Reporting of returning home after travel

[retarius]

Hi, I am from the UK here on a "retirement visa" which I have had since 2009.

 

I travel quite extensively and come and go into Thailand several times a year. Generally I am out of the country so often that I never have to do a 90 day report.

 

Despite having plenty of money in the bank and having lived at the same address for 7 years, I have started to get hassle each time I do an  extension of stay. Frankly I am getting a bit tired of being messed around. I take all the stuff in, sign a statement that this is the stuff I need to bring, and still they send me home for more documentation that is not on the website or on the list of documents they gave me. So I am getting a bit tired of it all.

 

This year a new regulation was brought in saying that if you have been away from your home here in Thailand for any reason, that the landlord or owner of the property has to submit a form to the immigration police like hotel owners do. Frankly for me this is a step too far and I haven't done it so far this year despite taking numerous trips abroad.

 

I would like to get a 1 year non O visa from somewhere else since my travel schedule means that I will not need to do border runs and I won't need to deal with the friendly folk at my local immigration at all. 

 

I have 4 questions:

 

First: where is the best place to get a 1 year non O visa in Asia. I have heard that Sisaket in Laos will issue them, is there anywhere else?

Second: What documentation do I need to provide to the consul to get a 1 year non O outside of Thailand?

Third: If I leave via the airport or land crossing will I get fined for not having for not reporting coming home to my house?

Forth: Is there any downside to giving up the "retirement visa" and just getting the non O?

 

Thank you.

[ubonjoe]

The only nearby location that will do a multiple entry non-o visa for retirement is Penang. You would need 800b baht in the bank or proof of 65k baht income. If using the money in the bank option the ask for proof you are retired.

If married to a Thai you can get a multiple entry non-o visa in Savannakhet Laos (Sisaket is in Thailand) with no financial.proof.

[LivinLOS]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If using the money in the bank option the ask for proof you are retired.

 

How do you prove such a thing beyond having the money not to work ?? 

[JaiLai]

The only nearby location that will do a multiple entry non-o visa for retirement is Penang. You would need 800b baht in the bank or proof of 65k baht income. If using the money in the bank option the ask for proof you are retired.
If married to a Thai you can get a multiple entry non-o visa in Savannakhet Laos (Sisaket is in Thailand) with no financial.proof.

Not possible in Singapore anymore?

[ubonjoe]

12 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

 

How do you prove such a thing beyond having the money not to work ?? 

Some people have gotten a income letter from their embassy that was accepted. If on a pension proof of it would be accepted.

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, JaiLai said:

Not possible in Singapore anymore?

As far as I know they never did a multiple entry non-o visa for being over 50. Even getting a single entry non-o visa might be difficult there.

[noise]

16 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The only nearby location that will do a multiple entry non-o visa for retirement is Penang. You would need 800b baht in the bank or proof of 65k baht income. If using the money in the bank option the ask for proof you are retired.   

If married to a Thai you can get a multiple entry non-o visa in Savannakhet Laos (Sisaket is in Thailand) with no financial.proof.

So if he leaves the country without a reentry permit (cancelling his retirement visa) or near or after it expires, won't he be questioned why he didn't renew in country?  Penang will see 7 years of extensions and then .....  it should raise questions in their minds; it would definitely raise questions in my mind. And what's to say he won't run into the same documentation requirements at an embassy when they review his passport and frequent trips in and out of Thailand and, possibly, check the immigration data base on-line and see some data entry explaining why? 

 

Even if he gets it in Penang, won't he still have the issue of the TM30 being required each time he arrives  back in country?  

 

From what little I read here, I do not see that going to Penang to renew his stay is going to make it easier for him or require less documentation than staying at home and going through the same process.  Plus staying at home he would probably have to ability to gather what ever information is required while staying in a hotel in Penang trying to gather documents...... ?????

 

 

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Some people have gotten a income letter from their embassy that was accepted. If on a pension proof of it would be accepted.

 

 

Not sure I understand.. Its always the case that income letter must be shown if doing income way.. I thought you were saying some additional proof you were actually retired, rather than monetary ability to support yourself ?? 

