Retirement Visa - Spend Half the Year Elsewhere?

[peter14]

2 month in Phil  , 2 month in Thailand , 2 month in  Malaysia.     No reporting  no visa   enter as tourist  and keep going!  why bother  this TM30 hell   visa  800k etc 

[Sheryl]

9 hours ago, Tony125 said:

If you arrive with a SETV you would get 60 days and then extend that for 30 more at immigration for 1900 baht. After that go to say Laos and get another single entry and extend that for 30 days at immigration. That would give you 6 months in Thailand without tying up any money (800,000 baht) in a Thai bank. You also could extend your SETV at immigration for 60 days by reason of visiting a Thai wife.  Should have no problem with IO's at airport because technacly your only visiting twice a year.

 

frequency of visit is less an issue than time spent in country. if he is here more than 6 months in a year on tourist visas he could encounter problems or even be denied entry, it does happen though unpredictably.

 

Of all his options a non-O based on marriage to a Thai and then extended annually would seem the most advantageous option.  No risk of being denied entry. Financial requirement, but half that of retirement extension (400k).

 

Free to get health insurance that suits him and is of good value (O-A will soon require a policy and may well have awkward/cumbersome/impractical parameters specified).

 

OP -  do not however neglect insurance. As you will be only half year in Thailland all you need is a good travel policy that covers medical emergencies including repatriation. Be sure to read provisins carefully especially re riding motorcycles.

[Awinkl]

I have now had a Retirement Visa for the past 4 years and have done only 2 - 90 Day reports so far. I find it easier and a lot less complicated to do everything at the Jomtien Immigration Office always get the Multiple Entry and don't mind the fact, that I have to keep the 800K here.

I use Thailand as my Base and travel frequently. It's easy to get to Europe or other Asian places and also easy to get to major Cruise-ports .... and afterwards it's nice to come "home" to LOS to relax and rest-up, before taking the next trip.

[ICELANDMAN]

7 hours ago, peter14 said:

2 month in Phil  , 2 month in Thailand , 2 month in  Malaysia.     No reporting  no visa   enter as tourist  and keep going!  why bother  this TM30 hell   visa  800k etc 

Like Asia gypsies???? your solution is also valid

Or 6 months in Japan, 2 months in Thailand, 2 months in the Philippines

Edited August 24, 2019 by ICELANDMAN

[opalred]

take care \i was in Malaysia for 2years /

in and out on tourist visa stopped in the end at airport/ told could not keep doing it 

left and never returned to s///thole

[Suradit69]

13 hours ago, elviajero said:

immigration might want to know why someone is living 6 months outside the country that is applying for an extension of stay.

And yet in another thread awhile ago you made the point that it was an Extension of your Permiision to stay.. 

 

Receiving permission  to stay in Thailand for one year is not the same as being obliged to staying only in Thailand and they do issue re-entry permits good until the end of the extension.

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

And yet in another thread awhile ago you made the point that it was an Extension of your Permiision to stay.. 

It is.

 

Quote

Receiving permission  to stay in Thailand for one year is not the same as being obliged to staying only in Thailand and they do issue re-entry permits good until the end of the extension.

I didn’t say the applicant is “obliged” to stay, or can’t travel as often as they want.

 

Take it up a notch. Do you think that immigration wouldn’t ask questions if an applicant applied for an extension of stay every year but spent 11 months outside the country!

 

Again, I am simply pointing out — for the OP’s benefit — that questions might be asked if the applicant spends 6 months plus outside the country every year; as that square peg doesn’t fit immigrations round hole.

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[CMBob]

On 8/24/2019 at 3:36 AM, elviajero said:

Again, I am simply pointing out — for the OP’s benefit — that questions might be asked if the applicant spends 6 months plus outside the country every year; as that square peg doesn’t fit immigrations round hole.

I asked before but you didn't respond so here goes again:  Do you know of any cases where Immigration has even questioned an expat (who is on a retirement visa/extension) as to why he is out of Thailand for many months per year?  If you do, that information would be helpful; if you don't, I wonder if it's all that helpful to speculate as to what Immigration might do (I've been on a retirement extension for a decade+ and have been out of Thailand 4+ months in a row each year for that whole time period and Immigration has never said a word about it). 

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, CMBob said:

I asked before but you didn't respond so here goes again:  Do you know of any cases where Immigration has even questioned an expat (who is on a retirement visa/extension) as to why he is out of Thailand for many months per year?  If you do, that information would be helpful; if you don't, I wonder if it's all that helpful to speculate as to what Immigration might do (I've been on a retirement extension for a decade+ and have been out of Thailand 4+ months in a row each year for that whole time period and Immigration has never said a word about it). 

