Retirement Visa - Americans- Chiang Mai - Requirements

[slipperylobster]

By the way...

Nobody ever received a "Retirement Visa" in Chiang Mai.

That would be impossible.

Think about it.

This is another non-useful post.

Yes, people have converted a 30-day visa exempt entry into a 90-day non-immigrant O-visa at Chiang Mai Immigration which they then return to Immigration during the last 30 days validity to extend for 12-months due to retirement.

The shorthand name for the non-imm O visa that CM Immigration stamps into their passport is a "retirement visa". Even the officials at CM Immigration call it that.

All this is done without leaving Chiang Mai. So much for the myth that you cannot get a visa without leaving Thailand.

Correction.

It is called an "Extension of Stay" based on Retirement.

Extension of stays are given, for example on a 90 day non immigrant O "VISA"

If you have any question...refer to the form you fill out for the Extension of Stay .. It does not say visa...the form says Extension of stay.

extensions are not visas

That is to avoid confusing people with the actual Retirement Visa (OA)

Edited December 1, 2014 by slipperylobster

[NancyL]

By the way...

Nobody ever received a "Retirement Visa" in Chiang Mai.

That would be impossible.

Think about it.

This is another non-useful post.

Yes, people have converted a 30-day visa exempt entry into a 90-day non-immigrant O-visa at Chiang Mai Immigration which they then return to Immigration during the last 30 days validity to extend for 12-months due to retirement.

The shorthand name for the non-imm O visa that CM Immigration stamps into their passport is a "retirement visa". Even the officials at CM Immigration call it that.

All this is done without leaving Chiang Mai. So much for the myth that you cannot get a visa without leaving Thailand.

Correction.

It is called an "Extension of Stay" based on Retirement.

Extension of stays are given, for example on a 90 day non immigrant O "VISA"

extensions are not visas

That is to avoid confusing people with the actual Retirement Visa (OA)

No, an O-A visa isn't an "actual" retirement visa. It's an non-immigrant O visa that already has a 12-month approval for entry, due to retirement. It's a non-immigrant O visa. The "A" means "already approved" That's the way it was recently explained to me by several senior immigration officials in Chiang Mai, when I asked them why they were so casual in their use of the term "retirement visas" for what I had described in my post.

Edited December 1, 2014 by NancyL

[slipperylobster]

Cannot have it both ways.

90 Non Immigrant O "Visa" (then apply for one year Extension of stay.....based on Retirement. this extension done here.)

This is not a retirement visa...it is an extension of stay based on retirement.

other way is

Non Immigrant OA "Visa" for purpose of Retirement ..........done in country of residence (home country) before you get here. Cannot be done here.

Edited December 1, 2014 by slipperylobster

[NancyL]

That's the whole point. There is no one way to obtain a "retirement visa" There are several paths! The real goal is to end up with a 12-month permission to stay in Thailand due to retirement. Either you can obtain that permission before you leave your home country and then extend it after or you get here you can obtain it after you get here. Either way -- you have 12-month permission to remain due to retirement! And in the long run, the financial requirements are the same for both.

The only advantage to obtaining an O-A in the home country is if you don't have sufficient income to justify 65,000 baht/month income and don't want to bring funds into a Thai bank for up to two years, but prefer to keep funds needed to justify a "retirement visa" offshore. But, unless you plan to leave Thailand every couple years and obtain a new O-A visa, you'll eventually need to bring those funds into Thailand.

Personally, I think the O-A "retirement visa" is way over-rated and Hubby and I obsessed W-A-Y too much in trying to get ours before we came. Police checks, doctor's checks (they tested for all the diseases ch-ching!) and even our investment manager charged for notarized reports! End the end, only Hubby got an O-A and the Chicago consulate, somehow decided to give me a one-year multi-entry O visa as a dependent, even though our joint investments were well in excess of 1.6 mil baht! Grr!

Edited December 1, 2014 by NancyL

[slipperylobster]

That's the whole point. There is no one way to obtain a "retirement visa" There are several paths! The real goal is to end up with a 12-month permission to stay in Thailand due to retirement. Either you can obtain that permission before you leave your home country and then extend it after you get here you can obtain it after you get here. Either way -- you have 12-month permission to remain due to retirement! And in the long run, the financial requirements are the same for both.

