Non Imm O A Retirement Visa Questions

[liberty9133]

Hi all.

I wonder if anyone has any input on the following questions that i am having trouble getting answered at the Embassy in DC

1. Since i have social security and rental income,a. How do I prove rental income? My bank statement will show a deposit of rents, but that's all.

b. Do they use the net after medicare? I intend to keep the medicare policy in force. (I am 70 in November).

2. Is there a form for a doctor to use and what tests are there to "prove" that i do not have leprosy, tb, syphillis, elephantiasis, drug addiction.

3. Where do i get the criminal background check?

4. Is it better to get the visa in the usa or there? I am told that there is an advantage to keeping the money for one year in the usa and not tied up in a non interest bearing Thai bank account.

Thanks John

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Your post above is one reason why a lot of U.S. folks prefer to arrive here on a tourist visa and then convert to a retirement-based annual extension of stay at Thai Immigration in Bangkok.

If you do the tourist visa and then convert to retirement extension here, there's no requirement for medical or criminal background checks, unlike doing an O-A visa through the Embassy or one of the Consulates in the U.S.

The O-A visa application fee is $200, plus the costs for the medical and police clearances. The retirement extensions of stay at Thai Immigration cost 1900 baht per year/renewal plus 1000 baht extra for an optional re-entry permit that allows a single exit/entry to Thailand during the year (or 3800 baht for a multiple/unlimited entry re-entry permit valid for the same year)

The one advantage of the O-A visa is that it gives a 12 month permission to stay for each entry to Thailand during its one year validity. So, if you had one, and then left and re-entered Thailand just before the visa itself expired at the end of the first year, you'd get an additional one-year permission to stay based on the original visa. So effectively, almost two years total stay -- if you time your exit right.

The other difference, of course, is that Americans can only obtain the O-A visa back in the U.S., so using them on an ongoing basis would require return trips every one to two years, which some people do anyway. But with a retirement extension of stay, you'd never have to leave Thailand if you didn't' want or need to, because they're handled entirely in-country by Thai Immigration.

As for the income requirements for visas or extensions of stay, you always use your gross income figure -- not the after taxes or deductions one.

Rental income is fine as an eligible income source. For the extension of stay, you just need to obtain an income affidavit from the U.S. consulate in BKK or CM wherein you declare the amount of your monthly income, no other documentation required. Thai Immigration then, almost always, accepts that affidavit as sufficient evidence of monthly income, though they obviously could ask for supporting documents, if they wanted to.

For someone going the O-A route, I'm not sure on just what kind of documents the DC Embassy or the various consulates would want to see regarding proof of income. The bank deposit method, obviously, is a bit simpler because it just requires a letter and/or statement from your bank showing the sufficient amount.

Here's the DC Embassy's webpage for O-A visas... Note, that the requirements in terms of documentation can be a bit different between the DC Embassy and the Thai Consulates in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, which also can/do issue O-As.

http://www.thaiembdc.org/dcdp/?q=Non_Immigrant_Long_Stay

Here's the exact language they use regarding the income requirement:

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

Regarding the 800,000 baht in bank deposit method, that's another difference between the O-A visa and the retirement extension of stay. For the O-A visa, the funds can remain in a U.S. bank. For the retirement extension, the bank deposit funds have to be in a Thai bank. But that's irrelevant if you're planning to use the monthly income method.

[ubonjoe]

Info here for getting an OA long stay visa for retirement is here on embassy website: http://www.thaiembdc.org/dcdp/?q=Non_Immigrant_Long_Stay

Link for medical certificate download is on that page. Where you get the police certificate depends upon the state where you live. In some you can go to the local police others require you to apply through a state agency. Not sure what you can use for rental income. I would thing a lease contract and bank statement proving it was coming in every month.

If you have a gross income equal to or greater than 65K baht I suggest you apply for an extension of stay here. You will not need a medical or police certificate. You will prove your income by way of a income affidavit at the US embassy.

If possible you should try to get a single entry non-o visa from one of the honorary consulate (the embassy and official consulates will not do it) by applying in person (no mail ins allowed) Contact info here: http://www.thaiembdc.org/dcdp/?q=consulate_honorary

Then during the last 30 days of your 90 day entry you would apply for the extension of stay based upon retirement. You would just need the income affidavit and copies of your passport pages and departure card. Plus proof of residence at some officers.

If you cannot get the non-o visa then you should get a tourist visa and do a change of visa status to get a non immigrant visa entry at immigration. And then do the extension..

