Extension of permission to stay (post retirement Visa)

[Bob9]

Hi - could someone please confirm that it is possible to get a 12 month's extension of my permission to stay, and what requirements and forms I must meet.  I remember reading about it on this forum some time ago, but I cannot find the topic again since to site upgrade.  My situation is that I have a 12 month OA Visa (retirement), and just before the 12 months was expired last year, I left and re-entered Thailand and was granted another 12 months permission to stay.  That 12 month period expires in a few months, so I am now looking at extending my permission to stay in Thailand - for another 12 months.  When I read the topic/posts before, it seemed to be a fairly straight forward process and several posters stated that they had been doing that for many years.  

Thanks - Bob.

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by Bob9

[ubonjoe]

You can apply for a one year extension of your current permit to stay during the last 30 days of it.

You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income by way of a income letter from your embassy or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

An extension of stay based upon on retirement is probably easier to get than any other.

[Bob9]

19 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You can apply for a one year extension of your current permit to stay during the last 30 days of it.

You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income by way of a income letter from your embassy or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

An extension of stay based upon on retirement is probably easier to get than any other.

Thanks ubonjoe - much appreciated.  Could you clarify the amount. I read somewhere that you needed 400K baht in a bank account. I was thinking of either getting an extension to stay, or getting a Marriage Visa - perhaps the 400K is for the marriage Visa?  I am retired but do not get an income (no pension/payments etc) and I am reluctant to place 800K in a Thai bank account at one time - I draw down from my overseas investment accounts as and when needed (earn good interest back home).  If the 400K is for the Marriage Visa could you please advise process to get that rather than an extension of permission to stay.

Thanks - Bob.

  

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, Bob9 said:

Thanks ubonjoe - much appreciated.  Could you clarify the amount. I read somewhere that you needed 400K baht in a bank account. I was thinking of either getting an extension to stay, or getting a Marriage Visa - perhaps the 400K is for the marriage Visa?  I am retired but do not get an income (no pension/payments etc) and I am reluctant to place 800K in a Thai bank account at one time - I draw down from my overseas investment accounts as and when needed (earn good interest back home).  If the 400K is for the Marriage Visa could you please advise process to get that rather than an extension of permission to stay.

Thanks - Bob.

  

You only mentioned retirement in the topic so I replied based upon that.

If you are married to a Thai you can apply for an extension of stay based upon marriage which only requires 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months or proof of 40k baht income.

[Suradit69]

what requirements and forms I must meet. 

 

Check out this thread below and scroll down to post #8. 

 

Someone has summarized the requirements for an extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai.

As you probably know, there may be some differences from one office to another, so it's a good idea to check with the office that serves your area to see if there's anything else they require.

[gnatman]

The requirement for a marriage extension is quite a bit more complicated.  You need your marriage certificate, your wife's papers, proof of residence (which may include a hoe visit by an immigration official), and several more documents.  It also has to be sent to Bangkok for review and approval while a retirement extension is approved locally.  I had gone through 2 extensions via marriage when the immigration official at my local office suggested that I change it to retirement as it was much simpler.  The only thing your really get with a marriage extension over retirement is the ability to qualify for a work permit.  If that is not an issue, go for the retirement.  As far as the income statement goes, it is something you fill out and have notarized by the embassy.  Your drawing down from your investment accounts should qualify as income.  

[dotpoom]

" You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days "

That is for the first application,,,,the following years it will need to be in the bank for 90 days. I like to point this out when it is not mentioned because it would be an easy mistake to make to assume every year was the same as the first, a bit of a shock discovery to make at a too late stage when making your first renewal application if you were not aware of it.

   Not sure if the same applies to the Marriage money 

[Farang99]

On 12/08/2016 at 7:24 PM, ubonjoe said:

You can apply for a one year extension of your current permit to stay during the last 30 days of it.

You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income by way of a income letter from your embassy or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

An extension of stay based upon on retirement is probably easier to get than any other.

