Tourist Visa into Retirement Visa

[berybert]

2 hours ago, canerandagio said:

Well, when to do it is guesswork. Don't think a Scottish referendum will do well to the pound unfortunately but who knows.

As for the turnaround time, I sent from Halifax to Transferwise on fast transfer and the money reached transferwise within the hour (UK morning).

In UK afternoon about 4pm today Transferwise wrote to me that my funds had been remitted to the Thai account and should reach here tomorrow. (and Bangkok bank will surely slice off another 500 baht)

Well that's it money sent. Should be in my Thai bank next week or sooner. Just have to hope its still in there when I get back to Bangkok in July :)

[canerandagio]

You are an optimist by nature... :)

Of course it will be there.

 

Did you get the same deal I had?

 

Quote

Well that's it money sent. Should be in my Thai bank next week or sooner. Just have to hope its still in there when I get back to Bangkok in July :)

 

Edited March 27, 2017 by canerandagio

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, berybert said:

So you are going to get an  non 0 visa ? Didn't you read the post that says people from the UK cant change from tourist visa to non O.

Post 7 Ubonjoe's post.

 

Where did I write that people from the UK cannot get a non-o visa. I only corrected your erroneous post stating a person must be 65 to a get a non-o visa.

[canerandagio]

Where did I write that people from the UK cannot get a non-o visa. I only corrected your erroneous post stating a person must be 65 to a get a non-o visa.

I think Berybert should be moderated as he doesn't get one right [emoji4][emoji4][emoji4]
Just kidding of course. This is all very informative and I will post my experience here once I am done.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[scubascuba3]

Using Transferwise and the like may not be the best option for larger amounts. Using a UK bank and send in GBP so it converts to THB at your Thai bank will often work out cheaper (fee £5-25 depending on what the UK bank charges)

[Andrew Dwyer]

Using Transferwise and the like may not be the best option for larger amounts. Using a UK bank and send in GBP so it converts to THB at your Thai bank will often work out cheaper (fee £5-25 depending on what the UK bank charges)

£22 to send up to £10,000 from NatWest .

But you do have to look at the exchange rate, that can make all the difference !

[AndyOz]

Using Transferwise and the like may not be the best option for larger amounts. Using a UK bank and send in GBP so it converts to THB at your Thai bank will often work out cheaper (fee £5-25 depending on what the UK bank charges)

I agree. I bank in Thailand with TMB and have always been pleased with the rate. I have compared them a couple of specialists money exchanges based in the U.K. and the TMB rate has always been better.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[buick]

12 hours ago, canerandagio said:

So, if I get this right, and all goes well:

1 - Wednesday this week I apply for the conversion

2 - Two weeks later I get 90 days

3 - In the past 45 days of those 90 days I apply for the retirement visa proper.

Is that correct? and when will I have to do police clearance and medical certificate?

you'll drop off your form, papers and pay fee on wed.  you'll get a receipt with a stamp that gives you your return date.  show this when you come back to get your queue number (and tell them you are going to section C).  when you come back in two weeks, you get the non imm O stamp.  the 90 days starts as of your first visit, not your second.  which was a little surprising but not a big deal.  then, you apply for the extension of stay with roughly a month left on the non imm O (supposedly as early as 45 days).  don't leave the country w/o obtaining a re-entry permit or the non immo O will be invalid when you return.  i think they do their own police check during the two week period, you don't have to provide anything.  there is no medical certificate required.  for the extension, you have to do the copying, bank letter, etc..  all over again.  but at least you get 12 months !!

 

[berybert]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Where did I write that people from the UK cannot get a non-o visa. I only corrected your erroneous post stating a person must be 65 to a get a non-o visa.

Its all to technical for me.

[berybert]

7 hours ago, canerandagio said:

You are an optimist by nature... :)

Of course it will be there.

 

Did you get the same deal I had?

 

 

Yes pretty much so. Better than the one I was going to use. Thanks.

 

[berybert]

18 hours ago, canerandagio said:

I think Berybert should be moderated as he doesn't get one right
Just kidding of course. This is all very informative and I will post my experience here once I am done.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

Hi mate, just had confirmation my money has been sent. Mine should be in the account by the 3rd of April.

Dropped quite a bit since yesterday. The rate that is, cant see it getting any better for the next couple of years.

Cheers.

