Retirement or Marriage visa - which one?

[mamboze]

Hi all,

 

Could anyone advise on the advantages of the Retirement visa, and any disadvantages too as opposed to the Marriage visa for long term stay in Thailand.

 

I guess it is obviously horses for courses, but any comments or advice would be welcome

 

Thanks

[ubonjoe]

One advantage is the financial requirements. Money in the bank is 400k baht or 40k baht income for marriage and retirement is 800k or 65k baht.

Another is that you can get a work permit and work with non-o visa or extension of stay (it is not a visa) based upon marriage. You cannot work with a retirement extension of stay.

[Anythingleft?]

It seems to be a lot easier to obtain a retirement visa, most posts relate to this.
My own experience of getting marriage extensions is a headache, when the time arrives I will transfer to a retirement visa just due to the ease of it. Unless of course the process becomes less stressfull and drawn out in the next few years.
I think if you have the finances and age requirement most people would truthfully say to go the retirement option.
If it is purely to stay and there is no working involved that would be my prefered option.

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[mamboze]

@ubonjoe & Anythingleft?

 

Thanks for your helpful advice. The problem with the retirement visa is the financial requirements, so perhaps a marriage visa is the way to go. Are there any other alternatives?

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, mamboze said:

@ubonjoe & Anythingleft?

 

Thanks for your helpful advice. The problem with the retirement visa is the financial requirements, so perhaps a marriage visa is the way to go. Are there any other alternatives?

I did not mention that for a retirement extension (not a visa) you can also combine income and money in the bank to reach the 800k baht option.

Extensions based upon marriage upon marriage are not all that hard to get. I can say that since I am on my 9th one.

[phuketjock]

1 hour ago, mamboze said:

@ubonjoe & Anythingleft?

 

Thanks for your helpful advice. The problem with the retirement visa is the financial requirements, so perhaps a marriage visa is the way to go. Are there any other alternatives?

mamboze there is no such thing as a retirement or marriage VISA they are extensions of your permission to

stay based on retirement or marriage to a Thai national and are normally referred to as a retirement or marriage 

extension they are not VISAs. Please try and use the correct terminology, thanks.

[Anythingleft?]

mamboze there is no such thing as a retirement or marriage VISA they are extensions of your permission to
stay based on retirement or marriage to a Thai national and are normally referred to as a retirement or marriage 
extension they are not VISAs. Please try and use the correct terminology, thanks.

Yes quite correct a common error written by most of us but one which does cause the threads to derail very quickly into abuse and non helpful comments.
Well pointed out early on

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[YetAnother]

Might want to factor in if something should happen to the wife

she runs off or dies or divorces

[Phuket Man]

As Joe said, an extension based on marriage is really not difficult to do.

There seems to be some kind of myth build up around it for some reason.

 

[ubonjoe]

27 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

Might want to factor in if something should happen to the wife

she runs off or dies or divorces

The extension would be valid until it ends if the wife was to pass away. Divorce does no happen overnight so there would be time to prepare.

Runs off would be a different problem. But if a person was smart they would perhaps try to have signed copies of her house book registry and ID card. Those could be used to get a multiple entry non-o visa based upon marriage.

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, Anythingleft? said:

 

Yes quite correct a common error written by most of us but one which does cause the threads to derail very quickly into abuse and non helpful comments.
Well pointed out early on

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 

 

As well as risking causing quarterly journeys to Vientiane, Penang, etc for fresh visas instead of annual journeys to local immigration offices much nearer to home for extensions of stay, of course! 

Edited May 18, 2017 by OJAS

[phuketjock]

2 hours ago, YetAnother said:

Might want to factor in if something should happen to the wife

she runs off or dies or divorces

Married or not if you are on a retirement extension you don't have to factor in any of these things

and apart from the money there is far less paperwork and no waiting for approval with the retirement

route. Imho if you are over 50 and have the money retirement extension is a much easier way to go 

and you do not depend on your wife or her status to renew annually. Like uJ I have been doing

extensions for 9+ years only I am on retirement extensions, done in one day pick up pp next day,

most imm. offices issue the same day I believe. 

 

Edited May 18, 2017 by phuketjock
addition

[Tilacme]

Interesting topic as I have a non o and need to make that choice in a few weeks.  No sure which way I will go.