 

You will also need to report to your local Immigration Office to confirm that you have not changed your address EVERY 90 DAYS.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Farang99 said:

 

You will also need to report to your local Immigration Office to confirm that you have not changed your address EVERY 90 DAYS.

It is a report of staying longer than 90 days in the country. It is not really an address report.

Best to use the correct name or people will think they have to them whether they are in the country or not.

[OJAS]

12 hours ago, gnatman said:

The requirement for a marriage extension is quite a bit more complicated.  You need your marriage certificate, your wife's papers, proof of residence (which may include a hoe visit by an immigration official), and several more documents.  It also has to be sent to Bangkok for review and approval while a retirement extension is approved locally.  I had gone through 2 extensions via marriage when the immigration official at my local office suggested that I change it to retirement as it was much simpler.  The only thing your really get with a marriage extension over retirement is the ability to qualify for a work permit.  If that is not an issue, go for the retirement.  As far as the income statement goes, it is something you fill out and have notarized by the embassy.  Your drawing down from your investment accounts should qualify as income.  

 

And if you are a Brit and had got married to your teerak in the UK, one of these additional documents will almost certainly be some verification of your marriage certificate, for which you will be required to go through a tediously time-consuming, cumbersome and complicated bureaucratic legalisation process as ordained by our "beloved" government back in Blighty.

Edited August 14, 2016 by OJAS

[NancyL]

Bob9 -- what nationality are you and which Immigration office will you be using for your extension?

[Bob9]

Hi Nancy - Aussie and we are living in Chiang Mai.

[Bob9]

Thanks for the replies everyone - I am wading through the options and issues.

I have 3 months before ny current permission to stay expires and I was going to be back in Aust later this year and get a new Retirement Visa there - but that didn't work out.

 

Retirement extension seems easier but it requires 800K in Thai bank. I cant get income statement as I only draw down when needed.

Reluctant to put 800K in a Thai bank for so long and maybe get 1% interest, when back in Aust my Super gives me 6-7% (that's 50+K over a year).

 

Marriage Visa only requires 400K, but is more complicated to get.  Decisions decisions.

[wpcoe]

4 hours ago, Bob9 said:

Retirement extension seems easier but it requires 800K in Thai bank. I cant get income statement as I only draw down when needed.

Reluctant to put 800K in a Thai bank for so long and maybe get 1% interest, when back in Aust my Super gives me 6-7% (that's 50+K over a year).

 

If you are receiving over AUD50k/year (AUD4,166/month) that's more than THB65k/month, so why not declare that as your income to qualify for the retirement extension?  Your income need not be pension, it can be any source, and IIRC, the Australian Embassy in Bangkok just certifies your income declaration, they don't verify the income any way.

[NancyL]

The Australian Embassy has Consular Outreach days in Chiang Mai every two months and they could issue an Income Letter during one of those visits.  http://thailand.embassy.gov.au/  They don't care about the source of your income or whether it's regular or not.  You're signing a "statutory declaration" and they're witnessing your identity, not investigating the details of your finances.  It's similar to what the U.S. Embassy/Consulate does.  

 

There is a chance, albeit slim, that CM Immigration could ask for evidence of your income.  It would help to bring a Thai bank account passbook that shows regular spending in Thailand -- they're not going to do a detailed investigation to see if it add up to 65,000 baht every month.  Or a stack of ATM withdrawal slips.  Or even your tax return.  Just something that you can produce with a smile.  

 

They asked me once how it was that I had money to live because I never touched my 800,000 baht bank account, so I said my husband's pension was adequate to support both of us, would you like to see and produced our joint Bangkok Bank passbook, which I opened and started to hand to the Immigration officer.  It's a messy, very active bank book.  He just waved it away.  He had the document he needed for the file already, he was just seeing if he could put me on the spot.  

[Bob9]

16 hours ago, wpcoe said:

 

If you are receiving over AUD50k/year (AUD4,166/month) that's more than THB65k/month, so why not declare that as your income to qualify for the retirement extension?  Your income need not be pension, it can be any source, and IIRC, the Australian Embassy in Bangkok just certifies your income declaration, they don't verify the income any way.

