Hi,

Got a one year retirement visa based on income and from a Tai Consulate in a European country. Every 90 days I have to leave the country. On some post I read I could turn this one year visa into a two year visa if I play it clever. Now my question:

How do I do that exactly?

Thank you.

You cannot.

Do a border run just before the Visa expires and you will get another 90 days.

Not sure what visa you have.

It appears you have a multiple entry non-o visa that only allows 90 day entries for a year that you got for being 50 years old or older. You can only stretch that to about 15 months of total stay by doing an entry on or before the enter before date on your visa.

A non-oa visa allows one year entries and can be stretched to 2 years.

You could apply for a one extension of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of any the 90 day entries. You would need to have 800k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the the 2 totaling 800k baht.

On some post I read I could turn this one year visa into a two year visa if I play it clever.

As ubonjoe already states: you have probably overlooked that this post was about a Non O-A visa.

More expensive, more effort and preconditions to get one than for a standard Non O and unknown/unnoticed to many.

No need for border runs every 90 days (only 90 day report at immigration office).

Continuous stay for one year allowed per entry.

With just one more entry (border run) shortly before expiry date of visa (ENTER BEFORE) indeed almost two years out of one Non O-A.

Also: Non O-A not issued in every country and only by Thai (general) consulates, not by honorary consulates.

Edited March 6, 201610 yr by KhunBENQ

On some post I read I could turn this one year visa into a two year visa if I play it clever.

That's a non-imm O-A visa.

You have a non-imm O visa.

One more example of confusion caused by speaking of a "retirement visa." There is no such thing, but the one that comes closest to being a retirement visa is the O-A.

Why would anyone prefer to do a border run rather than pay the 1900baht for a further year extension based on retirement? Must be less convenient than popping over to Jomtien surely. Perhaps it is to avoid to 800,000 baht requirement. Or am I missing something.

Den

Why would anyone prefer to do a border run rather than pay the 1900baht for a further year extension based on retirement? Must be less convenient than popping over to Jomtien surely. Perhaps it is to avoid to 800,000 baht requirement. Or am I missing something.

Den

Some like to travel frequently, so they never spend more than 90 days at a time in Thailand anyway.

No hassle with documents, or local Immigration offices, come and go as they please for 12 months.

I'm with Denby. As Faz suggests many like to travel. Personally I out of Los every couple of weeks. However its far less Hassel to obtain 12 month extensions and pay for reentry permit at airport. Perhaps the chap obtains the non O at consulate where he does not need to provide bank account. Seems very different approach. Must love immigration offices.

Why would anyone prefer to do a border run rather than pay the 1900baht for a further year extension based on retirement? Must be less convenient than popping over to Jomtien surely. Perhaps it is to avoid to 800,000 baht requirement. Or am I missing something.

Den

Some like to travel frequently, so they never spend more than 90 days at a time in Thailand anyway.

No hassle with documents, or local Immigration offices, come and go as they please for 12 months.

Frankly, if I had the Elite Visa there is a good chance that for a year or more I would do the leave before 90 day thing and thereby avoid having to do the 90 day reporting, especially since they seem to be requiring in some places more residence documents, like leases, yellow books, letter from landlord etc. And that seems in many cases to have led to issues with getting such things from the Hotel or condo, similar to places I have rented for more than one month in the past. If there were places I wanted to travel to while in SE Asia, it seems easy and simple enough to plan my trip around the 90 reporting times and kill two birds with one stone