The difference a day makes

[Somnambulist]

Screwed up. My marriage visa said use by 26 May, 2016 but I didn't look at that. Instead, I very carelessly just looked at the date on my arrival card at it said 27 May, 2016. When I arrived at the border at Mae Sai they pointed out my error and gave me 30 days instead of the 90 I would have had if I'd gone a day sooner. And of course the marriage visa is history. (The marriage is history as well) Could you kindly take a look at what they gave me and tell me what I need to do to get a retirement visa? I assume this means another trip out of the country, if so I hope Hong Kong or KL will do; I don't fancy a long bus ride to Vientiane.

Edit: I already have a notarized income statement from the American Embassy but it is several months old. Still OK?

Edited May 27, 2016 by Somnambulist

[NongMalee]

Firstly there is no marriage visa.

You currently have a 30 day visa exemption.

You don't have a Visa.

Are you looking to obtain a 1 year extension of stay or a multiple entry non O visa giving 90 day stays ?

Edited May 27, 2016 by NongMalee

[johnatong]

There is no "retirement visa"

If you want to remain in Thailand as a retiree you must first obtain a Non imm "O" visa based on being aged 50 +. You will have to evidence 800K Bht in a Thai bank or a certified monthly income of 65k Bht to get the visa.

An "extension of stay based on retirement" (it is not a visa) can then be applied for during the last 30 days of the 90 the visa will allow.

The best places to apply for the visa would be Penang or Vientiane.

[wpcoe]

Sometimes it's hard to keep up with changes, but I think you can still change a 30-day visa-exempt stamp to a 90-day Non-Immigrant O Visa in Bangkok. A few places, Cholburi (Jomtien) Immigrations being one, will accept your paperwork and forward it to Bangkok for you. Other places you need to make two trips to Bangkok to accomplish the change.

Once you have the 90-day Non-Immigrant O Visa, you apply for a one-year retirement extension in the last 30 days (45 at some locations) of the permission to say.

If you go this route and use the B800k savings qualification, the money need not be in the account 60 days when you apply for the 90-day visa, but it must be in the account 60 days when you apply for the extension. ISTR that for the 90-day visa you used to need to show that the money was transferred from overseas -- not sure if that's still the case?

Or, as mentioned above, you can get a Non-Immigrant O Visa at in a nearby country.

[luke000]

And you were very fortunate to get a VES at Maesai .

They normally dont let you leave Thailand unless you have a Visa to come back on

[ubonjoe]

If you are living in Chiang Mai you could convert your visa exempt entry to a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at immigration if you do it before the you have 15 days remaining on your entry. Then apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of that entry.

If you are not in CM you could do the conversion in Bangkok but it would take two trips to get the visa/entry stamps 15 days apart.

If you cannot do the conversion your best option would be to go to Vientiane for a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over. KL will not do one. Hong Kong might do one.

Immigration will accept a income letter that is up to 6 months.

You could of already applied for the extension. You could of done it during the last 30 days of any of the 90 entries you got from your visa. You do not have to wait for the visa to expire.

[giddyup]

There is no "retirement visa"

If you want to remain in Thailand as a retiree you must first obtain a Non imm "O" visa based on being aged 50 +. You will have to evidence 800K Bht in a Thai bank or a certified monthly income of 65k Bht to get the visa.

An "extension of stay based on retirement" (it is not a visa) can then be applied for during the last 30 days of the 90 the visa will allow.

The best places to apply for the visa would be Penang or Vientiane.

If there is no retirement visa why do immigration stamp Retirement in big letters across it?

[ubonjoe]

There is no "retirement visa"

If you want to remain in Thailand as a retiree you must first obtain a Non imm "O" visa based on being aged 50 +. You will have to evidence 800K Bht in a Thai bank or a certified monthly income of 65k Bht to get the visa.

An "extension of stay based on retirement" (it is not a visa) can then be applied for during the last 30 days of the 90 the visa will allow.

The best places to apply for the visa would be Penang or Vientiane.

If there is no retirement visa why do immigration stamp Retirement in big letters across it?

Could you please post a copy of a visa sticker that has retirement stamped on it.

They do stamp retirement above extension of stay stamps to show the basis for which it was issued. Same for the non immigrant visa immigration will issue.