[canerandagio]

Hi mate, just had confirmation my money has been sent. Mine should be in the account by the 3rd of April.
Dropped quite a bit since yesterday. The rate that is, cant see it getting any better for the next couple of years.
Cheers.

My transferwise money were avaliable in my BKK account the evening of the day after I sent them. In 2 hours i will go to Immigration for my conversion.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[Sambotte]

Hi everyone,

 

I am about to ask for a... let's say long visa type :)

I am 50+, French, have more than 800.000 bahts in a Thai bank but only since a week.

I arrived on visa exemption the 23 march.

 

First question is, if i did understand correctly, i can transform the exemption 30 days to a 90 days kind of visa right ? I did not know about this... Sure ?

And then apply for the one year ; all without having to leave the country ?

Is this possible anywhere in Thailand ? I am not in Bangkok. Phuket would be the nearest place with immigration for me.

 

Most importantly : i have read here or there that the passport must be valid for 1 year and half to ask for a long terme visa. Mine has only one year left, and 5 blank pages. Could be a problem, or not ?

Because if i have to renew my passport fisrt, it's two long trip to bangkok, 2 weeks to process, and last time i checked i had to make a appointment 40 days in advance ! French service

 

So between the delay for passport if validity of more than one year is required, my short exemption visa (extendable for 30 more days witch brings me to may 20) / or transform first to a 90 days visa ?, the process, and Songkran... I would appreciate your valuable information / confirmation, to plan this correctly.

 

Kind regards.

[canerandagio]

Quote

 arrived on visa exemption the 23 march.

 

First question is, if i did understand correctly, i can transform the exemption 30 days to a 90 days kind of visa right ? I did not know about this... Sure ?

And then apply for the one year ; all without having to leave the country ?

Is this possible anywhere in Thailand ? I am not in Bangkok. Phuket would be the nearest place with immigration for me.

OK..... I just arrived back from Chaeng Wattana immigration and I have fresh news.

Thanks to the invaluable advice of a few here (in particular ubonjoe and buick) I got a situation very similar to yours sorted out.

The assumption here is that the office in Phuket will do all this for you, and I would guess yes.

For clarity, we are talking about two visas here:

Non-Immigrant O (90 days)

Non-Immigrant O-A (retirement, one year)

 

The short answer to your question is that yes, you can - within the space of a couple of months - get your retirement visa sorted out.

The difference between me and you is that I was on a tourist visa and you are on a visa exempt. This makes a difference on the form you need to fill (negligible, see details below) and on the amount of time you have to apply for the conversion (this statement is best validated by the experts in this forum), as I guess you can't overstay your visa exempt period whilst you wait for the conversion to NonImmigrant O to complete (2-3 weeks).

Aside from this little detail, your situation is favourable and you do not need to leave the country.

Go to immigration, fill the form, hand in one photo, get the bank to produce the 3 documents listed in this thread (I also attach a photo which gives you the Thai translation too), 2000 baht, photocopies of the TM card, personal detail page and stamps on your passport and off you go, you can apply for the conversion of your visa exempt status into a Non Immigrant-O visa.

I applied today and will get my stamp on 17th April (which is more than the two weeks quoted by Buick above, but it may have to do with Songkhran). You will get 90 days from the day you apply, after which you will be able to apply for the 1 year extension (Non-Immigrant O-A, aka retirement visa).

The thing you need to watch for is that when you apply for the O-A (the one year extension of your O visa), your 800000 baht need to have been in your account for two months (three months for future years extensions I believe, but better check), therefore you cannot apply after only 45 days from your O visa application, as you would fail to meet that criteria, better wait 60 days (or 53 in your case, as you already had them for a week).

I was told that between now and my 90 days visa I should not leave the country, but the officer wasn't too convincing on this point.

 

As for bank papers, I bank with Bangkok Bank and did everything (as advised) on the ground floor of the Immigration Office. I paid 100 baht and they knew exactly what to do, although they forgot to produce the paper showing that I had received a foreign transfer of 800k, so I was pushed back by immigration and had to go back to the bank. The whole lot from entering immigration to exiting with my application receipt took about 1 hour, including bank letters and a meat skewer.

 

So, the way I see your situation is that you don't need any document that you don't already have, but you need to hurry as you want your Visa exemption to stay valid throughout your conversion to O visa, which means you have to apply this week to get it before 22 April, right?

 

Many thanks again to all.

Straydog

 

See attachment for docs required, or read the thread.

