Retirement

[tgeezer]

You might want to consider getting a OA long stay visa at the embassy in London That would allow unlimited one year entries for a year from the date of issue and can be stretched to almost 2 years by doing an entry just before the visa expires and getting a re-entry permit for that last entry.

I think that the 'penny has dropped ' at last!

A retirement visa O-A long stay is issued to people in their country of citezenship, wishing to stay for a year in Thailand, are over 50 years of age and qualify financially and medically. The visa allows for a stay of 90 days and can be extended for one year from date of entry but in any case people must report their presence every 90 days. After the Retirement Visa expires subsequent estentions can be given.

Bone fide holders of this visa will go to Immigration before 90 days have elapsed and extend, this extention is counted and a 90 Day. report.

It appears that rather than report at 90 days, some people choose to do a 'Visa Run' and re-enter for another 90 days and continue as in the post above.

I can only guess why people may choose to do this, it saves 90 day reports , avoids scutiny of financial status, avoids the expense of re-entry permits. The drawback would seem to be that a new visa has to be obtained every two years and the necessity for travel, it wouldn't suit everybody.

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[elviajero]

I know almost everything you have written is wrong.

[Lite Beer]

Yep. Almost totally wrong.

[lopburi3]

Unfortunately that penny seems to have been misguided.

[ubonjoe]

41 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

A retirement visa O-A long stay is issued to people in their country of citezenship, wishing to stay for a year in Thailand, are over 50 years of age and qualify financially and medically. The visa allows for a stay of 90 days and can be extended for one year from date of entry but in any case people must report their presence every 90 days. After the Retirement Visa expires subsequent estentions can be given.

I don't know where you came up with idea that a OA visa only allows a 90 day entry.

 

Quote

Non-Immigrant Visa  “O-A” (Long Stay)

 

This type of visa may be issued to applicants aged 50 years and over who wish to stay in  Thailand for a period of not exceeding 1 year without the intention of working. http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html

 

[tgeezer]

Unfortunately that penny seems to have been misguided.

Enlighten me then.



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[tgeezer]

I know almost everything you have written is wrong.

You tell me what the visa requirements are then. I am talking about the rules not what is possible. I am prepared to be 'proved' wrong.


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[Lite Beer]

It would be easier to say what is correct rather than what is wrong.

[lopburi3]

Our posts do not seem to get the message across and at this point you are do not appear to be receptive to our attempts to explain.  Perhaps you might want to read a Thai Embassy website for the conditions of O-A visa and then Immigration website for conditions of one year extensions of stay for retirement and see if it agrees with your current understanding.  We can not prove anything. 

[tgeezer]

I have read the London Embassy requirements. I shall take a look at the Immigration site. I am interested because I am planning to get the O-A visa in London this summer. If I don't need to do that it will be a lot less hassle.


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Sorry somebody is going to have to give me a link. The website has "Applying for a non Immigrant procedure. " . But it doesn't say what documents are required or how one qualifies.

[lopburi3]

Quote

A retirement visa O-A long stay is issued to people in their country of citezenship, wishing to stay for a year in Thailand, are over 50 years of age and qualify financially and medically

A long stay visa O-A (sometimes called retirement) is issued by Thai Consulate in country of residence for those over age 50 with financial/medical/police paperwork.

Quote

The visa allows for a stay of 90 days and can be extended for one year from date of entry but in any case people must report their presence every 90 day

Visa allows stay of one year for any entry during the year validity of visa.  Thailand Immigration requires reporting of address for stay in country longer than 90 days with each 90 day period starting with entry or last report.

Quote

Bone fide holders of this visa will go to Immigration before 90 days have elapsed and extend, this extention is counted and a 90 Day. report

Stay is one year for any entry made with this visa.  Report for 90 days would be using TM.47 or online system.

Quote

It appears that rather than report at 90 days, some people choose to do a 'Visa Run' and re-enter for another 90 days and continue as in the post above.

Any entry is one year during validity of visa - but no 90 day report would be required if stay is less than 90 days so those that travel often would not need to do such reports - each new entry would be a one year stay from that entry date allowed.

Quote

I can only guess why people may choose to do this, it saves 90 day reports , avoids scutiny of financial status, avoids the expense of re-entry permits. The drawback would seem to be that a new visa has to be obtained every two years and the necessity for travel, it wouldn't suit everybody

The O-A is useful as financials can be in home country to start and you can use the one visa for almost two years stay with exit/return near end of first year.  You still have to present financials and medical and police report in home country of each issue and cost is more than extensions of stay from immigration.  Remember than only first year gets entry into Thailand - once visa expires you would require re-entry permit (same as for normal extension) for any travel and return to keep current permitted stay alive.

[dentonian]

Each entry of an O-A Visa allows a 1 year stay in Thailand.

The Visa will have an 'enter before' date, which will be one year from the date of issue.

If you leave and re-enter Thailand just before the 'enter before' date you will be given another 1 year stay, thus allowing the possibility to stay for two years (long stay Visa).

