Visa Exempt Based On Retirement Assistance Required

[wayne07836]

I know that this has almost certainly been covered so many times before and that there are some very knowledgeable people on this site to give good guidance including the professor Ubonjoe,

 

So rather than ask you for guidance and take up to much of everyone’s time and effort, I thought that I would explain my plans based off what I think I understand is the process so that you could critique and maybe advise me on any errors that I have made in my cunning plan.

 

I have been working in the Middle East for the past 7 years but have a home in Thailand, I am not married and I have visited Thailand and my home over the past 7 years by way of a 30 day visa exempt on arrival which has always been sufficient for the length of my stay.  

 

Next week my current contract will end and my company will buy me a one way ticket to Bangkok, I have already purchased a cheap one way ticket to Laos for about 4 weeks after I arrive so that I can show a ticket to leave the country within the 30 days and to avoid any complications with the airline and at immigration when I arrive.

 

My plan is then to try to extend the visa exempt for a further 30 days (question?? can I do this at Pattaya immigration or do I need to go to Bangkok?)

My next move is to apply for a 60 day single entry visa about 10 days into the 30 day extension so leaving enough time to process the application which I understand can take 2 weeks (again can I do this at Pattaya Immigration?)

I also understand that I can extend the 60 day single entry visa for a further 30 days (is this correct and again can I do this at Pattaya immigration?)

If all of the previous steps prove to be successful I then understand that I can convert the 60 day single entry visa into a 1 year exempt based on retirement as long as I meet all of the requirements (50 Years old and above, 800 thb in a Thai Bank seasoned for at least 2 months before making the application with confirmation letter from my Thai Bank that funds were deposited from abroad)

 

I managed to put this plan together from reading all of the very informative posts on here but can anyone see a whole in my plans??

 

If I have got all of my information correct I do have a couple of questions, can I do all of this at Pattaya Immigration? How much is likely to cost? And how long into the 60 day single entry visa should the application for the 1 year exempt based on retirement be made?

 

I would like to take this opportunity in advance for any constructive comments and guidance that anyone may have to help me through this process, I have found this web-site to be very very helpful and informative in the past and hope that it will continue to assist the not so street wise such as myself in the future.

 

Thanks

[ubonjoe]

47 minutes ago, wayne07836 said:

My plan is then to try to extend the visa exempt for a further 30 days (question?? can I do this at Pattaya immigration or do I need to go to Bangkok?)

 

My next move is to apply for a 60 day single entry visa about 10 days into the 30 day extension so leaving enough time to process the application which I understand can take 2 weeks (again can I do this at Pattaya Immigration?)

 

I also understand that I can extend the 60 day single entry visa for a further 30 days (is this correct and again can I do this at Pattaya immigration?)

 

If all of the previous steps prove to be successful I then understand that I can convert the 60 day single entry visa into a 1 year exempt based on retirement as long as I meet all of the requirements (50 Years old and above, 800 thb in a Thai Bank seasoned for at least 2 months before making the application with confirmation letter from my Thai Bank that funds were deposited from abroad)

Snipped your post to parts that needed a reply. You have a good plan for entering the country with a visa exempt entry.

You can extend the visa exempt entry at any immigration office. So no problem at immigration in Pattaya.

Rather than getting a single entry tourist visa I suggest you apply for single entry non-o visa based upon being 50 or over. You will need the 800k baht to be in the bank on the date you apply for the visa (no need for the 60 days).

You could also skip the tourist visa and non-o visa if once you have the 800k baht in the bank since you skipped the needed step of getting a non immigrant visa so that you can apply for the one year extension of stay. You could apply for a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at Pattaya immigration up to the last 15 days of your 30 day visa exempt entry or the 30 day extension of it. You only need to the money to be in the bank on the date your apply.

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry from the visa you can apply for a one year extension of stay based upon retirement. The 800k baht will need to be in the bank for 60 days on the date you apply.

[bertiebee]

I am off to Chaeng Wattana on Tuesday armed with my TM 87, and I will get a bank letter tomorrow.

SORRY, ATTACHMENT NOT COPIED

Looking at this guidance above I am interested in sections 5.1 and 5.3.

5.1 Does the letter have to be the exact same date as the application?
5.3 refers to evidence of funds transferred. Will I have to provide this, for example a copy of my UK bank transfer, or will Kasikorn take care of it?

 

Thanks Ubonjoe!

 

Edited September 11, 2016 by bertiebee
no copy of screenshot

[ubonjoe]

14 minutes ago, bertiebee said:

I am off to Chaeng Wattana on Tuesday armed with my TM 87, and I will get a bank letter tomorrow.