The only advantage to obtaining an O-A in the home country is if you don't have sufficient income to justify 65,000 baht/month income and don't want to bring funds into a Thai bank for up to two years, but prefer to keep funds needed to justify a "retirement visa" offshore. But, unless you plan to leave Thailand every couple years and obtain a new O-A visa, you'll eventually need to bring those funds into Thailand.

My first point...was this "Extension of Stay" (based on retirement). It is an extension of stay not a visa. Based, for example, on a 90 day non imm O.

That is my point.

The OA Visa (used for retirement is best explained here: http://www.thaivisa.com/retirement-non-imm-oa-visa.html

Edited December 1, 2014 by slipperylobster

[Mapguy]

That's the whole point. There is no one way to obtain a "retirement visa" There are several paths! The real goal is to end up with a 12-month permission to stay in Thailand due to retirement. Either you can obtain that permission before you leave your home country and then extend it after or you get here you can obtain it after you get here. Either way -- you have 12-month permission to remain due to retirement! And in the long run, the financial requirements are the same for both.

The only advantage to obtaining an O-A in the home country is if you don't have sufficient income to justify 65,000 baht/month income and don't want to bring funds into a Thai bank for up to two years, but prefer to keep funds needed to justify a "retirement visa" offshore. But, unless you plan to leave Thailand every couple years and obtain a new O-A visa, you'll eventually need to bring those funds into Thailand.

Personally, I think the O-A "retirement visa" is way over-rated and Hubby and I obsessed W-A-Y too much in trying to get ours before we came. Police checks, doctor's checks (they tested for all the diseases ch-ching!) and even our investment manager charged for notarized reports! End the end, only Hubby got an O-A and the Chicago consulate, somehow decided to give me a one-year multi-entry O visa as a dependent, even though our joint investments were well in excess of 1.6 mil baht! Grr!

Some interesting points here.

First, there are different paths to a retirement or other long-stay visa and pemission to stay, but those are mainly tactical, not substantive. The result, as NancyL points out, is the same.

Second, regarding sufficient income, that gets tricky. Thai Immigration law is playing it relatively

"safe." If you can't park 800,000 baht in an acceptable (to Immigration) Thai bank account (like a fixed rate account for three months) then you should think again about moving here. That amount of money can barely pay the price of some airplane tickets home these days (with excess baggage, of course)!

"Tricky" is the bit about pensions and investments from abroad. There are good ones and so-so ones dependent upon a lot of variables. Some can bounce around a lot, like those based upon commodities. Anyway, Thailand loves government pensions except those, perhaps, from Zimbabwe. (or doesn't even apparently care considering the apparent outrageous oaths made at the American consulate for many years about pensions!

The complaint NancyL makes about the technicalities (medical exam, police check --- unless you are a felon --- et cetera) is frivilous. A medical exam is only restricted by the appointment hours of your physician. How long a wait can that be? The police check can often be done quickly on line for a nominal fee. If you must consider the time and cost of those requirements as significant, then you really ought to again think through moving here. And there is a lot more to think about than that !!

On one minor point, NancyL, you said "joint investments." "Joint" doesn't count under Thai immigration law for the commonplace long-stay visas because of some sensible legal reasoning regarding the vulnerable ownership of joint accounts.

[northernjohn]

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Cannot have it both ways.

90 Non Immigrant O "Visa" (then apply for one year Extension of stay.....based on Retirement. this extension done here.)

This is not a retirement visa...it is an extension of stay based on retirement.

other way is

Non Immigrant OA "Visa" for purpose of Retirement ..........done in country of residence (home country) before you get here. Cannot be done here.

Yes I received my retirement in Vancouver before coming over here the third time. It says retirement so I presume it is a retirement. Since then they have been permission to stay 12 months.

It was easy to get. The police check was only a local one. The medical check was a farce. Me and the doctor just laughed at it. About 6 questions along the lines of do you have Malaria. I had to have the papers to show for guaranteed income and a paper from a Notary saying I was who I said I was.

