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"Saving the "retirement" visa


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I have resided in Thailand for 5+ years with my retirement visa without a hitch.  I can't stand living up here in the north through the burn season but the renewal date of my visa is May 21 so I'm stuck here until April.

I plan on spending a few months in Europe this year and don't really want to be sending money to a Thai bank while I'm not living here.   No I don't keep 800,000 in a Thai bank.

 I'm wondering if I should just let my visa expire while I'm in Europe and get a 60 day visa before returning here.   Doing some research, it leads me to believe I will 

need 800,000 in a bank here in order to apply for the non imm O visa.  Is that true?   Is it a huge deal now to start over and get a new retirement visa?

Thanks in advance for your advise.

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If you can still get proof of income from your embassy you can still use one to apply for your extension of stay.

If not you have to show 65k baht going into a Thai bank every month.

If you entered the country with tourist visa and  applied for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry at immigration you would only need 2 or 3 months of transfers into a Thai bank for it and the extension of stay application.

You might want to consider applying for a OA long stay visa at the Thai embassy in your home country. You can use money in the bank there or just basic proof of income to get it,

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

 

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I plan on doing the bank deposit method, in my case 400,000 for an extension of marriage.  One of the reasons is exactly as you said... When I'm out of the country, I don't want to continue the monthly deposit, resulting in cash I don't need in Thailand.  Another reason is that IO's seem to get confused by the monthly deposits and some here have reported a demand by IO's to see a fixed amount in the bank in addition to the monthly deposit.  I don't need the added headache. 

Oh, and FWIW, CM used to be high on our list as a retirement destination but that's off our list now due to the smoke.  What a shame...

Edited by USNret
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4 hours ago, sletraveler said:

I have resided in Thailand for 5+ years with my retirement visa without a hitch.  I can't stand living up here in the north through the burn season but the renewal date of my visa is May 21 so I'm stuck here until April.

I plan on spending a few months in Europe this year and don't really want to be sending money to a Thai bank while I'm not living here.   No I don't keep 800,000 in a Thai bank.

 I'm wondering if I should just let my visa expire while I'm in Europe and get a 60 day visa before returning here.   Doing some research, it leads me to believe I will 

need 800,000 in a bank here in order to apply for the non imm O visa.  Is that true?   Is it a huge deal now to start over and get a new retirement visa?

sletraveler,

By what you wrote above, I assume you renewed your retirement extension in May 2019 using the embassy letter that was issued in Dec 2018. You are not stuck here until April 2020. You can come and go as you wish and you can move to a different province if you wish. If you stop making the 65k xfers, you will need to use the 800k bank method for your next extension in May 2020. Or, you can do what Ubonjoe suggested, which is get an O-A visa from your home country. If you start over with a 90-day non-O visa next year, you will most likely need to use the 800k method anyway. I don't think IM will let you start over with a 90-day non-O visa based on a few 65k xfers and then give you a 12 mth extension. If so, you could quit making the xfers again. I think IM would see thru that. That would be circumventing the 12 times 65k per mth method. If IM allowed that, then everyone would be doing it. But, hey... what have you got to lose. Good luck...

Edited by JohnnyBD
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1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, why on earth would you wish to start process over. You say "few months" Europe. Just maintain the transfers. When back attend imm (I presume CM) and obtain your next extension. 

He may be thinking he could start over with a 90-day non-O based on a few 65k xfers, then get his 12 mth extension without having to use the 800k method. If so, then he could stop the 65k xfers again after getting the 12 mth extension. I don't think IM will allow that. If so, everyone would be doing it. I'm just guessing at what he may be thinking... I may be way off base...

See my reply to him right above this post.

Edited by JohnnyBD
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If OP doesn't have enough money to make monthly xfers and take a trip back home, he could do xfer here and then send $ back. It would cost a little extra on xfer fees, but at least he's still making 65k xfers for his extension next May and he's not stuck here during burning season. Or, he could just stay in-country and go to another province to get away. Just my thoughts, if he doesn't have enough saved to support himself while back home.