[steve187]

the final straw is form tm30, been around for years, but not enforced, so not new and hardly a bind.

Like biting off your nose to spite your face

 

non imm 'O''A more hoops

non imm 'O'  less hoops than a 'O'A' but still requires tm30, so op not gaining anything.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, noise said:

And what's to say he won't run into the same documentation requirements at an embassy when they review his passport and frequent trips in and out of Thailand and, possibly, check the immigration data base on-line and see some data entry explaining why? 

 

Even if he gets it in Penang, won't he still have the issue of the TM30 being required each time he arrives  back in country?  

Embassies and consulates do not have access to immigration's database. If he met the qualifications they would issue the visa. They would not be interested in the fact that he had been getting extensions (not a visa) based upon retirement.

Unless he needed to do something at immigration a TM30 would not be needed. 

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

 

 

Not sure I understand.. Its always the case that income letter must be shown if doing income way.. I thought you were saying some additional proof you were actually retired, rather than monetary ability to support yourself ?? 

I was just stating what they accepted as proof of retirement. Many people have some income they could use along with money in the bank.

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, steve187 said:

non imm 'O''A more hoops

non imm 'O'  less hoops than a 'O'A' but still requires tm30, so op not gaining anything.

Do mean a real OA visa from an embassy or consulate or a extension at immigration?

Having to do a TM30 depends upon the office a person has to use. I have never been asked for one.

With a multiple entry non-o visa the TM30 form would not be needed unless a person needed to do something at an immigration office that wants them.

[kidizen]

18 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The only nearby location that will do a multiple entry non-o visa for retirement is Penang. You would need 800b baht in the bank or proof of 65k baht income. If using the money in the bank option the ask for proof you are retired.

If married to a Thai you can get a multiple entry non-o visa in Savannakhet Laos (Sisaket is in Thailand) with no financial.proof.

I believe Vientiane, Laos does multiple entry non-o for retirement, the visa is only good for 90 days however and will need to be extended.  I thought you could only get a 1 year retirement visa from your home country.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, kidizen said:

I believe Vientiane, Laos does multiple entry non-o for retirement, the visa is only good for 90 days however and will need to be extended.  I thought you could only get a 1 year retirement visa from your home country.

Vientiane does not do any multiple entry visas. They will only do a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

You can only get a OA visa in your home country.

Penang has been reported as doing the multiple entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

[kidizen]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Vientiane does not do any multiple entry visas. They will only do a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

You can only get a OA visa in your home country.

Penang has been reported as doing the multiple entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

I saw that in the visa application form in Vientiane, after checking the box for the type of visa, there is a blank for you to say "Number of entries requested" which led me to assume that they do.  I did ask myself if I needed more than one entry and thought not.  In any case, the non-O retirement is only a 90 day visa.

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, kidizen said:

I saw that in the visa application form in Vientiane, after checking the box for the type of visa, there is a blank for you to say "Number of entries requested" which led me to assume that they do.  I did ask myself if I needed more than one entry and thought not.  In any case, the non-O retirement is only a 90 day visa.

This from the Vientiane website. http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/consular/visa.php

 

Quote

NON-IMMIGRANT ( Multiple Entries )

5,000 Thai Baht (ONLY for Resident Applicants)

You cannot go by what is on the application form. A Laotian or a legal resident could get one.

[steve187]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Do mean a real OA visa from an embassy or consulate or a extension at immigration?

Having to do a TM30 depends upon the office a person has to use. I have never been asked for one.

With a multiple entry non-o visa the TM30 form would not be needed unless a person needed to do something at an immigration office that wants them.

embassy/consulate non imm 'O'A'

[ubonjoe]

29 minutes ago, steve187 said:

embassy/consulate non imm 'O'A'

If a person with a OA visa wanted to avoid contact with immigration the could leave an re-enter the country prior to 90 days to avoid having to do 90 day reports.

As I have said already it all depends upon the office used as to whether TM30 reports are needed. Many offices only want them if you change addresses.

[retarius]

My thanks to everyone.