Would you like a list of all the things that immigration do or don't do now that they used to not do or do in the past, with or without notice?

Again, I was simply warning the OP of the possibility that immigration might ask the question based on their known unpredictability, and I made it clear - as I have done for years - that 6 months probably won't make a difference. However, as I pointed out to someone else, there must be a line where immigration would query issuing an extension. For example, someone stayed out 11 months of the year, every year.

[gk10002000]

I plan to spend about 180 days a year when I retire next year.  Was planning on getting the O or OA visa then the retirement extension.  As others have said you would eliminate a lot of 90 day reporting and heck even if you stayed about 180 days, a well timed trip over to cambodia or Laos for a few nights prior to 90 days elapsing is something to consider, especially if you were going to make the trip anyway.   With the latest go round of medical insurance, monthly transfer shenanigans and what not, I am now leaning to just two 60 day SETVs each with then a 30 day extension.  Time will tell how eager I am to fly back to the US once in Thailand again.  Rarely fun to get back on the plane for the long trip home, even when I have upgraded seats.

[gk10002000]

On 8/23/2019 at 1:30 PM, Awinkl said:

I have now had a Retirement Visa for the past 4 years and have done only 2 - 90 Day reports so far. I find it easier and a lot less complicated to do everything at the Jomtien Immigration Office always get the Multiple Entry and don't mind the fact, that I have to keep the 800K here.

I use Thailand as my Base and travel frequently. It's easy to get to Europe or other Asian places and also easy to get to major Cruise-ports .... and afterwards it's nice to come "home" to LOS to relax and rest-up, before taking the next trip.

Exactly.  If one was planning on going to Cambodia or Laos or whatever anyway, it makes great sense to me to schedule those trips around the time just before a 90 day report is due, thereby eliminating the need to do such tom foolery reporting

[DEKEM]

On 8/23/2019 at 10:34 PM, donnacha said:

Thank you @OJAS, @ThaiBunny, @ICELANDMAN, @MiclB, @Suradit69, @Tony125, @jacko45k, @dcnx, @CMBob, @amexpat, @Mac98, and thanks again to @overherebc and @elviajero for the further clarifications.

It is a complex area, further complicated by the trend since 2012, and accelerated after the 2015 coup, of various options becoming more complicated. So, I am not merely looking at what is viable today but, also, what is likely to remain viable in 5, 10, 20 years time. 

My hunch is that all tourist visas, even the SETV, will continue to become more restrictive as Thailand continues to chase the mirage of five-star tourists who spend big and leave quickly. Someone, somewhere at the top, has decided that long-stay farangs are a problem.

My employment/business situation falls between the cracks and the gaps in my knowledge - despite reading many threads - were looming over me. Thanks to all of you, I now have a firmer grasp of my options. Thank you to everyone.

My conclusion is that the retirement category is likely to remain somewhat protected, as long as you have that 800K and, no doubt soon, useless Thai medical insurance. Probably best to bite the bullet and set myself up somewhat officially, rather than worry about changing tourist visa rules, having 20K in cash every time I arrive, avoiding female IOs etc.

Regarding marriage, I might just be commitment phobic, but my perception is that the harmony in our relationship is finely balanced on the fact that I can walk away at any time. I won't, but my lady's fiery nature is moderated by the fact that I could. As it stands, we pretty much never fight, she has accepted my position that I won't tolerate or participate in petty arguments, and it is actually something of a relief to her as her two previous marriages were to particularly weak men (one Thai, one English) whom she ended up dominating and not respecting.

We are not going to have kids, she has no financial need to live in the West, I shudder to think of the level of wedding her rich family would expect me to fund, and have noted that marriage does not do you any particular favors with immigration here - a smaller bank deposit but far more ongoing paperwork, I would not have the patience and, again, it is likely to become more restrictive over time.

Certainly, without kids in the picture, marriage for visa purposes would be a somewhat extreme move.

In truth, I no longer like Thailand as much as I once did, crazy that we have to jump through so many hoops to spend time here.

some points that people need to be aware of...  if you put 800k baht in a thai bank,  and you are single, there is a good chance that if you die for whatever reason, all that money is given to the thai government.  and the same scenario holds true for those who have their ss auto-deposit into a thai bank every month for the purpose of satisfying the retirement extension financial requirements.

 

frankly, I think it's all a scam.  and the reason why is because many people are paying bribes to bypass all these headaches.  and thai immigration is allowing it.

