I have been looking at the Ministry website and my view is that the "Retirement Visa) is misnamed in as much as it is necessary for the applicant to be over fifty. 
It is issued in the applicant's home country and valid for three months with a length of stay of one yeat from the date of entering the country. All the documentary proof: funds, medical certificate, proof of no criminal record and fee is provided for on application. 
After arrival the applicant is permitted to stay for one year but is to report to immigration every 90 days, this can be done by post. 
Subseqent extensions of stay are granted by application in person to 'Immigratioin" with proof of sufficient funds. 

It is supposed to be as simple, and cheap, as that, The Immigration department seem to have modified it somewhat, in that they only allow 90 days on arrival making it necessary to visit and get an official stamp for 1900 Baht.  

This is why the extension visit cannot be counted as a 90 day report. Also, why it is perfectly legal to "borrow" the funds temporarily from an agent for subsequent extensions. 
Incidentally, I couldn't find a non Imm. one year muti entry visa based on marriage.  I assume that it is a modification of the B visa and the oneroous procedures of proof required are applied by people below ministerial level. 

A OA long stay visa for retirement is valid for one year from that date of issue and allows unlimited one year entries. If an entry just before the visa expires it can allow a total stay of 2 years without need a new visa or extension of stay.

No sure what you writing about that requires an extension every 90 days for a fee of 1900 baht. Only extensions for attending an informal school and for volunteer work has that requirement.

Not sure where you were looking for the multiple entry non-o visa based upon marriage. It appears on many embassy and consulate websites.

Did I write that there was a fee for a reporting your presence every 90 days?  I think not.

I am not referring to what is possible at the "coal face" but what I have deduced from the site of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand. 

There are very few visas available and they all have the same validity( time period within which entry is allowed) longer validity can be given in special circumstances. 

It is intersting to me and others who are issued 'simple' visas because it explains some of the things required of us and for those issued visas not provided for by the law may help to explain why there appears to be so much inconsistency in procedures.  I can not imagine how a visa such as the one describe can possibly be created, the fact that it exists would seem to show how 'Topsy grow'd"!

There are no "rights" as Western people conceive them, whatever ministers decide becomes the "gift' of the officials at a very high level acting on advise from those implimenting the laws and it this which probably accounts for the more complicated procedures posted at embassies. 

 

 

This from the MFA website under non immigrant visas. http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15398-Issuance-of-Visa.html

 

Quote

4. VALIDITY OF A VISA
	Single-entry and multiple-entry visas are valid for three months. Multiple-entry visas could also be valid for one year.
	5. PERIOD OF STAY
	The holders of this type of visa are initially granted a period of stay in the Kingdom not exceeding 90 days unless otherwise instructed by the Office of Immigration Bureau.

Info for the OA visa is here. http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html

Thanks for that.

I can see that it is a Non Imm.O'  to stay with family which have very few requirements 40000 Baht financial requirement only! 

So the extension of this visit to stay with friends is what we are calling Marriage visa if we take it up, but comes with no extra requirements other than the discretion of the Immigration officer.  Plus (NB must be approved by the consular official) which I suppose accounts for an extra fee which some people complain of allowing for same day approval at some provincial offices. 

Not as much of a fiddle as I thought however apparently there appear to be some officials in the system who don't like it being extended to a way of life. 

 

10 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

 

yearly extensions for marriage take 30 days to be approved, they can not be approved same day, for an extra fee

 

the op is mixing up non imm 'O' and non imm 'O'A' over 50's only

I can be forgiven for that I think, it all appears to be a shambles. Here I am getting a new passport in UK then a visa to extend for retirement and in another post a lady enters visa exempt for thirty days and gets an 'O' visa at Immigration.


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16 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I can be forgiven for that I think, it all appears to be a shambles. Here I am getting a new passport in UK then a visa to extend for retirement and in another post a lady enters visa exempt for thirty days and gets an 'O' visa at Immigration.


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Yes -- that is a perfectly possible route to annual extensions and many of us over-50's have used it.  You can do it with proof of income, no need for money in a Thai bank.

 

 

Edited November 29, 20169 yr by jpinx

Well that is interesting, I thought that I had read of it. I was hoping that the officer who authorises the extension would offer that when I mentioned getting a visa from London but no such luck! The situation is only that I need a new passport, other than that all should go on as it has for the last eleven years. I keep 80000 Baht in a fixed term account which rolls over annually. I think that 1.5% is pretty good I get half of 1% on savings accounts in UK.


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