Edited by BertM
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6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you entered the country with tourist visa and  applied for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry at immigration you would only need 2 or 3 months of transfers into a Thai bank for it and the extension of stay application.

Ubonjoe,

So, you're saying that anyone could stop making 65k xfers after they get their 12 mth extension, leave right before their extension expires, then come back in on a short-term visa, then get a 90-day non-O visa based on a few 65k monthly xfers, then get a 12 mth extension and then stop making xfers again. Then, the next year do it all over again. Only extra cost is the 2,000 THB for 90-day non-O and the cost of short-term visa. Don't you think IM would get wise to that?

 

I thought that would only work for first-timers. If, not then everyone could start doing that and not have to make the 12 x 65k xfers and not have to use 800k method either.

Edited by BertM
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8 hours ago, BertM said:

So, you're saying that anyone could stop making 65k xfers after they get their 12 mth extension, leave right before their extension expires, then come back in on a short-term visa, then get a 90-day non-O visa based on a few 65k monthly xfers, then get a 12 mth extension and then stop making xfers again.

I not saying anyone could do it. It is just a one off suggestion for some cases. Even immigration has suggested doing it when a person cannot meet the monthly transfers requirement.

Immigration considers the first extension to be extending a new non-o visa entry.

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14 hours ago, dcnx said:

The burn season was terrible last year. 
 

I used to shake my head when I’d see stories from Beijing years back about their pollution. “Why do people stay there and live in that toxic environment?” I would say to my friends. Now, I live in one of those places and my friends back home ask me the same thing. Chiang Mai was the most polluted city in the world multiple times last year.

When approximately is the burn season?

I planned to visit Chiang Mai a couple of days mid October, but might change plans when that's not the right time to go.

 

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OP asked > Is it a huge deal now to start over and get a new retirement visa?

You lived here +5 years on a retirement visa, which means that 5 years ago you applied in your home-country for such a visa.

I don't know if the process has become more difficult to apply, but when I applied 4 months ago it was a very smooth and easy process to get my Non Imm OA Visa from the Brussels thai embassy (I am Belgian citizen).

If you return occasionally to your home-country, and do not like the monthly income transfers to a thai bank or parking 800,000 /400.000 THB on your thai bank account, I think that re-applying for a new Non Imm OA Visa is an option worth considering.

The advantage - as I see it - is twofold:

1. It is only 2 months before your second year on Non Imm OA expires, that you are required to transfer or park money on a Thai bank-account.  So you could time your trip to your home-country somewhere at the end of that 2 year period.

2. During the first year of your Non Imm OA Visa, you are only required to do your 90 day reporting (and only if you stay 90 consecutive days in the country, as the teller is put on 0 again when you leave the country for a trip).

When you are in Thailand on an extension of stay (after the expiry of your 1 year visa) you will have the additional requirement of having to ensure you have re-entry permits when leaving the country (otherwise your extension of stay will be void).

I have already determined for myself that I will do so, as I visit my home-country 1-2 times a year, so re-applying for a new Non Imm OA Visa would be the logical thing for me to do (no need for transfering/parking money on Thai bank-account, and no re-entry permits required during validity of Visa).

Edited by Peter Denis
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To clarify, it is likely I will stay 3-4 months.  It’s not just the transfer but the renewal date of my current visa.  I believe 60 days prior to renewal date is earliest I can renew so that is almost 2 months of toxic ai to endure.  

My home country  is US so won’t be able to apply there.   But if it’s only a couple months of inbound transfers needed in order to apply for the visa here then that’s not bad. Last time I did it I used the income statement from the consulate office.   I could start the month before I return and stop before I go.  I have more in the bank here than I need but not the 800. 

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1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

When approximately is the burn season?

I planned to visit Chiang Mai a couple of days mid October, but might change plans when that's not the right time to go.

 

Starts in February and this year it was smokey into July.  It’s the onset of monsoon that washes the air and extinguishes the fires.  So will vary.  In the village where I live there are fires going on year around for making charcoal, cooking, clearing brush, garbage, burning off rice fields, etc.   The most egregious practice here is the annual burning of the forests in the surrounding hills.  Only the understory burns along with fallen leaves and it’s done purposely to promote mushroom growth.  Collecting mushrooms at night yields double what someone would earn in a typical job here. 

