Retirement Visa - Help Please

[BillBilous]

I know this question must have been asked before but can anyone please advise / clarify the best Visa process for me ?

My ultimate aim is to have a retirement visa as soon as possible

I am a British male citizen aged 56

I have a thai bank account with 1 million + Baht

I am at present holidaying in Rayong on a 30 Day Arrival T.6 -NO VISA !!!

I now wish to go through the Retirement visa process without having to return to Britain

As i have only arrived on a 30 Day visa exception / T.6 - What is my best course of action to obtain a retirement visa ?

• which visa do i need to obtain - i think its a Single entry Non O Visa ?
• Which is nearest country & cost for me to visit for this visa ?
• when i return back into to Thailand does it matter if it is by land or Air entry ?

Once i obtain the Non O immigrant Visa - What is the process for me to convert this into a retirement Visa /

All help is greatly appreciated

[Lite Beer]

You can convert your current stay to a Non Imm Visa at Immigration providing you have at least 15 days left on your stay.

You will probably be sent to Bangkok to do this.

Once you have that you can apply for the 12 month extension.

You will need a letter from your bank and an up to date bank book showing the same balance.

[ubonjoe]

If you have 15 or more days remaining you could apply for a non immigrant visa entry at immigration. The apply for the extension of stay based upon reireement.

If you do not have 15 days you should make a trip to a nearby embassy or consulate to a apply for single entry non-o visa based upon being 50 or over.

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry you will get on entry you would apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement. The 800k baht would need to be a Thai bank account in your name only for 60 days.

[Elmer Gantry]

If you have 15 or more days remaining you could apply for a non immigrant visa entry at immigration. The apply for the extension of stay based upon reireement.

If you do not have 15 days you should make a trip to a nearby embassy or consulate to a apply for single entry non-o visa based upon being 50 or over.

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry you will get on entry you would apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement. The 800k baht would need to be a Thai bank account in your name only for 60 days.

Unless they have changed the rules for the bank letter,it used to have to be not older than 24 hours,plus it had to show the balance matching the bankbook.I got caught out a couple of years ago because the letter didn't show the balance,had to get another letter.Not sure if this applies to all imm.offices.I go to Sahm Khok in Pathum Thani.Don't forget the form giving details of your parents ( it's in Thai ) and also they added another form saying you abide by your visa conditions.

[Mario2008]

How old the bank book update and ban letter can be tend to diver by immigration office. Some even want same date, others accept a week old bank letter.

[OJAS]

You can convert your current stay to a Non Imm Visa at Immigration providing you have at least 15 days left on your stay.

You will probably be sent to Bangkok to do this.

Once you have that you can apply for the 12 month extension.

You will need a letter from your bank and an up to date bank book showing the same balance.

The local immigration office for Rayong Province (which is where I live) is at Maptaput, and I do believe that they will insist on you going to Bangkok for a Non-Imm visa. Might therefore be worth your while giving them a call first on 038-684544 or 038-684695 to save a possible wasted journey - although you should be aware that their grasp of English tends, in my experience, to be rudimentary.

Alternatively, if you are fluent in the Thai language (or know someone who is), you may find the necessary info on their website at http://www.rayong-immigration.go.th

[Cnxforever]

How where you able to open a bank account in your name arriving on a 30 day stamp?

I opened a bank account in my name years ago on a tourist visa - I was later told this is illegal.

You need a non immigrant visa to open a bank account in your name?

[ubonjoe]

How where you able to open a bank account in your name arriving on a 30 day stamp?

I opened a bank account in my name years ago on a tourist visa - I was later told this is illegal.

You need a non immigrant visa to open a bank account in your name?

You don't have to have any visa to open a bank account.

It certainly is not illegal to have one on a tourist visa.

See the requirements to open an account here: http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/SpecialServices/ForeignCustomers/Pages/Openinganaccountnew.aspx

[Mario2008]

No, you don't.

The problem is that every bank and bank branch sets its own requirements. Opening a bank account is often try till you succeed. Having a Thai vouching for you can be very helpful.

[LivinLOS]

How old the bank book update and ban letter can be tend to diver by immigration office. Some even want same date, others accept a week old bank letter.

And on a recent showing of money for marriage extension, she damanded I went and withdrew money from an ATM and updated the book (so it now didnt match my letter) because she wanted to see that the book balance was 'up to date; despite the letter from the bank stating the balance, and being only a couple of days old.

