Retirement Visa Rumor: Please Confirm or Deny

[Frank James]

An acquaintance of mine, an Australian gentleman, is in the process of applying for a one year retirement visa. I know that's not the official definition of what this thing is called, but you know what I mean. I've had one for several years, and just renewed mine in August, with no problems, in Chiang Mai. Visa based on retirement, non-immigrant, good for one year, check in every 90 days.

Here's the question: This man says he was told that one may no longer apply for this visa at the Chiang Mai Immigration Center, nor can one get an annual extension renewal there. He said they told him that this can now only be done at Bangkok. ????!!

This sounds very incorrect to me, and it seems that this would be big news here on the forums. Can someone who KNOWS please tell us if there is any truth to this? I didn't want to tell the guy he's wrong, or was given wrong info, as things do change from time to time.

[Diplomatico]

This thread discusses the issue regarding CM Immigration no longer allowing one to begin the two step "retirement visa" process:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/786082-no-longer-possible-to-start-two-step-process-toward-retirement-visa-in-chiang-mai/

Regarding the "annual extension renewals no longer being processed in CM" issue, I suspect that is not true and have seen nothing to date to indicate that the policy regarding annual extension renewal in CM has been discontinued.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Diplomatico

[Rhys]

Most likely bogus.. how many expats up your way....plenty.... the westerners bring in the baht..

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the visa forum.

[ubonjoe]

They are no longer doing conversions from a visa exempt or tourist visa entry to a non immigrant visa at CM immigration.

They still do extensions of stay based upon retirement.

If need a visa you have the choice of going to immigration in Bangkok twice to do the conversion or making a trip out of the country.

My suggestion is to make a trip to Vientiane to get a single entry non-o visa.

[Beetlejuice]

Sounds like another rumour picked up from a guy in a bar.

But nevertheless if were to become fact I would welcome this with open arms. If travelling to Bangkok once per year would mean no more of the lottery scenario of obtaining an appointment slot or paying extortionate fees to agents, than an annual trip to Bangkok would be a more viable prospect.

As for the elderly and infirm, I am sure that with medical certification a third party would be permitted to apply for the visa extensions on the applicants behalf.

Great, the sooner the better.

[ubonjoe]

Sounds like another rumour picked up from a guy in a bar.

But nevertheless if were to become fact I would welcome this with open arms. If travelling to Bangkok once per year would mean no more of the lottery scenario of obtaining an appointment slot or paying extortionate fees to agents, than an annual trip to Bangkok would be a more viable prospect.

As for the elderly and infirm, I am sure that with medical certification a third party would be permitted to apply for the visa extensions on the applicants behalf.

Great, the sooner the better.

You need to read my post just before yours.

[Beetlejuice]

Sounds like another rumour picked up from a guy in a bar.

But nevertheless if were to become fact I would welcome this with open arms. If travelling to Bangkok once per year would mean no more of the lottery scenario of obtaining an appointment slot or paying extortionate fees to agents, than an annual trip to Bangkok would be a more viable prospect.

As for the elderly and infirm, I am sure that with medical certification a third party would be permitted to apply for the visa extensions on the applicants behalf.

Great, the sooner the better.

You need to read my post just before yours.

I understood your post, my point being that if all the non O visa processes were moved to Bangkok, I would welcome it rather than having to face the hassle and stress of having to deal with Chiang Mai Immigration each year. Sorry, my fault for not making myself clear, plus getting a bit confused.

I also think that if Chiang Mai has begun off loading some of it`s business to Bangkok or anywhere else, must be of benefit to us long term residents here, giving us better odds of obtaining appointment slots. So for me this is good news.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Beetlejuice

[ubonjoe]

Doing the conversions to a non immigrant visa was not that big a workload for CM immigration alone. I think the problem was that division 5 headquarters having to do the approvals was the problem. They did not want the additional workload after Bangkok headquarters changed the requirements to where they had to do the approval.

[Beetlejuice]

Doing the conversions to a non immigrant visa was not that big a workload for CM immigration alone. I think the problem was that division 5 headquarters having to do the approvals was the problem. They did not want the additional workload after Bangkok headquarters changed the requirements to where they had to do the approval.

I applied for my first non Immigrant O visa extension based on married to a Thai in Chiang Mai 30 odd years ago. If I can remember rightly I think the amount required in a Thai bank was 80000 baht at the time, still considered a lot of money back then.

The visa application or extension fee was 500 baht. I submitted my visa extension application that had to be sent to Bangkok for approval, which was the procedure and was told to report to Immigration once a month until my application was either accepted or refused. Each month I reported to Immigration they stamped the pages in my passport and in no time my passport pages were soon filled.

