Brit south african seeks visa guidance

[parajon]

Hi Everyone. I seek helpful guidance please. Im a Brit who has been living in South Africa on visitors Visa for 4 yrs. Arrived in Thailand for second time March 11 2014 to assess suitability to move here permanently. After a month every signal says YES so I plan to stay here until at least October 2014 - when weather gets warmer in South Africa when I may need to go back to clear lines there - and then I expect to decide to stay here permanently if I can get visa. Heres where I can use guidance please. Im a retired CEO fully self financed to meet Thai requirements and likely to settle around BKK suburbs where my Thai partner can work. We're based on Rayong (good to see the Visa people in Mat ta Phut nearby?? )and Ratchaburi right now with friends from UK until May. I have a two month visa from Thai embassy in South Africa that expires May 11 2014 and my return flite date is May 17 so I was going to get 7 day extension but now would welcome guidance on the process and likelihood of a visa until at least Oct 31 2014; and to get a long term one thereafter. All help appreciated and thanks in advance from what Ive seen of local people's response to visitors! . John Webster 0959 197 370 .

[Soutpeel]

As long as you are over 50, have the THB 800k in the bank or meet the THB 65k/m requirement you will get a retirement visa/extension very easily, if your married you can go the Thai spouse route as well.

If your around Maptuphut yes you can talk to them in the immigration department there, they are pretty helpful, been dealing with them on and off at that office for nearly 13 years, you may even be able to do the application etc before your leave back to SA

Look up the specific threads on TV as to the exact requirements for the retirement visa, thay are all there

[ubonjoe]

You can get a 30 day extension for your 60 day entry you got from your tourist visa.

You could do a change of visa status that would give you a 90 day non immigrant visa entry. You will need at leas 15 days remaining on your tourist visa entry or the 30 day extension to do it. You will have to have 800k baht in a Thai bank or proof of 65k baht income proven by a letter from you embassy.

Then you could do an extension of stay based upon retirement as early a 60 days after you get the visa. The money will need to be in the bank for 60 days when you do it. If you do the 65k baht income option will need a orginal income letter but you could get 2 when you get the first one.

I am not sure Matuphut immigration can do the change of visa status or not. If not you could do it in Bangkok and then do the extension there.

After you get the extension you can get a re-entry permit for your trip back to SA.

[parajon]

Tks to both of you. I got all the papers together and got an immediate 90 day extension and assurance I qualify for the retired visa after I got Brit embassy to certify by my income. Compare that with waiting 4 yrs for south Africa to lose my visa application three times and then at airport as I left for holiday to Thailand they told me they'd lost my papers again and I had to pay 3000 rand (9000 but) for overstaying. I refused cos that's the only way to handle bureaucrats there who follow rules unthinkingly and so destroy the impression of a great country being miss managed. All I did there was spend lots of money brought from uk. Should they encourage that free import of money that creates jobs and income for millions of unemployed? Meantime their own minister confirmed there were 40000 cases like mine (unresolved after 7 yrs in some cases.) The lost cash impact on that country of fed up xpats like me made to feel unwelcome and going to countries like Thailand exceeds south Africa's negative balance of payments.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[rhodie]

Glad you got it sorted. Thailand over SA any day, but I think the frustrations with bureaucracy are similar in both countries.

[parajon]

In case this is read by more expats like I was 3 weeks ago, heres what I had to do to go the income route ( income exceeds 64000 bht per month) . Firstly get 3 copies of each document I mention...

1. Take copy bank statement to Brit embassy ( between 0830 and 1100 weekdays) with at least 6 months current transactions. If you also support the bank statement income going into your account with docs that confirm the sources of the regular income that will help but is not essential.

2. Give it to them with passport

3. Pay 2000 bht

4. They give an embassy letter certifying your annual uk income per your bank statement

5 Take that with passport to a Thai immigration office ( there are lots listed on Thai immigration website . I went to the office in the Major Hollywood building bkk. They were superb and spoke English)

6. Pay them 2000 bht and give them proof of your residential address from abroad. Utility bill or bank statement with address on it is fine.