Every time theres some new thing they have to find.

[OJAS]

You can convert your current stay to a Non Imm Visa at Immigration providing you have at least 15 days left on your stay.

You will probably be sent to Bangkok to do this.

Once you have that you can apply for the 12 month extension.

You will need a letter from your bank and an up to date bank book showing the same balance.

The local immigration office for Rayong Province (which is where I live) is at Maptaput, and I do believe that they will insist on you going to Bangkok for a Non-Imm visa. Might therefore be worth your while giving them a call first on 038-684544 or 038-684695 to save a possible wasted journey - although you should be aware that their grasp of English tends, in my experience, to be rudimentary.

Alternatively, if you are fluent in the Thai language (or know someone who is), you may find the necessary info on their website at http://www.rayong-immigration.go.th

Apologies, it would appear that the link in my previous post no longer works and that the current URL address for Rayong Immigration is http://www.rayong-immigration.com/indeximm.php

In any event, a trawl of that website which I have just conducted with the assistance of the Google translator has not managed to unearth any specific info on the Non-Imm visa point. So it is probably best to give them a phone call.

However, in answer to one of your questions, the nearest foreign country to Rayong is Cambodia. So if Maptaput did tell you to go to Bangkok for the Non-Imm visa, I wonder whether you might, in practice, be better off endeavouring to obtain this from the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh given that the main Bangkok Immigration Office at Chaengwattana is closed at the present time. That said I'm not sure how easy (or difficult) it is to obtain Non-Imm visas from that particular Embassy since recent info on Thaivisa only appears to relate to tourist visas obtained there. Perhaps others in the know on this specific point could advise further.

[sandyf]

No, you don't.

The problem is that every bank and bank branch sets its own requirements. Opening a bank account is often try till you succeed. Having a Thai vouching for you can be very helpful.

Seems to be the case, last year a friend of mine was here on visa exemption and tried to open an account. He was turned away by a couple before being successful, with Kasikorn I think.

A few years back I already had an an account with TMB but because it was in Pattaya, the local electricity office refused to use it for direct debit, I was told to get another local account. Even as an existing customer, TMB were reluctant to open another account, it wasn't till I produced the yellow book that the attitude changed.

[BillBilous]

If you have 15 or more days remaining you could apply for a non immigrant visa entry at immigration. The apply for the extension of stay based upon reireement.

If you do not have 15 days you should make a trip to a nearby embassy or consulate to a apply for single entry non-o visa based upon being 50 or over.

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry you will get on entry you would apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement. The 800k baht would need to be a Thai bank account in your name only for 60 days.

Thanks for help

sadly ive gone passed my 15 days .... so it looks like a trip out to a nearby country

Any ideas of best / easiest country issuing the Non IMM Visa ?

thanks

[BillBilous]

How where you able to open a bank account in your name arriving on a 30 day stamp?

I opened a bank account in my name years ago on a tourist visa - I was later told this is illegal.

You need a non immigrant visa to open a bank account in your name?

Hi

I opened a bank account 3 years ago ... on a 30 day visa - with Bangkok Bank in Chumphon

No questions asked !!

I think i only had to show passport and address of where i was staying

[BillBilous]

How where you able to open a bank account in your name arriving on a 30 day stamp?

I opened a bank account in my name years ago on a tourist visa - I was later told this is illegal.

You need a non immigrant visa to open a bank account in your name?

Hi

I opened a bank account 3 years ago ... on a 30 day visa - with Bangkok Bank in Chumphon

No questions asked !!

I think i only had to show passport and address of where i was staying

[BillBilous]

You can convert your current stay to a Non Imm Visa at Immigration providing you have at least 15 days left on your stay.

You will probably be sent to Bangkok to do this.

Once you have that you can apply for the 12 month extension.

You will need a letter from your bank and an up to date bank book showing the same balance.

The local immigration office for Rayong Province (which is where I live) is at Maptaput, and I do believe that they will insist on you going to Bangkok for a Non-Imm visa. Might therefore be worth your while giving them a call first on 038-684544 or 038-684695 to save a possible wasted journey - although you should be aware that their grasp of English tends, in my experience, to be rudimentary.

Alternatively, if you are fluent in the Thai language (or know someone who is), you may find the necessary info on their website at http://www.rayong-immigration.go.th

Apologies, it would appear that the link in my previous post no longer works and that the current URL address for Rayong Immigration is http://www.rayong-immigration.com/indeximm.php

In any event, a trawl of that website which I have just conducted with the assistance of the Google translator has not managed to unearth any specific info on the Non-Imm visa point. So it is probably best to give them a phone call.