[IMA_FARANG]

There is no "retirement visa"

If you want to remain in Thailand as a retiree you must first obtain a Non imm "O" visa based on being aged 50 +. You will have to evidence 800K Bht in a Thai bank or a certified monthly income of 65k Bht to get the visa.

An "extension of stay based on retirement" (it is not a visa) can then be applied for during the last 30 days of the 90 the visa will allow.

The best places to apply for the visa would be Penang or Vientiane.

If there is no retirement visa why do immigration stamp Retirement in big letters across it?

Because it is a one year annual extension of stay based on RETIREMENT.....and that is why it is labeled that way.

i have had 3 of them.

[Somnambulist]

If you are living in Chiang Mai you could convert your visa exempt entry to a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at immigration if you do it before the you have 15 days remaining on your entry. Then apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of that entry.

If you are not in CM you could do the conversion in Bangkok but it would take two trips to get the visa/entry stamps 15 days apart.

If you cannot do the conversion your best option would be to go to Vientiane for a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over. KL will not do one. Hong Kong might do one.

Immigration will accept a income letter that is up to 6 months.

You could of already applied for the extension. You could of done it during the last 30 days of any of the 90 entries you got from your visa. You do not have to wait for the visa to expire.

Well, I will certainly try to get it done in CM since I live here. I had no idea that was possible. I'll let you know how it goes. People told me months ago I should go ahead and get it changed but I stubbornly wanted to get my money's worth on the Non-O/marriage. Any idea if that would be Promenada or airport office?

Edited May 28, 2016 by Somnambulist

[giddyup]

There is no "retirement visa"

If you want to remain in Thailand as a retiree you must first obtain a Non imm "O" visa based on being aged 50 +. You will have to evidence 800K Bht in a Thai bank or a certified monthly income of 65k Bht to get the visa.

An "extension of stay based on retirement" (it is not a visa) can then be applied for during the last 30 days of the 90 the visa will allow.

The best places to apply for the visa would be Penang or Vientiane.

If there is no retirement visa why do immigration stamp Retirement in big letters across it?

Because it is a one year annual extension of stay based on RETIREMENT.....and that is why it is labeled that way.

i have had 3 of them.

Whether correct or not, it is commonly known as a Retirement Visa, I have never heard a falang call it anything else. I have had 6 of them.

Edited May 28, 2016 by ubonjoe

[Eclipse]

Whether correct or not, it is commonly known as a Retirement Visa, I have never heard a falang call it anything else. I have had 6 of them.

Does not make it right though.

Causes so much confusion here when people use the wrong terms.

Usually leads to members being given the wrong advise.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Eclipse

[ubonjoe]

If you are living in Chiang Mai you could convert your visa exempt entry to a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at immigration if you do it before the you have 15 days remaining on your entry. Then apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of that entry.

If you are not in CM you could do the conversion in Bangkok but it would take two trips to get the visa/entry stamps 15 days apart.

If you cannot do the conversion your best option would be to go to Vientiane for a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over. KL will not do one. Hong Kong might do one.

Immigration will accept a income letter that is up to 6 months.

You could of already applied for the extension. You could of done it during the last 30 days of any of the 90 entries you got from your visa. You do not have to wait for the visa to expire.

Well, I will certainly try to get it done in CM since I live here. I had no idea that was possible. I'll let you know how it goes. People told me months ago I should go ahead and get it changed but I stubbornly wanted to get my money's worth on the Non-O/marriage. Any idea if that would be Promenada or airport office?

I see you have done a post on the Chiang Mai forum asking about the conversion.

If I recall correctly they do the conversion at the airport office. You will a have a wait of about 2 weeks between applying for the visa and getting the visa and entry stamps.

[Somnambulist]

If you are living in Chiang Mai you could convert your visa exempt entry to a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at immigration if you do it before the you have 15 days remaining on your entry. Then apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of that entry.

If you are not in CM you could do the conversion in Bangkok but it would take two trips to get the visa/entry stamps 15 days apart.

If you cannot do the conversion your best option would be to go to Vientiane for a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over. KL will not do one. Hong Kong might do one.

Immigration will accept a income letter that is up to 6 months.

You could of already applied for the extension. You could of done it during the last 30 days of any of the 90 entries you got from your visa. You do not have to wait for the visa to expire.

