Retirement Visa

[2lz2p]

Sorry, I spotted a mistake in my post above, but too late to edit the post.

The mistake is: "return 3 months later with their updated bank passbook to prove you never let the account drop below 400,000 baht."

I should have written, "return 3 months later with their updated bank passbook to prove you never let the account drop below 800,000 baht.

Hi GB, I wrote and posted my info before I saw your correction. :-)

[frequent]

Close to retirement here in the USA. Wondering if I get a statement of earnings from Social Security Administration if this would be acceptable. Have to work one more year so I get the required amount per month necessary for Thai authorities.

Unfortunately Gaybutton’s response has confused getting an initial visa with extending an existing visa. For getting the visa all you need apart from the other paperwork is evidence of the equivalent of 800K in a US bank or 65K income. Your Social Security letter should suffice. That will give you a 12-month visa which, if you leave Thailand and return immediately before the “enter before” date will give you almost two years from getting the initial visa. That will give you the second 12 months to comply with the monthly deposits before you have to worry about the rigmarole including a local bank account to which Gaybutton refers - and frankly who knows what the regulations might be by then. For the best information I suggest you look to travellerjim’s thread from a couple of months ago

[dab69]

https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showt...ent-extensions




Non-Immigrant O-A Retirement/Long-Stay Visa

• For the purpose of retirement (Type “O-A”)
Qualifications of an applicant
1. A foreign national whose age is 50 years or above. (on the date of submitting the application)
2. Not being prohibited from entering the Kingdom under the Immigration Act. B.E. 2522 .
3. Having the nationality of or the residence in the country where his/ her application is submitted.
4. Having no criminal record against the security of Thailand and the country of his/her nationality, or the country of his/her residence.
5. Not having prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No.14 (B.E. 2535)
(Leprosy, Tuberculosis [T.B], Elephantiasis, Drug addiction, Alcoholism, 3nd step of syphilis)

Required documents (*** One original set and 3 sets of copies. Requested documentation 5–7 must be notarized.***)
1. Four visa application forms |Download|
2. Four passport-type photos (Passport-type photo, 2” x 2”, color, front-view, taken within 6 months, and write your name and last name on the back of each photo).
3. Four copies of the applicant's passport (the picture page) - include the actual passport when submitting the application. Passport must be valid for at least 18 more months.
4. Four copies of Personal Data Form. |Download|
*5. Four copies of:
- applicant's bank statement (U.S.) showing a balance in the amount of not less than 800,000 Baht (current Thai exchange rate is available from the Bank of Thailand web site)
- or an income certificate with a monthly salary of not less than 65,000 Baht
- or a combination of a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht a year.
(When submitting the bank statement, a letter from the bank verifying the account and balance is to be presented)
*6. Four copies of police verification stating the applicant has no criminal record issued by the authority concerned of his/her nationality or residence. The verification must not be more than three months old. Please note we will not accept the receipt for Request for Live Scan Service unless it includes the actual report/results.
*7. Four copies of the completed medical certificate form |Download| issued from the country where the application is submitted, showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535) with the name and address of the doctor. The certificate must be not be older than 3 months.
8. Copy of applicant's airline tickets showing flight to Thailand.
9. The visa fee for Non-Immigrant O-A Long-Stay (Retirement) visa is $200 - payable by cashiers check or money order only made payable to "Royal Thai Consulate General - Los Angeles"

If the applicant's spouse will be accompanying him or her, a copy of the applicant's valid marriage certificate must be presented as supporting documentation. If the applicant's spouse is not qualified for the retirement visa (e.g. not age 50+), the spouse will be considered for the Non-Immigrant Visa Type “O” or Temporary Residents.


Extending the Non-Immigrant O-A (Retirement/Long-Stay) Visa

The consulate cannot extend/renew the Non-Immigrant O-A (Retirement/Long-Stay Visa) - you will have to re-apply for this type of visa (resubmit all of the required documentation) or you can apply for the extension through Thai Immigration in Thailand.