However, in answer to one of your questions, the nearest foreign country to Rayong is Cambodia. So if Maptaput did tell you to go to Bangkok for the Non-Imm visa, I wonder whether you might, in practice, be better off endeavouring to obtain this from the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh given that the main Bangkok Immigration Office at Chaengwattana is closed at the present time. That said I'm not sure how easy (or difficult) it is to obtain Non-Imm visas from that particular Embassy since recent info on Thaivisa only appears to relate to tourist visas obtained there. Perhaps others in the know on this specific point could advise further.

Thanks for your help, but now i have pased the 15 days so i must travel out.......

Does any one know for sure the best / easiest country location to obtain my Non O IMM VISA ?

[robcar]

I opened a Kasicorn account earlier this year on a tourist visa.

I currently live in Cyprus but am relocating to Thailand later this year (September)..........Can you help me with this please..... I leave Cyprus on 1st July and am going to UK for a couple of months before flying out to Thailand from Heathrow 27th September (flight already booked).

Can I get a 6 month Non 'O' in Cyprus before I travel to UK, (I live 200 miles away from the London Embassy and could do without the hassle of going there). My plan is to get the non 'O' in Cyprus and use it when I arrive in Thailand before the final expiry date of the visa. When I am there (in Thailand) I will hopefully then be able to get an extension based on retirement as I am over 50.

Am I correct in thinking that the monetary requirement is 800.000THB (seasoned) or 65000THB income per month or a combination of the 2

[ubonjoe]

A single entry non-o visa would only be valid for 3 months from date of issue and would give a 90 day entry.. It seems you will be entering the country before it expires as long as you don't apply for it to early.

You are correct about the financial requirements.

[robcar]

Thanks for your quick reply. Daren't risk getting it in Cyprus just in case I don't get my passport back in time. Didn't realise that they only had a 3 month life which was why I asked about a 6 month non 'O'. I am assuming that it is not possible to get a 6 month 'multiple entry 'Non 'O' which has a longer expiry date.........

[tchk]

Go to Pattaya; that's close for you. I was in the same situation a few years ago. I was there on a visa waiver and they first put me on visa, forgot what kind, for 3 months, and then a retirement visa, all at once. They even sent me to a branch of Kasikorn down the street that would write out the necessary bank letter. You give them the name of the hotel you are staying. Very friendly, very efficient. Can't imagine they have drastically changed their attitude.

Good luck!

P.S. just refer to this post concerning what I said about the Pattaya/Jomtien office:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/726674-pattaya-immigration-office-thank-you/

Edited May 16, 2014 by tchk

[ubonjoe]

Thanks for your quick reply. Daren't risk getting it in Cyprus just in case I don't get my passport back in time. Didn't realise that they only had a 3 month life which was why I asked about a 6 month non 'O'. I am assuming that it is not possible to get a 6 month 'multiple entry 'Non 'O' which has a longer expiry date.........

The only way to get more than 3 months is to apply for a multiple entry visa which would be valid for a year. You will more than likely find it difficult to get a multiple entry visa.

[ubonjoe]

Go to Pattaya; that's close for you. I was in the same situation a few years ago. I was there on a visa waiver and they first put me on visa, forgot what kind, for 3 months, and then a retirement visa, all at once. They even sent me to a branch of Kasikorn down the street that would write out the necessary bank letter. You give them the name of the hotel you are staying. Very friendly, very efficient. Can't imagine they have drastically changed their attitude.

Good luck!

P.S. just refer to this post concerning what I said about the Pattaya/Jomtien office:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/726674-pattaya-immigration-office-thank-you/

A person cannot just go to Pattaya to apply. It requires an address there and proof of that address.

[OJAS]

If you have 15 or more days remaining you could apply for a non immigrant visa entry at immigration. The apply for the extension of stay based upon reireement.

If you do not have 15 days you should make a trip to a nearby embassy or consulate to a apply for single entry non-o visa based upon being 50 or over.

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry you will get on entry you would apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement. The 800k baht would need to be a Thai bank account in your name only for 60 days.