Well, I will certainly try to get it done in CM since I live here. I had no idea that was possible. I'll let you know how it goes. People told me months ago I should go ahead and get it changed but I stubbornly wanted to get my money's worth on the Non-O/marriage. Any idea if that would be Promenada or airport office?

I see you have done a post on the Chiang Mai forum asking about the conversion.

If I recall correctly they do the conversion at the airport office. You will a have a wait of about 2 weeks between applying for the visa and getting the visa and entry stamps.

Wow, you know everything. Not being sarcastic at all. Thank you. Airport -- that's very good news, much better than Promenada from what I here. I'll go next week, no more waiting around.

[giddyup]

Whether correct or not, it is commonly known as a Retirement Visa, I have never heard a falang call it anything else. I have had 6 of them.

Does not make it right though.

Causes so much confusion here when people use the wrong terms.

Usually leads to members being given the wrong advise.

Didn't I say "whether correct or not"? If you call it a Retirement visa everyone knows what you're talking about, so no confusion.

[ubonjoe]

Whether correct or not, it is commonly known as a Retirement Visa, I have never heard a falang call it anything else. I have had 6 of them.

Does not make it right though.

Causes so much confusion here when people use the wrong terms.

Usually leads to members being given the wrong advise.

Didn't I say "whether correct or not"? If you call it a Retirement visa everyone knows what you're talking about, so no confusion.

The problem is that people call a real visa a visa or the permit to stay they get on entry a visa or an extension of stay a visa. Sometimes I have no idea what people are writing about.

[Somnambulist]

I plead forgetful. I simply cannot remember the proper terminology because I only need to know it once a year. I appreciate being corrected because I need to know the proper terminology. But it's when posters correct my terminology but don't answer my questions I wonder what their motives are. Tone matters, too. It must be frustrating to deal with us forgetful old farts but please be aware of how easy it is to sound like a pedant even when you are just trying to help. Just look at how UbonJoe deals with posters like me. As soon as he knows what the hell I am talking about he justs gives me the info I need.

[Suradit69]

There is no "retirement visa"

If you want to remain in Thailand as a retiree you must first obtain a Non imm "O" visa based on being aged 50 +. You will have to evidence 800K Bht in a Thai bank or a certified monthly income of 65k Bht to get the visa.

An "extension of stay based on retirement" (it is not a visa) can then be applied for during the last 30 days of the 90 the visa will allow.

The best places to apply for the visa would be Penang or Vientiane.

If there is no retirement visa why do immigration stamp Retirement in big letters across it?

Because it is a one year annual extension of stay based on RETIREMENT.....and that is why it is labeled that way.

i have had 3 of them.

Whether correct or not, it is commonly known as a Retirement Visa, I have never heard a falang call it anything else. I have had 6 of them.

Plenty of farang posting on TV use the correct terms and people asking questions about procedure in these forums need to understand the distinction between a visa and an extension because there are important differences in what you can or cannot do with one or the other.

A visa allows you to cross a border into Thailand. If you have only an extension of stay, you cannot use it to leave and return, which is why you need a re-entry permit.

Some people refer to a non-imm O-A visa as a retirement visa. Not exactly correct, but at least it is a visa. An extension of stay based on retirement is not a visa.

[Suradit69]

Whether correct or not, it is commonly known as a Retirement Visa, I have never heard a falang call it anything else. I have had 6 of them.

Does not make it right though.

Causes so much confusion here when people use the wrong terms.

Usually leads to members being given the wrong advise.

Didn't I say "whether correct or not"? If you call it a Retirement visa everyone knows what you're talking about, so no confusion.

Obviously, based on this thread alone (and many others as well) it does cause confusion. Everyone doesn't know what one is talking about or it wouldn't be an issue.

There have been cases where someone assumed he possessed a retirement visa, left the country, returned and found himself with a 30 day visa exempt entry because ... surprise, surprise ... his "retirement visa" wasn't a visa at all.

[happynthailand]

ok here a copy with "Retirement" stamped on it

CCF05282016.pdf

[Somnambulist]

Thank you Suradit. That is a great explanation. Knowing the reason behind it will make it easier to remember.

[ubonjoe]

ok here a copy with "Retirement" stamped on it

CCF05282016.pdf

[Lee4Life]

But first thing....

