Retirement Visa

[TimLMT]

I am 56 year old US citizen with $1800 a month pension for life and enough cash on hand to make up the difference for the 65000 baht. I live 1000 miles from the nearest Thailand consolate. what is the easiest to obtain and maintain a visa in Thailand.

I have done some research on this forum and on the web and decided it might be best just to get my answer by asking the above question instead of trying to fill in my blanks. i will add that the medical certificate seems to be a stumbling block. thank you in advance...

[paz]

If you don't want to obtain the O/A visa in the US, that actually is not difficult at all and done by mail, you can obtain a non-imm at an honorary consulate, again possibly by mail, then get an yearly extension of stay in Thailand.

If you just browse the forum there threads about that every single day.

Edited October 29, 2014 by paz

[TimLMT]

I am limited on time and no being exactly sure what the consulate here is looking for I have this fear that it might be months of back and forth until i get this right. For example do i need to have a notary meet me at the doctors office to get the medical certificate notarized? then the medical certificate may or may not be needed in country and certainly isn't needed for any other visa that i can tell.

Anyway, from reading the forums it appears that it might be easier just to convert an existing visa to an extended stay visa while in country. If so which visa should I start with and what should i bring with me to Thailand?

[paz]

The consulate requirements are listed on their website, e.g

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=34

Notarization is done with you bringing original documents to the notary public and have them stamped.

Otherwise as mentioned above you need a non-imm 'O' visa, possibly from an honorary consul in the US.

And if you don't want to do that either, the alternative is that with at least 15 days remaining on your permit of stay you obtain the non-imm 'O' visa at immigration in Bangkok.

Edited October 29, 2014 by paz

[TimLMT]

Paz, thank you for your help, what would be an example of an honorary consul? normally the notary witness a signature or some such action.

i am sorry to seem dense but much of this is nonsensical to me... why require a medical certificate on the O/A but not others as well as not requiring it to convert in country? my doctor takes her job seriously and wants to run tests for all of the diseases listed even though i have never shown symptoms for any of them. it will cost me several hundred dollars...

[NeverSure]

The consulate requirements are listed on their website, e.g

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=34

Notarization is done with you bringing original documents to the notary public and have them stamped.

Otherwise as mentioned above you need a non-imm 'O' visa, possibly from an honorary consul in the US.

And if you don't want to do that either, the alternative is that with at least 15 days remaining on your permit of stay you obtain the non-imm 'O' visa at immigration in Bangkok.

My memory is fuzzy but I did it all in Thailand and it was easier that doing it from the US.

"And if you don't want to do that either, the alternative is that with at least 15 days remaining on your permit of stay you obtain the non-imm 'O' visa at immigration in Bangkok."

This. Someone will be along with details. I arrived visa exempt, before that time was up I went to immigration in Bangkok and got an a real visa for another 60 days. During that almost 90 days I got all of my things together needed and when not more than 30 days, but not less than 15 days were left I got a retirement extension. I don't remember if that first visa was non-0, or if I got that later, sorry. This was maybe 3 years ago. I don't have my passport with me right now.

The medical was no big deal and neither was anything else.

Someone will be along to correct some of my numbers and give specifics, but I think it was easier to do in Thailand than to start in the US.

Edited October 29, 2014 by NeverSure

[paz]

Honorary consul list, some contacts may have changed

http://www.guidetothailand.com/thailand-travel-information/honcon-americas.php

The notary public will notarize your documents, not your signature.

You can use any doctor for the medical certificate.

The advantage of the O-A visa is that you're all set for two years, other than that the choice is your.

[NancyL]

You can get a single-entry 90-day "O" visa from an Honorary Consulate without a medical certificate. When the application form asks for the purpose of your trip, state "investigate retirement". The Portland, Oregon consulate has a good reputation for quick service via mail for this type of application and you don't have to live anywhere near Portland for them to help you.

Once in Thailand, you must open a bank account and deposit funds very soon after arrival so they'll age 60 days. Bangkok Bank is a good choice for U.S. citizens, especially those receiving SS and VA payments because they can be direct deposited into Bangkok Bank.

Then during the last 30 days of your 90-day "O" visa, after the funds have aged, get an "Income Certification Letter" from the U.S. consulate or embassy and a letter from the local bank certifying your bank balance and go to your local immigration office to have your 90-day "O" visa extended for 12-months due to retirement. Viola -- "a retirement extensions", which most people wrongly call a retirement visa. No need for medical or police reports.

The reason more people don't do this is because they don't want to bring funds into Thailand. Eventually, though, they'll have to, even with an O-A visa if their income is below 65,000 baht/month, unless they plan to return to their home country to apply for a new O-A visa every two years.

You can't get a single entry 90 day O visa from the Thai embassy or official consulate for this purpose. They'll push you into applying for a O-A retirement visa, which the Honorary Consulates can't grant. An Honorary Consulate is the way to go.

Edited October 29, 2014 by NancyL

[ubonjoe]

You have various options.

