"Abandoning" a retirement visa and applying for a new one

[jacksam]

You have to wait till 50. You do not need to leave los every 90 once you have your extension. You need to a 90 day report . At central immigration for convert you need to show your funds came from abroad. If you wish to exit los you need to obtain a reentry permit. You can also obtain your non o outside thailand. Place like Vientiane. Only mention if that happens to suit your travel plans

[Jingthing]

Does anyone know the current Jomtien policy on conversions?

It's one of these, just not sure which:

-- Will do conversions (probably not but they used to)

-- Will send your application to Bangkok

-- Won't do or send, so must do in Bangkok.

[mlkik]

You have to wait till 50. You do not need to leave los every 90 once you have your extension. You need to a 90 day report . At central immigration for convert you need to show your funds came from abroad. If you wish to exit los you need to obtain a reentry permit. You can also obtain your non o outside thailand. Place like Vientiane. Only mention if that happens to suit your travel plans

I intend on renting out my UK home and moving to Thailand in September. I will be 50 mid March .

[ubonjoe]

Does anyone know the current Jomtien policy on conversions?

It's one of these, just not sure which:

-- Will do conversions (probably not but they used to)

-- Will send your application to Bangkok

-- Won't do or send, so must do in Bangkok.

They accept the application and send them to Bangkok for approval on a regular basis now.

[jacksam]

You have to wait till 50. You do not need to leave los every 90 once you have your extension. You need to a 90 day report . At central immigration for convert you need to show your funds came from abroad. If you wish to exit los you need to obtain a reentry permit. You can also obtain your non o outside thailand. Place like Vientiane. Only mention if that happens to suit your travel plans

I intend on renting out my UK home and moving to Thailand in September. I will be 50 mid March .

Nice play. Good luck. Welcome to thailand

[mlkik]

You have to wait till 50. You do not need to leave los every 90 once you have your extension. You need to a 90 day report . At central immigration for convert you need to show your funds came from abroad. If you wish to exit los you need to obtain a reentry permit. You can also obtain your non o outside thailand. Place like Vientiane. Only mention if that happens to suit your travel plans

I intend on renting out my UK home and moving to Thailand in September. I will be 50 mid March .

Nice play. Good luck. Welcome to thailand

Thanks, I was married to a Thai for 22 years and lived with her in the UK. Now divorced and met someone else it is now time to do what I have been telling people for the last 22 years that I would do.

[Jingthing]

Does anyone know the current Jomtien policy on conversions?

It's one of these, just not sure which:

-- Will do conversions (probably not but they used to)

-- Will send your application to Bangkok

-- Won't do or send, so must do in Bangkok.

They accept the application and send them to Bangkok for approval on a regular basis now.

Thanks. Sometimes its hard to keep current.

[chubby]

OK, wat is "JP" ? japan?

what "service" is free?

......and while on EOStay or on the 2nd year of the O-A, stamped in for 1 year, needing a re-entry permit. the easiest way is to get it at the airport on the way out, or if overland go to Suan Plu and pay ? 1000 baht?

.....another option is to buy a multi-reentry permit, then one musn't get a re-entry permit every time they leave the country ?

My non oa visa wasn't exactly cheap or eaccepted my home country of Australia, especially having to pay a public notary ( fancy solicitor ) to stamp the papers. Now that I have the visa I think it would be cheaper for me to keep it going by providing the letter of income from the embassy here in Thailand and paying immigration for the extension or am I wrong in saying that ?

You are correct. Just do your 12 month extensions. Obtain reentry permit if you need to exit los.
As for the OA up until 12 months ago you could use JP. Service is free. Unaware if this has stopped being accepted

Edited February 5, 2016 by chubby

[TheAppletons]

OK, wat is "JP" ? japan?

what "service" is free?

......and while on EOStay or on the 2nd year of the O-A, stamped in for 1 year, needing a re-entry permit. the easiest way is to get it at the airport on the way out, or if overland go to Suan Plu and pay ? 1000 baht?

.....another option is to buy a multi-reentry permit, then one musn't get a re-entry permit every time they leave the country ?

My non oa visa wasn't exactly cheap or eaccepted my home country of Australia, especially having to pay a public notary ( fancy solicitor ) to stamp the papers. Now that I have the visa I think it would be cheaper for me to keep it going by providing the letter of income from the embassy here in Thailand and paying immigration for the extension or am I wrong in saying that ?

You are correct. Just do your 12 month extensions. Obtain reentry permit if you need to exit los.

As for the OA up until 12 months ago you could use JP. Service is free. Unaware if this has stopped being accepted

Pretty sure JP is short for Justice of the Peace....and I believe the service to which they refer is the notary service.