 

I currently have about 400k baht in my thai bank account.  and after reading all the comments have decided to stop using thailand as my home base for retirement.  I have 4 months to get out of dodge so to speak.  from now on, I'm just going to come to thailand each year for 2 months at best.

[madmen]

3 minutes ago, DEKEM said:

if you put 800k baht in a thai bank,  and you are single, there is a good chance that if you die for whatever reason, all that money is given to the thai government.  and the same scenario holds true for those who have their ss auto-deposit into a thai bank every month for the purpose of satisfying the retirement extension financial requirements.

 

link ?

[NCC1701A]

On 8/23/2019 at 5:40 AM, crazygreg44 said:

The 90-day reporting clock starts again with day number one upon re-entering the country.

this may be the law but it is not always the case.

 

[crazygreg44]

6 hours ago, DEKEM said:

some points that people need to be aware of...  if you put 800k baht in a thai bank,  and you are single, there is a good chance that if you die for whatever reason, all that money is given to the thai government.  and the same scenario holds true for those who have their ss auto-deposit into a thai bank every month for the purpose of satisfying the retirement extension financial requirements.

 

frankly, I think it's all a scam.  and the reason why is because many people are paying bribes to bypass all these headaches.  and thai immigration is allowing it.

 

I am living with my girlfriend for 13 years, we are not married. For the 800,000+ in my Thai bank account (for the EOS based on retirement) I made up a Thai Will.  So my Girlfriend gets it all when I die before her.

 

Making up a Thai Will for posessions in Thailand, search the internet you will find and can make up a legal will for all your Thai based assets, easy peasy, if that is what worries you

Edited August 30, 2019 by crazygreg44

[steven100]

7 minutes ago, crazygreg44 said:

there is a good chance that if you die for whatever reason, all that money is given to the thai government

nonsense …. it will either be handed over to your relative in your home country or if no one comes forward as being a relative then your home country government will take possession.

The Thai government does not automatically claim the 800k as you mentioned.

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2019 by steven100

[Peterw42]

6 hours ago, DEKEM said:

some points that people need to be aware of...  if you put 800k baht in a thai bank,  and you are single, there is a good chance that if you die for whatever reason, all that money is given to the thai government.  and the same scenario holds true for those who have their ss auto-deposit into a thai bank every month for the purpose of satisfying the retirement extension financial requirements.

 

frankly, I think it's all a scam.  and the reason why is because many people are paying bribes to bypass all these headaches.  and thai immigration is allowing it.

 

I currently have about 400k baht in my thai bank account.  and after reading all the comments have decided to stop using thailand as my home base for retirement.  I have 4 months to get out of dodge so to speak.  from now on, I'm just going to come to thailand each year for 2 months at best.

Any money in a Thai account after you die gets treated the same as any other country, There is probate wills etc and after those requirements are met the executor/administrator of the estate can access funds. If you have a Thai will then funds would be distributed as per that will, in the absence of a Thai will then funds would be distributed as per a will from home country.

Money does not get given to the government, no more than it does in your home country.

[gk10002000]

13 hours ago, crazygreg44 said:

I am living with my girlfriend for 13 years, we are not married. For the 800,000+ in my Thai bank account (for the EOS based on retirement) I made up a Thai Will.  So my Girlfriend gets it all when I die before her.

 

Making up a Thai Will for posessions in Thailand, search the internet you will find and can make up a legal will for all your Thai based assets, easy peasy, if that is what worries you

I would worry about having those terms in my will.  You are now worth 800k baht dead.  One of the reasons it is often better to rent than own.  If you die, the free ride is over on your dime anyway

Edited August 30, 2019 by gk10002000
add

[gk10002000]

13 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Any money in a Thai account after you die gets treated the same as any other country, There is probate wills etc and after those requirements are met the executor/administrator of the estate can access funds. If you have a Thai will then funds would be distributed as per that will, in the absence of a Thai will then funds would be distributed as per a will from home country.

Money does not get given to the government, no more than it does in your home country.

Yeah well, I don't think Thailand and many banks are that straight up. Many posts are out there showing money's appropriated or gone missing

[La Migra]

What happens to the 800K in the bank when you die seems a bit off topic of original question of spending half the year someplace else on a retirement extension ... but I will bite.

.... I will be dead - I don't think I will care at that point.

[Nyezhov]

On 8/23/2019 at 2:12 PM, ThaiBunny said:

Why would you bother going through the rigmarole of an "O" visa when you can get an METV from your home country that will give you six months (with extensions + one visa run) with far fewer hoops to jump through?

That's what I probably will do. Easier.