Retirement v Non O marriage Visa

[johnny1966]

I have been using non imm O visas based on marriage to a Thai for the past 10 or 11 years. I have just turned 50 and am thinking about changing to a retirement visa mainly because I am starting to not enjoy doing the 3 monthly "runs". My questions are:

 

1. Has anyone done this and if so, are there any problems/negatives in doing so?

2. If I wish (at some stage in the future) to stop using the retirement visa and apply for a non immigrant visa based on marriage again, can I do so?

 

Thanks for any advice.

[lopburi3]

Why are you using visa entry?  You can get one year extensions based on marriage at immigration - the same as for retirement - at half the financial requirement.  Marriage only requires 400k in bank deposit.

 

Yes you could return to visa entry at a later date from either marriage or retirement extensions of stay.

Edited June 21, 2018 by lopburi3

[ubonjoe]

The only visa that comes close to being a retirement visa is a OA long stay visa you would have to apply for in your home country or country of legal residence.

You can apply for a extension of stay based upon retirement at a immigration office. You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income by way of a income letter from your embassy or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

You could also apply for a one year extension of stay based upon marriage. It requires 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months or proof of 40k baht income.

[Blue Muton]

Changing from extension of stay based on retirement to extension of stay based on marriage is not a problem, I did it last year.

 

What are your three month runs? Do you mean the  90 day reports at your local immigration office or are you leaving the country every 3 months? If the latter, I'm not surprised that you've had enough of them after more than ten years, one year was enough for me!

[johnny1966]

12 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The only visa that comes close to being a retirement visa is a OA long stay visa you would have to apply for in your home country or country of legal residence.

You can apply for a extension of stay based upon retirement at a immigration office. You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income by way of a income letter from your embassy or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

You could also apply for a one year extension of stay based upon marriage. It requires 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months or proof of 40k baht income.

Thank you. If I leave Thailand in the future and then come back after a few years I assume it would be ok to go back to Laos for example and apply for another non imm O based on marriage, that is, after having a retirement extension for 1 or 2 years?

[Maradona 10]

8 minutes ago, Blue Muton said:

Changing from extension of stay based on retirement to extension of stay based on marriage is not a problem, I did it last year.

 

What are your three month runs? Do you mean the  90 day reports at your local immigration office or are you leaving the country every 3 months? If the latter, I'm not surprised that you've had enough of them after more than ten years, one year was enough for me!

It's really not a big problem leaving the country every 90 days. When I read posts like yours I always wonder how you managed to make it over here in the first place.

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, Maradona 10 said:

It's really not a big problem leaving the country every 90 days. When I read posts like yours I always wonder how you managed to make it over here in the first place.

Actually it can be a very big problem - having to run to the border during a family death is not cool.  Been there.

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, johnny1966 said:

Thank you. If I leave Thailand in the future and then come back after a few years I assume it would be ok to go back to Laos for example and apply for another non imm O based on marriage, that is, after having a retirement extension for 1 or 2 years?

That would not be a problem if multiple entry visas are still available there.

You could also get a single entry non-o visa about anywhere based upon marriage and then apply for another one year extension at immigration.

[Blue Muton]

21 minutes ago, Maradona 10 said:

It's really not a big problem leaving the country every 90 days. When I read posts like yours I always wonder how you managed to make it over here in the first place.

Maybe some of us prefer to choose when we want to travel out tof the country rather than have it dictated to us. I always wonder about one-dimensional thinking when I read posts like yours.

[Maradona 10]

11 minutes ago, Blue Muton said:

Maybe some of us prefer to choose when we want to travel out tof the country rather than have it dictated to us. I always wonder about one-dimensional thinking when I read posts like yours.

Dictated to?? Ha ha...nobody asked you to come here.

[Blue Muton]

2 minutes ago, Maradona 10 said:

Dictated to?? Ha ha...nobody asked you to come here.

Grow up - or just ignore my posts if that's beyond you.

[Maradona 10]

 

8 minutes ago, Blue Muton said:

Grow up - or just ignore my posts if that's beyond you.

Ooohh, great comeback. You win now.

 

Bit of advice, don't apply for a visa if you don't like to obey by the very rules that applies to said visa.

 

PS: You can always ignore my posts too.

[johnny1966]

On 6/21/2018 at 2:41 PM, ubonjoe said:

That would not be a problem if multiple entry visas are still available there.