SORRY, ATTACHMENT NOT COPIED

Looking at this guidance above I am interested in sections 5.1 and 5.3.

5.1 Does the letter have to be the exact same date as the application?
5.3 refers to evidence of funds transferred. Will I have to provide this, for example a copy of my UK bank transfer, or will Kasikorn take care of it?

 

Thanks Ubonjoe!

 

I assume you have a visa exempt entry since you mention a TM87. For a tourist visa it would be a TM86.

It appears you are asking about these requirements.

Quote

5.1 A guarantee letter from the bank in Thailand in Thai language (Attention: Immigration Commissioner)* 5.2 A copy  of all entries of the applicant’s passbook showing that the applicant has a savings or fixed deposit account  of not less than Baht 800,000* (all documents must be in the Applicant’s name). 5.3 Evidence of foreign currency fund transferred to Thailand* *(Documents under 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 must be issued and updated to be the same date of the Application and all documents must be in the Applicant’s name

They will accept a letter from the bank on the date of application but the bank book will have to be updated on the date of application. There is a Kasikorn bank branch on the ground floor at Chaeng Wattan which makes it easy to get the letters and bank book update done on the same day you apply.

Kasikorn bank will take care of the letter to prove the funds were transferred from abroad. 

[wayne07836]

Ubonjoe,

Excellent advise that I will be sure to follow,

I will go the 30 day on arrival, extend for a further 30 days and then apply for the 90 day non-immigrant visa 2 weeks in the the extension (giving the 2 weeks to process the application) and then apply for the 1 year exempt based on retirement with at least 30 days remaining of the 90 day non-immigration visa.

 

This will give me time to season the 800,000k in the bank for the 2 month requirement.

 

Ubonjoe! can I take care of all this at Pattaya immigration without having to go to Bangkok?

 

I know that the 30 day extension costs 1,900 bht, but do you know how much the 90 day non-immigration visa fee is and the 1 year exempt based on retirement?

Been quoted by a visa agent that they could take care of all this on my behalf for 25,000 bht and just wondering if its worth all the hassle doing it myself. They said that they could get the 90 day non-immigration visa and the 1 year extension at the same time giving me 15 months in total, not sure how true that is but I believe that the company has a good reputation. 

 

Thank you very much Sir for you constructive advice and assistance. 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, wayne07836 said:

Ubonjoe,

Excellent advise that I will be sure to follow,

I will go the 30 day on arrival, extend for a further 30 days and then apply for the 90 day non-immigrant visa 2 weeks in the the extension (giving the 2 weeks to process the application) and then apply for the 1 year exempt based on retirement with at least 30 days remaining of the 90 day non-immigration visa.

 

This will give me time to season the 800,000k in the bank for the 2 month requirement.

 

Ubonjoe! can I take care of all this at Pattaya immigration without having to go to Bangkok?

 

I know that the 30 day extension costs 1,900 bht, but do you know how much the 90 day non-immigration visa fee is and the 1 year exempt based on retirement?

Been quoted by a visa agent that they could take care of all this on my behalf for 25,000 bht and just wondering if its worth all the hassle doing it myself. They said that they could get the 90 day non-immigration visa and the 1 year extension at the same time giving me 15 months in total, not sure how true that is but I believe that the company has a good reputation. 

 

Thank you very much Sir for you constructive advice and assistance. 

You can apply for the non immigrant visa in Pattaya since you will be doing it based upon retirement. The fee for the visa is 2000 baht.

The fee for the one year extension of stay (it is not a exempt)  is 1900 baht.

An agent for that big a fee would also be supplying proof of the 800k baht in the bank for 2 months. You could find an agent to help with just the paper work for a lot less than 25k baht.

[wayne07836]

Ubonjoe,

Thank you once again for your words of wisdom, I do not need the agent to supply the proof of the 800,000 bht as I will have the funds deposited in my bank by the end of this week before I arrive on the first 30 day on arrival next Monday, if I then extend for a further 30 days and then apply for 90 day non-immigration visa, this should meet the 2 month requirement for funds before applying for the 1 year extension of stay.

 

I live on the East side only a few miles from Pattya immigration at Jomtien and my bank is actually on Jomtien Beach Road, so it is not difficult for me to get there and for the sake of a few hours and a few visits I think I will attempt to take care of it myself and save around 20k, all of my paperwork should be in order and I should meet all of the requirements so hoping that it will not be to painful.

 

Once again thank you for all the information you post on here, it was reading previous posts that enabled me to formulate my semi-retirement plan.

 

Thank you Sir