Thanks wpcoe - when I previously checked that out, it was only for regular 'normal' income. I only draw money out of Super in Aust to a bank in Aust and then transfer to Thai bank when I need it to top up savings - not on a regular basis.  Last financial year I drew out of Super about $30K AUD - about 750K Baht.  But I certainly have the ability to draw out more - are you saying I can just declare how much i will draw out and that is OK? Do you happen to know where I can get the Dec form? The one in Aust (Centrelink) only allows for declaration of actual (taxable) income.

[NancyL]

You'll be able to pick up a form during the Consular Outreach session when the Embassy is at Le Merdien Hotel in Chiang Mai this Friday, August 19.  You fill out the amount.

[Bob9]

Thank you everyone.

I will be going to on Friday to Le Merdien Hotel  and get an income letter. 

During my last 30 days l will then apply for a 12 month extension of permission to stay based on the retirement visa .

Cheers - Bob.

 

Edited August 15, 2016 by Bob9
30 days

[wpcoe]

8 hours ago, Bob9 said:

Thanks wpcoe - when I previously checked that out, it was only for regular 'normal' income. I only draw money out of Super in Aust to a bank in Aust and then transfer to Thai bank when I need it to top up savings - not on a regular basis.  Last financial year I drew out of Super about $30K AUD - about 750K Baht.  But I certainly have the ability to draw out more - are you saying I can just declare how much i will draw out and that is OK? Do you happen to know where I can get the Dec form? The one in Aust (Centrelink) only allows for declaration of actual (taxable) income.

 

Yes, income is income:  Earned income in is income.  Pension is income.  Dividend income is income.  It doesn't matter if you bring it into Thailand or not.  If you have the AUD equivalent of THB65k/month, then you can use a statutory declaration from the Australian embassy in Bangkok (or on an outreach visit) to declare that income.

 

Not sure, but are you thinking of the procedure/rules for obtaining a Non-Immigrant O-A Visa in Australia?  Obtaining a retirement extension in Thailand may not be the same.  

[Bob9]

1 hour ago, wpcoe said:

 

Yes, income is income:  Earned income in is income.  Pension is income.  Dividend income is income.  It doesn't matter if you bring it into Thailand or not.  If you have the AUD equivalent of THB65k/month, then you can use a statutory declaration from the Australian embassy in Bangkok (or on an outreach visit) to declare that income.

 

Not sure, but are you thinking of the procedure/rules for obtaining a Non-Immigrant O-A Visa in Australia?  Obtaining a retirement extension in Thailand may not be the same.  

Yes I was thinking of the rules when in Aust - but in Thailand it is clearly different.

Thanks again,

Cheers - Bob.

[Bob9]

On 15/08/2016 at 6:50 PM, NancyL said:

You'll be able to pick up a form during the Consular Outreach session when the Embassy is at Le Merdien Hotel in Chiang Mai this Friday, August 19.  You fill out the amount.

 

On 15/08/2016 at 9:19 PM, wpcoe said:

 

Yes, income is income:  Earned income in is income.  Pension is income.  Dividend income is income.  It doesn't matter if you bring it into Thailand or not.  If you have the AUD equivalent of THB65k/month, then you can use a statutory declaration from the Australian embassy in Bangkok (or on an outreach visit) to declare that income.

 

Not sure, but are you thinking of the procedure/rules for obtaining a Non-Immigrant O-A Visa in Australia?  Obtaining a retirement extension in Thailand may not be the same.  

 

Hi again - I got the income declaration stamped and witnessed by the Embassy (500baht).  But something just came to mind - do I need to get it translated to Thai? Or is it OK to present the income declaration in English?  

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, Bob9 said:

 

 

Hi again - I got the income declaration stamped and witnessed by the Embassy (500baht).  But something just came to mind - do I need to get it translated to Thai? Or is it OK to present the income declaration in English?  

No need for a translation if it is in English.

[Bob9]

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

No need for a translation if it is in English.

Thanks ubonjoe - much appreciated.

Cheers - Bob.