7. Complete the application form they give you

8. Wait 20 mins and hey presto you have 90 day visa extension from the day you're in their office

9. Go back at least 20 days before the expiry of the 90 days with a further Brit embassy letter confirming your income exceeds 64000 bht per month( not the original Brit embassy letter. You have to do this again)

10. That's far as I've got so far and I hope it might help others

John webster now happy house hunting in Rayong. Tks again to those who really helped me with this

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Soutpeel]

Tks to both of you. I got all the papers together and got an immediate 90 day extension and assurance I qualify for the retired visa after I got Brit embassy to certify by my income. Compare that with waiting 4 yrs for south Africa to lose my visa application three times and then at airport as I left for holiday to Thailand they told me they'd lost my papers again and I had to pay 3000 rand (9000 but) for overstaying. I refused cos that's the only way to handle bureaucrats there who follow rules unthinkingly and so destroy the impression of a great country being miss managed. All I did there was spend lots of money brought from uk. Should they encourage that free import of money that creates jobs and income for millions of unemployed? Meantime their own minister confirmed there were 40000 cases like mine (unresolved after 7 yrs in some cases.) The lost cash impact on that country of fed up xpats like me made to feel unwelcome and going to countries like Thailand exceeds south Africa's negative balance of payments.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Your last paragraph is interesting about SA, because TV,s finest say the same thing about Thailand all the time if you read the threads on TV, so reading what you have written you should fit in well in Thailand

[parajon]

I doubt theres many places as restrictive and difficult as South Africa . Every country has tightened up its immigration since 9/11 and all are now very similar in their requirements. Where South Africa in my view is very good is in admitting vast numbers of people from Zimbabwe with near overnite visas who are in desperate situations; sadly though its hopeless if youre white; they slow down and deliberately complicate the whole process at admin level and have the audacity to say the influx of helpless people with no jobs or income should be the reason for the delays with the whites applications. Sheer nonsense when 10 bureaucrats added to their Immigration service payroll could clear the whole xpat queue and bring in massive money to pay many of the millions of unemployed. Instead whites get excuses of lost applications, bad decisions, total silence in response to enquiries, phones and websites supposed to give update information don't work, and most significantly of all, without exaggeration, NOONE YOU EVER SPEAK TO IN THESE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENTS KNOWS THE ANSWER TO ANY QUESTION. Youre always fobbed off with 'call back in 30 days' (to get same each time) or 'we cant find your papers, resubmit and pay for your application again'. Ive had the 'LOST PAPERS' EXCUSE 3 times over 3 yrs so far. (I have friends been waiting 7 yrs!!! ); and my experience in Cape Town airport on departure in March in a wheelchair was at best dismissive and at worst downright hostile. THEY HAD LOST MY PAPERS AGAIN, WOULD NOT ACCEPT MY LAWYERS COPY HOME AFFAIRS VALIDATION, AND WERE DISMISSIVE THAT I WOULDNT PAY THEM R3K (9K BHT ) FOR THEIR LOSS for the 4th time OF MY APPLICATION!!. If that is an accurate scenario, imagine how you feel after months - or yrs in mine and many expats cases - to be unsure of your status and possible dismissal from RSA (Republic of South Africa) overnite and secondly the sense of official desire to see you get out of their country. But so unnecessary when all whites do is bring in foreign money often in large amounts THAT INVARIABLY CREATE EMPLOYMENT FOR BLACK PEOPLE OTHERWISE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. This should not be a black/white issue for RSA now. Its their own people who suffer not the expats WHO JUST TAKE THEIR PRECIOUS MONEY ELSEWHERE. WHY DO I WRITE THIS IN THAILAND? BECAUSE I HOPE IT HITS RSA AT HIGH LEVEL NOW ITS CLEAR IVE NO VESTED INTEREST IN STAYING THERE - BUT I JUST THINK THAT COUNTRY AND PEOPLE HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL THAT TO DENY IT MASSIVE FREE FOREIGN INVESTMENT CAPITAL IS JUST UNINTELLIGENT.Its a great place if theyde just embrace reality, not ' justified reaction to the past' which Nelson Mandela dismissed with such dignity and wisdom. I say again, their Minister reported about 3 yrs ago that their backlog of 40k expats would be cleared within a year. Was there any change? Do I need to answer that? So thousands of expats frustrated by the absurd situation in RSA go elsewhere - in money terms that's around an annual LOST income to RSA of circa R10 billion per annum which is close to their annual Gross deficit!!! Is Thailand this disconnected? I don't think so. John Webster