It’s the Thai way.  They never heard of composting apparently. 

Its no wonder so many succumb to cancer around here. 

Edited by sletraveler
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12 hours ago, JohnnyBD said:

sletraveler,

By what you wrote above, I assume you renewed your retirement extension in May 2019 using the embassy letter that was issued in Dec 2018. You are not stuck here until April 2020. You can come and go as you wish and you can move to a different province if you wish. If you stop making the 65k xfers, you will need to use the 800k bank method for your next extension in May 2020. Or, you can do what Ubonjoe suggested, which is get an O-A visa from your home country. If you start over with a 90-day non-O visa next year, you will most likely need to use the 800k method anyway. I don't think IM will let you start over with a 90-day non-O visa based on a few 65k xfers and then give you a 12 mth extension. If so, you could quit making the xfers again. I think IM would see thru that. That would be circumventing the 12 times 65k per mth method. If IM allowed that, then everyone would be doing it. But, hey... what have you got to lose. Good luck...

The biggest problem for me is the visa renewal date.  Just need it 3 months earlier or later.   I think we will pay the immigration people a visit and see what they say.   I’ll post what I find out.  

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Answering my own topic, but maybe helpful to someone:  went to immigration and confirmed 45 days prior to renewal date is earliest I can renew the visa.  Not acceptable. They weren’t sure of anything but suggested I try to get necessary bank information while traveling and go to a Thai embassy where I’m at in May and renew it there.   If that doesn’t work then I have to come back on a tourist and start the visa process over.  One thing for sure is I’ll need to keep up with the 65000 transfers as the history is required to apply for the O visa unless you have the seasoned 800.  

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2 hours ago, sletraveler said:

Answering my own topic, but maybe helpful to someone:  went to immigration and confirmed 45 days prior to renewal date is earliest I can renew the visa.  Not acceptable. They weren’t sure of anything but suggested I try to get necessary bank information while traveling and go to a Thai embassy where I’m at in May and renew it there.   If that doesn’t work then I have to come back on a tourist and start the visa process over.  One thing for sure is I’ll need to keep up with the 65000 transfers as the history is required to apply for the O visa unless you have the seasoned 800.  

Thanks Traveler.  Many people post in this group that you can extend in the final 30 days of a visa.  That will be problematic for me because I will be away from Bangkok in those 30 days.  But if the "real" number is 45 days, then I can file my extension before heading out on my trip.  Like everything else, it probably depends on which office you visit and the mood of the IO when you ask the question.  I will be filing at CW. 

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11 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Much less headache to put 800k in and forget it?

Sure, except when one doesn't have them. 

 

I stay here permanently since 2000 ("Retirement Visa" based on income in homeland). 

 

Since then I transfer monthly 2000 Euro to Thailand and spend them. 

 

 I eat good (European) , drink now and then, in cheap and expensive places, rent when I am in Pattaya or Thonglor a nice apartment. Never go out at night. 

 

Same way I did when I lived in Belgium. 

 

I am 71 now, I never spared big money, preferred to enjoy life daily. 

 

Of course the word "enjoy" is relative. 

 

Sure there are people who "enjoy" life with spending a lot less than I do, but having 800000 or more on a bankbook. 

 

We are all different, and make the choices which suit us best. 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

Sure, except when one doesn't have them. 

 

I stay here permanently since 2000 ("Retirement Visa" based on income in homeland). 

 

Since then I transfer monthly 2000 Euro to Thailand and spend them. 

 

 I eat good (European) , drink now and then, in cheap and expensive places, rent when I am in Pattaya or Thonglor a nice apartment. Never go out at night. 

 

Same way I did when I lived in Belgium. 

 

I am 71 now, I never spared big money, preferred to enjoy life daily. 

 

Of course the word "enjoy" is relative. 