Yes, you can obtain a re-entry permit at the airport. 1000 thb for a single, 3800 for a multiple.

[chubby]

....or perhaps it is better to get a re-entry in advance and keep it in one's passport to avoid possibly forgetting to get it at airport. in which case, what is easiest way to get the re-entry permits? and possibly buy 2 or 3 ?

[ubonjoe]

....or perhaps it is better to get a re-entry in advance and keep it in one's passport to avoid possibly forgetting to get it at airport. in which case, what is easiest way to get the re-entry permits? and possibly buy 2 or 3 ?

You can get a multiple re-entry permit for a fee of 3800 baht. A single re-entry permit is 1000 baht.

[JimGant]

Just maybe, the information on the website reflected something that was planned but never implemented, ending up on the MFA and embassy websites anyway.

This discussion has been going on for years here on TV. And while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) updates its website periodically, it never corrects the misinformation about being able to get a Non Imm O-A visa by visiting Immigration in Bangkok. And, the Thai Consulates around the world parrot their 'daddy rabbit' MFA by spreading this misinformation. Several reports have even shown up of folks reacting to this misinformation by going to the unnecessary expense of getting medical and police reports with which to get the advertised "O-A" long stay visa in Thailand. I don't recall reported reaction at Immigration, but I suspect they got a shrug (or laugh) and were pointed to the Non Imm O conversion route, with subsequent one-year retirement extension (and no required medical or police reports).

MFA and Immigration are, of course, separate agencies -- each with his own oriental fiefdom mentality to protect. And it doesn't even seem as if they ever sit down and compare notes -- as the MFA website certainly suggests.

But the best explanation I've heard for this misinformation dates back several years -- before Immigration was ever allowed to issue Non Imm visas for the subsequent purpose of a one-year long stay retirement extension. Heretofore, you had to get your Non Imm visa abroad, from an MFA Thai Consulate. But, for some reason MFA then allowed Immigration to issue Non Imm O visas for the purpose of issuing one-year permissions of stay based on retirement eligibility (I somehow believe MFA is reimbursed by Immigration for this handing-over of retirement related Non Imm business).

Anyway, MFA granted Immigration permission to issue Non Imm visas to folks who are retirement eligible, and who enter Thailand legally, e.g., Tourist Visa or visa exempt entry. Thus, the conversion process now in place.

But MFA, who dictates all visa rules, probably assumed Immigration would -- like MFA does -- issue Non Imm O-A visas to retirement eligible applicants, complete with the requirement of medical and police reports. Then, followed by a one-year permission of stay stamp. Nope. Immigration is familiar only with issuing one-year retirement stamps during the last 30 days of a 90 day entry off of a Non Imm O visa. Thus, today's conversion process to a single entry Non Imm O visa, immediately followed by a 90 day permission of stay stamp, plus a "used" stamp over the Non Imm O visa. Then, come back in 60 days to get your one-year stamp based on retirement eligibility.

Kinda ridiculous, you would think -- until you realize Immigration can do the conversion process before one is retirement eligible, i.e, before the 800k in the bank is seasoned for 60 days. Thus, they could not issue an O-A visa for non seasoned folks, which says you are then and there retirement eligible, i.e., the 800k in the bank has been seasoned. So, we see the Non Imm O visa, with the come back in 60 days for the rest of the process.

Early in the conversion game by Immigration (I haven't seen it lately), folks that converted and who were retirement eligible (income letter or seasoned bank account) could get the conversion to a Non Imm O visa -- and the one-year permission of stay stamp -- on the same day. The notation next to that single entry Non Imm conversion visa said "O." But it could have just as easily said "O-A," because the process in this scenario at Immigration is MFA's definition of O-A. (Without, however, medical and police reports -- although Immigration certainly could require those too.) And maybe this is what MFA thinks goes on at Immigration.

Hmmmm.

[JimGant]

Actually it is a combination of a visa type O and a pre approved one year extension of stay on entry (and in the case of multi entry each entry gets a new one year stay). It was normally issued as single entry and users often lost it as they traveled without obtaining re-entry permit so for last few years most are only issued as multi entry option (at the higher price). As originally started it required waiting on immigration approval of the extension portion before being issued by Embassy.

Thanks, Lop, for your historical expertise. Sounds like cooperation between MFA and Immigration was more sold a few years back. And, yeah, certainly a combo of visa and a permission of stay authorizations.

[chubby]

do many people just buy "multi re-entry permits" in order to avoid the hassle of having to deal with reentry permits throughout the year , eg trips to CW or ?Suan Plu

[Eclipse]

do many people just buy "multi re-entry permits" in order to avoid the hassle of having to deal with reentry permits throughout the year , eg trips to CW or ?Suan Plu

Yes a lot do.