First-Time Retirement Visa in Thailand using 65k month?

[bangkokgalaxy]

I was recently told that, for first timers, there's no way to use the income method when you apply for an O Visa

inside Thailand. So, even if you've been putting 65k a month into a Thai bank for 12 months, you'll still have to

use the 800k method with no other options for using 65k than getting an OA in your home country.

 

Is this true? How can someone use the 65k/month method to get an O Visa for the first time? Does the UK

or any other consulate provide O Visas for US citizens?

 

Moreover, if one does get a first time retirement OA visa in their home country (where a consulate accepts

local monthly income statements) can one later convert that OA to a O using monthly income method?

 

Would welcome any clarification.

 

[DrJack54]

Forget about any notion of non O-A.

Previously great option for folk returning home country every couple of years. Now has rubbish insurance requirement. 

Obtain a non O (retirement). At nearby consulate. OR enter Thailand on visa exempt and do conversion to non-O at immigration.

Think USA still provide non o, many countries do not

Edited March 7, 2020 by DrJack54

[ubonjoe]

Only a few odd office are saying there is no income option to apply for a non immigrant visa at immigration.

The problem is they have not updated their checklist.

Others are doing them if you only have a month or 2 of transfers since that is what the amendment to the police order allows for doing a extension for the first time.

[bangkokgalaxy]

For the record, this for a US citizen (no more income affidavits).

 

So, to use the 65k income method, do the following:

 

1) Upon turning 50, enter Thailand on a Visa Exempt, go to immigration with the necessary paperwork and (to the point) include copies of Thai bank statements showing international transfers into a Thai bank (in our case, it will be 12 months)

 

or

 

2) Upon turning 50, go to a local consulate (Kuala Lumpur? other?), submit paperwork and copies of Thai bank statements showing international transfers into a Thai bank? 

 



[ubonjoe]

7 hours ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

1) Upon turning 50, enter Thailand on a Visa Exempt, go to immigration with the necessary paperwork and (to the point) include copies of Thai bank statements showing international transfers into a Thai bank (in our case, it will be 12 months)

A I wrote earlier you do not need 12 months of transfers to apply for a non immigrant visa or extension of stay.  How difficult it will be to get depends upon the designated immigration office for where you are living.

 

7 hours ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

2) Upon turning 50, go to a local consulate (Kuala Lumpur? other?), submit paperwork and copies of Thai bank statements showing international transfers into a Thai bank? 

The 2 best locations are the consulates in Penang or Savannakhet. KL will not issue one.

[Peter Denis]

12 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Only a few odd office are saying there is no income option to apply for a non immigrant visa at immigration.

The problem is they have not updated their checklist.

Others are doing them if you only have a month or 2 of transfers since that is what the amendment to the police order allows for doing a extension for the first time.

That's correct (as expected when coming from UbonJoe).

I don't know any odd offices that simply refuse to accept a Visa or extension application, but some offices like Saraburi, Petchabun and Jomtien insist on a pension statement accompanied with an embassy income-statement when using the monthly-income-transfer method.  Thus making it impossible for US, UK and Australian citizens to make use of that method, and effectively limiting the options to only the money-in-bank method.

>> OP, at which in-country IO do you plan to apply?

Edited March 8, 2020 by Peter Denis

[Peter Denis]

8 hours ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

For the record, this for a US citizen (no more income affidavits).

So, to use the 65k income method, do the following:

1) Upon turning 50, enter Thailand on a Visa Exempt, go to immigration with the necessary paperwork and (to the point) include copies of Thai bank statements showing international transfers into a Thai bank (in our case, it will be 12 months)

As UJ already wrote, you do not need 12-months of monthly-income transfers when applying for a NEW Non Imm O - retirement Visa in-country.

One or two monthly transfers (with foreign origin proven) is sufficient.

But the snag is whether the local IO where you want to stay and will apply imposes additional requirements.

Some might want to see evidence of the SOURCE of the income, and only accept a pension statement.  And some want such pension statement accompanied with an embassy income-letter, making it indeed impossible for US citizens to use that method.

Hence the importance to know at which local IO you will apply.

8 hours ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

or

2) Upon turning 50, go to a local consulate (Kuala Lumpur? other?), submit paperwork and copies of Thai bank statements showing international transfers into a Thai bank?

The easiest way would probably be to apply at the Savannakhet consulate.  They do accept the monthly-income transfer method, but you would need a pension statement issued by your US pension provider.  And that pension statement does not need the - impossible - embassy income-letter.

Please note that at Savannakhet you can both apply for the 90-day SingleEntry Non Imm O - retirement Visa (2000 THB) as well as for the 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O - retirement Visa (5000 THB).  Apart from the application fee, the application requirements are same.

[Peter Denis]

13 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Forget about any notion of non O-A.

Previously great option for folk returning home country every couple of years. Now has rubbish insurance requirement.

When the other options are too cumbersome (e.g. a rogue in-country IO at the place where you intend to stay and apply), the 1-year Non Imm O-A (long-stay) Visa might still be an option.

