When's the earliest I can renew my retirement visa?

[trevor67]

When's the earliest I can renew my retirement visa?

30 days, 60 days, is there an actual date? I will be renewing at Jomtiem. Last year I renewed 3 weeks before expiry, but I plan on travelling most of the time before my renewal this year. Thanks for any advice.

[ripstanley]

30 days is the earliest I have been able to renew my extension of stay. [retirement visa]

[ubonjoe]

Jomtien will do it up to 45 days early.

[MUSTYJACK]

Last week I renewed mine about 50 days before expiry, the reason being that I may have to return to the UK at short notice before the expiry date and wont be able to return until after the expiry, thereby losing the right to renew and having to go through the headache of obtaining a new non imm O etc.etc.etc.etc.

I first enquired if it was possible, they told me yes, asked me to fill out all the paperwork and do the photocopies there and then and to return with my passport and bank letter the next day.

The immigration officer was more than helpful and it was all done efficiently and painlessly in 20 minutes. This was at Hua Hin immigration.

I see lots of complaints about immigration officials, but I have to say that over the five years I have been here, the ones at Hua hin couldnt be more helpful, flexible and accommodating.

[JMWPACIFIC]

Usually 30 days for all Thai immigration but, if you can prove with air tickets/hotel res that you will be out of country, they will most likely accommodate you earlier.

[khwaibah]

Usually 30 days for all Thai immigration but, if you can prove with air tickets/hotel res that you will be out of country, they will most likely accommodate you earlier.

Becoming more standard up to 45 days at most immigration offices for renewal of retirement extensions.

[trevor67]

Thanks for all the replies, it is much appreciated. Now my next question is concerning the date of my income verification letter from my embassy. How far in advance can this letter be dated in respect to my application (as opposed to visa expiry)?

Ok here is the scenario......visa expires april 1st/2015.....I reapply Feb 15 (within the 45 day window).....my income letter from my embassy can be how far in advance to the Feb 15th application.....Jan 15th???......or is this pushing my luck?

[ubonjoe]

Immigration will accept an income letter up to 6 months old.

[trevor67]

Immigration will accept an income letter up to 6 months old.

Great News...thanks for that UJ!

[kdrayong]

Jomtien will do it up to 45 days early.

Is anyone able, who experienced that these days in person,to confirm, that Jomtien will do extension of stay, 45 days early?

I read and heard different statements and even Chaengwattana officers stated, that it can be done 30 days in advance at Jomtien only.

[Jingthing]

Jomtien will do it up to 45 days early.

I recall a report that they had changed back to 30 days within the last recent months but it might have something to do with just asking for info at the front desk rather than actually trying. Here is what I would suggest. If you need 45 days early go in there as if you think it will be OK. Absolutely do not ask the question of intake staff handing out forms. They have been known to screen out people that will be OK at the actual retirement desk. 30 days early will definitely be OK ... no ambiguity there.

[TerraplaneGuy]

Immigration will accept an income letter up to 6 months old.

What if we're using a Thai bank balance letter (showing seasoned THB800,000) instead of income letter? From previous years I thought it had to be dated not earlier than the day before you apply at Immigration, and then they still want you to do a transaction on the morning of application so they can confirm the balance in your book on the application day. Is that still the case?

Cheers

TG

[Jingthing]

Immigration will accept an income letter up to 6 months old.

What if we're using a Thai bank balance letter (showing seasoned THB800,000) instead of income letter? From previous years I thought it had to be dated not earlier than the day before you apply at Immigration, and then they still want you to do a transaction on the morning of application so they can confirm the balance in your book on the application day. Is that still the case?

Cheers

TG

It depends on the office. I use Jomtien and I've never had a transaction the same day and never demanded. I get the letter either the day before or on Friday before Monday. I recall reading some time back that bank letters as old as a week are OK at Jomtien and for those I assume also OK with no application day transaction. Of course the balance on the letter and bank book must be exactly the same.

[TerraplaneGuy]

Immigration will accept an income letter up to 6 months old.

What if we're using a Thai bank balance letter (showing seasoned THB800,000) instead of income letter? From previous years I thought it had to be dated not earlier than the day before you apply at Immigration, and then they still want you to do a transaction on the morning of application so they can confirm the balance in your book on the application day. Is that still the case?

Cheers

TG

It depends on the office. I use Jomtien and I've never had a transaction the same day and never demanded. I get the letter either the day before or on Friday before Monday. I recall reading some time back that bank letters as old as a week are OK at Jomtien and for those I assume also OK with no application day transaction. Of course the balance on the letter and bank book must be exactly the same.