Thanks for help

sadly ive gone passed my 15 days .... so it looks like a trip out to a nearby country

Any ideas of best / easiest country issuing the Non IMM Visa ?

thanks

In view of the apparently complete lack of reports on Thaivisa regarding the ease (or otherwise) of obtaining non-O retirement (as distinct from tourist or non-O marriage) visas in adjacent countries, upon further reflection I now suspect that the safest and most practical option for you would be to do a border run and get stamped in for a further 30 days. I gather that a single such border run will still be possible in your case despite the recent crackdown.

Have you yet checked with Maptaput whether they can give you a non-O retirement visa, or whether you would need to obtain this from Bangkok? If not, it might be a good idea to do so ASAP so that you can then hit the ground running once you have been stamped in for another 30 days.

Consistent with what ubonjoe said in the immediately preceding post in the Pattaya context, it might prove one thing for Maptaput to issue you with a non-O visa and another for you to prove your address in Rayong Province to their satisfaction in any event!

Edited May 18, 2014 by OJAS

[ubonjoe]

Vientiane does non-o visas for being 50 or over with nothing more needed than a your passport to prove your age.

[OJAS]

Vientiane does non-o visas for being 50 or over with nothing more needed than a your passport to prove your age.

Bangkok Airways offer return flights from Suvarnabhumi to Vientiane for 3,790 THB - see http://www.bangkokair.com/eng/promotions/bestfares/to:vientiane?gclid=CKqZn4TWtL4CFZIrvQodopUAFg

Probably a safer (not to mention quicker) mode of transport for the OP than a manically-driven minivan! Since he has 1,000,000 THB in the bank, cost is presumably unlikely to be a material consideration for him.

[ubonjoe]

It is also possible to fly to Udon Than and from there it is a short trip to the bridge in Nong Kai. Nok Air offers fly/ride service to Vientiane via Udon.

[tchk]

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Go to Pattaya; that's close for you. I was in the same situation a few years ago. I was there on a visa waiver and they first put me on visa, forgot what kind, for 3 months, and then a retirement visa, all at once. They even sent me to a branch of Kasikorn down the street that would write out the necessary bank letter. You give them the name of the hotel you are staying. Very friendly, very efficient. Can't imagine they have drastically changed their attitude.

Good luck!

P.S. just refer to this post concerning what I said about the Pattaya/Jomtien office:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/726674-pattaya-immigration-office-thank-you/

A person cannot just go to Pattaya to apply. It requires an address there and proof of that address.

If the OP can afford to stay one night in Pattaya that's enough for proof of address

[robcar]

Another one for 'ubonjoe'

Sorry to be a pain but another one to tap your knowledge.

I think I have a Plan 'B' but would appreciate your thoughts and advice. I have been told that there is a travel agent local to me here in Cyprus that will organise a visa without any appearance at the consulate. A friend has just used them to obtain a (I think double entry) 6 month tourist visa which I have seen and looks genuine to me. He was going to travel last week but became ill and now plans to travel just before the expiry date in November. Which I assume will still give him 6 months stay.

1. My plan now is to try to obtain a Non 'O' 6 month, over 50 or possible retirement, multi-entry visa......... if such a thing exists. Hopefully issued here in CY in late June ready for me to travel from UK in September.

2. Alternatively obtain a 6 month (double entry or multi entry) tourist visa as my friend has done and convert to a retirement visa or retirement extention towards the end of said visa. Again issued in late June, travel end of September which will mean a visit for change around March 2015. Do you know of any complications in changing a Tourist visa to a Retirement visa.

Am I heading in the right direction or have I lost the plot altogether

[ubonjoe]

Your friend will need to use the visa prior to the expiration date (enter before date on visa sticker). But he will only be able to get one 60 day entry from it,

The expiration dates of tourist visas are not the same as non immigrant visas. A single entry will be 90 days and a 2 or 3 entry visa is normally 6 months.

It is a fixed rule that non immigrant visas are 90 day for a single or 12 months for a multiple entry.

You could get a 2 entry tourist visa that would be valid for 6 months and then do a change of visa status at immigration..

[robcar]

Thanks ubonjoe, My friends expiry date is 5th November. He is under the impression that he will still get 6 months from the date he enters. I will let him know.

In the same vein as this. My 2 entry tourist visa (if I take this route towards the change of visa status) will be issued in mid June but I won't fly until 27th September, would the same 60 day entry apply to me too.

In addition to this the Non 'O' 12 months multiple entry would be issued mid June also. Will that have any impact on my flying out September 27th

Sorry about the million questions

Regards

Edited May 18, 2014 by robcar