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

BTW, the DC Embassy's web page that I linked above re O-A visa application procedures has a link for downloading the medical clearance form (PDF file) they'd want you to use.

A medical certificate showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535) certificate shall be valid for not more than three months (download)

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As for Thai vs U.S. bank accounts, you probably can actually get a somewhat better rate on an interest-bearing bank account in Thailand vs. most of the accounts in the U.S. right now.

Depending on the Thai account, what bank and what kind of account, anywhere in the 2 to 3% APY range.

But, there can be hassles with foreigners opening Thai bank accounts, especially without possessing a work permit. It certainly can be done, but you might be prepared for a different kind of banking experience here, where you'll face rejections by this or that bank or branch, before finally one or another says yes. Bangkok Bank is a particularly good bank for Americans because they have low-cost international transfers.

And some types of Thai bank accounts, usually fixed deposit accounts that are kind of like their version of CDs, tend to have an automatic 15% Thai tax withholding, that can be reclaimed later. But regular deposit savings accounts usually don't have that withholding, unless your interest for the year exceeds 20,000 baht.

Also, of course, Thai bank deposits are not FDIC US insured. The Thai government has its own bank deposit insurance plan, but they're planning to reduce the amount they cover to 1 million baht per accountholder/per bank in the coming years. It's also a relatively newer scheme that hasn't really been tested in practice as yet, and it almost certainly would be slower than the FDIC should the need ever arise.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

"If possible you should try to get a single entry non-o visa from one of the honorary consulate (the embassy and official consulates will not do it) by applying in person (no mail ins allowed)."

Joe's right about the single entry non-O visa, and then converting to a retirement extension, as being another option -- similar to doing a tourist visa to retirement extension conversion.

It kind of depends also on where you live in the U.S. There are Honorary Thai Consulates spread throughout the country that usually are pretty easy to deal with, and also will do tourist visas, of course.

But there are only the four locations for the Embassy and 3 Consulates (DC, NY, LA and Chi). The DC Embassy does accept mail-in applications, but some people prefer not to send their passports that way.

A lot of different issues come into consideration:

--Do you expect to be traveling back to the U.S. in the future for O-A renewals, or perhaps would do just an initial O-A and then retirement extensions thereafter?

--Is your home more convenient to one of the four official locations or one of the various honorary ones.

--Do you plan to use the bank deposits or monthly income method? And if bank deposits, how do you feel about keeping 800,000 in a Thai bank?

--Or, if monthly income, proving that in Thailand via a retirement extension at Thai Immigration is pretty uncomplicated. But for an O-A, you'd have to find out just what kind of documentation the DC Embassy would want for your rental income.

[ubonjoe]

<snip>

Joe's right about the single entry non-O visa, and then converting to a retirement extension, as being another option -- similar to doing a tourist visa to retirement extension conversion.

<snip>

If you have a non-o visa you don't convert anything. You just apply for an expression of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry.

It it nothing like converting from a tourist visa entry.to a non immigrant visa entry. And then applying for the extension 60 days later.

[luckyluck]

Hi There..

Been reading this and reading as much as I can for extension for retirement visa..

To get a 3 month Non O visa in your home country, do you need funds in your bank account, trying to think what is best tourist change or do a non o if I can when I go back to England next month..

Another question, what is the affidavit about... I don't want to bring 800,000 baht over to Thailand and as on tourist visa, not sure about bank account, I am in Phuket... so would much prefer to show any funds via statement or whatever to immigration.. I seem to be getting quite confused now lol

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As regards retirement, assuming one is age 50 or older:

--There are O-A retirement visas that you can obtain from a Thai Embassy or consulate in your home country.

and

--There are one-year retirement extensions of stay you can obtain inside Thailand from Thai Immigration.

For the O-As, I can't speak to what financial requirements the UK Embassy/Consulates use.

For the retirement extensions of stay, you'll need to show either:

--800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, documented by your bank passbook and a letter from the bank.

or

--65,000 baht per month in income, documented by an income affidavit obtained from your home country Consulate in Thailand.

or

--a combination of the two equaling at least 800,000 per year (with the bank deposit amount and monthly income amount being documented in the same ways as listed above).

As mentioned above, you can also arrive to Thailand on other types of non-retirement entries (single-entry Non-O or even tourist visa), and then apply for a retirement extension of stay once here -- assuming you meet the necessary requirements.

[luckyluck]

Thank you TallguyJohn.. much appreciated for more help..