Sorry I can't answer the questions about passport validity and empty pages

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2017 by canerandagio

[scubascuba3]

 arrived on visa exemption the 23 march.

 

First question is, if i did understand correctly, i can transform the exemption 30 days to a 90 days kind of visa right ? I did not know about this... Sure ?

And then apply for the one year ; all without having to leave the country ?

Is this possible anywhere in Thailand ? I am not in Bangkok. Phuket would be the nearest place with immigration for me.

OK..... I just arrived back from Chaeng Wattana immigration and I have fresh news.
Thanks to the invaluable advice of a few here (in particular ubonjoe and buick) I got a situation very similar to yours sorted out.
The assumption here is that the office in Phuket will do all this for you, and I would guess yes.
For clarity, we are talking about two visas here:
Non-Immigrant O (90 days)
Non-Immigrant O-A (retirement, one year)
 
The short answer to your question is that yes, you can - within the space of a couple of months - get your retirement visa sorted out.
The difference between me and you is that I was on a tourist visa and you are on a visa exempt. This makes a difference on the form you need to fill (negligible, see details below) and on the amount of time you have to apply for the conversion (this statement is best validated by the experts in this forum), as I guess you can't overstay your visa exempt period whilst you wait for the conversion to NonImmigrant O to complete (2-3 weeks).
Aside from this little detail, your situation is favourable and you do not need to leave the country.
Go to immigration, fill the form, hand in one photo, get the bank to produce the 3 documents listed in this thread (I also attach a photo which gives you the Thai translation too), 2000 baht, photocopies of the TM card, personal detail page and stamps on your passport and off you go, you can apply for the conversion of your visa exempt status into a Non Immigrant-O visa.
I applied today and will get my stamp on 17th April (which is more than the two weeks quoted by Buick above, but it may have to do with Songkhran). You will get 90 days from the day you apply, after which you will be able to apply for the 1 year extension (Non-Immigrant O-A, aka retirement visa).
The thing you need to watch for is that when you apply for the O-A (the one year extension of your O visa), your 800000 baht need to have been in your account for two months (three months for future years extensions I believe, but better check), therefore you cannot apply after only 45 days from your O visa application, as you would fail to meet that criteria, better wait 60 days (or 53 in your case, as you already had them for a week).
I was told that between now and my 90 days visa I should not leave the country, but the officer wasn't too convincing on this point.
 
As for bank papers, I bank with Bangkok Bank and did everything (as advised) on the ground floor of the Immigration Office. I paid 100 baht and they knew exactly what to do, although they forgot to produce the paper showing that I had received a foreign transfer of 800k, so I was pushed back by immigration and had to go back to the bank. The whole lot from entering immigration to exiting with my application receipt took about 1 hour, including bank letters and a meat skewer.
 
So, the way I see your situation is that you don't need any document that you don't already have, but you need to hurry as you want your Visa exemption to stay valid throughout your conversion to O visa, which means you have to apply this week to get it before 22 April, right?
 
Many thanks again to all.
Straydog
 
See attachment for docs required, or read the thread.
Sorry I can't answer the questions about passport validity and empty pages
 
 
 
 
 


For the foreign transfer of 800k, it doesn't matter if its sent in GBP or THB (assuming from UK)?
Someone mentioned to me when buying a condo you have to send it in GBP but I'm not sure about that.

[canerandagio]

 

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

For the foreign transfer of 800k, it doesn't matter if its sent in GBP or THB (assuming from UK)?
Someone mentioned to me when buying a condo you have to send it in GBP but I'm not sure about that.

I don't know how to answer your question, but please can you quote when you reply, as you have published my whole message as if it was written by you :)

Want royalties...

[buick]

9 hours ago, Sambotte said:

Most importantly : i have read here or there that the passport must be valid for 1 year and half to ask for a long terme visa. Mine has only one year left, and 5 blank pages. Could be a problem, or not ?

i hope someone knows about this as i'll be requesting my extension of stay on the non imm O in may 2017 and my passport expires in july 2018.  i was planning to get a new passport after i get the extension but perhaps i need to do it first.

 

9 hours ago, Sambotte said:

Is this possible anywhere in Thailand ? I am not in Bangkok. Phuket would be the nearest place with immigration for me.

it is NOT possible in most places in thailand.  bangkok is one of the few offices that do it.  i have not seen any reports from people doing this in phuket.  i hope someone tells you it is okay but don't start the party yet.

