From Non-Immigrant B visa to Extension of stay based on retirement

[Bundooman]

If I have used the wrong forum, or I have used the wrong fonts - I apologise - this is my first post. (I'm not sure if my paragraphs will have a space either) Feel free to move it if necessary.!

I am over 50 years old and I am about to retire from my teaching job here in Chiang Mai within the next 5 weeks, mid to late March. Having lived in Thailand for many years, I decided to get organized early, find out exactly what I need to do to make the transition from non-Immigrant B visa to extension of stay based upon retirement, run smoothly.

I’m not very knowledgeable at these matters as my good fortune has always been to have my visa and work permit renewed by having a Thai representative from my school accompany me to CM Immigration where things have gone relatively smoothly all these years.

I asked the same very helpful lady from school to ring Immigration on my behalf and establish how soon before my visa expires, could I go to Immigration to change from non-B to retirement. A simple request.

This is also quite important as I will now need to obtain proof of income from the British Consulate in Bangkok, now that Chiang Mai have discontinued this service. As I understand it, the process takes about 10-15 days to complete and the letter I receive, costing 2,500฿, is only valid for one month. Therefore, I need to get this letter to arrive at a suitable date so that it remains valid throughout the changeover process.

I think that at this point, I need to state that my preferred intention is to move to Surin, possibly in late April/early May. My current rental agreement expires at the end of April and I have a new rental agreement in hand for Surin.

So far so good. However, the information that came back from CM Immigration required me to:

• leave the country on my current Non B visa expiry date, (to Laos or Myanmar for example),
• obtain a non-Immigrant O visa, (which I must say, I thought was the same as extension of stay in Thailand),
• Then, within 3 months, I would be able to change that visa to extension of stay based upon retirement.
• I am single and apparently, this is the process for me, as opposed to a foreigner married to a Thai national who can change direct from the one visa to the other.

Not really wanting to leave the country, I wondered why I was required to go through a 3 visa process. Why not just change visas, one to the other? So I asked that same question at my school. This time someone who knows yet another contact at Immigration offered to go back and talk to Immigration again. The information that came back last Friday was different again.

• Yes, I would need to have my work permit cancelled
• Once that was achieved, I could then apply for an extension to stay!
• But, wait for it – I would have to apply in Surin! (But this implies I can do a straight change of visa). Strange, eh?
• (The first thought that entered my head was that the Immigration at Surin might not actually agree with that advice from CM, thus causing all sorts of new problems, as yet unknown)!

At this stage though, I would now be on overstay, illegally living/travelling in Thailand but unable to move to Surin while I still have another two months in my current rental accommodation, which is also important to me, within my current short term plans.

So, I feel that I should:

• Ensure all my documentation is complete, including anything I think CM Immigration might require, and then:-
• Have my work permit cancelled early at the end of the school term, 9^th March.
• Go to Immigration, refrain from mentioning a change of province, (after all, I am currently and legally, residing in CM), and see what happens.
• At the very least I have almost two weeks to run through any hoops that Immigration wants to put me through.

Therefore, before I commence that course of action, may I ask?

• if anyone has been in a similar situation or can offer me suggestions, sound advice or even quote the Thai regulations, (Chapter and verse?), as to my best course of action?
• The real question is – are there really restrictions/rules regarding moving to a new province as stated?
• Does this have implications for the 90 day reporting procedure? (I refer to a recent thread where the 90 day question actually arose regarding reporting from a different province from the one where the visa was initiated).

I would be very grateful for your considered input.

Thank you.

[metisdead]

Moving to the Visas forum.

[allane]

Some perspective from someone who was in a similar position to yours five years ago:

1. Re the moving question. I was moving from Bangkok to Jomtien, Chonburi, and specifically asked Bangkok, before I started, if this would be OK. They said "no problem". On my first visit to Jomtien after moving, they told me I had to finish in Bangkok. I went back, and filled out some forms with what I (and they) knew to be my now former address.

This part is not strictly related to obtaining a Retirement Visa, but for a brief period, I was also doing 90 Day Notification of Residence reports in both places. The bottom line: Check with Immigration on both ends before proceeding. It was easy for me to travel back and forth Bangkok to Jomtien, but Chiang Mai - Surin is much more arduous.

2. Re the conversion Non-immigrant "B" to Retirement question. This did NOT work for me, though the story is long and complicated. In a few words, someone at my workplace made a mistake, and by the time I found out about it, it was too late. I understand that it is possible if you do the conversion on the very day you quit, and have all of your other paperwork in order at that time.

[paz]

You do not need to leave country. I recommend you do the change of extension at the office you're using now, then when you have your new place you have the landord file a Tm28 and continue doing 90 days notification and subsequent extensions there.

[ubonjoe]

Not sure about Chiang Mai but many offices will not change the reason for an extension of stay (not a visa) based upon working to retirement.

It seems you have already been told that by CM immigration.

I suggest you get you income letter from the UK embassy as soon as possible because immigration will accept them that are up to 6 months old. Info for getting the letter is here. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-obtain-a-pensionincome-letter-for-thai-immigration.

You should cancel your current extension of stay and apply for a 7 day extension to give you time to leave the country to get a visa.

You can get a single entry non-o visa in Vientiane by showing your income letter and attaching a copy of it to the visa application.

Then you could apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry the visa will give you.

You would apply for it a Kap Choeng immigration in Surin.

[paz]

Thanks ubonjoe for correcting me based on the de-facto practices of the offices.

[Bundooman]

Many thanks, Allane, Paz and Ubonjoe -good advice and exactly what I need and was hoping for. Thanks again.

Bundooman