Then once the 12 months prior to my application had run it`s course, I had to visit Immigration again to apply for my next visa extension but during that time I had not received a yaa or a naa regarding my first application from Bangkok yet. It took 20 months before Chiang Mai Immigration finally heard from Bangkok and I was able to receive my up to date stamp passport visa stamps. The situation did not improve until the mid 1990s when Chiang Mai were given more independence from Bangkok.

I think Bangkok has always been a thorn in the side for Chiang Mai Immigration and believe that the present situation is due to that Bangkok still insist on maintaining the final word and holding the overall authority over all the country`s Immigration departments.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Beetlejuice

[TerryLH]

"...and believe that the present situation is due to that Bangkok still insist on maintaining the final word and holding the overall authority over all the country`s Immigration departments."

If not them, who?

[Alan Hall]

"...and believe that the present situation is due to that Bangkok still insist on maintaining the final word and holding the overall authority over all the country`s Immigration departments."

If not them, who?

Any immigration officer should be able to apply the rules is that difficult to understand?

[mikey88]

Wrong I would say...

I was there the other day...

[Suradit69]

I know that's not the official definition of what this thing is called, but you know what I mean.

But that's the problem when you use the wrong term ... things get confused and the supposed rumor has nothing to do with visas or extensions of stay and is something already discussed in other threads regarding the conversion process.

What you get each year is an extension of stay, not a visa. And what your acquaintance was trying to get was conversion to a non-imm O, not a visa or an extension of stay (although the first step in eventually getting an extension of stay).

[Frank James]

I know that's not the official definition of what this thing is called, but you know what I mean.

But that's the problem when you use the wrong term ... things get confused and the supposed rumor has nothing to do with visas or extensions of stay and is something already discussed in other threads regarding the conversion process.

What you get each year is an extension of stay, not a visa. And what your acquaintance was trying to get was conversion to a non-imm O, not a visa or an extension of stay (although the first step in eventually getting an extension of stay).

I knew there would be at least one person on here who would set me straight on what I was trying (feebly) to express. The Wisdom on here is humbling, massive, overpowering, especially so in in this last troubled year.

[khwaibah]

I know that's not the official definition of what this thing is called, but you know what I mean.

But that's the problem when you use the wrong term ... things get confused and the supposed rumor has nothing to do with visas or extensions of stay and is something already discussed in other threads regarding the conversion process.

What you get each year is an extension of stay, not a visa. And what your acquaintance was trying to get was conversion to a non-imm O, not a visa or an extension of stay (although the first step in eventually getting an extension of stay).

Real close but the single entry 90 day O-Visa is a visa. This is one of the few visa that can be obtained inside Thailand. Now available only from Bangkok immigration or you have to leave the country to obtain it for the two part step for retirement extension.

Edited January 18, 2015 by khwaibah

[NancyL]

It's my understanding that someone can obtain a retirement extension at every Immigration office in Thailand. That's why it's insane to see Beetlejuice advocating for the many retirees in Chiang Mai to have to journey to Bangkok annually to obtain their extensions. Unless, of course, he has some other basis for his permission to stay -- like maybe marriage -- and simply want to clear out the overcrowded CM Immigration office for his own use.

[bigt116]

Doing the conversions to a non immigrant visa was not that big a workload for CM immigration alone. I think the problem was that division 5 headquarters having to do the approvals was the problem. They did not want the additional workload after Bangkok headquarters changed the requirements to where they had to do the approval.

I applied for my first non Immigrant O visa extension based on married to a Thai in Chiang Mai 30 odd years ago. If I can remember rightly I think the amount required in a Thai bank was 80000 baht at the time, still considered a lot of money back then.

The visa application or extension fee was 500 baht. I submitted my visa extension application that had to be sent to Bangkok for approval, which was the procedure and was told to report to Immigration once a month until my application was either accepted or refused. Each month I reported to Immigration they stamped the pages in my passport and in no time my passport pages were soon filled.

Then once the 12 months prior to my application had run it`s course, I had to visit Immigration again to apply for my next visa extension but during that time I had not received a yaa or a naa regarding my first application from Bangkok yet. It took 20 months before Chiang Mai Immigration finally heard from Bangkok and I was able to receive my up to date stamp passport visa stamps. The situation did not improve until the mid 1990s when Chiang Mai were given more independence from Bangkok.

I think Bangkok has always been a thorn in the side for Chiang Mai Immigration and believe that the present situation is due to that Bangkok still insist on maintaining the final word and holding the overall authority over all the country`s Immigration departments.

As there is no current substance in your post, one can only assume that you used it to tell us mere mortals how long you have been in Thailand ?