 

2 hours ago, canerandagio said:

As for bank papers, I bank with Bangkok Bank and did everything (as advised) on the ground floor of the Immigration Office. I paid 100 baht and they knew exactly what to do, although they forgot to produce the paper showing that I had received a foreign transfer of 800k,

so the bank produced two letters/pieces of paper ?  one certifying the balance and another relating to the foreign transfer ?  i wasn't really sure if i had the foreign transfer piece covered or not (i had just one letter, in thai).  but they took the papers and gave me the receipt (and next visit got stamp).  i'm just wondering as i'll have to do it all over again in two months and want to make sure i get the right stuff. 

 

[canerandagio]

1 minute ago, buick said:

so the bank produced two letters/pieces of paper ?  one certifying the balance and another relating to the foreign transfer ?  i wasn't really sure if i had the foreign transfer piece covered or not (i had just one letter, in thai).  but they took the papers and gave me the receipt (and next visit got stamp).  i'm just wondering as i'll have to do it all over again in two months and want to make sure i get the right stuff. 

 

At first the bank produced a standard letter in Thai which acted as the guarantee letter. They also photocopied all pages of my bankbook. They stamped and signed both (items 1 and 2 in your list).

I went to immigration and they sent me back to the bank as they had to have a guarantee of the foreign source of my funds. My pointing to the bankbook showing the FTT coded transaction (Foreign Transfer, I guess) did not yield results.

The immigration lady was very friendly though. She highlighted in yellow the relevant Thai section of the requirements list (you can see it in the attachment) and showed me a standard letter from Bangkok Bank, which I photographed and took to Bangkok Bank on the ground floor.

Bangkok Bank understood what I was looking for, they said that they could not produce something the same as the photograph I had shown them as that can only be done at the main branch, but in the space of a two minutes they produced something else which looked official and was duly accepted upstairs by the immigration lady.

When you go just tell the BKK Bank staff you need that too, and if necessary print out the document I attached and show the section in yellow.

 

Cheers,

straydog

 

 

 

[buick]

37 minutes ago, canerandagio said:

had to have a guarantee of the foreign source of my funds

i guess i got lucky.  i asked about 'proof of foreign transfer' at bangkok bank, silom branch, but they just gave me a blank stare in return. 

 

i think they gave me a pass on the foreign transfer part as a large portion of the 800,00thb was in my USD account (equivalent of 765,000, the rest was in my THB account). 

Edited March 29, 2017 by buick

[scubascuba3]

 
I don't know how to answer your question, but please can you quote when you reply, as you have published my whole message as if it was written by you :)
Want royalties...

Yes strange that, tapatalk issue i guess

[berybert]

5 hours ago, canerandagio said:

OK..... I just arrived back from Chaeng Wattana immigration and I have fresh news.

Thanks to the invaluable advice of a few here (in particular ubonjoe and buick) I got a situation very similar to yours sorted out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What about me !!!!  :)

Edited March 29, 2017 by berybert

[Sambotte]

Thanks for all the infos.

 

Still a little lost but having a cold no wonder :)

 

Not so sure after all for the 1 year and half validity, could be a info picked up on a site for applying in your country of origin... Not sure, didn't find it today.

 

For me the points still are, for the first step 90 days non-immigrant O, from a exemption visa 30 days :

- Possible in Phuket or not (can't really see why not) ?

- And if delay too tight (exemption ending 21 april), possible to get first a extension of the exemption, witch would give me 30 days ?

 

And well i have a appointment at the french ambassy for a new passport the 26 april but they could refuse to do it if actually 1 year validity (that's what i have left) is not required for the retirement visa... Will try to contact them.

 

But well, should be easy though, once i will get the official infos, so i will simply go first to the immigration in Phuket to ask, i think (have to go one day in Phuket anyway).

 

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, Sambotte said:

Not so sure after all for the 1 year and half validity, could be a info picked up on a site for applying in your country of origin... Not sure, didn't find it today.

 

For me the points still are, for the first step 90 days non-immigrant O, from a exemption visa 30 days :

- Possible in Phuket or not (can't really see why not) ?

You only need 18 months passport validity to apply for a multiple entry visa at a embassy or consulate. 

To apply an extension you need one year remaining on your passport or your extension will only be issued up to the date your passport expires.

Phuket immigration cannot do the conversion to a non immigrant visa. They are not authorized to do them. Your best choice is to make a trip to Penang to get a single entry non-o visa.