Seems to me to be a lot easier than coming over here and then having to leave the country. To each their own I guess. Some people may prefer coming here first and then leaving the country because they wanted to tour some other country also.

[NancyL]

I've covered this in the Visa forum, but for us the path to the O-A was difficult in the U.S. Our doctor had just left the practice and his replacement insisted on testing for every disease. Our little local township police department acted like they'd never had a law abiding citizen request a police check, had to make a bunch of phone calls, have us come back, etc, etc. In the end, they decided to "book us" like they were arresting us and send the paperwork into the sheriff's office. It was a big joke. And our financial manager, employed by a big firm, had to check with his home office to learn, no he couldn't sign anything attesting to our financial condition and no, his wife a notary, couldn't notarize any documents. All that had to come from the company's home office.

Meanwhile we were trying to sell off the assets of our business, sell our home, find a home for our dog, get rid of our stuff in never-end garage sales and game Northwest Airlines frequent flyer program to try to score tickets to Thailand. It was a busy time and the last thing we needed was to be running around chasing after police, medical and financial reports. We would have been ahead just to get on the airplane without visas. Especially since my multi-entry 90-day O visa was nearly worthless. We brought in 800,000 baht almost immediately so I could get my own retirement visa.

And yes, our financial report showed a mix of accounts in his name, my name, our names -- I guess we didn't spell it out for them that I had more than 800,000 baht solely in my name in that mountain of paperwork we submitted to them. (Our big mistake was probably including a notarized copy of our marriage certificate -- totally unneeded)

Edited December 2, 2014 by NancyL

[Langsuan Man]

I've covered this in the Visa forum, but for us the path to the O-A was difficult in the U.S. Our doctor had just left the practice and his replacement insisted on testing for every disease. Our little local township police department acted like they'd never had a law abiding citizen request a police check, had to make a bunch of phone calls, have us come back, etc, etc. In the end, they decided to "book us" like they were arresting us and send the paperwork into the sheriff's office. It was a big joke. And our financial manager, employed by a big firm, had to check with his home office to learn, no he couldn't sign anything attesting to our financial condition and no, his wife a notary, couldn't notarize any documents. All that had to come from the company's home office.

Meanwhile we were trying to sell off the assets of our business, sell our home, find a home for our dog, get rid of our stuff in never-end garage sales and game Northwest Airlines frequent flyer program to try to score tickets to Thailand. It was a busy time and the last thing we needed was to be running around chasing after police, medical and financial reports. We would have been ahead just to get on the airplane without visas. Especially since my multi-entry 90-day O visa was nearly worthless. We brought in 800,000 baht almost immediately so I could get my own retirement visa.

And yes, our financial report showed a mix of accounts in his name, my name, our names -- I guess we didn't spell it out for them that I had more than 800,000 baht solely in my name in that mountain of paperwork we submitted to them. (Our big mistake was probably including a notarized copy of our marriage certificate -- totally unneeded)

Everyone has a different take. In my case I have had 5 Non-Immigrant O-A (Long Stay) visa's obtained from both the Thai Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Consulate in New York and they have been easy to obtain. BUT, my State Police will issue the criminal records check for $10 done online, as part of my yearly physical my Primary Care physician will "sign" the medical form for free and my Leave and Earnings Statement from my retirement plan is also free since I can print it out. None of which have to be notarized, so no one size fits all

[slapout]

Some people have a hard time finding their way out of a greyhound bus, getting the time of day at the railroad station, or ordering oatmeal for breakfast. Others work, travel and live around the world most of their working life and just approach life from the angle that gets the end result with the least headache.

The number of people who base their recommendations on their own screwups seems to be growing as techonology advances, its kind of like asking the night time chef what he recomends for breakfast at a diner he has never been in. Hell the adventure of traveling the unknown is what has got the world where it is today.

[CMBob]

Our little local township police department acted like they'd never had a law abiding citizen request a police check

Even Podunk police departments (like the one in my city of 15,000 people) know about criminal background checks and I would guess you just encountered a rather ignorant clerk. The cops have been doing those for decades for a whole lot of government jobs and more and more private companies are requiring them as a condition of employment. And you weren't "booked" but they certainly did take your fingerprints as that's the basic tool they use to do the background check.