Tks to both of you. I got all the papers together and got an immediate 90 day extension and assurance I qualify for the retired visa after I got Brit embassy to certify by my income. Compare that with waiting 4 yrs for south Africa to lose my visa application three times and then at airport as I left for holiday to Thailand they told me they'd lost my papers again and I had to pay 3000 rand (9000 but) for overstaying. I refused cos that's the only way to handle bureaucrats there who follow rules unthinkingly and so destroy the impression of a great country being miss managed. All I did there was spend lots of money brought from uk. Should they encourage that free import of money that creates jobs and income for millions of unemployed? Meantime their own minister confirmed there were 40000 cases like mine (unresolved after 7 yrs in some cases.) The lost cash impact on that country of fed up xpats like me made to feel unwelcome and going to countries like Thailand exceeds south Africa's negative balance of payments.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Your last paragraph is interesting about SA, because TV,s finest say the same thing about Thailand all the time if you read the threads on TV, so reading what you have written you should fit in well in Thailand

[Soutpeel]

I doubt theres many places as restrictive and difficult as South Africa . Every country has tightened up its immigration since 9/11 and all are now very similar in their requirements. Where South Africa in my view is very good is in admitting vast numbers of people from Zimbabwe with near overnite visas who are in desperate situations; sadly though its hopeless if youre white; they slow down and deliberately complicate the whole process at admin level and have the audacity to say the influx of helpless people with no jobs or income should be the reason for the delays with the whites applications. Sheer nonsense when 10 bureaucrats added to their Immigration service payroll could clear the whole xpat queue and bring in massive money to pay many of the millions of unemployed. Instead whites get excuses of lost applications, bad decisions, total silence in response to enquiries, phones and websites supposed to give update information don't work, and most significantly of all, without exaggeration, NOONE YOU EVER SPEAK TO IN THESE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENTS KNOWS THE ANSWER TO ANY QUESTION. Youre always fobbed off with 'call back in 30 days' (to get same each time) or 'we cant find your papers, resubmit and pay for your application again'. Ive had the 'LOST PAPERS' EXCUSE 3 times over 3 yrs so far. (I have friends been waiting 7 yrs!!! ); and my experience in Cape Town airport on departure in March in a wheelchair was at best dismissive and at worst downright hostile. THEY HAD LOST MY PAPERS AGAIN, WOULD NOT ACCEPT MY LAWYERS COPY HOME AFFAIRS VALIDATION, AND WERE DISMISSIVE THAT I WOULDNT PAY THEM R3K (9K BHT ) FOR THEIR LOSS for the 4th time OF MY APPLICATION!!. If that is an accurate scenario, imagine how you feel after months - or yrs in mine and many expats cases - to be unsure of your status and possible dismissal from RSA (Republic of South Africa) overnite and secondly the sense of official desire to see you get out of their country. But so unnecessary when all whites do is bring in foreign money often in large amounts THAT INVARIABLY CREATE EMPLOYMENT FOR BLACK PEOPLE OTHERWISE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. This should not be a black/white issue for RSA now. Its their own people who suffer not the expats WHO JUST TAKE THEIR PRECIOUS MONEY ELSEWHERE. WHY DO I WRITE THIS IN THAILAND? BECAUSE I HOPE IT HITS RSA AT HIGH LEVEL NOW ITS CLEAR IVE NO VESTED INTEREST IN STAYING THERE - BUT I JUST THINK THAT COUNTRY AND PEOPLE HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL THAT TO DENY IT MASSIVE FREE FOREIGN INVESTMENT CAPITAL IS JUST UNINTELLIGENT.Its a great place if theyde just embrace reality, not ' justified reaction to the past' which Nelson Mandela dismissed with such dignity and wisdom. I say again, their Minister reported about 3 yrs ago that their backlog of 40k expats would be cleared within a year. Was there any change? Do I need to answer that? So thousands of expats frustrated by the absurd situation in RSA go elsewhere - in money terms that's around an annual LOST income to RSA of circa R10 billion per annum which is close to their annual Gross deficit!!! Is Thailand this disconnected? I don't think so. John Webster