Of course you would need to meet the mandatory health-insurance requirement.

There are 2 options then:

a) When you already have international health-insurance that would cover you while in Thailand, convince your US insurer to fill-in and sign the FiC (Foreign Insurance Certificate);

b) Just recently - and finally - a somewhat affordable thai IO-approved health-insurance policy is on offer which only costs 6.000 THB for people in the 51-60 age bracket.  Content-wise that policy is worthless, but you could consider it simply as an entrance-ticket to meet the OA health-insurance requirement.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Peter Denis

[Tanoshi]

13 hours ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

I was recently told that, for first timers, there's no way to use the income method when you apply for an O Visa

You were told wrong.

 

To convert from a VE or TV entry to a Non O at Immigration, only 1 x 65K transfer is required.

For the subsequent first time extension only 2 x 65K transfers are required.

 

12 x 65K transfers should only be required for following yearly extensions.

[gt162]

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

b) Just recently - and finally - a somewhat affordable thai IO-approved health-insurance policy is on offer which only costs 6.000 THB for people in the 51-60 age bracket.  Content-wise that policy is worthless, but you could consider it simply as an entrance-ticket to meet the OA health-insurance requirement.

Peter, what company offers this?

[Peter Denis]

23 minutes ago, gt162 said:

Peter, what company offers this?

Hi gt162,

Attached the link to the thread that provides more info on this.

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1151805-oa-visa-insurance-seems-like-a-good-deal/?do=findComment&comment=15126829

The company is LMG Insurance.

[billsmart]

My local immigration office in Phetchabun will accept monthly income for the financial requirements to get a one-year extension for any O or O-A visa, whether that extension is based on retirement, marriage, or family. BUT, they will ONLY ACCEPT a letter from your embassy verifying the monthly income. Producing a your bank statements won't help. So, being a US citizen, like I am, you cannot get an income verification letter from your embassy, and that leaves you only one method (in Phetchabun) of satisfying the financial requirements: "Show me the Benjamins!" ...or at least a record of them in your bank book.

As I advise everyone, everywhere, all the time, the best thing for you to do is to check with your local immigration office for their requirements. "Knowing" the "official" requirements won't be of any comfort to you when your application is rejected out-of-hand like mine was, for example, because I wrote it in black ink and not blue ink. ???? True story...

Now, however, I have learned my lesson(s) and am good-to-go..., or good-to-stay, in this case. ????

Edited March 8, 2020 by billsmart

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

You were told wrong.

 

To convert from a VE or TV entry to a Non O at Immigration, only 1 x 65K transfer is required.

For the subsequent first time extension only 2 x 65K transfers are required.

 

12 x 65K transfers should only be required for following yearly extensions.

of course this would make sense since the foreigner would not have been in country for very long.  Granted some people have been in a long time and are just now switching visas so they may have already had many months of transfers

[Peter Denis]

3 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

of course this would make sense since the foreigner would not have been in country for very long.  Granted some people have been in a long time and are just now switching visas so they may have already had many months of transfers

When you are on a Non Imm O Visa, in order to 'switch Visa' you first need to kill the present permission to stay that was granted on the basis of that Non Imm O Visa or its extension.

You can do that by exiting Thailand when your Visa validity has expired, and you do not have a re-entry permit that will keep the permission to stay alive.

On your return to Thailand you can then apply for a NEW Non Imm O Visa, and you only need 1 or 2 monthly transfers of foreign origin proven transfers to apply.

However, when you apply for an extension of stay of your present Non Imm O Visa and want to switch from the 800K money in bank method to the 65K monthly income transfer method (with foreign origins proven), then you will need to show an unbroken chain of 12 months of such monthly income transfers.

[anfh]

Best advice - go to local Immigration Office and ask them exactly what they want. This is because the Immigration Offices here all seem to interpret rules differently, therefore some will accept what others wont.

 

people give sound advice on here, but then you turn up at you local IO and they tell you something totally different. 

[Peter Denis]

9 minutes ago, anfh said:

Best advice - go to local Immigration Office and ask them exactly what they want. This is because the Immigration Offices here all seem to interpret rules differently, therefore some will accept what others wont.

people give sound advice on here, but then you turn up at you local IO and they tell you something totally different. 

True, but when you did your research and know that you are correct (with IO rules/regulations to prove it) you should stand your ground. 

Of course never lose your temper, but politely show the officer handling your application the IO rules/regulations (preferably the thai version with the relevant section highlighted) and when again turned down, ask to speak to the officer in charge.

Obviously when you are also turned down there because 'same same but different here', you will have no choice but to comply with your local IO interpretation.

[bangkokgalaxy]

6 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

but some offices like Saraburi, Petchabun and Jomtien insist on a pension statement accompanied with an embassy income-statement when using the monthly-income-transfer method

The income is not from a pension or social security. Almost nobody has a pension in the US anymore, let alone at 50 years old. And being a US citizen, can no longer get an income verification letter from the embassy.

