Changing from Non-B to retirement

[candoman89]

okay, so my non-imm B extension of stay and work permit expire on 31 August (when my old passport was set to expire).  I want to change to retirement visa and then get an extension of stay based on retirement.

 

I just decided to give up working so have not seasoned the required funds for the appropriate amount of time.  I plan to put the 800,000 baht into a  dedicated account this week to start the seasoning period.

 

My plan is to fly to Hong Kong on 31 August and apply for a SETV and come back to Thailand on 4 September as a tourist (bringing 20K Baht, exit flight ticket), my "hotel" is actually a condo  I have rented since 2011 and will bring a copy of the lease in case they ask for it.

 

When the 3 month 800,000 baht seasoning period is up I w ant to apply for a  retirement visa.

 

my questions are:

1. can I change from a tourist to retirement visa without exiting Thailand?
2. I understand the SETV is good for 60 days and  can be extended forr an additional 30 days at Chaeng Wattana so I will have the 90 day seasoning period covered
3. do you see  any problem with getting a SETV from Hong Kong?
4. Do you forsee any problem with immig letting me in the country when I arrive at Suwannabhumi?  Will the fact that I am in a  condo I rent be looked upon by immig as cause for not letting  me in since i am "living" here and not a real tourist?  (as an aside we  are looking for a house to buy in either Hua Hin or Rayong so we will be  doing some house hunting while I am here so thatt could be classified as a  tourist).  Or should I get a hotel to show a  booking to give to immig at the airport.

 

Thanks for any/all answers/comments.

 

Candoman

 

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, candoman89 said:

When the 3 month 800,000 baht seasoning period is up I w ant to apply for a  retirement visa.

 

my questions are:

1. can I change from a tourist to retirement visa without exiting Thailand?
2. I understand the SETV is good for 60 days and  can be extended forr an additional 30 days at Chaeng Wattana so I will have the 90 day seasoning period covered
3. do you see  any problem with getting a SETV from Hong Kong?
4. Do you forsee any problem with immig letting me in the country when I arrive at Suwannabhumi?  Will the fact that I am in a  condo I rent be looked upon by immig as cause for not letting  me in since i am "living" here and not a real tourist?  (as an aside we  are looking for a house to buy in either Hua Hin or Rayong so we will be  doing some house hunting while I am here so thatt could be classified as a  tourist).  Or should I get a hotel to show a  booking to give to immig at the airport.

 

You can apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement (not a visa).

1/2. You can do a change of visa status at an immigration office to get a 90 day  non immigrant visa (category O) entry. You can do it at anytime during the 60 day entry from your tourist visa up to the last 15 days of it. The 800k baht does not need to be in the bank any amount of time to a apply for the visa.

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry from the visa you can apply for a extension of stay. The 800k baht will then need to be in the bank for 60 days on the date you apply.

3. No

4. No problem when you enter the country. Only those with many tourist visa and visa exempt entries have had problems. 

[candoman89]

Ubonjoe: once again I thank you very much for your sage advice.  Much appreciated.

 

Cando

[JackThompson]

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Do you forsee any problem with immig letting me in the country when I arrive at Suwannabhumi?  Will the fact that I am in a  condo I rent be looked upon by immig as cause for not letting  me in since i am "living" here and not a real tourist?  (as an aside we  are looking for a house to buy in either Hua Hin or Rayong so we will be  doing some house hunting while I am here so thatt could be classified as a  tourist).  Or should I get a hotel to show a  booking to give to immig at the airport.

To clarify on this point - in some countries, entering with "intent" to look for a job, meet a girlfriend (whom you might marry), or seek a longer-term visa-option generally is, in and of itself, cause for denial of entry on a Tourist-based visa (in the USA, for example).  This is not the case in Thailand. 

 

UJ is correct, that even in airports, IOs generally target those that have a history of staying in Thailand on Tourist of Exempt entries for scrutiny or denial of entry.  But as you have been in the country for a longer period of time (and even those who have not), I would be sure to carry 20K Baht worth of cash or travelers checks, as that is a legal requirement for entry with a Tourist Visa.  Though being asked to show this may be unlikely in your case, it is always good to have your bases covered.

 

Also, if you currently have the 800K in a bank anywhere (Thailand or elsewhere), and can prove this with a bank-statement, you might opt to apply for a single-entry 90-day Non-Immigrant "O" visa based on retirement in Hong Kong.  I am not sure what additional documents they need at that consulate, but obtaining this Visa there could save having to do the "conversion" step in Thailand - a process which may be easy or not, depending on the policies of the immigration-office you use. 

 

If you cannot get the 90-day Non-Imm-O in Hong Kong, then the SETV can be your backup plan.  Your account-statements, backed up by the 20K Baht worth of cash, could also help resolve any issue (however unlikely) at airport-immigration, when entering with a Tourist Visa.