Question about visa on arrival

[sultan2011]

HI,

I,m a frequent visitor to Thailand spending approx 6 months of the year there coming and going when I,m not working. I m originally from the UK so I,'ve opted for the easy way and just got a visa on arrival for 30 days for quite some time. I also visit The Philipines and Cambodia whilst I,m in Thailand so my free entries are quite a lot. For quite a while every time I have arrived in Thailand I seemed to get questioned as to what I was doing etc, the one time the immigration guy told me it was because my name was flagged because I was in and out so often,,i said to the guy I didn't,t really see the problem as I own some properties in Thailand and my visits are purely for holidays , I undertake no work whatsoever..Also, there must be many people like me who are frequent visitors.

Then the last time I was arriving back at Don Muang from Phnom Pehn and as normal I got questioned at immigration and the guy said to me "next time get a visa" and explained I was only allowed so many free entries,15 I think he said..this I had never heard of. I tried to explain that where I worked it wasn,t too easy to get a visa but he just interrupted me and said next time make sure you get a visa. So this was the reason I had been getting flagged!..I,m due to Thailand again soon and without a doubt, this time, i shall have a tourist visa...my question is,,after arriving the next time with my visa and all correct,,,will i then go back to normal and not be flagged anymore?..what i,m trying to find out is do you think it necessary for me to get a visa every time or after this next visit will it be ok to go back to getting visa on arrival again for a while? Thanks in advance for any help.

[ubonjoe]

There is no written limit for visa exempt entries (it is not a visa on arrival).

The officer gets an alert when you have six of them. The alert is intended to inform the officer so they review your history to see if your are attempting to live here on them.

Getting a tourist visa would just look better for future entries.

[sultan2011]

There is no written limit for visa exempt entries (it is not a visa on arrival).

The officer gets an alert when you have six of them. The alert is intended to inform the officer so they review your history to see if your are attempting to live here on them.

Getting a tourist visa would just look better for future entries.

Thanks, Joe,

Yes, i meant visa exempt entry. So is that 6 entries in a calendar year,Thai year?, how do they work it out?.. I don,t really understand their way of thinking..if I was living there or attempting to live there I wouldn,t be in and out as often as I am,,So now I am going to get a tourist visa which the rules say I don,t really need as I,m eligible to get a visa exempt stamp,I,ll pay about 120 GBP for a double entry visa, arrive in Thailand, go on a return Philippines trip and that will be the end of the visa.

[Maestro]

Removed an irrelevant post and the replies to it.

[jacksam]

Sultan....there are no double entry tourist visas anymore. If you want to obtain a setv and also travel to other countries in that 60 day period of stay you will need a reentry permit.

You can extend your 60 day by 30.

[JLCrab]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

[sultan2011]

Sultan....there are no double entry tourist visas anymore. If you want to obtain a setv and also travel to other countries in that 60 day period of stay you will need a reentry permit.

You can extend your 60 day by 30.

Hi Jacksam,

Yes sorry, my options seem to be: 3 months single / 6 months double / 6 months multiple. So if I was to obtain a 3-month single entry, I could then go to immigration in Thailand and get a re-entry permit that would allow me to leave and re-enter one time?

[sultan2011]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

[elviajero]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

• If you want an extension of stay based on retirement you need to enter the country with a non immigrant 'O' visa.
• It can be possible to convert a visa exempt/tourist visa entry to a non immigrant entry if you have at least 15 days left of your permit to stay. Not all offices can do this and you might have to use CW (Bangkok). It will require two visits and at the end you will have a non immigrant visa (used) and 90 day permit to stay stamped in your passport.
• Whether you enter with a visa or do a conversion you can apply for the 1 year extension within the last 30 (maybe 45) days of the 90 day stay.

[sultan2011]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

• If you want an extension of stay based on retirement you need to enter the country with a non immigrant 'O' visa.
• It can be possible to convert a visa exempt/tourist visa entry to a non immigrant entry if you have at least 15 days left of your permit to stay. Not all offices can do this and you might have to use CW (Bangkok). It will require two visits and at the end you will have a non immigrant visa (used) and 90 day permit to stay stamped in your passport.
• Whether you enter with a visa or do a conversion you can apply for the 1 year extension within the last 30 (maybe 45) days of the 90 day stay.

Many thanks for the valuable information elviajero.

[jacksam]

Sultan, as your 50, as others have pointed out your best option is non O (based on retirement).

Many threads on the requirements. You can convert say an existing setv at cw.

Another option is to travel outside Thailand and obtain the non o there. Many people recommend Vientiane or Penang. That gives you 90 day permission of stay and within last 30 days or 45 some offices, you apply for your 12 month extension.

As for travel outside los you need a reentry permit. You can obtain at immigratio or airport.

Airport process is a breeze and quick.

You sound like you travel a bit. Note if you wish to exit thailand before you obtain your 12 extension you will need a reentry permit. For example because i fly out every other week, when i obtained my non o , i needed a reentry permit for that period prior to obtaining the 12 month extension and then another reentry permit after.

