Getting a retirement visa or extension at Jomthien Immigation

[maphraw]

Yesterday I went to Jomthien Immigration with my documents for the retirement visa and was met at the entrance by a young novice who glanced at my documents, gave me a number and told me to proceed to desk 8. I sat down and an elderly European man asked to look at my passport and documents and then gave them to a young Thai man out of uniform sitting outside of the desk who went through the copy of my passport with a fine tooth comb highlighting certain dates. He then told me to go to the back and give my passport and my document from the the Labor Department which showed that my permit had been cancelled to a stern looking woman behind a desk. She stamped and signed and stamped again my visa and signed and stamped it again. My visa was then cancelled and she then signed and stamped my work permit document. My existing visa had to cancelled because I no longer had a work permit. She then handed my passport to another woman who examined my passport and then signed it and returned the documents to the young Thai man at desk 8. He then looked carefully at my letter from the US Embassy which shows I have sufficient funds to support myself. He then asked me for proof of address. Might be a big problem I thought since I don't have a rental agreement or an electricity bill with my address on it. I showed him a statement from Siam Commercial Bank. Not good enough he said. He then asked me if I had a Thai drivers licence and I said I did and I just so happened to have made a copy of my drivers licence that morning. He looked at it, asked me to sign it. He then handed everything to an official behind the desk and gave me a number and told me to pick up my passport with my retirement visa today at 2;pm

Documents need:

1 copy of passport

Letter from US Embassy

Original work permit document from Labour Department

Copy of drivers licence

Time: 15 minutes.

[glegolo]

You did NOT get a VISA there my friend. You got an extension of stay based on retirement BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

But otherwise smooth handling..

Great considering you didnt have to pay 1.900 baht or even fill in the TM 7 form...

Glegolo

[maphraw]

Sorry. I didn't mention that I had to fill in a TM.7.and pay 1,900 Baht. I think everyone must fill in one of these no matter what kind of extended stay. And I failed to mention that I had to pick up my passport and extension the next day. Sorry about leaving these details out. And the letter from the US Embassy was $1,700.

[nowretired]

Sorry. I didn't mention that I had to fill in a TM.7.and pay 1,900 Baht. I think everyone must fill in one of these no matter what kind of extended stay. And I failed to mention that I had to pick up my passport and extension the next day. Sorry about leaving these details out. And the letter from the US Embassy was $1,700.

WOW !

$1,700 for a letter ?

Those Americans sure know how to make money !

[ubonjoe]

I think the $1700 was typo. It is currently 1650 baht or $50.

[OJAS]

Sorry. I didn't mention that I had to fill in a TM.7.and pay 1,900 Baht. I think everyone must fill in one of these no matter what kind of extended stay. And I failed to mention that I had to pick up my passport and extension the next day. Sorry about leaving these details out. And the letter from the US Embassy was $1,700.

WOW !

$1,700 for a letter ?

Those Americans sure know how to make money !

Not as much as those Brits - whose Embassy income letters cost 2,440 THB!

But you do get a full page letter for that price - as I assume Americans do as well. It has always been a source of considerable mystery to me as to why those who moan about the cost of an Embassy letter never seem to complain in equal measure about the 1,900 THB they are expected to shell out for a measly half-page extension stamp in their passports!.

[nowretired]

Sorry. I didn't mention that I had to fill in a TM.7.and pay 1,900 Baht. I think everyone must fill in one of these no matter what kind of extended stay. And I failed to mention that I had to pick up my passport and extension the next day. Sorry about leaving these details out. And the letter from the US Embassy was $1,700.

WOW !

$1,700 for a letter ?

Those Americans sure know how to make money !

Not as much as those Brits - whose Embassy income letters cost 2,440 THB!

But you do get a full page letter for that price - as I assume Americans do as well. It has always been a source of considerable mystery to me as to why those who moan about the cost of an Embassy letter never seem to complain in equal measure about the 1,900 THB they are expected to shell out for a measly half-page extension stamp in their passports!.

$1,700 = 56100 Bht

Seems the Brits are being let off lightly as 2440 Bht equates to approx $73 !

[maphraw]

Sorry about the typo, the letter from the US Embassy was 1,700Baht.

By the way, my retirement extension does not say "prohibited from working", It merely states that I am required to do my 90 days and if I leave the country and want to come back I need to get an exit re-entry visa. This is not to say that I think I am alowed to work. I am just telling you what the extension in my passport says. I remember reading somewhere on this forum that it is up to the Labor Department as to weather one can work on a retirement extension, not Immigration. But I find that hard to believe. Anyone know anything about this?

[ubonjoe]

Most Labor Ministry work permit offices will not even accept a work permit application if you are on an extension based upon retirement . If by chance they did and issued one immigration would have no concern in the matter..