 

Had planned on applying in Bangkok, using a record of international transfers to a local Thai Bank. Will this work?

[bangkokgalaxy]

6 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

b) Just recently - andfinally - a somewhat affordable thai IO-approved health-insurance policy is on offer which only costs 6.000 THB for people in the 51-60 age bracket.  Content-wise that policy is worthless, but you could consider it simply as an entrance-ticket to meet the OA health-insurance requirement.

Thank you. I hadn't heard about that.

 

But, I did get a quote for good coverage from Luma that meets the immigration long-stay requirements. An Aetna Platinum Plan with

THB 30,000,000 per injury/ illness and 40k Outpatient runs 110,00 Baht a year (which is about 25% more than the expat plan we currently have with Cigna). 



[Peter Denis]

7 minutes ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

The income is not from a pension or social security. Almost nobody has a pension in the US anymore, let alone at 50 years old. And being a US citizen, can no longer get an income verification letter from the embassy.

 

Had planned on applying in Bangkok, using a record of international transfers to a local Thai Bank. Will this work?

So the question is:

>> Will IO at CW accept a record of at least 1 monthly-income transfer of at least 65K with foreign origins proven, as sufficient for meeting the financial requirement when applying for the 90-day Non Imm O - retirement Visa?  Or do they also require that the source of that foreign income, comes from pension, and/or that it backed-up by an embassy-issued income-letter?

Anybody willing to share experience on the above?

[Peter Denis]

24 minutes ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

...

But, I did get a quote for good coverage from Luma that meets the immigration long-stay requirements. An Aetna Platinum Plan with

THB 30,000,000 per injury/ illness and 40k Outpatient runs 110,00 Baht a year (which is about 25% more than the expat plan we currently have with Cigna).

So you have 2 options when applying for the 1-year Non Imm O-A (long-stay) Visa:

1. Switching from your current international health-insurance provider to Aetna (but almost 30K THB more expensive than your present policy).  But it is essential before doing such a move that Aetna will fill-in and sign the FiC (Foreign Insurance Certificate).  And it is strongly suggested that you can persuade them to put a two-year policy end-date on the FiC as that would enable you to also make use of the 2nd year the Non Imm O-A Visa can provide you.

2. Apply for the cheapest possible thai IO-approved health-insurance policy (6.000 THB premium from LGM Insurance), which will be good for 1 year stay, and might be extended for a 2nd year so that you can benefit from the OA Visa benefits (no need for money in a thai bank-account) also during the 2nd year.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Peter Denis

[bangkokgalaxy]

12 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

2. Apply for the cheapest possible thai IO-approved health-insurance policy (6.000 THB premium from LGM Insurance), which will be good for 1 year stay, and might be extended for a 2nd year so that you can benefit from the OA Visa benefits (no need for money in a thai bank-account) also during the 2nd year

....and, keep my current Cigna plan to ensure I have sufficient coverage. BTW, I've checked with Cigna, and there's no issue having 2 insurance policies as long as you only make claims on one policy at a time. 

[Peter Denis]

1 minute ago, bangkokgalaxy said:

....and, keep my current Cigna plan to ensure I have sufficient coverage. BTW, I've checked with Cigna, and there's no issue having 2 insurance policies as long as you only make claims on one policy at a time. 

In that case, it looks that the best option is to simply sign up for the 1-year LGM cheapest policy.  Obviously the content of that policy is worthless, but that's no concern at all as you are well covered by your Cigna plan.  And that LGM policy is in fact no more than an entry-paper that allows you to apply for the Non Imm OA (long-stay) Visa.

Note: When you sign up, don't click Yes on any of the pre-existing conditions on their application-form, even if you have one or more.  A little white lie on that application doesn't matter, as you will not make use of that policy when needing treatment anyway, but any pre-existing conditions  might lead to your application being refused.

[bangkokgalaxy]

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

So the question is:

>> Will IO at CW accept a record of at least 1 monthly-income transfer of at least 65K with foreign origins proven, as sufficient for meeting the financial requirement when applying for the 90-day Non Imm O - retirement Visa?  Or do they also require that the source of that foreign income, comes from pension, and/or that it backed-up by an embassy-issued income-letter?

Anybody willing to share experience on the above?

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

 

My top option, if possible, is still getting an O (vs an OA) without returning back to the USA.

 

If anyone has experience applying for a first time Non Imm O in Bangkok (or anywhere else in the Thailand or SE Asia), using Thai bank statements only showing international transfers, no proof of pension, and no embassy letter or income affidavit, feedback would be most appreciated.

[Max69xl]

3 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

So the question is:

>> Will IO at CW accept a record of at least 1 monthly-income transfer of at least 65K with foreign origins proven, as sufficient for meeting the financial requirement when applying for the 90-day Non Imm O - retirement Visa?  Or do they also require that the source of that foreign income, comes from pension, and/or that it backed-up by an embassy-issued income-letter?

Anybody willing to share experience on the above?

He can't get an income letter from his embassy. OP comes from the US.