You could also get a single entry non-o visa about anywhere based upon marriage and then apply for another one year extension at immigration.

Thanks. You are extremely helpful. One last question. Given that I have been on several non imm O visas based on marriage for the past 10 years or so, if I suddenly switch to a retirement visa will is there likely to be any eyebrows raised by immigration officials at the airport if I travel? I have heard they can be awkward at times. I mean, will they find it unusual that I have changed to a retirement extension rather than marriage extension?

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, johnny1966 said:

Thanks. You are extremely helpful. One last question. Given that I have been on several non imm O visas based on marriage for the past 10 years or so, if I suddenly switch to a retirement visa will is there likely to be any eyebrows raised by immigration officials at the airport if I travel? I have heard they can be awkward at times. I mean, will they find it unusual that I have changed to a retirement extension rather than marriage extension?

The simple answer is no.

You would be using a re-entry permit based upon your extension to enter the country. There would be no reason for them go back and look at your previous history of entries.

[baansgr]

After years of marriage/dependant visas and extensions, changed to retirement ext this year as gave up work. So much easier but of course financials are more. Just one note I havnt seen on here, as I always apply early, my retirement extension started from that day rather than when my existing dependant extension expired, so I lost about 3 weeks.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Just one note I havnt seen on here, as I always apply early, my retirement extension started from that day rather than when my existing dependant extension expired, so I lost about 3 weeks.

That can happen when you change the reason for your extension of stay since they will cancel your current extension prior to doing the new one. 

Not all offices do it that way though.

[Tanoshi]

2 hours ago, johnny1966 said:

One last question. Given that I have been on several non imm O visas based on marriage for the past 10 years or so, if I suddenly switch to a retirement visa will is there likely to be any eyebrows raised by immigration officials at the airport if I travel?

Your not switching to a Retirement Visa.

There are conditional differences between a Visa and an extension which are important for you to understand.

 

Your current Non Imm O Visa was obtained from a Thai Embassy/Consulate and allows multiple entries.

Each entry allows a 90 day stay, although being married to a Thai you could have applied for a 60 day extension (1,900 baht) at your local IO, therefore not having to do a border run for almost 5 months.

 

At local Immigration you will be applying to extend your 'permission to stay' based on retirement. (A permit not a Visa).

You could alternatively apply for an extension based on marriage (different financial requirements).

It/they (being a permit to stay) has no allowable entries, so if you want to leave Thailand and return during the period of the 1 year permit, you must obtain a re-entry permit (single 1,000 baht, multiple 3,800 baht) which keeps any remaining permission to stay valid.

Without a re-entry permit, your extension would cease the minute you leave Thailand and you'd be given a 30 day Visa exempt entry stamp on your return.

 

On either of the above extensions you must also make 90 day reports to your local IO, unless you leave the Country before the 90 day report date, in which case your next 90 day report is reset to 90 days from, and inclusive of, the date of your re-entry.

 

[Tanoshi]

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 2:16 PM, Blue Muton said:

Changing from extension of stay based on retirement to extension of stay based on marriage is not a problem, I did it last year.

 

What are your three month runs? Do you mean the  90 day reports at your local immigration office or are you leaving the country every 3 months? If the latter, I'm not surprised that you've had enough of them after more than ten years, one year was enough for me!

You misread the OP's post.

He isn't changing from an extension based on retirement, to an extension based on marriage.

 

He current has a Non Imm O ME Visa obtained at a Thai Embassy/Consulate. (Not an extension from his local IO).

Each entry allows him to stay for 90 days.

He does not make 90 day reports.

He must leave and re-enter to get another 90 days (border runs).

Edited June 23, 2018 by Tanoshi

[Blue Muton]

20 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

You misread the OP's post.

He isn't changing from an extension based on retirement, to an extension based on marriage.

 

He current has a Non Imm O ME Visa obtained at a Thai Embassy/Consulate. (Not an extension from his local IO).

Each entry allows him to stay for 90 days.

He does not make 90 day reports.

He must leave and re-enter to get another 90 days (border runs).

Thanks but my reply was in relation to the second part of the OP:

 

2. If I wish (at some stage in the future) to stop using the retirement visa and apply for a non immigrant visa based on marriage again, can I do so?

 

I realise(d) that the OP said "visa" and I was talking about Extension of Stay but as we all know some posters say the former when they mean the latter, I assume at some point they will apply for an extension.