Like you, I got one of those background checks and medical things when I first moved over here. For whatever reason (probably because I only read the requirements for obtaining a retirement visa outside of Thailand), I too wasted my time and money with those things.

[hml367]

Isn't converting to a Non'O inside Thailand relatively new?

I know for sure it is relatively new being able to do this at Chiang Mai.

As for arguing about the actual name of visa or extension, some people now argue in support of what they chastized in the past.

[NancyL]

Isn't converting to a Non'O inside Thailand relatively new?

I know for sure it is relatively new being able to do this at Chiang Mai.

As for arguing about the actual name of visa or extension, some people now argue in support of what they chastized in the past.

Don't know what you're definition of "relatively new" is. Certainly you could do the conversion in 2008 when I came here.

Part of the problem with O-A visas is the economics. Right now, the Chicago Consulate is quoting $200 for a one-year multi-entry O visa (I assume it's the same price for an O-A). Add to that courier charges to and fro and you're up to nearly 9000 baht. This doesn't include any costs associated with obtaining the police, medical and financial reports.

Compare that with entering visa exempt, getting an income letter from the consulate (currently $50 from the U.S. Consulate) or opening a 800,000 bank account and getting a bank letter (a couple hundred baht). You pay 2000 baht for the conversion of visa exempt entry to a 90-day O visa and then 1900 baht to extend for 1 year due to retirement. Recently, they've even accepted copies of the Consulate income letter (if it was less than 6 months old), so you didn't need two letters to do this process. Max cost -- 5550 baht for 15 months of permission to stay in Thailand without the hassle of police or medical reports.

Edited December 2, 2014 by NancyL

[khwaibah]

Isn't converting to a Non'O inside Thailand relatively new?

I know for sure it is relatively new being able to do this at Chiang Mai.

As for arguing about the actual name of visa or extension, some people now argue in support of what they chastized in the past.

Don't know what you're definition of "relatively new" is. Certainly you could do the conversion in 2008 when I came here.

Part of the problem with O-A visas is the economics. Right now, the Chicago Consulate is quoting $200 for a one-year multi-entry O visa (I assume it's the same price for an O-A). Add to that courier charges to and fro and you're up to nearly 9000 baht. This doesn't include any costs associated with obtaining the police, medical and financial reports.

Compare that with entering visa exempt, getting an income letter from the consulate (currently $50 from the U.S. Consulate) or opening a 800,000 bank account and getting a bank letter (a couple hundred baht). You pay 2000 baht for the conversion of visa exempt entry to a 90-day O visa and then 1900 baht to extend for 1 year due to retirement. Recently, they've even accepted copies of the Consulate income letter (if it was less than 6 months old), so you didn't need two letters to do this process. Max cost -- 5550 baht for 15 months of permission to stay in Thailand without the hassle of police or medical reports.

Did my conversion in 2006.

[hml367]

I suppose "relatively new" would be around 10 years for my thinking. In my opinion, living in Chiang Mai was much easier then.

When I got my Non-Imm O-A, after having tourist and multiple entry Non-Imm O for some years, the conversion had to be done in Bangkok - Chiang Mai could not do them. Also, at that time they would not accept the income affidavit for the initial conversion in Bangkok. The reason the astute Immigration Officer gave me is, "you could say anything you want for the affidavit." So for a US citizen to get a converted visa at that time you had to have the money in the bank in Thailand because the US Consular services cannot verify income. This is when I found out about the Department of State's own Department of Authentications.

I ended up getting an O-A in Honolulu and it was not much of a hassle. As a matter of fact, I was expecting to get a Non-Immigrant O and then extend in Thailand. I didn't realize until I entered Thailand and they stamped me in for 1 year.

This has been more than 10 years, though.

By the way, getting what I needed in the US for documentation was no problem at that time.

As a side note, when I went to Bangkok to do the conversion, one officer was going to make the conversion with 400,000 THB in a bank which I went to the bank from there office and transferred money and got a letter. Unfortunately, when I returned to the office a superior was there (the one that knew exactly what was going on) and he said it couldn't be done unless there was 800,000 in the bank. So I went to US to do it. At the time I was making trips every 6 months anyway.