 

Sure there are people who "enjoy" life with spending a lot less than I do, but having 800000 or more on a bankbook. 

 

We are all different, and make the choices which suit us best. 

 

 

 

 

 

Yup fair enough. When I was planning my early retirement I just factored in and saved up the 800k and it's in 'lock-down'. Anyway be well.

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1 hour ago, BobBKK said:

Much less headache to put 800k in and forget it?

When you visit your home-country once every 2 years, and re-apply there for a Non Imm OA Visa there is no need or requirement to park 800,000/400.000 THB permanently on a Thai bank-account.

But of course, you would have to demonstrate when applying for your Visa that you had such amount on your homeland bank-account for at least 3 months.  So, if you do not have that amount you cannot apply for a Non Imm OA Visa, and you would be confined to the monthly income/pension transfer method when staying in Thailand.

NOTE: If you are short on money, but have family/friends in your home-country that are willing to lend you the required money for a 3 month period, you could do your Non Imm OA Visa application and on approval of the Visa, simply give the money back to those who lend it to you.

That would be the HomeCountry variant of the Thai agent scenario.

 

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1 hour ago, luckyluke said:

Sure, except when one doesn't have them.

Hi Lucky Luke, my response to BobBKK (post #16 above) could be relevant for you.

As a poor lonesome cowboy, you are indeed a long way from home... ????

Edited by Peter Denis
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2 hours ago, USNret said:

Thanks Traveler.  Many people post in this group that you can extend in the final 30 days of a visa.  That will be problematic for me because I will be away from Bangkok in those 30 days.  But if the "real" number is 45 days, then I can file my extension before heading out on my trip.  Like everything else, it probably depends on which office you visit and the mood of the IO when you ask the question.  I will be filing at CW. 

Most people quote 30 days because for most imm offices it is 30. Your dealing with CW which allows up to 45 days. Think CM is another that allows up to 45 along with some others.

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23 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

OP asked > Is it a huge deal now to start over and get a new retirement visa?

You lived here +5 years on a retirement visa, which means that 5 years ago you applied in your home-country for such a visa.

I don't know if the process has become more difficult to apply, but when I applied 4 months ago it was a very smooth and easy process to get my Non Imm OA Visa from the Brussels thai embassy (I am Belgian citizen).

If you return occasionally to your home-country, and do not like the monthly income transfers to a thai bank or parking 800,000 /400.000 THB on your thai bank account, I think that re-applying for a new Non Imm OA Visa is an option worth considering.

The advantage - as I see it - is twofold:

1. It is only 2 months before your second year on Non Imm OA expires, that you are required to transfer or park money on a Thai bank-account.  So you could time your trip to your home-country somewhere at the end of that 2 year period.

2. During the first year of your Non Imm OA Visa, you are only required to do your 90 day reporting (and only if you stay 90 consecutive days in the country, as the teller is put on 0 again when you leave the country for a trip).

When you are in Thailand on an extension of stay (after the expiry of your 1 year visa) you will have the additional requirement of having to ensure you have re-entry permits when leaving the country (otherwise your extension of stay will be void).

I have already determined for myself that I will do so, as I visit my home-country 1-2 times a year, so re-applying for a new Non Imm OA Visa would be the logical thing for me to do (no need for transfering/parking money on Thai bank-account, and no re-entry permits required during validity of Visa).

My thoughts exactly.

But if the Government pushes through a 'compulsory 400;40 insurance scheme' for new O-A holders - as has been suggested  , it could lock us into an expensive deal forever. 

Yesterdays announcement about 'delaying' compulsory health plans is so far very unclear.

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21 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi Lucky Luke, my response to BobBKK (post #16 above) could be relevant for you.

As a poor lonesome cowboy, you are indeed a long way from home... ????

Being Belgian I don't need to have any amount parked on a Thai bank account.

Nor do I have to transfer a monthly minimum of 65000 if I don't wish to, as I still can obtain ( so far ) a Letter of Income, and still accepted ( so far ) by Immigration.

 

Image result for luckyluke i a a poor lonesome cowboy

 

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