Changing Tourist Visa To Retirement Visa

[dmerchent]

My husband and I just got back from Immigration here in Chiangmai...we had all of our paperwork, in triplicate, pictures, copies, bank letter showing over 800,000 bht, bank book...copies, marriage certificate (notarized by the conuslate)..everything we could possibly think of.

We wanted to change our recent tourist visa that we got in Penang Sept. 30 to a Retirement visa..we understood that you could change/convert within 21 days of the extension expiring.

Anyway the gentleman at the desk just took one look at our Passport Visa page nothing else and said...sorry you must have a Non-Imm visa to get apply for a retirement visa.

We said we understood that we could change/convert to a Retirement visa with evidence of income and showed him our bank info with the transfer of money from our US bank...and then he went into how we would both have to have bank books in each of our own names with 800,000 each...I know this is totally wrong, it says on the immigration and embassy page that you just have to provide proof of marriage to cover the 800,000 for both.

Just to clarify...we are in our 50's... dressed respectfully..no "attitude", lots of smiles, no disagreements. It was a one second look at the type of visa and "not possible".

Does anyone have something we could show them...(something official hopefully)...that we can apply within Thailand to change from a Tourist Visa to a Retirement Visa? On the Immigration website it has the Retirement Visa listed under "Change Visa" but I don't think that is going to do it for them.

Is Chiangmai just such a smaller town that they don't have all of the information? Should we go down to Bangkok and take care of it there? Has anyone changed from a Tourist Visa to Retirement in Bangkok?

Any help, information, links would be greatly appreciated...

[Casanundra]

They are right because you came in on a tourist visa.

You should have come in on a Non-Immigration O visa for 90 days first and then converted it to a retirement visa which would have been more plausible and acceptable.

Looks like a trip to Penang or Singapore may be in order for you guys.

[lopburi3]

It was just Bangkok that did visa change a few months ago, and the rule is more than 21 days remaining (which I believe you have) so not sure if Chiang Mai will do them. I would come to Bangkok or talk with sponsor Sunbelt who I believe have an office up there. The retirement extension of stay will only be for one person and the other will have dependent status. Only one 800k will be required in that case; but if you asked for retirement for both they would have had to have 800k each to issue.

[Maestro]

They are right because you came in on a tourist visa.

You should have come in on a Non-Immigration O visa for 90 days first and then converted it to a retirement visa which would have been more plausible and acceptable.

Casanundra, I am afraid both you and the Chiangmai officials are wrong.

Another thread of today gives indication that the Chiangmai immigration officials do not know the regulations correctly or refuse to apply them correctly.

An applicant meeting the requirements for extension of stay for his category has always been allowed to apply for a change tourist visa to non-O visa, and the new rules have not changed this.

Dmerchent, your problem now is that no government official likes to be proven that he is wrong. Some posters have reported that they received correct treatment by going to another officer at the same office on another day, some others by requesting to speak to a superior officer.

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Maestro

P.S. The Immigration website (http://immigration.co.th) is still down today, otherwise you could look the phone number of the Bangkok head office and talk to them, Perhaps they would help you by explaining the rules to their Chiangmai colleagues.

Edited to ad postscript

Edited October 19, 2006 by maestro

[lopburi3]

The immigration web site is http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php

and is up. But it does not display properly with Firefox for final popups of regulations so you may have to use IE to read the rules.

[dmerchent]

Thanks for the reply's and info...I tried to call immigration during office hours...022873101-01 ext 2237....I got some plangy music and then beep//beep//beep// disconnect. A couple of times so that seems down.. maybe tomorrow.

Like maestro said..my husband sugests going in tomorrow and sitting back and looking for another official to sit at the window... maybe better luck...or heading to Bangkok... it is sad that it has to be so difficult, when you just want to stay for a bit and contribute to the economy. D

[Maestro]

...and then he went into how we would both have to have bank books in each of our own names with 800,000 each...I know this is totally wrong, it says on the immigration and embassy page that you just have to provide proof of marriage to cover the 800,000 for both.

This particular aspect is covered by paragraph 7.19 of Police Order 606/2006. No requirement of 800K – or any amount – in an account of the foreign wife of a foreigner who has an extension of stay for retirement.

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Maestro