Thanks! I should have mentioned that I'm in Bangkok and use Chaeng Wattana. Wonder if they might be be a bit more strict? As for your comment that the letter and bank book balance must be exactly the same, I don't see how that can be because as I mentioned they've always insisted I make a withdrawal on the morning of application so that the bank book shows an updated balance as of that very day, which will therefore be different from the balance stated on the bank letter (at least by that morning's withdrawal if nothing else). How do you get around that at Jomtien? Do they not insist on a transaction on the day of application?

[kdrayong]

Thanks! I should have mentioned that I'm in Bangkok and use Chaeng Wattana. Wonder if they might be be a bit more strict? As for your comment that the letter and bank book balance must be exactly the same, I don't see how that can be because as I mentioned they've always insisted I make a withdrawal on the morning of application so that the bank book shows an updated balance as of that very day, which will therefore be different from the balance stated on the bank letter (at least by that morning's withdrawal if nothing else). How do you get around that at Jomtien? Do they not insist on a transaction on the day of application?

Chaeng Wattana, Non-Imm-O counter, even has a paper on their desk, that they will handle extension of stay up to 45 days early.

The officer there stated that Jomtien/Chonburi is able to handle the extension of stay 30 days in advance only.

This information is from mid of December 2014.

Any other experiences? I always prefer to get my things done ASAP.

[ubonjoe]

Thanks! I should have mentioned that I'm in Bangkok and use Chaeng Wattana. Wonder if they might be be a bit more strict? As for your comment that the letter and bank book balance must be exactly the same, I don't see how that can be because as I mentioned they've always insisted I make a withdrawal on the morning of application so that the bank book shows an updated balance as of that very day, which will therefore be different from the balance stated on the bank letter (at least by that morning's withdrawal if nothing else). How do you get around that at Jomtien? Do they not insist on a transaction on the day of application?

CW prefers the letter be done on the same day you apply. There are branches of the all major bank in the basement of the building is the reason they do this.

You can get an update at most banks without dong a withdrawal or deposit by asking a teller or one the people at the customer service desk for a for an update. Most banks have the the ability to do a forced update.

[TerraplaneGuy]

Thanks! I should have mentioned that I'm in Bangkok and use Chaeng Wattana. Wonder if they might be be a bit more strict? As for your comment that the letter and bank book balance must be exactly the same, I don't see how that can be because as I mentioned they've always insisted I make a withdrawal on the morning of application so that the bank book shows an updated balance as of that very day, which will therefore be different from the balance stated on the bank letter (at least by that morning's withdrawal if nothing else). How do you get around that at Jomtien? Do they not insist on a transaction on the day of application?

CW prefers the letter be done on the same day you apply. There are branches of the all major bank in the basement of the building is the reason they do this.

You can get an update at most banks without dong a withdrawal or deposit by asking a teller or one the people at the customer service desk for a for an update. Most banks have the the ability to do a forced update.

By "forced update" do you mean an update of your bank book? If so I'm afraid I don't get how that solves the problem for Immigration. I bank at Krungsri and past experience is that when I update my bankbook on a specific day (e.g. morning of Immigration application), if there has been no bank transaction on that day there is nothing to show that the book is up to date on the current day. All the update does is make sure all completed transactions are recorded. Let's say the last transaction I did is on a Friday and the following Monday I go to Immigration. If I update my book Monday morning, the last transaction it will show is from Friday and there will be no entry to indicate that the book was updated on Monday. That is why Immigration has wanted me to make a withdrawal on Monday morning, so they can see an entry on that day and that the balance is indeed updated to the current day. Otherwise, the last entry they will see is from Friday and they could suspect I withdrew all my money on the Saturday without updating the book. How does your forced update get around that?

[ubonjoe]

The forced update will show the balance on the date it is done in the bank book.

You could also make a deposit instead of a withdrawal. This could be done at a cash deposit machine. Showing the balance greater than the letter should not be a problem.

[TerraplaneGuy]

The forced update will show the balance on the date it is done in the bank book.

You could also make a deposit instead of a withdrawal. This could be done at a cash deposit machine. Showing the balance greater than the letter should not be a problem.

Just curious whether you use Krungsri, because that hasn't been my experience with updates on their passbooks. But I'll try again, maybe I did it the wrong way.

As for the option of a deposit rather than withdrawal, do I take it that people have had Immigration reject the book when the balance is lower than the bank letter, even when the balance remains above B800,000? That would seem to really make no sense (although I know anything is possible at Immigration). But if your bank letter says you have B900,000 and your book shows B890,000, how can that throw you offside?