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Marriage Visa Or Retirement Visa


unit731
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Disadvantages: You may not work - not eligible to apply for work permit if holding Class O retirement extension. If extending based on bank balance, requires minimum balance of 800,000 baht for 60 days (initial) or 90 days (renewal). If extending based on pension, requires certification of pension by your country's Embassy in Thailand.

 

Cheers!

Stone Soup

not totally correct, here in Huahin immigration require a cert from the bank that you have the funds in your account on the day you apply for your visa, nothing said about 60 days....

 

just my experience last month.

 

I went for the retirement visa as way less paperwork hassle.

 

BB

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TIT....at the Nonthaburi.Immi office

The gentleman is from the UK and up in years, 80 or so

Not married

 

...I go to the immigration office, naturally they don't believe the bank, they want photocopies of the bank book entries, fromt page and current page. (so 4 pages of A4)

 

...Last year I triggered an argument between the immigration boss and my bank's branch boss. Immigration did not understand the difference between a Savings account and a fixed deposit account.

 

...Many years ago I stuck 800k Baht in a fixed deposit account where it has been steadily earning interest ever since. I have two other accounts which in western parlance are my current accounts, transfers from the UK, ATM withdrawals, standing orders. etc. The problem here is the pass book only gets updated annually and immigration likes to see an update on the day you apply. I now get around this by transferring in 1000 Baht before I go this gives me a current update. My bank taught me this trick.

 

YMMV

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Cav

 

Last time I was at Chaeng Wattana just went to the Bank and they issued a letter re: funds probably charged me 100 THB or so for the privilege I honestly cant remember it was 5 years back.

 

The O-A Long Stay is the way to go as long as you "Tick the Boxes"

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I go with a retirement visa based on income. Other than a trip to BKK it's pretty easy. US embassy issues the letter based upon your word, I don't want too much money here in Thailand and am getting good returns in the states.

 

Friends who go with the marriage visa are reporting Hua Hin is getting tougher. A good friend who has been here 20+ years, at least 15 on a marriage visa had to produce his two sons, ages 12 and 8, to immigration this year. He has never had to do that in the past

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The immigration offices and even the officers are hardly consistent. Jomtien immigration was more user friendly than Chaeng Wattana, when I lived north of Pattaya for a year or so. My first few years on a retirement visa, I kept my money in the Thammasat University Co-op, which pays 3% interest. But the next time I renewed, some evil hag of a police sergeant insisted I had to use a commercial bank, and not a co-op. She refused my renewal! The female captain intervened and let me renew my visa, but she told me I should move my money to a commercial bank before the next renewal. I did ... and saw my interest drop from 3% to 0.75%.

 

I'll have to look into the fixed deposit. I've heard of some people being allowed to do that, and others being told they couldn't. It seems immigration officers like to make up their own rules. :(

 

p.s. A friend in Udorn told me his immigration office gives you a one month visa when you renew. Then you have to return and pay again for the remaining 11 months. A nice little trick to charge you double on your visa ...

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I go with a retirement visa based on income. Other than a trip to BKK it's pretty easy. US embassy issues the letter based upon your word, I don't want too much money here in Thailand and am getting good returns in the states.

 

Friends who go with the marriage visa are reporting Hua Hin is getting tougher. A good friend who has been here 20+ years, at least 15 on a marriage visa had to produce his two sons, ages 12 and 8, to immigration this year. He has never had to do that in the past

 

Not as strange as it seems The Non-Imm O is not a Marriage Visa as such but "Supporting Thai Family"

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The immigration offices and even the officers are hardly consistent.

 

It seems immigration officers like to make up their own rules. :(

 

 

Those two statements tell you all should need to know about doing pretty much anything here, not just immigration matters.

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