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Annual Retirement Extension: Residency Requirements?


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So what you are saying is that I can travel out of the country without a re entry permit and when I arrive back I could just pay for a re entry at at airport ? Would that be at the queue why they process incoming passengers ?
No!!!!

You get the reentry permit before leaving Thailand!

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25 minutes ago, Fore Man said:

That’s the impression I had too...but where at Swampy is this done?

This was last year, I assume it's still the same.

At Swampy you get stamped out at immigration then walk to the left, all the way along the rear of the immigration booths, to an office at the end where they process your re-entry permit.

I felt very uncomfortable to have technically "exited" the Kingdom before getting my re-entry permit.

 

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1 hour ago, EricTh said:

Yes, you can do that but wouldn't it be better to get a tourist visa if you are going to stay for such a short time per year?

Yes, obviously very true.  But we plan to move to Thailand again in about five years and I don’t want to run the bureaucratic gauntlet again, required to start all over with a new non-immigrant visa obtained from Thailand’s LA consulate and then converting it in Thailand to extend due to retirement. I don’t mind locking up the banked funds, as they will go to the wife anyway one day, and the annual extension costs aren’t that big of a deal.  My thinking was that by maintaining continuity with my current visa, I’ll get where I want to be with a minimum of fuss. Besides, we plan to make annual pilgrimages to visit our Thai family every year anyway and will simply make these trips to coincide with my annual extensions. The one thing that could throw a monkey wrench into this is if TI might require retirees to purchase mandatory medical insurance to extend each year.  That’s a complete nonstarter for me, because a) I’m already locking away that 800K, and it could most certainly cover me for any needed care or hospitalization that I couldn’t otherwise self-fund and, b) I’m already covered very thoroughly by Medicare and the US DoD Tricare...no matter if I am in the US or any overseas location.  We pay a Medicare premium as do all retirees in the States amounting to around $1,600 per year and having to buy essentially worthless Thai coverage on top of Medicare is not only illogical but just plain wrong IMHO.  But that’s a topic best reserved for a separate rant...????

 

5 hours ago, luckyluke said:

Even more easy if you are not American, Australian or British, as then you only have to proof that you have the equivalent of monthly  65000 ThB in homeland.

So no need to transfer money when you are not in Thailand.

 

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

Yes, you can do that but wouldn't it be better to get a tourist visa if you are going to stay for such a short time per year?

Edited by Fore Man
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1 hour ago, sirineou said:

I don't mean to be critical , simply trying to understand for my own purposes, . After all the Visa nonsense, and medical insurance (maybe maybe no) 90 day reporting , TM30 etc I have decided that a similar to you regiment might be better for me for now,, we will see what happens later.  

So my question is, why a long stay extension if you are only planning to stay a short time? isn't the hustle of getting an extension worst, than the hassle of getting a  visa every time you go there? what are the advantages of maintaining an extension over to just getting a visa every time you go there or goin visa exempt?

I have being going to Thailand for 13 years, married to a Thi for 10, own a house there, and go there every year sometime two times a year, I never had an extension to stay.

I am looking forward to the answers .If there is a better way I want to know.

Thank you

Thanks and I see your point with much more clarity. Yes, I could obtain a new visa Each year from a Thai consulate in the US, but to do so is too onerous and costly in my opinion...having to travel some distance to even reach a consulate in the first place.  As for extending in Thailand, I have never found it to be that difficult, but for the past few years I’ve used an excellent agent who makes it a snap.  Plus, aren’t all such visa applicants now required to obtain private medical insurance? That requirement doesn’t yet impact retirees who are already on annual visa extensions. If and when it were to become a requirement, I’d have to rethink my strategy. 

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1 hour ago, sirineou said:

I don't mean to be critical , simply trying to understand for my own purposes, . After all the Visa nonsense, and medical insurance (maybe maybe no) 90 day reporting , TM30 etc I have decided that a similar to you regiment might be better for me for now,, we will see what happens later.  

So my question is, why a long stay extension if you are only planning to stay a short time? isn't the hustle of getting an extension worst, than the hassle of getting a  visa every time you go there? what are the advantages of maintaining an extension over to just getting a visa every time you go there or goin visa exempt?

I have being going to Thailand for 13 years, married to a Thi for 10, own a house there, and go there every year sometime two times a year, I never had an extension to stay.

I am looking forward to the answers .If there is a better way I want to know.