One is getting a OA visa in person or by mail from the embassy or one of the 3 general consulates that requires the medical and police certificate. General consulates listed here on embassy website: http://www.thaiembdc.org/dcdp/?q=consulate_general

Another is to get a single entry non-o visa in person from one of the honorary consulates and then apply for an extension of stay at immigration here. http://www.thaiembdc.org/dcdp/?q=consulate_honorary

If you cannot get the non-o visa then you could get a single entry tourist visa and then do change of visa status to get a 90 day non immigrant visa entry some immigration offices.

For the extension you would need at combined total of 800k baht of income proven by income affidavit from the US embassy and funds in a Thai bank,

[TimLMT]

Many thanks to everyone, will read some more and get back to you if more questions arise. So thankful for this forum and wish i would have found it sooner...

[wpcoe]

Where would you be applying for a extension in Thailand? Other than Bangkok (Chaeng Wattana), and Hua Hin, and a few other offices, you do NOT need to have your bank funds on deposit for 60 days when applying for an extension when using the "combination" (i.e. income + savings) method.

If you can state where you'll be living, maybe someone can verify the policy for that particular Immigrations Office. The Cholburi (Jomtien) Immigrations office, for example, does not require the 60-day seasoning of bank funds.

[NancyL]

Chiang Mai doesn't require 60 day seasoning, but they want the applicant to wait until the last 30 days of the 90-day O visa to extend the 90-day O visa 12 months for retirement, even with an Income Letter. In other words, the reason for the wait isn't to season the money in Chiang Mai, it's just because they won't do retirement extensions until the 90-day O visa has "aged".

However, if someone is using the 800,000 baht bank account method in Chiang Mai, of course, those funds do have to age 60 days for the 12 month extension. Thus the need to move quickly to open the bank account and transfer funds in.

[TimLMT]

Chiang Mai is my target location to stay. I think I have what I need for the AO completed here but now know how to start with an O and convert in country. Many thanks to those sharing their experiance...

I do have some questions from the application itself.

1. Do they expect to have the flight booked?

2. Countries for which the travel document is valid (assume all?)

3. Proposed address in Thailand. Do I need to name an actual hotel/address?

4. Name and Address of Local Guarantor. Who is this?

5. Name and Address of Guarantor in Thailand. Again, who is this?

6. On the data form it asks for a Reference Person in Thailand. Is this needed and who might it be?

7. Port of Entry. I assume this is the airport BKK, and also assume BKK is the best/cheapest airport to come into?

[paz]

No need to book flights. You place self for guarantor and leave other fields blank.

[Jingthing]

If you're apply for any visa in the U.S., O-A or single entry O, I would ask about the current policy on booked flights directly to the embassy/consulate. When I applied for a single entry O to be used to then get a retirement extension in Thailand, I was explicitly required to not only show the flight to Thailand (which was one way) but ALSO (and weirdly) a flight OUT of Thailand leaving within 90 days. So I bought the cheapest throwaway one way ticket to Malaysia and threw it away.

There should be an email contact where you can ask these kinds of technical questions about specific current policies of the place you are applying at.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Jingthing

[mudcat]

When I obtained my OA visa a year ago August I found that while the LA conulate required notarized signatures on the income, medical, and police documents the D.C. embassy did not. Saved me headaches at Kaiser and the police station and at least a hundred dollars. Confirm this at the D.C. website. Note that only multiple entry visas are issued.

[Langsuan Man]

When I obtained my OA visa a year ago August I found that while the LA conulate required notarized signatures on the income, medical, and police documents the D.C. embassy did not. Saved me headaches at Kaiser and the police station and at least a hundred dollars. Confirm this at the D.C. website. Note that only multiple entry visas are issued.

Also applicable to the Thai Consulate in New York City. Only multiple O-A's are issued any more

[NancyL]

If you apply to an embassy or Thai consulates (NY, LA and Chicago) you'll be applying for an O-A visa. If you apply to an honorary consulate, you'll be applying for a 90-day O visa which you'll convert into a 12-month retirement extension using the process I described in post #8.

Don't confuse the two. Look on the website of the consulate where you wish to apply for their specific instructions.

For local address in Thailand, go ahead and book a hotel that you plan to use for the first few nights after arrival. For guarantor put anyone you may know in Thailand. Surely you've had some contact with someone here. Maybe someone you've corresponded with by email to learn more about the country. Some people suggest just putting "self" I guess that works. I wouldn't know -- people list me quite frequently if I've meet them during a trip to Thailand.

As for port of entry -- Chiang Mai is an international airport and there are great connections out of North America thru Seoul Korea on Korean Air. Check it out. I love Korean Air and hate doing international travel thru BKK. Inchon Airport is much more comfortable for the layover than Swampy.

If you decide to apply for a 90-day O-visa you don't want to apply too far ahead of your travel, so yes you should have your flight booked. The visa date will be effective when it's issued.

Edited November 1, 2014 by NancyL