Criminal Record....

[jono]

Hi

A relation of mine is 50 and wishes to retire to thailand

he fits all the criteria money wise BUT he has a criminal record from 10 years ago that earned him community service .

does he have to still declare this ?

if he does is there another way around it , ie another type of visa evan if he has to do a visa run every 90 days ?

Ta

Jon

[Maestro]

No police clearance needed!

1. At the Thai consulate, obtain a single-entry non-immigrant visa category O. Purpose of visit: looking into retirement possibility.

2. Enter Thailand, which gives permission to stay for 90 days.

3. During the last 30 days of this stay, apply at local Immigration Office for annual extension of stay for the purpose of retirement. Requirements: see Immigration web site, click on icon on the left of “Visa Extension”, then on “to spend the remainder of life”

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Maestro

[jono]

cheers

so you dont actually apply for residency ??

coz a site i have just read says that this involves fingerprint / background check etc....

"To facilitate an immigration of foreign nationals for the best interest of the Kingdom, the Immigration Commission stipulated the following criteria on qualification of foreign applicant for residential permit by considering the applicant’s income, assets, knowledge, vocational ability, and family status in terms of connection with Thai national, conditions on national security or others as deem appropriate for current economic and social condition and to make it also certain that such consideration was made thoughtfully, transparently and fairly;

1) Qualification of the eligible applicant to be considered for residential permit:

1.1 Foreign national applicant must hold a passport that bears a Non-Immigrant Visa and was granted with one-year visa extensions which reveal that up until the date of application submission, the applicant have been staying in the Kingdom for at least 3 consecutive years.

1.2 Foreign national who is at least 14 years old is subject to criminal record check according to the following process;

1.2.1 Fingerprint along with identity information of the applicant will be forwarded to the Criminal Record Division, Royal Thai Police for investigation to find whether the applicant has criminal record or not.

1.2.2 The criminal record certificying letter handed - in by the applicant will be examined. "

not doubting u for 1 min , just wanted to be sure ...

Thanks !!!

Jon

[Gumballl]

Jono - The info you posted is the requirements/hurdles one goes thru for (permanent?) residency in Thailand. Completely different ballgame than merely obtaining an O-visa for retirement.

After 3 years on a non-immigrant visa (i.e. the O-visa), one can then apply for residency, and thus the background check. Or, just remain on the O-visa (with renewals of course).

[Maestro]

After 3 years on a non-immigrant visa (i.e. the O-visa), one can then apply for residency, and thus the background check. Or, just remain on the O-visa (with renewals of course).

You can get annual extensions for retirement indefinitely, not just for 3 years.

The requirements for permanent residence (PR) include a lot more than 3 continuous annual extensions and a person moving to Thailand for retirement would most probably not qualify for PR anyway.

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Maestro

[dr_Pat_Pong]

After 3 years on a non-immigrant visa (i.e. the O-visa), one can then apply for residency, and thus the background check. Or, just remain on the O-visa (with renewals of course).

You can get annual extensions for retirement indefinitely, not just for 3 years.

The requirements for permanent residence (PR) include a lot more than 3 continuous annual extensions and a person moving to Thailand for retirement would most probably not qualify for PR anyway.

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Maestro

Right on.

[jono]

thanks !!

the o visa is renewed yearly ???

[lopburi3]

Your stay is extended yearly for 1,900 baht by a visit to immigration and submission of the required documents (money proof and brief medical check letter/photo).

[Maestro]

Jono, for a better understanding of the extension process you may look up the application form here as a Microsoft Word document or if your computer cannot display Thai fonts, attached as a PDF document.

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Maestro

TM_7.pdf

[jono]

cheers guys u are really helpful !!!

ok , i said he has got the money bit sorted but can i just clarify please ?

from what i gather u need a least 800,000 bht ( 11000 GBP) isnt this a bit low ? is this figure req each time u apply ie: yearly ??

the person i know who is doing all this will be taking over about 9000,000 ( 9 million) BHT in total but may not have a pension.

he will be using about 2 million bhat to buy a house, leaving 7million BHT left.

does this sound like enough ???