[Sambotte]

Thanks,

 

Is it to say that the retirement visa (witch if i did understand require a non-O 3 months and then a 1 year non-OA) can be done only in Bangkok if you don't want to spend weeks outside Thailand ? Get a little confuse here, sorry for that, damn

cold or flu...

And Chiang Mai same as Phuket ?

Or is it indeed the transformation process that can be done only in Bangkok ?

 

Or it may be simplier for me to :

- get extension until 20 may

- make my new passport (only 1 year left and 5 blank pages) 26 april

- go out 20 may with the old passport, and ask a tourist 2 month visa on the new one, witch is quick

- come back and ask, with no transformation, a retired visa, since i will have the 800K since many months as required...

 

So no problem i guess to ask a non-tranformation :) but full retired visa (in one or two process) anywhere in Thailand then ?

 

Last : i do not have yet a very standard adress, being in a hotel on weekly/monthly rate. Could be a issue too.

 

Thanks in advane for your advice, Thailand is easy, but this could require some precise planning obviously.

[Sambotte]

No actually i'm lost :)

 

The retirement visa so can be done only in Bangkok inside Thailand ???

Because anyway it's a transformation, in Thailand, you have a visa or exemption anyway...

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, Sambotte said:

No actually i'm lost :)

 

The retirement visa so can be done only in Bangkok inside Thailand ???

Because anyway it's a transformation, in Thailand, you have a visa or exemption anyway...

You cannot apply for a OA visa in Thailand. A OA visa can only be applied for at a embassy or consulate in your home country.

The first step is to get a 90 day non-o visa entry and then apply for a one year extension of stay (it is not a visa) based upon retirement at immigration.

Only Bangkok and Chiang Mai immigration can issue a non immigrant visa (non-o). Bangkok immigration has authorized a few offices within the central region to accept the application and send it to them for approval.

Any immigration office can accept the application for the one year extension of stay based upon retirement once you have the 90 day non-o visa entry.

As I wrote before you could get a single entry non-o visa in Penang Malaysia. You could get that instead of a tourist visa so that you can apply for the one year extension.

You should have no problem getting a new passport. They routinely issue new passports when a passport has much more than the one year yours will have.

 

 

[Sambotte]

Ha ! Ok i get it now !

Thanks a lot, that's good infos.

I will weight my options with those.

Considering i need a new passport, and the delay for it, i will probably go in Laos or Malaisia after that and indeeed, ask for a non-O visa, on the new passport, and when back for a extension 1 year.

And that will fit better for the adress and the 800K in bank since 2 month, required for the non-O or the extension i forget this but well, looks ok this way.

Thanks again :)

 

Only desagrement : the delay to get the non-O in Laos (i'm not a big fan of Penang :)), and to be sure in advance every document is ok... Hmm... Well, i have time to think about it.

[canerandagio]

23 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You cannot apply for a OA visa in Thailand. A OA visa can only be applied for at a embassy or consulate in your home country.

The first step is to get a 90 day non-o visa entry and then apply for a one year extension of stay (it is not a visa) based upon retirement at immigration.

Only Bangkok and Chiang Mai immigration can issue a non immigrant visa (non-o). Bangkok immigration has authorized a few offices within the central region to accept the application and send it to them for approval.

Any immigration office can accept the application for the one year extension of stay based upon retirement once you have the 90 day non-o visa entry.

So... is there a difference between an O visa extended and an OA?

I assume the O visa 1 year extension can be renewed year on year, would there be a need to convert it into an OA?

 

Thanks

 

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, canerandagio said:

So... is there a difference between an O visa extended and an OA?

I assume the O visa 1 year extension can be renewed year on year, would there be a need to convert it into an OA?

 

Thanks

 

A non-o visa only allows a 90 day entry that can be extended for a year. A OA visa is issued by an embassy or consulate allows multiple one year entries.

You can apply for one year extension year after year.

There would never be a conversion to a OA visa you just apply for the OA visa in your home country.

[canerandagio]

23 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

A non-o visa only allows a 90 day entry that can be extended for a year. A OA visa is issued by an embassy or consulate allows multiple one year entries.

You can apply for one year extension year after year.

There would never be a conversion to a OA visa you just apply for the OA visa in your home country.

So... does that mean that once I have extended my O visa for a year I will have to leave Thailand and go to home country to apply for OA because I won't be able to extend the O any further?

In other words, an O visa has a limited timespan of 90 days + 1 year?

 

Thanks

straydog