 

The Visa is multi entry up until you reach the 'enter before' date, come and go as you please.

After that date, the Visa effectively expires, thus no more entries are allowed unless you obtain a separate 're-entry permit' (either single or multi entry) which keeps your permission to stay valid when continuing to exit/enter Thailand during the second year.

 

The requirement to make 90 day reports are a separate condition of remaining in Thailand.

The O-A Visa allows the option to either report to a local Immigration office every 90 days, or leave and re-enter Thailand.

[dentonian]

24 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I have read the London Embassy requirements. I shall take a look at the Immigration site. I am interested because I am planning to get the O-A visa in London this summer. If I don't need to do that it will be a lot less hassle.


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Sorry somebody is going to have to give me a link. The website has "Applying for a non Immigrant procedure. " . But it doesn't say what documents are required or how one qualifies.

 

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/51

[elviajero]

13 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

You tell me what the visa requirements are then. I am talking about the rules not what is possible. I am prepared to be 'proved' wrong.

"A retirement visa O-A long stay is issued to people in their country of citezenship,"

• It's a long stay visa available to over 50's even if not retired.
• It's generally issued to people that have residence in the country they're applying in.

"The visa allows for a stay of 90 days and can be extended for one year from date of entry"

• Permission to stay is for 1 year following every entry before the visas expiry date.
• Any 1 year permit to stay can only be extended within the last 30 (maybe 45) days.

"After the Retirement Visa expires subsequent estentions can be given."

• Extensions can be given even after the visa has expired. 

"It appears that rather than report at 90 days, some people choose to do a 'Visa Run' and re-enter for another 90 days and continue as in the post above."

• They would be granted 1 year, not 90 days, as long as the visa hasn't expired.

"I can only guess why people may choose to do this, it saves 90 day reports , avoids scutiny of financial status, avoids the expense of re-entry permits."

• Re-entry permit/s are required if the person wants to re-enter, and keep a permit to stay alive, after the visa has expired.

[dentonian]

It sounds as though you wish to remain in Thailand indefinitely, in which case alternatives are available.

 

Please advise.

 

You could obtain a SE 90 day Non Imm O Visa for example to enter Thailand.

You then obtain annual 'extensions' of stay from local Immigration offices based on either retirement or marriage to a Thai.

The financial requirement to obtain an extension based on retirement are to prove an income of 65,000 baht per month, or 800,000 baht deposited in a Thai bank account.

 

If using funds in a Thai bank account, the funds must show a balance of not less than 800,000 baht for 2 months continuously on the date of your very first application, 3 months for subsequent applications.

Edited December 9, 2016 by dentonian

[tgeezer]

I confess that I haven't taken any interest in visa requirements until now when my passport needs renewing because I have been staying for the winter months in Thailand since 2006 on Retirement extensions. Initially my O-A visa was issued in London and I was given only 90 days at the airport during which time I had to apply for the extension. At that time the money had to have been in Thailand for two months, subsequent years it was three months. When I did get the extension it was from my initial entry. Since the Embassy website given in the link still refers to Immigration at Susan Plu it would appear that the regulations were the same then as they are now and I was 'short changed' in that I paid twice, once at the Embassy and again at Soi Suan Plu. Also I was required to show funds in Thailand.
I am not due home until March when I shall get a new passport. It appears from the information given in the Immigration website and this was mentioned in another thread, that I can get a nonO-A visa at the Gov. Center in Bangkok.
So apparently I can apply to London for an O-A visa proving funds in UK plus police clearance and medical cert. or enter visa exempt and apply here using funds in Bangkok. Is this correct?


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[Lite Beer]

If you originally arrived with a Non Imm O-A Visa you would have been given 12 months stay and not 90 days.

You cannot get a O-A Visa in Bangkok.

 

You can apply in London by providing funds in bank , medical, police check etc.

Or you can get a single Non Imm O Visa and apply for a 12 month extension in Thailand.

No police check or medical required.

[tgeezer]

I think that I have finally sorted out what I did. I had a single entry O-A visa which allows for a 90 day stay. This, because I intended to get the one year extension in Bangkok. The visa I had has not been considered here, it must have been a single entry valid for 90 days not a multi entry valid for one year from date of issue. The fees are £50 and £125 respectively. I am now fully informed and just need to decide which is best for me.

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I think that I have finally sorted out what I did. I had a single entry O-A visa which allows for a 90 day stay.

OA visas are not issued as single entry visas and if they were issued they would allow a one year entry.

You apparently had a single entry NON-O visa.

[tgeezer]

Probably, I can't be doing with all this, yes, I know that I started it! I deduce from (with state pension) that O is for those of retirement age, which I wasn't. The bottom line is that there are rules and sometimes they can be detected in one's treatment.

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

Have a look at the 'fees' page.


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I can assure you that a single entry non-oa visa will not be issued. What it states on the fee page is out of date and not correct. They stopped issuing single entry OA visas many years ago. Nobody would want a single entry OA visa. The fee is lower but when you consider that with one you would only get one entry. Why go through all the trouble to get all the required documents to get one and only get one entry when you can have multiple entries.