Tks to both of you. I got all the papers together and got an immediate 90 day extension and assurance I qualify for the retired visa after I got Brit embassy to certify by my income. Compare that with waiting 4 yrs for south Africa to lose my visa application three times and then at airport as I left for holiday to Thailand they told me they'd lost my papers again and I had to pay 3000 rand (9000 but) for overstaying. I refused cos that's the only way to handle bureaucrats there who follow rules unthinkingly and so destroy the impression of a great country being miss managed. All I did there was spend lots of money brought from uk. Should they encourage that free import of money that creates jobs and income for millions of unemployed? Meantime their own minister confirmed there were 40000 cases like mine (unresolved after 7 yrs in some cases.) The lost cash impact on that country of fed up xpats like me made to feel unwelcome and going to countries like Thailand exceeds south Africa's negative balance of payments.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Your last paragraph is interesting about SA, because TV,s finest say the same thing about Thailand all the time if you read the threads on TV, so reading what you have written you should fit in well in Thailand

Where you trying to get PR ?

If your retired why didn't you do the 4 year retirement visa only have to prove a pension of R 20k a month

Edited April 18, 2014 by Soutpeel

[parajon]

Makes no difference which visa you seek in RSA. They mess you about the same silly way. I know of many people who have been waiting over 4 yrs for the different types of visa. Truth seems to be that they really don't want internationals and simply fail to see the giant upside of welcoming people who bring in significant finance that most south Africans need.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Soutpeel]

Makes no difference which visa you seek in RSA. They mess you about the same silly way. I know of many people who have been waiting over 4 yrs for the different types of visa. Truth seems to be that they really don't want internationals and simply fail to see the giant upside of welcoming people who bring in significant finance that most south Africans need.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

But PR is not visa, you have not been waiting 4 years for a visa, if you have been living there, you have been waiting for your PR application to be processed.. correct ?

As to the rest of your post, substitute "South Africa" with "Thailand" in your last sentence and many people say the same thing about Thailand, if you search TV... ....same same but different

[marylin manson]

as with most countries a quick short call to the ministers office (usually only need to speak to a secretary) fixes things so fast it will take your breath away. if they still fob you after that say something like "oh ok its back to the ministers office"

you'll have what you want in very short order.

anyhow congrats on making the right choice.

Edited May 22, 2014 by marylin manson

[ParadiseLost]

I'm a South African passport holder, tired of all the cr@p here

To be honest in the past 20 years I have not thought as much about returning as I have lately, but my problem is I am sure my wife would not be happy there and would be as welcome as I am here...

SA is still a much richer country in tourist beaches, natural wonders and reserves - I miss all that still, but do not miss the racist hatred which is as bad if not worse than 20 years ago. White people hatred of black people just because of their race is what I am talking about. I never experienced racism against myself until I left SA, I am white.

Anyway. Off topic I guess but thought I would add this.

I can't imagine Thailand will be hassle free for you, nor anyone else; Its kind of designed into the system to test our resilience... Though, once you get into the extension cycles it is pretty much hassle free.

Good luck

Edited May 22, 2014 by ParadiseLost

[ubonjoe]

Old topic and new discussion is not about Thai visas.

Topic