Edited December 2, 2014 by hml367

[NancyL]

I suppose "relatively new" would be around 10 years for my thinking. In my opinion, living in Chiang Mai was much easier then.

When I got my Non-Imm O-A, after having tourist and multiple entry Non-Imm O for some years, the conversion had to be done in Bangkok - Chiang Mai could not do them. Also, at that time they would not accept the income affidavit for the initial conversion in Bangkok. The reason the astute Immigration Officer gave me is, "you could say anything you want for the affidavit." So for a US citizen to get a converted visa at that time you had to have the money in the bank in Thailand because the US Consular services cannot verify income. This is when I found out about the Department of State's own Department of Authentications.

I ended up getting an O-A in Honolulu and it was not much of a hassle. As a matter of fact, I was expecting to get a Non-Immigrant O and then extend in Thailand. I didn't realize until I entered Thailand and they stamped me in for 1 year.

This has been more than 10 years, though.

By the way, getting what I needed in the US for documentation was no problem at that time.

As a side note, when I went to Bangkok to do the conversion, one officer was going to make the conversion with 400,000 THB in a bank which I went to the bank from there office and transferred money and got a letter. Unfortunately, when I returned to the office a superior was there (the one that knew exactly what was going on) and he said it couldn't be done unless there was 800,000 in the bank. So I went to US to do it. At the time I was making trips every 6 months anyway.

hml367, you're not describing a "conversion", but rather an extension, if I follow your story. You said you had multiple-entry non-imm O for years. You already had a visa. What you're saying is that you couldn't do your first 12-month retirement extension on an income basis because the U.S. Embassy/Consulate wouldn't verify income and the only avenue of in-country retirement extension open to U.S. citizens was via the 800,000 bank account method. I'd heard about this problem when we investigated retirement here in the mid-2000s. At the time, the U.S. Embassy and Thai Immigration were kind of in a "draw" about the whole issue of verification of income of U.S. citizens.

Actually, a "conversion" is when someone arrives on visa-exempt status and then applies for a 90-day O visa. That, too, is probably something that wasn't done here in the mid-2000s, although I think Kwaibah was talking about the same thing that I was. You're not. You're talking about an "extension" due to income.

[northernjohn]

Isn't converting to a Non'O inside Thailand relatively new?

I know for sure it is relatively new being able to do this at Chiang Mai.

As for arguing about the actual name of visa or extension, some people now argue in support of what they chastized in the past.

Don't know what you're definition of "relatively new" is. Certainly you could do the conversion in 2008 when I came here.

Part of the problem with O-A visas is the economics. Right now, the Chicago Consulate is quoting $200 for a one-year multi-entry O visa (I assume it's the same price for an O-A). Add to that courier charges to and fro and you're up to nearly 9000 baht. This doesn't include any costs associated with obtaining the police, medical and financial reports.

Compare that with entering visa exempt, getting an income letter from the consulate (currently $50 from the U.S. Consulate) or opening a 800,000 bank account and getting a bank letter (a couple hundred baht). You pay 2000 baht for the conversion of visa exempt entry to a 90-day O visa and then 1900 baht to extend for 1 year due to retirement. Recently, they've even accepted copies of the Consulate income letter (if it was less than 6 months old), so you didn't need two letters to do this process. Max cost -- 5550 baht for 15 months of permission to stay in Thailand without the hassle of police or medical reports.

As I said I did mine in Vancouver. The police report was free the doctor check up was the same price it always is and there was no currier charges. I took all my documentation in to the Thai conciliate and they told me to come back in three days. They then gave me my passport with a Visa that said retirement on it. I did have the cost of a Notary to validate my income and I was who I said I was. The cost of receiving the verification was a phone call to the places I was receiving it from they paid the cost of postage.

It was not a spur of the moment action I had been thinking on it for 6 months. So there was plenty of time to do the reports. Possibly if I had 800,000 laying around and I was willing to bring it to Thailand to lay around at some ridicules low interest rate I would have considered that. I how ever choose to leave my money invested there and it has paid off far more than the bank rates here.