[Sophon]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

Just so that you don't waste your time trying to get something you may not qualify for please clarify how old you are. You say that you are "in my 50th year" which would make you 49 years old. Are you in fact 50 or are you only 49?

Sophon

[sultan2011]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

Just so that you don't waste your time trying to get something you may not qualify for please clarify how old you are. You say that you are "in my 50th year" which would make you 49 years old. Are you in fact 50 or are you only 49?

Sophon

Sorry Sophon, I,m in my 51st year 30/08/1965

[sultan2011]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

Just so that you don't waste your time trying to get something you may not qualify for please clarify how old you are. You say that you are "in my 50th year" which would make you 49 years old. Are you in fact 50 or are you only 49?

Sophon

Sorry Sophon, I,m in my 51st year 30/08/1965

[sultan2011]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

Just so that you don't waste your time trying to get something you may not qualify for please clarify how old you are. You say that you are "in my 50th year" which would make you 49 years old. Are you in fact 50 or are you only 49?

Sophon

Sorry sophon, I,m actually in my 51st year 30/08/1965 : (

[sultan2011]

Sultan, as your 50, as others have pointed out your best option is non O (based on retirement).

Many threads on the requirements. You can convert say an existing setv at cw.

Another option is to travel outside Thailand and obtain the non o there. Many people recommend Vientiane or Penang. That gives you 90 day permission of stay and within last 30 days or 45 some offices, you apply for your 12 month extension.

As for travel outside los you need a reentry permit. You can obtain at immigratio or airport.

Airport process is a breeze and quick.

You sound like you travel a bit. Note if you wish to exit thailand before you obtain your 12 extension you will need a reentry permit. For example because i fly out every other week, when i obtained my non o , i needed a reentry permit for that period prior to obtaining the 12 month extension and then another reentry permit after.

Thanks again jacksam,

It,s complicated! Rather it,s complicated if you don,t know the rules & regs. Would it be easier for me to obtain a non-O visa before I entered Thailand or would it be better to get a tourist visa and then convert that whilst I,m there? I always imagined a non-O visa being difficult to get.

[IMA_FARANG]

If the OP is indeed 50 years old he might also be eligible for a retirement extension of stay which with a multiple re-entry permit would allow him to come&-go as often as he likes.

Hi JLCrab,

Yes, I,m in my 50th year, So is a retirement extension an option i could add to any visa at immigration in Thailand?

Just so that you don't waste your time trying to get something you may not qualify for please clarify how old you are. You say that you are "in my 50th year" which would make you 49 years old. Are you in fact 50 or are you only 49?

Sophon

Sorry Sophon, I,m in my 51st year 30/08/1965

---------------------------

So then you can qualify for a retirement visa/ extension.....all you need for age is to be past your 50th birthday.

However for this visa/extension there are financial requirements you have to meet.

The reason I refer to it as a retirement visa/extension is that it is technically a one year extension of your visa based on retirement in Thailand.

If you meet the financial requirements each year you can renew this extension each year and remain in Thailand as long as you qualify.....one year at a time.

The financial requirements are:

1. At least 800,000 Thai Baht in a Thai bank in your name. OR
2. A proven income of 65,000 Baht or more monthly OR
3. A combination of the two above that gives you a equivalent income of 800,000 Thai Baht annually

It is possible, if you meet the requirements, and you can qualify and you extend it each year by meeting those requirements.

It is possible, and other people have done it and are still staying here in Thailand on this retirement/visa extension.

It certainly helps to meet the requirement if you can get a retirement pension from your home country (old age pension)

Different immigration offices in Thailand will have slightly different local rules on the requirements....so If you decide to go this path, first talk to your local immigration office to see exactly what they want from you.

Understand, this is not a quick thing....but a process of qualification you go through....so be patient.

[BritTim]

Doing the conversion is a pain. It is better usually to have a Non O on arrival.

Note that, however you do things, there is a scheduling requirement that must be met. You cannot just arrive with a Non O visa and immediately apply for a one-year extension for retirement. That would be too easy and logical. You must wait until about the last 30 days of your 90-day entry and apply then. You can (with reentry permit) travel in the meantime, but must schedule a visit back to Thailand within around a 4-week window to arrange the extension.

Frankly, visa exempt entry ought to be the right way for you to make frequent short trips, and maybe a supervisor would allow you to continue doing that. If not, there is no convenient option that meets your needs.

[sultan2011]

I'MA_FARANG, BritTim,

Thanks very much for the replies..One question, Do they take property into consideration when calculatng the 800k?

[jacksam]

I'MA_FARANG, BritTim,

Thanks very much for the replies..One question, Do they take property into consideration when calculatng the 800k?

Assets have zero to do with the 800k in a Thai bank. Note also that some countries, like mine (Australia) are now not doing non o based on retirement. If I were in your situation I would most likely obtain a setv. Come to Thailand and if haven't already set up bank account etc. Of course you can use income or combo method (explained in many threads)

When ready to obtain your non o then go somewhere like Vientiane. Return and towards end of your 90 day permission of stay, apply for 12 month extension. If wishing to leave Thailand also obtain a reentry permit. 12 month later repeat clean and wash cycle