From: “Order of the Royal Thai Police Headquarters, No. 606/2549, Re: Rules and Conditions in the Consideration of Alien Applications for Temporary Stay in the Kingdom of Thailand”

Consideration for Extending Non-Immigrant O-A (Retirement/Long-Stay) Visa

7.21 In the case of a retiree: Permission will be granted for a period of not more than one year at a time. Qualifications for consideration of extending a Non-Immigrant O-A (Retirement/Long-Stay) Visa include:

(1) The alien has obtained a temporary visa (NON-IM); and
(2) The applicant is 50 years of age or over; and
(3) Proof of income of not less than Baht 65,000 per month; or
(4) Account deposit with a bank in Thailand of not less than Baht 800,000 as shown in bank account transactions for the past 3 months; or
(5) Annual income plus bank account deposit totaling not less than Baht 800,000 as of the filing date of application
(6) For an alien who entered Thailand before October 21, 1998, and continuously allowed to stay in the Kingdom as a retiree, the following shall apply:

(a) He/she must be 60 years of age or over and has regular income. His/her bank account deposit shall not be less than Baht 200,000 a year and evidence of the account deposit for the previous 3 months must be shown; or he/she has a monthly income of not less than Baht 20,000.

(b) If he/she is under 60 years of age but not less than 55, the alien shall have regular income with a bank account deposit of not less than Baht 500,000 a year and evidence of the account deposit for the previous 3 months must be shown, or he/she has a monthly income of not less than Baht 50,000.

Documentation to be submitted includes:

1. Application form
2. Copy of the applicant's passport
3. Proof of income, e.g., retirement pension, interest earnings or dividends, etc.; and/or
4. Certificate of local bank account deposit together with copies of bank account records
5. Only in the case set out in clause (6), the same documentation as stated in clauses 1-4 above shall be required.

Thai Customs information on bringing used personal effects to Thailand
Bringing vehicles to Thailand

ดูข้อมูลอื่นๆ


http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/servi...spx?link_id=48

[dab69]

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/pdf/m...ertificate.pdf
http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/pdf/personal-data.pdf
http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/pdf/visa_application.pdf

[goji]

I will be doing my renewal in June (one month before my renewal date) using the 65,000 baht monthly income method - being from USA, I will need to have all the relevant bank documents/pension statement. I do use Bangkok Bank and prior to March 2019 used ACH transfers through their NY branch in excess of the 65,000 baht monthly minimum. Since March, I have been using Transferwise. So, all of my transfers will show as foreign transfers (FTT code). Once I go through the process, I will post my experience.

So if someone just transfers 65,000 baht every month via Transferwise and it shows up as FTT, this should satisfy the income requirement ?

Strictly speaking, I don't have a regular income, it's just an investment pot which pays dividends & might go up or down in any year. However, if I transfer 65,000 baht of that to Thailand each month, it counts as income ?

[Jellybean]

So if someone just transfers 65,000 baht every month via Transferwise and it shows up as FTT, this should satisfy the income requirement ?

Strictly speaking, I don't have a regular income, it's just an investment pot which pays dividends & might go up or down in any year. However, if I transfer 65,000 baht of that to Thailand each month, it counts as income ?

goji, bank interest, building society interest, royalties, bonuses and dividends are all sources of income, not just income from directors’ remuneration, an employment (regular or not), pension or drawings in respect of self-employment.

I doubt very much that the Thai Immigration department is concerned with the source of your income; my belief is that they are only interested in the monthly amount of your income and that it can be shown to originate from a foreign source. Therefore, as long as your dividend and any other income amounts to at least 65,000 Baht per month, that’s all that will concern them.

Before the rule change, in the most recent years, all I did was take or post my Certificate of Income and details of tax paid (form P60) to the British Embassy in Bangkok and they would provide me with a letter confirming that I had X amount of GBP as annual and monthly income. The Thai immigration officer, when renewing my ‘retirement visa’, would simply calculate if the stated income was the equivalent of 65,000 Baht per month. The immigration officer was not concerned about the source of that income and no questions were ever asked about the source, although the Embassy letter did mention the source.