[lopburi3]

1. He is aware he can not buy land in Thailand I hope?

2. The requirement is 800k each year. This should be sourced from overseas so I would highly advise not bringing all his savings and keep the bulk in an overseas account paying interest. He has no security here for the long term and should not assume anything.

3. 7 million baht for another 40-50 years is not a lot of money. Will he have medical insurance?

4. If he is here on retirement extension of stay he can not work; even part time - so he is dependent on that nest egg for the rest of his life.

[jono]

not sure about the medical insurance...

with regard to buying LAND , is that the same for a house already built ??

[lopburi3]

The only thing a foreigner can own are some condo units.

[jono]

arh right , he was looking at a house , not possible then ?

[jono]

just spoke woth my relation who said he would consider maybe setting up a small buisness doing I.T support as this is the field he is in.

anyone know if there would be a market for this ? ( it would be a one man band, no emplyees )

BUT more importantly would his spent conviction need to be declared \ checked upon ?

which visa would ne need ???

[jono]

sorry to blag everyone with all these questions......

if a condo is bought, is it possible to rent it out if he decides to live 6 months there 6 months in uk ?

[lopburi3]

If you can find someone willing to rent it there should not be a problem. But then you would also need to have someone local to take care of it/renter and make arrangements for your goods if not enough room in Condo to store them. Storage is not up to international standards (if you can even find any) so that could be a problem. Although some condos in tourist areas will have rental offices that can help you (for a cut). For this person to maintain two homes/travel each year he may not break even. But if planning to work six months and relax the other six it might be much more viable.

[oopapasan]

Jono, for a better understanding of the extension process you may look up the application form here as a Microsoft Word document or if your computer cannot display Thai fonts, attached as a PDF document.

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Maestro

A friend just got a non im in the states and they required a criminal background check.

[peterjackson]

Hey

I was actually speaking with the Consular General in Wash. DC yesterday as I am presently in the USA (5 years), and am a British Citizen and will be coming to Thailand to open an Asia Office in either 2007 or 2008.

The gentleman told me that at present, I would have to have a return ticket to Thailand from the USA, a letter from my company in the US stating my intentions my Green Card (LPR) my UK Passport and the passport pics. and the fee, which is presently $ 125. He said it would be about 3 days for issuance and would be a 12 Month Multi Entry Non Immigrant B visa. I specifically asked about the Criminal Background Check, as there would be no problem for me getting the FBI Background check done, but getting a UK check would mean me returning to the UK. He said, there is no requirement for a background check, if applying for a Non Immigrant Visa.

So, I don't know why your friend was asked to produce a background check.

As it happens, I will probably return to the UK before going to Thailand, so I will probably be applying for the Visa in London.

Regards

Peter

[oopapasan]

Hey

I was actually speaking with the Consular General in Wash. DC yesterday as I am presently in the USA (5 years), and am a British Citizen and will be coming to Thailand to open an Asia Office in either 2007 or 2008.

The gentleman told me that at present, I would have to have a return ticket to Thailand from the USA, a letter from my company in the US stating my intentions my Green Card (LPR) my UK Passport and the passport pics. and the fee, which is presently $ 125. He said it would be about 3 days for issuance and would be a 12 Month Multi Entry Non Immigrant B visa. I specifically asked about the Criminal Background Check, as there would be no problem for me getting the FBI Background check done, but getting a UK check would mean me returning to the UK. He said, there is no requirement for a background check, if applying for a Non Immigrant Visa.

So, I don't know why your friend was asked to produce a background check.

As it happens, I will probably return to the UK before going to Thailand, so I will probably be applying for the Visa in London.

Regards

Peter

They asked for it and he got it.LA office.

Edited June 1, 2006 by oopapasan

[Maestro]

A friend just got a non im in the states and they required a criminal background check.

Yes, there is indeed a type of non-immigrant visa that requires the criminal background check: the non-immigrant visa category O-A. This is not what the original poster has been advised to obtain.

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Maestro

[peterjackson]

Hey

Sorry for my typo. I meant to put the letter B in the answer from the Consular General.

Instead of reading : He said, there is no requirement for a background check, if applying for a Non Immigrant Visa

It should have read: He said, there is no requirement for a background check, if applying for a Non Immigrant B Visa

Sorry for any confusion that my typo. caused.

Regards

Peter