[tgeezer]

Or to put it another way, the extension year dates from initial entry and that year you already have. There is probably something lost in translation and instead of amending the English they discontinued the single entry. It still doesn't read well because if I get a multi entry but don't leave the country I am back to square one. It should read "one year stay from date of entry extendable for 365 days as required". It would be interesting to see the rules in Thai if they exist.


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[tgeezer]

Why go through all the trouble to get all the required documents to get one and only get one entry when you can have multiple entries.

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[tgeezer]

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The simple answer to that is To stay in Thailand continuously on a year by year basis. Why would anyone want to leave?


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[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, tgeezer said:

The simple answer to that is To stay in Thailand continuously on a year by year basis. Why would anyone want to leave?


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If a person had a multiple entry OA visa they would only have to be leave once to get another year of stay from the visa. Just do a border hop for a new entry just before the visa expires. Cross a border turnaround and come back within minutes.

[dentonian]

26 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

The simple answer to that is To stay in Thailand continuously on a year by year basis. Why would anyone want to leave?


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That really depends on the individuals own situation and whether they remain in Thailand using a Visa issued by a Thai Embassy/Consulate, or an extension of stay issued by a local internal Immigration office.

 

A Non Imm O 90 day Visa only allows a 90 day stay.

A Non Imm O ME Visa allows multiple entries of 90 days until expiry of the Visa (1 year). You must leave Thailand via one of it's border checkpoints to obtain another 90 days. Doing 90 day reports at a local Immigration office is not an option with this type of Visa.

A Non Imm O-A Visa allows multiple entries for 1 year each entry, however you must still make 90 day report, but have the options to achieve this by either reporting to a local Immigration office, or leave via a border crossing and re-enter.

 

During the last 30 days of any 90 day periods of permission to stay on the above Visas, you can apply for an extension based on retirement or marriage, provided you meet the financial requirements, from a local Immigration office. This are permits, not Visas.

These permits do not allow entries, you can remain in Thailand for 1 year. However if you wish to leave for any reason you must purchase a separate 're-entry permit' to keep the permit alive for it's duration.

If you leave the Country on a permit without a 're-entry' permit, your retirement or marriage extension is immediately cancelled

 

Regardless of whether you choose to remain in Thailand using a suitable Visa or Extension, a report of staying in Thailand for 90 consecutive days must be made either at your local Immigration office, or leave and re-enter via a border crossing.

[tgeezer]

I have been in the system, as I interpreted it , for the life of my passport. I thought that by only spending the winters here I was operating outside the spirit of the dispensation but I see now that extensions of stay were never designed for people to use as effective residency. I supposed that extended stays because of married status implies residency and because retirement is a status with similar qualifying criteria I interpreted it as residency also. It is disappointing that the very visa required by a retired person who wanted to spend one year with the option of extensions, visiting Thailand is no longer issued.


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[skatewash]

25 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I have been in the system, as I interpreted it , for the life of my passport. I thought that by only spending the winters here I was operating outside the spirit of the dispensation but I see now that extensions of stay were never designed for people to use as effective residency. I supposed that extended stays because of married status implies residency and because retirement is a status with similar qualifying criteria I interpreted it as residency also. It is disappointing that the very visa required by a retired person who wanted to spend one year with the option of extensions, visiting Thailand is no longer issued.


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You've been given a lot of very sound advice regarding how you can go about doing what you would like.  What you want to do is possible and you have been told how you can do it (which may or may not be how you want to do it, or how you previously understood you could do it).    My recommendation is to go get a cup of coffee and go back and read the responses from the top of the thread with an open mind.  The terms can be a little confusing, but see if you can figure out how to use what people are telling you is possible to do what you want to do.  It's also a little confusing because there are multiple paths to do what you would like to do.  The two easiest is the Non-OA visa OR a non-O visa which is extended for a year while in Thailand.  Both will achieve what you are aiming at.  I urge you to re-read the thread and try to keep the two paths straight.  Which one will work better for you is, of course, your decision.  Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

[tgeezer]

Thanks for all the responses it has helped me to readjust my views but there is only one path open to me which is to contact the London Embassy. I shall be trying for a non imm O-A visa single entry valid for three months for a stay of 90 days or, if cost effective, the multi-entry version as offered by the website. I shall be asking that they might wave the criminal record check and medical certificate in view of my regular contact with Immigration during the last ten years.
Much of what I have read here is anecdotal and slanted toward getting round the rules. eg. I cannot imagine any ministry of immigration offering visas which require 'hops' across borders as a condition of extended visits, however the Immigration police appear to see nothing anomalous in it. I suspect that they have their reasons so I am reluctant to take any advise based on 'rules' which are not clearly stated by a governmental department in case it might involve me in extra expense and inconvenience or both.


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[Lite Beer]

Have you actually read this topic?
It appears not.