Thank you

The advantage is/was that one could easily return to Thailand and stay for many months remaining on the visa/extension without having to file SETV type paperwork again.  Some people have unusual work or life schedules so they just like to have things prepared for when they can travel/depart.  I know one fellow here in Los Angeles California who for years did exactly that.  He made money doing, well, let's just say his income was not on a firm schedule.  He kept his retirement visa/extensions active and would jet back to Thailand for many months.  No insurance hassles, no Thai embassy applications or paperwork.  Now with the more stringent 800k baht seasoning requirements, the looming medical insurance, etc.  long term stays using the retirement extensions are getting challenging.  However, must getting SETVs, even with a 30 day extension are getting challenging.  And using METVs seems to be getting challenging as posters have been reporting being denied entry even after getting the Visas. If the Thais get a sniff that you are living in Thailand and not "Touristing" some officials are taking a hard line approach.  So from that point of view, somebody that thinks they may stay for many months during a year, keeping a retirement extension alive even while not in Thailand has some merit.

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5 hours ago, Fore Man said:

This might be the real sticking point here.  I appreciate this response, kingofthemountain.  It seems I need to look into this aspect in more depth.  I normally obtained a multiple re-entry permit each time I extended my visa and in some years only used it once, making it a poor investment. But then I spent most of my time in Thailand.  My idea for the future may not work if a visa holder is compelled to return within 90-days after traveling abroad. 

If you're not sure how many times you would enter, it best to get a single re-entry permit at the airport before leaving. It superfast and only takes max 15-day. Hand over 1200 baht and your passport and they would give you a rentry permit. That's what I do during my 6-month stay in Thailand. 

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6 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

The advantage is/was that one could easily return to Thailand and stay for many months remaining on the visa/extension without having to file SETV type paperwork again.  Some people have unusual work or life schedules so they just like to have things prepared for when they can travel/depart.  I know one fellow here in Los Angeles California who for years did exactly that.  He made money doing, well, let's just say his income was not on a firm schedule.  He kept his retirement visa/extensions active and would jet back to Thailand for many months.  No insurance hassles, no Thai embassy applications or paperwork.  Now with the more stringent 800k baht seasoning requirements, the looming medical insurance, etc.  long term stays using the retirement extensions are getting challenging.  However, must getting SETVs, even with a 30 day extension are getting challenging.  And using METVs seems to be getting challenging as posters have been reporting being denied entry even after getting the Visas. If the Thais get a sniff that you are living in Thailand and not "Touristing" some officials are taking a hard line approach.  So from that point of view, somebody that thinks they may stay for many months during a year, keeping a retirement extension alive even while not in Thailand has some merit.

To add to that, I can be in/out multiple times when I'm in Thailand for 6-months for short neighboring country visit without bein in fear of entry denial. Also, in the present climiate there is alwasy a risk of entry denial; on any TV or visa exempt. 

Edited by onera1961
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12 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

The advantage is/was that one could easily return to Thailand and stay for many months remaining on the visa/extension without having to file SETV type paperwork again.  Some people have unusual work or life schedules so they just like to have things prepared for when they can travel/depart.  I know one fellow here in Los Angeles California who for years did exactly that.  He made money doing, well, let's just say his income was not on a firm schedule.  He kept his retirement visa/extensions active and would jet back to Thailand for many months.  No insurance hassles, no Thai embassy applications or paperwork.  Now with the more stringent 800k baht seasoning requirements, the looming medical insurance, etc.  long term stays using the retirement extensions are getting challenging.  However, must getting SETVs, even with a 30 day extension are getting challenging.  And using METVs seems to be getting challenging as posters have been reporting being denied entry even after getting the Visas. If the Thais get a sniff that you are living in Thailand and not "Touristing" some officials are taking a hard line approach.  So from that point of view, somebody that thinks they may stay for many months during a year, keeping a retirement extension alive even while not in Thailand has some merit.

You just said far more eloquently than I exactly what is in my mind. Thank you!

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28 minutes ago, onera1961 said:

To add to that, I can be in/out multiple times when I'm in Thailand for 6-months for short neighboring country visit without bein in fear of entry denial. Also, in the present climiate there is alwasy a risk of entry denial; on any TV or visa exempt. 

Yep.  This is exactly what I was always planning to do.  I was always going to do the income verification method as I have plenty of verifiable income, and had not need nor desire to keep 800k to Thailand.  Now, however, USA ers can't do the income method without actually transferring money to Thailand.  So what before was going to be an easy in and out visit Thailand often, staying for 4 or 5 months or more by keeping my retirement extensions is not as it was before.  The darn officials have made Thailand exactly the opposite of what it was like when I first visited it in 2004.  Easy in, easy out, easy.

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