But as we have read over the last few months on this forum, the embassy route is, in the case of the United States, British and some other embassies, now closed because they say they are not able to verify the income. Well, that’s my understanding.

[frequent]

I doubt very much that the Thai Immigration department is concerned with the source of your income; my belief is that they are only interested in the monthly amount of your income and that it can be shown to originate from a foreign source. Therefore, as long as your dividend and any other income amounts to at least 65,000 Baht per month, that’s all that will concern them.

Absolutely correct Mr Jellybaby - in fact no-one (except the sender) can say what the source of the funds are that are transferred to a Thai bank - it could be savings, it could be pension, it could be dividends, it could be sale of drugs, it could be gambling winnings. There is no source reported to the receiving bank whatsoever

Mind you, I only know that by hearsay, living here in Houston and never having visited Thailand or Pattaya doncha know

[2lz2p]

Jellybean:

I doubt very much that the Thai Immigration department is concerned with the source of your income; my belief is that they are only interested in the monthly amount of your income and that it can be shown to originate from a foreign source. Therefore, as long as your dividend and any other income amounts to at least 65,000 Baht per month, that’s all that will concern them.

From General Information section of Pattaya City Expats Club webpage for Visa & Immigration – Extending Stay (source: http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com...endingStay.pdf])

Thai Immigration issued an amendment to order 138-2557 stating the documentary evidence required if the applicant chooses to use monthly income as their financial resource for qualifying extension based on being related to a Thai including marriage (Section 2.18 of each police order) or on retirement in the Kingdom (Section 2.22 of each police order). Thai Immigration issued another supplemental police order35/2561effective March 1, 2019, to change the financial requirements for qualifying for an extension based on retirement.

The Amendment to Police Order 138-2557 shows the following regarding documentation to support use of monthly income (source is copy ThaiVisa.com translation of the order:http://pattayacityexpatsclub.com/exp...1-Jan-2019.pdf)

2.22 Retirement - Document
1. Application form
2. A copy of the applicant’s passport
3. Evidence showing income such as pension or interest received or dividend received and/or;
4. Certification letter from the bank in Thailand and a copy of bank book.
5. In the case of (6), the same documents as described in I - 4 are required.

Item 5 above that refers to item (6) relates to item (6) in the original Police Order to which this amendment applies.

2.22 Retirement - Procedures

Evidence showing income not less than 65,000 baht monthly includes:
1) Evidence showing pension - a letter of certification on deposit in the bank in Thailand and bank statement showing money transfer from overseas every month for the past 12 months. Except in a case where the applicant's retirement is less than 1 year, the evidence must be from the month of retirement. For example, the retirement is started in October 2018, the applicant must show pension payment evidence from November 2018 and pension payment evidence of the whole 12 months is required for the next year or;
2) Income certification certified by the embassy or consular.

As noted, it includes “Evidence showing pension." Based on some recent reports from Jomtien Immigration Office, they are asking to see evidence of the source of the pension/income. They are also requiring a letters from your bank reporting the monthly deposits to the account and verification of the account in addition to copies from the passbook.

[frequent]

Presumably Immigration is fully aware that the letter setting out, for example, US Social Security entitlements is self-generated for all those who have an online account and easily modifiable for anyone with a PDF editor? I see a lively business opportunity for the Khaosan Rd forgers

[frequent]

One more thing you'll need to factor in, dab69 - does your US health insurance cover you in Thailand? As from today all O-A visa applicants must have a mandatory level of health insurance. Overseas-originated cover is acceptable, but if you don't have that, budget on an extra 8-10,000 baht a month (based on your age) for Thailand-based insurance. Apparently the requirement also covers those extending their visa - yes Smiles, that means you, if your original visa was O-A

I suggest you join the discussion among the headless chickens on Thaivisa rather than venting here