I was under the impression to make the change over you would have to leave the country and still get a medical check up here. I had a friend who for some reason was always doing his extension in Portland not sure how that works. He did it by mail and one year did not get it so when he came back here he had to go to Lao and get a visa there to come back here and get his retirement here again. That brought on an additional cost he was not prepared for. He only lived two more years and got his extensions here. He was one of those always trying to buck the system.

[hml367]

NancyL,

I am not describing an extension, I am describing a conversion. I know the difference.

I didn't say I was on a Non-Imm O for years. My comment was, "after having tourist and multiple entry Non-Imm O for some years". I actually had Non-Imm O before I was getting the tourist visas, and I had more tourist visas than Non-Imm O. Visas were not as difficult to get outside of Thailand at the time. In fact, there were people that mailed their passports from Thailand to Thai Consulates in the US to have visas granted. The Thai government cracked down on that, obviously.

I was on a tourist visa at the time. It was not an extension I was applying for, I was applying to convert my tourist visa to a Non-Immigrant O.

As I explained, at the time they would not accept the US Consulate affidavit for income to issue the visa - they would only accept the affidavit for extensions at the time. If a US citizen wanted to get a Non-Immigrant O VISA (at that time they called it "to spend the rest of life in the Kingdom") at the time while they were in Thaialnd, they had to have the money in the bank.

In my case, and I am sure others, the "conversion" was not from Visa exempt to Non-Imm O. As I noted, it was from a Tourist visa to a Non-Imm O.

Edited December 2, 2014 by hml367

[NancyL]

OK, OK.

[CMBob]

In my case, and I am sure others, the "conversion" was not from Visa exempt to Non-Imm O. As I noted, it was from a Tourist visa to a Non-Imm O.

I also did the same thing you did - entered on a 60-day Tourist visa and then obtained a 90-day Non-Immigrant O visa. Sometimes, however, I'm a bit puzzled by the conversion language as the Immigration Officer that handled my deal clearly told me that the only way he could do that was to "cancel" the Tourist Visa. [in fact, in my case, I also got the one-year extension based on retirement on the very same day and both my Tourist visa and the Non-Immigrant O visa he just issued were marked "USED" and my first "retirement visa" ran for 15 months!].

And I've read of some who came here on a visa-exempt (30-day) entry and then obtained a Non-Immigrant O visa at Immigration here in Thailand. Given, as some falang vociferously argue, those persons never had a "visa" in the first place, it'd be somewhat puzzling to say one converted from one visa to another for those particular cases.

The semantics probably don't matter all that much so long as we understand the net result.

[mesquite]

OK, OK.

[hml367]

In my case, and I am sure others, the "conversion" was not from Visa exempt to Non-Imm O. As I noted, it was from a Tourist visa to a Non-Imm O.

I also did the same thing you did - entered on a 60-day Tourist visa and then obtained a 90-day Non-Immigrant O visa. Sometimes, however, I'm a bit puzzled by the conversion language as the Immigration Officer that handled my deal clearly told me that the only way he could do that was to "cancel" the Tourist Visa. [in fact, in my case, I also got the one-year extension based on retirement on the very same day and both my Tourist visa and the Non-Immigrant O visa he just issued were marked "USED" and my first "retirement visa" ran for 15 months!].

And I've read of some who came here on a visa-exempt (30-day) entry and then obtained a Non-Immigrant O visa at Immigration here in Thailand. Given, as some falang vociferously argue, those persons never had a "visa" in the first place, it'd be somewhat puzzling to say one converted from one visa to another for those particular cases.

The semantics probably don't matter all that much so long as we understand the net result.

CMBOB,

I sent you PM

[SpokaneAl]

I've covered this in the Visa forum, but for us the path to the O-A was difficult in the U.S. Our doctor had just left the practice and his replacement insisted on testing for every disease. Our little local township police department acted like they'd never had a law abiding citizen request a police check, had to make a bunch of phone calls, have us come back, etc, etc. In the end, they decided to "book us" like they were arresting us and send the paperwork into the sheriff's office. It was a big joke. And our financial manager, employed by a big firm, had to check with his home office to learn, no he couldn't sign anything attesting to our financial condition and no, his wife a notary, couldn't notarize any documents. All that had to come from the company's home office.