[HooHaa]

advantages of retirment visa, no wife needed.  Also no dependancy on your spouse come renewal.

disadvantages of retirement visa, more money required in bank.

 

best of both worlds, non o on the basis you have a thai child. no wife required, can work, less money down required, often you can just show you have cash, no need to lock it up.

[phuketjock]

23 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

advantages of retirment visa, no wife needed.  Also no dependancy on your spouse come renewal.

disadvantages of retirement visa, more money required in bank.

 

best of both worlds, non o on the basis you have a thai child. no wife required, can work, less money down required, often you can just show you have cash, no need to lock it up.

Not sure what you mean by " no need to lock it up " for either marriage or retirement extension no locking up of funds is required 

as long as you have the required amount of money in the bank for the requisite amount of time before your extension application

there is no need to lock any money up and post renewal/application approval you can do what you wish with your money until next

year.   And they are not VISAs.

Edited May 18, 2017 by phuketjock
addition

[HooHaa]

19 minutes ago, phuketjock said:

Not sure what you mean by " no need to lock it up " for either marriage or retirement extension no locking up of funds is required 

as long as you have the required amount of money in the bank for the requisite amount of time before your extension application

there is no need to lock any money up and post renewal/application approval you can do what you wish with your money until next

year.   And they are not VISAs.

ok, they are not visas,  they are extensions of visas. 

 

"as long as you have the required amount of money in the bank for the requisite amount of time"

 

im not even going to even justify this piece of pedantry.

[tazly]

7 hours ago, phuketjock said:

mamboze there is no such thing as a retirement or marriage VISA they are extensions of your permission to

stay based on retirement or marriage to a Thai national and are normally referred to as a retirement or marriage 

extension they are not VISAs. Please try and use the correct terminology, thanks.

You love posting this pedantic ranting don't you? 

Edited May 18, 2017 by tazly

[phuketjock]

44 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

ok, they are not visas,  they are extensions of visas. 

 

"as long as you have the required amount of money in the bank for the requisite amount of time"

 

im not even going to even justify this piece of pedantry.

No they are not extensions of VISAs, you cannot extend a VISA.

This is exactly the reason I continually correct the wrong use of terminology 

I am not being pedantic, are the people on this forum really so thick that they 

cannot grasp the difference between a VISA and an extension of permission 

to stay???

You made a statement about locking up cash and I merely pointed out there was

no need to lock up your cash how can that possibly be construed as in any way 

pedantic??

[HooHaa]

14 hours ago, tazly said:

You love posting this pedantic ranting don't you? 

he should tell the ministry of foreign affairs that they are doing it wrong.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html

 

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. 

 

Holder of this type of visa is allowed to stay in Thailand for 1 year.  Employment of any kind is strictly prohibited.

 

[phuketjock]

53 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

he should tell the ministry of foreign affairs that they are doing it wrong.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html

 

 

Yes this is a visa for one year which gives the holder if they so wish the ability to apply for an extension

of stay on the grounds of retirement provided the application is made before the visa expiry date. It is 

not automatic and this is NOT a retirement VISA and it cannot be extended.

The applicant must meet all the necessary requirements to obtain a retirement extension on application,

as in paragraph 5.4 of your link, which incidentally at no time mentions anything to indicate that a non "O-A"

(Long stay) is a retirement VISA, or anything other than what says on the tin, long stay visa nothing more.

Edited May 19, 2017 by phuketjock

[Paul Collins]

mamboze, if you require any further information or advice i would suggest you seek it elsewhere as nobody seems to be able to agree about anything here, and are more interested in argument than assistance.

[Tilacme]

I have a beautiful Thai wife who is not about to dump me (spare me the cynical comments), and can meet the financial requirements for a an extension of stay based upon retirement.  So from the posts, the main difference is that with a marriage extension I can work in Thailand, hmmmm its all I can do to function in this heat.. 

[phuketjock]

1 hour ago, Tilacme said:

I have a beautiful Thai wife who is not about to dump me (spare me the cynical comments), and can meet the financial requirements for a an extension of stay based upon retirement.  So from the posts, the main difference is that with a marriage extension I can work in Thailand, hmmmm its all I can do to function in this heat.. 

Yes you are right if you don't wish to work and you have no problems with the funds side of things I would 

suggest that retirement extension is the way to go imo a lot less hoops to jump through and no waiting 1

or so months for approval generally.