Does everyone constantly have to point out " there is no retirement visa" or "there is no marriage visa"?

Many of us know it is not technically called a retirement visa or marriage visa, but that's what it is still commonly called. I have even seen it called that on Thai consulate and embassy websites.

you guys know what people are talking about, and what they mean.

[Aussie69]

I realise the answers to below are abundant in the forums, but can you please clarify that i have sequence correct.

You must obtain your 90 day Non-Imm O visa outside of Thailand - yes?

So i must get my visa in Australia (submit all the medical, police checks etc) then they issue me with a 90 day visa - and the clock starts ticking from the date of issue - yes?

I then travel to Thailand, and within that time I must establish my Thai bank account, deposit at least 800k, and do it fairly quickly as I must have proof it has been in there for a couple of months before my extension application - yes?

This means that i must have established my residence first up (incl making sure TM30 submitted by landlord) as I need an address to get a bank account - yes?

Then, I must go (with all the required docs) at least a week before visa expiry to apply for my 12 month extension.

Thereafter, 90 day reporting.

Wash, rinse, repeat ...

Edited May 28, 2016 by Aussie69

[ubonjoe]

I realise the answers to below are abundant in the forums, but can you please clarify that i have sequence correct.

You must obtain your 90 day Non-Imm O visa outside of Thailand - yes?

So i must get my visa in Australia (submit all the medical, police checks etc) then they issue me with a 90 day visa - and the clock starts ticking from the date of issue - yes?

I then travel to Thailand, and within that time I must establish my Thai bank account, deposit at least 800k, and do it fairly quickly as I must have proof it has been in there for a couple of months before my extension application - yes?

This means that i must have established my residence first up (incl making sure TM30 submitted by landlord) as I need an address to get a bank account - yes?

Then, I must go (with all the required docs) at least a week before visa expiry to apply for my 12 month extension.

Thereafter, 90 day reporting.

Wash, rinse, repeat ...

You don't absolutely have to have a non-o visa before entering the country. Dependent upon where you live you can do a conversion to a non immigrant visa at immigration from a visa exempt or tourist visa entry.

A medical certificate and etc is not needed to obtain a non-o visa. That is for applying for a non-oa visa that is a multiple entry visa that allows unlimited one year entries for a year from the date it is issued.

A visas validity period (3 months for a single entry non-o) starts from the date it is issued the 90 day entry it allows starts from the date you enter the country.

You would have about 30 days to open the bank account and deposit the 800k baht. You would need proof of residence to apply for the extension. It does not have to be a permanent arrangement to provide the proof a month to month rental agreement would be accepted. Not all offices will ask for the TM30.

You can apply for the extension on the last day of your 90 day entry if need be. The is no one week minimum requirement.

[hobobo]

ok here a copy with "Retirement" stamped on it

[attachment=382348:CCF05282016.pdf

Where is it? I can't see it? Don't tell me I got bloody cataracts again.....

[ubonjoe]

ok here a copy with "Retirement" stamped on it

[attachment=382348:CCF05282016.pdf

Where is it? I can't see it? Don't tell me I got bloody cataracts again.....

Some how the file link got broken. It is fixed now. Just clink to download it.

[Aussie69]

Thank you

Edited May 28, 2016 by Aussie69

[DrDave]

If there is no retirement visa why do immigration stamp Retirement in big letters across it?

Could you please post a copy of a visa sticker that has retirement stamped on it.

They do stamp retirement above extension of stay stamps to show the basis for which it was issued. Same for the non immigrant visa immigration will issue.

When my Non-OA visa was issued by the Los Angeles consulate in 2006, it was noted as being for "retirement" (in Thai language) with a rubber stamp. At the time, I asked one of my Thai friends in the US what the stamp said, and he just laughed and told me it means the visa is for retirement, but that the literal translation is: "he is coming to Thailand to end his life".

Attached is a scan of the visa with "retirement" stamp in Thai script above the visa stamp.

[Aussie69]

When my Non-OA visa was issued by the Los Angeles consulate in 2006, it was noted as being for "retirement" (in Thai language) with a rubber stamp. At the time, I asked one of my Thai friends in the US what the stamp said, and he just laughed and told me it means the visa is for retirement, but that the literal translation is: "he is coming to Thailand to end his life".

I was going to say thats funny; but unfortunately too often the case for some.