Meanwhile we were trying to sell off the assets of our business, sell our home, find a home for our dog, get rid of our stuff in never-end garage sales and game Northwest Airlines frequent flyer program to try to score tickets to Thailand. It was a busy time and the last thing we needed was to be running around chasing after police, medical and financial reports. We would have been ahead just to get on the airplane without visas. Especially since my multi-entry 90-day O visa was nearly worthless. We brought in 800,000 baht almost immediately so I could get my own retirement visa.

And yes, our financial report showed a mix of accounts in his name, my name, our names -- I guess we didn't spell it out for them that I had more than 800,000 baht solely in my name in that mountain of paperwork we submitted to them. (Our big mistake was probably including a notarized copy of our marriage certificate -- totally unneeded)

Everyone has a different take. In my case I have had 5 Non-Immigrant O-A (Long Stay) visa's obtained from both the Thai Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Consulate in New York and they have been easy to obtain. BUT, my State Police will issue the criminal records check for $10 done online, as part of my yearly physical my Primary Care physician will "sign" the medical form for free and my Leave and Earnings Statement from my retirement plan is also free since I can print it out. None of which have to be notarized, so no one size fits all

I am also on my third non-imm O-A for the purpose of retirement, all obtained via the Thai Consulate in LA. I have also found the process easy and painless, and all involved have been easy to work with.

[NancyL]

SpokaneAl -- the makes sense for someone who travels back and forth between their home country and Thailand at least every couple years and who doesn't want to bring funds into Thailand to open a 800,000 baht savings account.

As was pointed out -- there are several ways to obtain long-term permission to stay due to retirement and the routes people chose are largely strategic. For someone to say that "their" visa is the only true "retirement visa" I think is wrong and confusing. Let's call 'em what they really are -- O-A visa, one-year multi-entry non-imm O visa, 90-day single entry O visa, etc. -- all granted for the purpose of retirement.

[hml367]

SpokaneAl -- the makes sense for someone who travels back and forth between their home country and Thailand at least every couple years and who doesn't want to bring funds into Thailand to open a 800,000 baht savings account.

As was pointed out -- there are several ways to obtain long-term permission to stay due to retirement and the routes people chose are largely strategic. For someone to say that "their" visa is the only true "retirement visa" I think is wrong and confusing. Let's call 'em what they really are -- O-A visa, one-year multi-entry non-imm O visa, 90-day single entry O visa, etc. -- all granted for the purpose of retirement.

Good advice.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15398-Issuance-of-Visa.html .

Visas are the responsibility of MFA. Permissions to stay are the responsibilty of Immigration.

4. Nationals of certain countries are required to apply for a visa only at the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate-General in the applicant’s country of residence, or at the Royal Thai Embassy which has jurisdiction over his or her country of residence. Travellers are advised to enquire about authorised office for visa issuance at any Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General before departure. Contact details and locations of Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General are available at www.mfa.go.th/web/10.php.

5. To apply for a visa, a foreigner must possess a valid passport or travel document that is recognised by the Royal Thai Government and comply with the conditions set forth in the Immigration Act of Thailand B.E.2522 (1979) and its relevant regulations. In addition, the visa applicant must be outside of Thailand at the time of application. The applicant will be issued with a type of visa in accordance to his or her purpose of visit. For more information on types of visas and general requirements for each type of visa, please see Types of Visa and Issuance of Visa.

6. In general, applicants are required to apply for a visa in person. However, Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General in some countries and in some cases may also accept applications sent through representatives, authorised travel agencies or by post. Please enquire at the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General where you intend to submit your application of acceptable ways of application.

7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay. Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand. In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years. The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker.

8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa. For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date. The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp. Travellers who wish to stay longer than such period may apply for extension of stay at offices of the Immigration Division 1 in Bangkok, located at Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 or at an Immigration office located in the provinces. For information on application for extension of stay, see the Immigration Bureau website at www.immigration.go.th

Edited December 3, 2014 by hml367