of getting a OA long stay visa from the embassy you could get single entry non-o visa from one of the honorary consulates and get an extension of stay here. List of honorary consulates here. http://www.thaiembdc.us/dcdp/Thai_Consulate_Directory2

The embassy and the 3 official consulates will not do a non-o visa for being 50 or over.